Rose sighed deeply, turned back once more to the technician. “I’ll want a single-seat raft, the fastest available. There is only one way for me to get safely off-planet in one piece. If it works, the authorities can fume till they obscure vision. I’ll be completely untouchable. Not safe, necessarily, but untouchable. If it doesn’t work out, why, my problems will be solved and an old man will finally get some rest. For now, though, I’m not sleepy.”

“Will you require a driver, Lord?”

“No. I have to do this myself. You can’t tell where I’m going if you don’t know. Same goes for a driver.”

The man turned to leave, paused. “Luggage, your Lordship?”

“A small packing case,” said Rose thoughtfully. “Change of clothing in a collapsible packet. My credit slip, no gun. That’s all.”

The man paused once more by the door. “Good-bye, your Lordship.”

“Good-bye, Masters. I’ll be in touch—maybe.”

“Sir.” The blue-clad Masters closed the door quietly.

Vibbbraations stronger getting getting. The Vom had departed from its resting place of centuries so precipitously that the Machine, even with its tremendous speed, had not been able to analyze the results and react properly with sufficient speed. However, it still retained suitable thread of Vom-consciousness to follow it through the plenum. By the Machine’s standards, the length of the Vom’s travels was not far.

The basic problem remained unsolved. The Vom had escaped its ancient prison. The ring of monitoring stations were unpowered and sealed in fixed orbits around the dead planet. They could not be moved. Therefore a different solution was called for. The Guardian would have to be awakened from his long sleep. Without that, the Machine could only analyze and observe. It could not take action.

Not only was the situation unprecedented, there also remained the additional problem of obtaining sufficient stimuli to activate the Guardian. This required the mental presence of another conscious mind of an ability that at least approached that of the Guardian himself. Surprisingly, there was such a mentality somewhere ahead. It existed on the very planet to which the Vom had traveled. The Machine could no more analyze the moods and substance of that mind, however, than it could that of the Guardian or the Vom. That was not one of its functions.

The Machine Considered. It was dealing with a quantity as vital as it was unfamiliar and unpredictable. It would be best to bring the Guardian into activation proximity in such a way as to make it appear natural to the activating mind. All evidence of manipulation must be avoided. The key mind was clearly still in a state of stabilization. If handled improperly, it could be permanently damaged. This would be fatal.

The utilization of a number of smaller minds was implied. Fortunately, there were a multitude of suitable ones present on and about the planet. Operating in this fashion would also prevent the Vom from becoming alarmed.

A point: It would be vital not to stimulate any belligerence on the part of the small intelligences. This could produce a crucial delay which could not be afforded.