Unsure of who or what to trust after the events at Christmas, Eiffel and Minkowski make contact with Mr. Cutter, their liaison to Goddard Futuristics and the mission's direct supervisor. But given Hilbert's actions, how wise is it to inform Command about their discovery of the mysterious deep space signal? And how much does Mr. Cutter already know about what is happening on the Hephaestus? Plus, long distance calls, exponential emergencies, showing and telling, extreme prejudice, and Hephaestus Mystery 340.