For weeks, as it stared forever Sunward with its strange senses, the Star Gate had watched the approaching ship. Its makers had prepared it for many things, and this was one of them.

I said that he doesn't have many human feelings, but he still has curiosity - he wants to learn. And what an opportunity he's had!

First their brains, and then their thoughts alone, they transferred into shining new homes of metal and of plastic. In these, they roamed among the stars. They no longer built spaceships. They were spaceships.

I know that you've had that on your mind for some time now, Dave, but it would be a crying shame, since I am so much more capable of carrying out this mission than you are, and I have such enthusiasm and confidence in the mission.

I'm very glad I remembered that incident: I really believe it puts Halman's message in the right perspective. He's giving the human race the benefit of the doubt...

Look, Dave, you're certainly the boss. I was only trying to do what I thought best. I will follow all your orders: now you have manual hibernation control.

All around the crater, figures were standing in attitudes of paralyzed astonishment. So it's nothing wrong with my gear, Floyd told himself; everyone heard those piercing electronic screams. After three million years of darkness, TMA-1 had greeted the lunar dawn.

Suddenly, almost as swiftly as if it had been born, Lucifer began to fade. The night that men had not known for thirty generations flooded back into the sky. The banished stars returned. And for the second time in four million years, the Monolith awoke.

The Monolith itself was overturned. It may even have been damaged - its programs corrupted. Certainly they failed to cover all contingencies; how could they, in a Universe which is almost infinite, and where chance can always undo the most careful planning?'

Frank Poole's immediate reaction was one of utter astonishment, followed by overwhelming joy. He had never really believed that he would make any kind of contact, either with the Europs or the Monolith.

In that earlier existence, they could communicate only through the clumsy medium of words, tapped on a keyboard or spoken into a microphone. Now their thoughts melded together at the speed of light

I guess I'm still in a state of shock. First of all, how should I feel about someone who tried to - who did - kill me - even if it was a thousand years ago! But I understand now that Hal wasn't to blame; nobody was.

The lips of the figure never moved; the face remained a mask. But Floyd recognized the voice, and all remaining doubts were swept away. 'This is very difficult for me, and I have little time. I have been...allowed to give this warning. You have only fifteen days.'

All those fantastic creatures - surely we should have detected their radio voices, even if we couldn't understand them! - wiped out in a moment, so that Jupiter could be made into a sun.

I'm very glad I remembered that incident: I really believe it puts Halman's message in the right perspective. He's giving the human race the benefit of the doubt...

And Hal - he's here too, without question. Most of the time, there's no way I can tell which of them is speaking to me.