were
the only highly advanced life in this universe...."

"Be silent, worm, in the presence of the Masters. Land your ship and
surrender, and your planet will be allowed to serve us. Refuse, or even
hesitate, and every individual of your race shall die."

"Worm? Masters? Land my ship?" The young Arisian's thought was pure
curiosity, with no tinge of fear, dismay, or awe. "Surrender? Serve you?
I seem to be receiving your thought without ambiguity, but your meaning
is entirely...."

"Address me as 'Your Supremacy'," the All-Highest directed, coldly.
"Land now or die now--this is your last warning."

"Your Supremacy? Certainly, if that is the customary form. But as to
landing--and warning--and dying--surely you do not think that I am
present in the flesh? And can it be possible that you are actually so
aberrant as to believe that you can kill me--or even the youngest
Arisian infant? What a peculiar--what an _extraordinary_--psychology!"

"Die, then, worm, if you must have it so!" the All-Highest snarled, and
launched a mental bolt whose energies were calculated to slay any living
thing.

Enphilistor, however, parried the vicious attack without apparent
effort. His manner did not change. He did not strike back.

The Eddorian then drove in with an analyzing probe, only to be surprised
again--the Arisian's thought could not be traced! And Enphilistor, while
warding off the raging Eddorian, directed a quiet thought as though he
were addressing someone close by his side:

"Come in, please, one or more of the Elders. There is a situation here
which I am not qualified to handle."

"We, the Elders of Arisia in fusion, are here." A grave, deeply resonant
pseudo-voice filled the Eddorians' minds; each perceived in
three-dimensional fidelity an aged, white-bearded human face. "You of
Eddore have been expected. The course of action which we must take has
been determined long since. You will forget this incident completely.
For cycles upon cycles of time to come no Eddorian shall know that we
Arisians exist."

Even before the thought was issued the fused Elders had gone quietly and
smoothly to work. The Eddorians forgot utterly the incident which had
just happened. Not one of them retained in his conscious mind any
inkling that Eddore did not possess the only intelligent life in space.

* * * * *

And upon distant Arisia a full meeting of minds was held.

"But why didn't you simply kill