attuned to Earth minds, apparently.

"Why didn't the energy beam kill you?" Captain Yknor asked.

"Because it missed me," said Marten calmly.

A grin spread across Ghuvek's evil, toadish face.

"Good!" he said exultantly. "It missed him—but now we know that the Earthmen have no defense against our weapons." He rubbed his dry, scaly hands together.

"The next question, Sire?"

"Make him tell us about the defenses of Earth," Ghuvek said.

"I'll be damned if I will, you bloated monstrosity."

Ghuvek's globular eyes blinked slowly in surprise. "But—you're supposed to be under the power of the machine!" He turned his flat, batrachian head to glare at Captain Yknor. "Turn up the power!"

"Yes, Sire."

Yknor's thick claws wrenched up the dial and a surge of power thundered through Marten's brain without leaving an impression.

"Feels nice," he said. "Like an extra-special shampoo. But you wouldn't know what a shampoo is, would you?"

"Up higher!" Ghuvek snapped.

"That's as high as it goes, Sire."

Marten still sat there, sneering openly at the alien's attempts to read his brain. Ghuvek paced angrily around the seated Earthman without speaking.

"All right," he said finally. "Shut the machine off. Obviously, the Earthman's brain just does not respond." There was anger and more than a touch of surprise in his voice. "Take the brainprobe away."

"Yes, Sire."

Ghuvek's eyes grew hard. "There are, however, older and cruder ways. What do you say to torture, eh, Earthman?"

"I'm not much in favor of it," said Marten. "I can't say I care for the idea at all."

"Good," Ghuvek said. "Yknor, prepare the torture!"

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