ting with its
disarming undertones of empathy and innocence had accomplished its
purpose. It had emasculated Mankind's natural suspicion of strangers.
And their subsequent actions--so beautifully timed--so careful to
avoid the slightest hint of evil, had completed what their
magnificently staged appearance had begun.

The feeling of trust had persisted. It lasted through quarantine,
clearance, the public receptions, and the private meetings with
scientists and the heads of government. It had persisted unabated
through the entire two months they remained in the Twin City area. The
aliens remained as they had been in the beginning--completely
unspoiled by the interest shown in them. They remained simple,
unaffected, and friendly, displaying an ingenuous innocence that
demanded a corresponding faith in return.

Most of their time was spent at the University of Washington, where at
their own request they were studied by curious scholars, and in return
were given courses in human history and behavior. They were quite
frank about their reasons for following such a course of
action--according to their spokesman Ixtl they wanted to learn human
ways in order to make a better impression when they visited the rest
of Mankind. Matson read that blurb in an official press release and
laughed cynically. Better impression, hah! They couldn't have done any
better if they had an entire corps of public relations specialists
assisting them! They struck exactly the right note--and how could they
improve on perfection?

From the beginning they left their great ship open and unguarded while
they commuted back and forth from the airport to the campus. And
naturally the government quickly rectified the second error and took
instant advantage of the first. A guard was posted around the ship to
keep it clear of the unofficially curious, while the officially
curious combed the vessel's interior with a fine tooth comb. Teams of
scientists and technicians under Matson's direction swarmed through
the ship, searching with the most advanced methods of human science
for the secrets of the aliens.

They quickly discovered that while the star travellers might be
trusting, they were not exactly fools. There was nothing about the
impenetrably shielded mechanisms that gave the slightest clue as to
their purpose or to the principles upon which they operated--nor were
there any visible controls. The ship was as blankly uncommunicative as
a brick wall.