is wish it. After some initial hesitation, they concentrate—and instantly find themselves standing in a spacious indoor garden on Vega. Verdeschi looks out a frost-rimed window at a desolate snowscape. Caressing his torso, Zamara informs him the temperature outside is always sub-zero and the atmosphere almost too thin to support life. Within the city, they will find all they desire. As Helena wanders amid the foliage, she is startled by a being with an immobile plastic face wearing a hooded grey coverall with the numeral '8' on the chest. She then becomes aware of a well-built, arrogant male devouring her with his eyes. The man, Zarl, informs her that the grey-clad being is a 'Number'—a simple automaton. The Alphans are joined by other Vegans, all of them perfect physical specimens; the men bare-chested and virile, the women shapely and lithe. More Numbers are called to bring food for the guests. Attended to by Number Eight, Helena receives a whispered warning not to react as expected. If she or her companion show aggression, the Vegans will kill them. The food is deliberately vile and served with vicious jibes and intentional insults. Helena manages to communicate with Verdeschi through meaningful looks and idiomatic word-play not to lose his temper. On Moonbase, the environmental situation is grave. Koenig orders a search of the entire installation for a device that could be generating the force-field. Maya works to devise an alternative heat source that will not consume their dwindling oxygen. An attempt to procure power-packs from the Eagles fails; with the travel-tube network non-operational, the launch pads are inaccessible. On Vega, Verdeschi and Helena are escorted to a stark cell and locked in. Finally alone, Helena relates the warning given her by Number Eight. Wanting to find and question that robot, Verdeschi blasts the door open with his stun-gun. He wonders why he was allowed to keep his weapon; she assumes the Vegans want them to use it in an act of violence. They follow a Number through the city's corridors and into a cavern that serves as the robots' home. When Helena asks them for help, Number Eight steps forward and removes his plastic mask—to uncover a humanoid face. He reveals the Numbers are human and the Vegans are robots. Eight tells them the tale of his ancestors. When his people were overwhelmed by a sudden and severe climatic change, they built service