, Pid thought. There was bound to be a door in the
rear.

He glanced up at the afternoon sun. As soon as the Displacer was
activated, the Grom armies would begin to pour through. By the time
the Men recovered from the shock, a million or more Grom troops would
be here, weapons and all. With more following.

The day passed slowly, and nothing happened.

Nervously Pid watched the front of the plant. It shouldn't be taking
so long, if Ger were successful.

Late into the night he waited. Men walked in and out of the
installation, and Dogs barked around the gates. But Ger did not
appear.

Ger had failed. Ilg was gone. Only he was left.

And _still_ he didn't know what had happened.

* * * * *

By morning, Pid was in complete despair. He knew that the twenty-first
Grom expedition to this planet was near the point of complete failure.
Now it was all up to him.

He saw that workers were arriving in great number, rushing through the
gates. He decided to take advantage of the apparent confusion, and
started to shape himself into a Man.

A Dog walked past the woods where he was hiding.

"Hello," the Dog said.

It was Ger!

"What happened?" Pid asked, with a sigh of relief. "Why were you so
long? Couldn't you get in?"

"I don't know," Ger said, wagging his tail. "I didn't try."

Pid was speechless.

"I went hunting," Ger said complacently. "This form is ideal for
Hunting, you know. I went out the rear gate with another Dog."

"But the expedition--your duty--"

"I changed my mind," Ger told him. "You know, Pilot, I never wanted to
be a Detector."

"But you were _born_ a Detector!"

"That's true," Ger said. "But it doesn't help. I always wanted to be a
Hunter."

Pid shook his entire body in annoyance. "You can't," he said, very
slowly, as one would explain to a Gromling. "The Hunter shape is
forbidden to you."

"Not here it isn't," Ger said, still wagging his tail.

"Let's have no more of this," Pid said angrily. "Get into that
installation and set up your Displacer. I'll try to overlook this
heresy."

"No," Ger said. "I don't want the Grom here. They'd ruin it for the
rest of us."

"He's right," a nearby oak tree said.

"Ilg!" Pid gasped. "Where are you?"

* * * * *

Branches stirred. "I'm right here," Ilg said. "I've been Thinking."

"But--your caste--"

"Pilot," Ger said sadly, "why don't you wake up? Most of the people on
Gro