The radio carried the faint sound of Manning's chuckle. "So now they're people to you, Lee? Or are you one of them now?"
"Lee, my boy, you're sounding like an old horsefaced nursemaid. You linked minds with them, and you say you were practically a Hirlaji yourself when you went into that linkage. Well, I'm not so sure you ever came out of it. You're _still_ one of them!"
"Is that the only reason you can think of that I might have for wanting to prevent a massacre?" Rynason said icily.
"If they tried to revolt once, they'll try it again," Manning said. "We'll crush them _now_."
"You think that will impress the Council? Slaughtering the only intelligent race we've found?"
"I'm not playing to the Council!" Manning snapped. "I've got these men following me, and I'll listen to what _they_ want!"
Rynason stared at the microphone for a moment. "Are you sure you aren't afraid of your own mob?" he said.
"We're coming in, Lee. Get out of there or we'll cut you down too."
"_Not quite yet._ There's one more thing, and you'd better hear this one!"
"Make it fast," Manning said. His voice sounded uninterested.
"If any of your boys try to come in, I'll stop them myself. I've got the disintegrators, and I'll use them."
There was silence from the radio, save for the static. It lasted for long seconds. Then:
"It's your funeral." There was a faint click as Manning switched off.
Rynason stared angrily at the radioset for a moment, then left it lying at the top of the steps and went back inside. The Hirlaji stood motionlessly in dimness; it took awhile for Rynason's eyes to adjust to it. He found the interpreter that Mara had left and quickly hooked it up to Horng. The alien's eyes, moving heavily in their sockets, watched him as he connected the wires.
When everything was ready Rynason lifted the interpreter's mike. "The Earthmen are going to attack you," he said. "I want to help you fight them off."
There was no reaction from the alien; only those quiet eyes resting on him like the shadows of the entire past.
"Can you still believe that Kor is a god? That's only a machine--I spoke through it myself, minutes ago! Don't you realize that?"
After a moment Horng's eyes slowly closed and opened in acknowledgement. KOR WAS GOD KNOWLEDGE. THE OLD ONES DIED BEFORE TIME, AND PASSED INTO KOR. NOW KOR IS DEAD.