communication. And straightway he was wary. When his
ancestors had first met the merpeople, they had established a means of
speech through touch, the palm of one resting against the palm of the
other. In later generations, when they had developed their new senses,
physical contact had not been necessary. However, here--Dalgard's eyes
narrowed, the line along his jaw was hard.

He had always accepted the merpeople's estimate of Those Others, that
their ancient enemies were all-seeing and all-knowing, with mental
powers far beyond their own definition or description. Now he half
expected to be ruthlessly mind-invaded, stripped of everything the
enemy desired to know.

So he was astonished when the words which formed in his thoughts were
simple, almost childish. And while he prepared to answer them, another
part of him watched and listened, waiting for the attack he was sure
would come.

"You--are--who--what?"

He forced a look of astonishment. Nor did he make the mistake of
answering that mentally. If Those Others did not know he could use
the mind speech, why betray his power?

"I am of the stars," he answered slowly, aloud, using the speech of
Homeport. He had so little occasion to talk lately that his voice
sounded curiously rusty and harsh in his own ears. Nor had he the
least idea of the impression those few archaically accented words
would have on one who heard them.

To Dalgard's inner surprise the answer did not astonish his
interrogator. The alien officer might well have been expecting to hear
just that. But he pulled off his own arm band before he turned to his
fellows with a spurt of the twittering speech they used among
themselves. While the two civilians were still trilling, the officer
edged forward an inch or so and stared at Dalgard intently as he
replaced the band.

"You not look--same--as others--"

"I do not know what you mean. Here are not others like me."

One of the civilians twitched at the officer's sleeve, apparently
demanding a translation, but the other shook him off impatiently.

"You come from sky--now?"

Dalgard shook his head, then realized that gesture might not mean
anything to his audience. "Long ago before I was, my people came."

The alien digested that, then again took off his band before he
relayed it to his companions. The excited twitter of their speech
scaled up.

"You travel with the beasts--" the alien's accusation came crisply
while the others gabbled. "That wh