 How do the others in the Council Chamber feel about Marshall and Crownwall's news?
If they carried out the threats of their present attitude, Earth would have to send Marshall to replace him. There was even serious discussion of destroying Earth out of hand, while it is still possible. It had been manned by a dozen adventurous people, captained by Crownwall, and had headed out on its ion drive until it was safely clear of the warping influence of planetary masses. "Could we have done anything else that would have kept you from landing on Earth and taking us over?" asked Crownwall. Even if you could get down to the bottom of the ocean and tamper with the bomb, you would only succeed in setting it off, and that's what the Sunda had been in favor of in the first place.
 They are unsure if they sent the right person to do their job because of the outcome
 They are disappointed that they will not have the chance to wage war against an alien species  They are relived to not have a threat to handle but unsure of how to proceed  They are ecstatic that all of their problems have been solved, and know they sent the right person  They are unsure if they sent the right person to do their job because of the outcome