"Of course we would. And so of course would any beings on other planets, under similar circumstances."
"You mean," Marnag asked, "that if beings came here from space they would attack us?"
"That too. But even if that were not their reaction, curiosity alone could be enough to spur them on to exploration."
"But—but what can we do?" quavered old Gantes. He is really growing too senile to be on the Council much longer.
"We can discourage them. And we can mislead them."
"How?"
"We can make certain that nothing reaches them in the future which gives them the least sign that any but the lowest forms of life, if even those, exist in our world.
"I studied this whole question systematically, as We always do. I came to the conclusion that only the phph pebbles could possibly betray us. I attended a phph game to see for myself if a pebble actually could be thrown with sufficient force to become, as it were, an artificial meteor. I found that it could. Indeed, I saw Gral make such a throw."
Gral looked stricken. He fell flat on his face, groveling before the Thinkers.
"Oh, Your Reverences," he cried, "I never dreamt—I never—"