nvited. Then a messenger led him to the wardroom of the
previous conference. He recognized the men who had landed by seaplane a
while since. One was a cabinet member from Washington. There was someone
of at least equal importance from London, picked up en route. There were
generals and admirals. The service officers looked at Coburn with
something like accusation in their eyes. He was the means by which they
had come to realize their impotence. The Greek general sat quietly in
the rear.

"Mr. Coburn," said the Secretary from Washington. "We've been canvassing
the situation. It seems that we simply are not prepared to offer
effective resistance--not yet--to the ... invaders you tell us about. We
know of no reason why this entire fleet could not have been disabled as
effectively as the tramp-steamer offshore. You know about that ship?"

Coburn nodded. The Greek general had told him. The Secretary went on
painfully: "Now, the phenomena we have to ascribe to Invaders fall into
two categories. One is the category of their action against the
Bulgarian raiding force, and today the prevention of the cold-war murder
of some hundreds of thousands of people. That category suggests that
they are prepared--on terms--to be amiable. A point in their favor."

Coburn set his lips.

"The other group of events simply points you out and builds you up as a
person of importance to these Invaders. You seem to be extremely
important to them. They doubtless could have killed you. They did not.
What they did do was bring you forward to official attention. Presumably
they had a realistic motive in this."

"I don't know what it could be," said Coburn coldly. "I blundered into
one affair. I figured out a way to detect them. I happened to be the
means by which they were proved to exist. That's all. It was an
accident."

The Secretary looked skeptical. "Your discoveries were remarkably ...
apt. And it does seem clear that they made the appearance of hunting
you, while going to some pains not to catch you. Mr. Coburn, how can we
make contact with them?"

Coburn wanted to swear furiously. He was still being considered a
traitor. Only they were trying to make use of his treason.

"I have no idea," he said grimly.

"What do they want?"

"I would say--Earth," he said grimly.

"You deny that you are an authorized intermediary for them?"

"Absolutely," said Coburn. There was silence. The Greek general spoke
mildly from the back of the room. H