we didn't want to risk discovery by coming too
close to Earth itself. And your two men were able to tell us all we
needed to know."

"What was that?" the spokesman said.

Rainbolt was silent a moment, then said, "You see, sir, most of the
past sixty years have been spent in finding new worlds on which human
beings can live without encountering too many difficulties. But
then--"

Dorn interrupted quietly, "You found such worlds?"

"Yes, sir, we did," Rainbolt said. "We're established, in about equal
numbers, on planets of three star systems. Of course, I'm not allowed
to give you more precise information on that at present."

"Quite understandable," the spokesman agreed dryly.

Menesee was conscious of a stir of intense interest among the
listening directors in the hall. This was news, indeed! Mingled with
the interest was surprised amusement at the prisoner's artless
assumption that he had any choice about what he would or would not
tell.

"But now that we're established," Rainbolt went on, apparently unaware
of the sensation he had created, "our next immediate concern is to
resume contact with Earth. Naturally, we can't do that freely while
your Machine remains in political control of the planet. We found out
from the two captured men that it still is in control. We'd hoped that
after sixty years government in such a form would have become obselete
here."

* * * * *

Menesee heard an astonished murmuring from the director boxes on his
right, and felt himself that the fellow's impudent last remark might
well have been answered by a pulse of nerve stimulation. Spokesman
Dorn, however, replied calmly that the Machine happened to be
indispensable to Earth. A planetary economy, and one on the verge of
becoming an interplanetary and even interstellar economy, was simply
too intricate and precariously balanced a structure to maintain
without the assistance of a very tightly organized governing class.

"If the Machine were to vanish today," he explained, "Earth would
approach a state of complete chaos before the month was out. In a
year, a billion human beings would be starving to death. There would
be fighting ... wars--" He shrugged, "You name it. No, my friend, the
Machine is here to stay. And the Mars Convicts may as well resign
themselves to the fact."

Rainbolt replied earnestly that he was not too well informed in
economics, that not being his field. However, he had been to