"Tell me," Temple demanded abruptly, "is this a dream?"

Arkalion smiled. "Yes and no. It is not a dream like the others
because I assure you your bodies are not now resting on a pair of
identical white tables. Still in the other dreams physical things
could happen to you, while now you'll find you can do things as in a
dream. For example, neither one of you knows the intricacies of a
spaceship, yet if you are to save your planet, you must know the
operation of the most intricate of all space ships, a giant space
station."

"Then we're not dreaming?" asked Temple.

"I never said that. Consider this sequence of events about half way
between the dream stage you have already seen and reality itself.
Remember this: you'll have to work together; you'll have to function
like machines. You will be handling totally alien equipment with only
the sort of knowledge which can be played into your brains to guide
you."

Sophia sighed. "Being an American, Kit is too much of an individual to
help in such a situation."

Temple snorted. "Being a cog in a simple, state-wide machine is one
thing--orienting yourself in a totally new situation is another."

"Yes, well--"

"See?" Arkalion cautioned. "See? Already you are arguing, but you must
work together completely, with not the slightest conflict between you.
As it is, you hardly have a chance."

"What about you?" said Sophia practically. "Can't you help?"

* * * * *

Arkalion shook his head. "No. While I'd like to see you come out of
this thing on top, I would not like to sacrifice my life for it--which
is exactly what I'd do if I remained with you and you lost.

"So, let's get down to detail. Imagine space being folded, imagine
your time sense slowing, imagine a new dimension which negates the
need for extensive linear travel, imagine anything you want--but we
are in the process of moving nine hundred thousand light years through
deep space. There is a great galaxy at that distance, almost a twin of
your Milky Way: you call it the Andromeda Nebula. Closer to your own
system are the two Magellanic Clouds, so called, something else which
you table NGC 6822, and finally the Triangulum Galaxy. All have
billions of stars, but none of the stars have life. To find life
outside your galaxy you must seek it across almost a million light
years. My people live in Andromeda.

"Guarding the flank of their galaxy and speeding through
inter-galactic spac