The six Earthmen turned hostile eyes to him.
"This particular matter does not concern you, Generalissimo," Watson rapped at him.
Taller smiled his amusement at that and came to his feet.
"No," he said. "I am afraid that hard though it might be for you to give up the powers you have held so long, you Earthlings are going to have to return to Terra City, from whence you came."
Baron Leonar said in gentle agreement, "Obviously."
"What is this?" Watson rapped. "I'm not at all amused."
The Honorable Russ stood also. "There is no use prolonging this. I have heard you Earthlings say, more than once, that man adapts to preserve himself. Very well, we of Genoa and Texcoco are adapting to the present situation. We are of the belief that if you are allowed to remain in power we of the Rigel planets will be destroyed, probably in an atomic holocaust. In self-protection we have found it necessary to unite, we Genoese and Texcocans. We bear you no ill will, far to the contrary. However, it is necessary that you all return to Earth. You have impressed upon us the aforementioned truism that _man adapts_ but in the _Pedagogue's_ library I have found another that also applies. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
There were heavy automatics in the hands of Natt Roberts and Dick Hawkins. Barry Watson leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrow. "How'd you ever expect to get away with this sort of treason, Taller?"
Wiss, the Texcocan scientist, held his wrist radio to his mouth and said, "Come in now."
Dick Hawkins thumbed back the hammer of his hand gun.
"Hold it a minute, Dick," Barry Watson said. "I don't like this." To Taller he rapped, "What goes on here? Talk up, you're just about a dead man."
And it was then that they heard the scraping on the outer hull.
The six Earthmen looked at the overhead, dumfounded.
"I suggest you put up your weapons," Taller said quietly. "At this late stage I would hate to see further bloodshed."
In moments they heard the opening and closing of locks and footsteps along the corridor. The door opened and in stepped,
Joe Chessman, Amschel Mayer, Mike Dean, Louis Rosetti, and an emaciated Jerry Kennedy. Their expressions ran the gamut from sheepishness to blank haughtiness.