 An insubordinate space captain visits an apparently deserted but unstable planet after being drawn their by a mysterious gravitational force. He and his expedition discover the remnants of the once dominant civilization living on a subsistence level in caves. Long ago their advanced civilization had become so complacent and mechanized that they built a super-computer to run and maintain the machines that supported their indolent, self-indulgent lifestyle. After the machines they completely relied on were destroyed by a meteor shower, the now helpless inhabitants found themselves without the knowledge to rebuild them and totally subservient on the computer whose megalomania was now unchallenged. The cruel cyber-despot reveals that it arranged for ship s landing because it needs the skills of the Earthlings to make critical repairs in its damaged circuitry and announces future plans for the conquest of the Universe..