“Oh? Oh, you want the fourth-dimensional device.”

“Exactly.” Crane then introduced the others, and finally Seaton; who, having assured himself that the Brain could handle the stalemate without him, had disengaged himself from the master controller and had joined the party.

“That’s right,” Seaton said. “Since nothing like it is known to any science with which we are familiar, we hope to learn about it from you. But that… those monsters… they aren’t, by any chance, friends of yours, are they?”

Luloy laughed. “No. Not exactly… or maybe they are, after a fashion, now. But the Llurdi were our unquestioned masters for so many thousands of years that they haven’t yet decided to treat us or anyone who looks like us with the courtesy reserved for equals. You see, the llanzlan would have communicated with you in thought after he had investigated you a little.”

“Yeah.” Seaton’s smile was grim. “With the stiffest, hardest probe he could build? And I’m supposed to sit still for that kind of manhandling?”

“No.” Mergon took over. “No one but a Llurd could have expected you to. This situation is somewhat unfortunate. Until very recently they have always had overwhelmingly superior power. They never had any effective opposition until we wore them down a little, just recently.” Mergon explained the situation in as few words as possible, concluding, “So this battle, while not due exactly to misunderstanding, is unfortunate.

What I propose is that Luloy and I visit Klazmon via projection, as we are now visiting you, and explain matters to him as we have explained them to you. I take it you will cease fire if he does?”

“Of course. We didn’t come here to start a war, or to bother him in any way; just to see you. So I’ll do better than that; I’ll cut my offense right now.”

He thought at the Brain and the raging inferno above the llanzlanate went suddenly calm and still. “That beam is no pencil of force, believe me. If it should get through it would volatilize his palace and half the city, and that would be unfortunate — hey! He’s quit slugging, too!”

“Of course,” Mergon said. “As I told you, he is — all Llurdi are — completely and perfectly logical. With their own brand of logic, of course. Insanely logical, to our way of thinking… or perhaps unsanely may be the better word. On the basis of the data he then had it was logical for him to attack you. Your cease-fire was a new datum, one that he cannot as yet evaluate. He has deduced the fact that we Jelmi caused it, but he does not know why you stopped. Hence he has restored the status quo ante, pending our explanation.

He wants additional data. If our explanation is satisfactory — data sufficient — he’ll probably just let the whole matter drop. If not — if it’s data insufficient — I wouldn’t know. He’ll do whatever he decides is the logical thing to do — which is ’way beyond my guess-point. He might even resume the attack exactly where he left off; although I think he’ll be able to deduce a reason not to.”

Seaton whistled through his teeth. “Holy… cat!” he said. “If that’s pure logic I’ll take vanilla. But how will you make the approach?”

“Very easily. If two of you will permit us to bring you over here we will send four working projections into the Llanzlan Klazmon’s study, where I’m sure he’s expecting us. You, Doctor Seaton, and your Dorothy, perhaps?”

“Not I!” Dorothy declared, shaking her head vigorously. “Uh-uh. Into battle, yes; this, no. If I never see a monster like that it’ll be twenty minutes too soon. You’re it, Martin.”

“One more thing,” Mergon went on, as Seaton and Crane appeared in the flesh beside him. “Since the Llurdi refuse to learn any language except their own, I must teach you Llurdan,” and he held out two Jelman thought-caps:

“I prefer my own,” Seaton said, after a very short trial.

“So will you, I think,” and he sent back for four of the Skylark’s latest models.

The two Jelmi put two of them on. “Oh, I do indeed!” Luloy exclaimed, and Mergon added, “As was to have been expected, we have much to learn from you, friends.”

“But listen,” Seaton said. “You gave the ape all the dope on that fourth-dimensional thing. Isn’t he apt to toss a superatomic into our Brain with it?”

“There’s no possibility whatever of that, either soon or later. Not soon because, since they work slowly and thoroughly, it will be months yet before they have a full-scale machine. Nor later, because the mutual destruction of four hundred eighty-two populated planets — excuse me, four hundred eighty, now — is not logical in any system of logic, however cockeyed that system may be.”

It took Seaton a fraction of a second to get it, but when he did, it rocked him. “Oh! I hadn’t figured on you coming all the way in. But does he know you will?”

“He certainly does know it!” Luloy broke in. “Beyond a doubt; or what you call peradventure.”

“Oh,” Seaton said again. “And that’s why he isn’t going to resume hostilities with ordinary weapons, either? Thanks, you two, a million. We appreciate it. Okay; we’re ready, I guess.”

The four projections appeared in front of the llanzlan’s desk. He was expecting them.

“Well?” he asked.

Mergon began to explain, but Seaton cut him off. Mergon could not possibly feel equal to Klazmon in a face-to-face; Seaton could and did.

“I can explain us better than you can, friend Mergon,” he said. Then, to the Llurd, “We came here to visit the human beings whom you call the Jelmi. We did not have, have not now, and do not expect to have any interest whatever in you Llurdi or in anything Llurdan. Our purpose is to promote intergalactic commerce and interhuman friendship.

The various human races have different abilities and different artifacts and different knowledges — many of each of which are of benefit to other human races.

“You made an unprovoked attack on us. Know now, Llanzlan Klazmon, that I do not permit invasion, either mental or physical, by any entity — man, beast, god, devil or Llurd — of this or of any other galaxy. Although I can imagine few subjects upon which you and I could converse profitably, if you wish to talk to me as one intelligent and logical entity to another I will so converse. But I repeat — I will not permit invasion.

“If you wish to resume battle on that account that is your right and your privilege. You will note, however, that our attack was metered precisely to a point just below your maximum capability of resistance. Know now that if you force us to destroy your city and perhaps your world it will not have been the first city or the first world we have been forced to destroy; nor, with a probability of point nine nine nine, will it have been the last. Do you want peace with us or war?”

“Peace. Data sufficient,” Klazmon said immediately. “I have recorded the fact that there is at least one Jelmoid race other than the Jelmi themselves of which some representatives are both able and willing to employ almost Llurdan logic,” and he switched his attention from the projections to the tape he had been studying — cutting communications as effectively as though he had removed himself to another world.

Back in the Mallidaxian, while Luloy stared at Seaton almost in awe, Mergon said, “That was a beautiful job, Doctor Seaton. Perfect! Much better than I could have done. You used flawless Llurdan logic.”

“Thanks to the ace in the hole you gave me with your briefing, I could do it. I’d hate to have to run a bluff on that ape. What’s next on the agenda, Savant Mergon?”

“Make it ‘Merg’, please; and I’ll call you ‘Dick’. Now that this is settled, why don’t you put your fortress-planetoid on automatic and let us bring you all here, so that our peoples may become friends in person and may begin work upon tasks of mutual interest?”

“That’s a thought, friend; that really is a thought,” Seaton said, and it was done forthwith.