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117 They might live and think on a coldly intelligent level, without a touch of what we know as emotion. To them, our lives might seem meaningless and dull. We ourselves might appear grotesque in form. But in their progress, there must have been struggle, trial and error, some feeling of triumph at success. Surely these would be emotional forces, bound to reflect in the planet races. Perhaps, in spite of some differences, we would find a common bond--the bond of thinking, intelligent creatures trying to better themselves. gone. It had not been a personal fear of the visitors from space. It had been a selfish fear of the impact on my life. I realized that now. It might be a long time before they would try to make contact. But I had a conviction that when it came, it would be a peaceful mission, not an ultimatum. It could even be the means of ending wars on earth. But I had been conditioned to this thing. I had had six months of preparation, six months to go from complete skepticism to slow, final acceptance. Even a peaceful contact by beings from another planet would profoundly affect the world. The story in True might play an important part in that final effect. Carefully done, it could help prepare Americans for the official disclosure. The airliner landed and taxied in to unload. As I went down the gangway I suddenly realized something. My last vague fear was What if it had been thrown at me in black headlines? But if it weren't done right, we might be opening a Pandora's box.