"What of your own personnel already on those disguised ships?"
"They will be transferred to other ships. Those ships will arrive in the Solar System on a schedule that allows for the capture of the Earth. Our millions will then occupy the Earth and destroy the humans. After that the robots will be mobilized once again and given their blocked off memory, their freedom. When we have done this we will depart for our own star cluster. You robots will be able to conquer everything held by humans elsewhere and exterminate them."
2615 remained motionless for several minutes. Then:
"You of course preserved the lives of the two humans of the Alpha Aquilae fleet?"
"Of course not. And Vilbis is to be destroyed as soon as he fulfills his purpose."
"I'll tell you what Vilbis already knows then," 2615 said. "Your plan is doomed to failure. Your weapons may destroy some of the Earth's land-based weapons, but not all. Those you don't destroy will wipe out this disguised fleet before it can escape."
"But Earth won't suspect—"
"Of course they won't suspect. They'll know. Without human commanders aboard, they'll know. Robots could not go through such a maneuver without human commanders to give the orders—unless there were at least one robot like me."
"Then I'll command the fleet. I had planned that anyway."