"They didn't!" put in Saxon.
Their eyes swung back to the burly nuclear physicist. He read scepticism, doubt, curiosity in their minds.
"What do you mean??" Murdock exploded.
"I mean just what I said. They actually didn't know that they had sold out to General Atomic until after the Little Death. It's simple enough. I'm surprised no one's thought of it before. Ever since Charcot back in the nineteenth century....'"
"Hypnotism!" Villainowski burst out. "That's it, of course! Post-hypnotic commands!"
Saxon nodded. "I wasn't sure. I'm not sure even yet." But he was. He had known it the moment he had looked into Ileth's mind the day of the mutiny.
Murdock frowned, said "Post-hypnotic commands? I don't follow you."
"There's nothing mysterious about it, actually," explained Saxon. "When the men sold out to General Atomic they must have submitted to being hypnotized by GA's neuro-psychoanalyst. They could be given orders while in the hypnotic state, then commanded to forget them, forget in fact that they had sold out to General Atomic until after the Little Death. The Little Death was to act as a post-hypnotic command, recalling their memories and instructions."
"By Pluto!" ejaculated Murdock. "I believe you've hit it!" He regarded Saxon with increased respect.
The slight, homely Villainowski rubbed a nine day's growth of beard, musing, "It was a beautiful scheme. Then men couldn't betray themselves. They couldn't be tripped up by the lie-detector because they honestly believed they were still loyal to Government."