The expansive Taybor, an inter-galactic merchant arrives from hyper-space on his ship the 'Emporium'. He is offering to sell things to the Alphans. Koenig realizes that if the Taybor sold them his space-ship, it would enable the Alphans to fly back to Earth, but the price the Taybor is asking for this transaction is Maya.

The arrival of the Alphans on another planet seems to cause a change in its atmosphere, setting off pollution and poisoning of the water. They meet Zoran, the sole survivor of the last exploratory force, who tells them that the planet is controlled by an immortal being - with whom Koenig must parley if he and his crew are to leave the planet alive.