ials, Army
officers, and scientists, he was quartered in a quonset hut in Fort Dix,
New Jersey. Then, after seventy-two frustrating hours, he was escorted
by Marine guard into New York City. No one told him his destination, and
it wasn't until he saw the bright strips of light across the face of the
United Nations building that he knew where the meeting was to be held.

But his greatest surprise was yet to come. The vast auditorium which
housed the general assembly was filled to its capacity, but there were
new faces behind the plaques which designated the member nations. He
couldn't believe his eyes at first, but as the meeting got under way, he
knew that it was true. The highest echelons of the world's governments
were represented, even--Jerry gulped at the realization--Nikita
Khrushchev himself. It was a summit meeting such as he had never dreamed
possible, a summit meeting without benefit of long foreign minister's
debate. And the cause of it all, a placid, highly-polished metal robot,
was seated blithely at a desk which bore the designation:

VENUS.

The robot delegate stood up.

"Gentlemen," it said into the microphone, and the great men at the
council tables strained to hear the translator's version through their
headphones, "Gentlemen, I thank you for your prompt attention. I come as
a Delegate from a great neighbor planet, in the interests of peace and
progress for all the solar system. I come in the belief that peace is
the responsibility of individuals, of nations, and now of worlds, and
that each is dependent upon the other. I speak to you now through the
electronic instrumentation which has been created for me, and I come to
offer your planet not merely a threat, a promise, or an easy
solution--but a challenge."

The council room stirred.

"Your earth satellites have been viewed with interest by the astronomers
of our world, and we foresee the day when contact between our planets
will be commonplace. As for ourselves, we have hitherto had little
desire to explore beyond our realm, being far too occupied with internal
matters. But our isolation cannot last in the face of your progress, so
we believe that we must take part in your affairs.

"Here, then, is our challenge. Continue your struggle of ideas, compete
with each other for the minds of men, fight your bloodless battles, if
you know no other means to attain progress. But do all this _without_
unleashing the terr