The Merchandise Guide
Annual 1976

"It may be that this alien intelligence could destroy us," said Commander Koenig.. "It may look like foam-- but it could be something else!

He felt Helena Russell touch his arm, gently. "If that's what you really believe, John," she said softly, "Then we might as well give up. Whatever's invaded has killed us, and we might just as well have drowned in there. . ."    It had all happened so quickly. Koenig, relaxing in his quarters, had been summoned to Main Mission by a call from Controller Paul Morrow. "You'd better come up, Commander. We'ver picked up an object on video. Spheroid. Too small for a space-craft. Seems to be some kind of drifting probe--but there are no planetary systems within direct reach."    Koenig had seen it on screen. A metallic globe, about the size of a football. Some unidentifiable piece of space-junk, perhaps long lost in escape orbit from an unknown, intelligent source. It would have passed the moon without being drawn into orbit and down to its surface. But Koenig's curiosity had overcome him . . . a curiosity that had made him order an Eagle to be launched. An Eagle equipped with grabs to capture the strange globe and bring it down for examination.    There had been hours of decision. Suppose it was a space- craft? Perhaps containing beings of tiny proportions? All manner of tests had been applied. Rays that pierced the object through and through--discovering nothing. And then, abruptly, it had opened, a slim section sliding back in it to reveal two compartments, one of which contained a black box--easily and quickly extracted--clearly a minutely transistorised mini-bank that held some kind of memory chamber.    Koenig had said, "It's an exploratory device, sent out into deep space in the hope of making contact with another civilisation!" And he'd ordered Kano to begin experiments

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