anning some
counter-measure by this time.

He called the spaceport office.

"There should be a map of the city somewhere about," he said crisply.
"Send it along special. Bring a communicator call-book. If you find any
news-reports, new or old, we want them."

"_Yes, sir_," said a brisk voice. "_The broadcast's right, sir?_"

"It is," said Bors. "You're mining the grid set-up. We'll blow it before
we leave. There's no point in letting Mekin set down transports loaded
with troops to punish innocent people because they heard the Mekinese
accurately described. Make 'em land on rockets and there won't be so
many landing."

"_Yes, sir. Will do, sir._"

A click. Bors heard heavy materials being loaded aboard. Each object was
being examined by a detector. The loading process stopped. Bors pressed
a button.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"_Looks like a booby-trapped box, sir_," said a voice. "_Among the
supplies, sir._"

"Take it off a hundred yards and riddle it," ordered Bors. "This may
settle a problem for us."

"_Yes, sir._"

Bors fidgeted again. A messenger from the grid-control building arrived.
He had a map of the capital city of Tralee.

There was an explosion. A violent one. Bors looked out a port and saw
where the suspected parcel had been set up as a target a hundred yards
from the ship. It had been riddled with blast-rifle bolts, and had
exploded. It might not have destroyed the _Isis_ if it had exploded in
space, but it would not have done it any good.

Bors pushed the button for the loading-port compartment.

"Throw out all the stuff loaded so far," he commanded. "Some of it may
be booby-trapped like that last one. We won't take a chance. Heave it
all out again."

"_Yes, sir._"

Bors gave other orders. The harsh-voiced broadcast stopped. Bors's own
voice went out on the air, steely-hard.

"Captain Bors, pirate ship _Isis_ speaking," he said coldly. "We
demanded supplies. They were sent us--government-supplied. We have found
one booby-trap included. In retaliation for this attempted
assassination, we are going to lob chemical-explosive missiles into the
principal government buildings of this city. We give three minutes'
leeway for clerks and other persons to get clear of those buildings. The
three minutes start now!"

The sun shone tranquilly on the planet Tralee. White clouds floated with
infinite leisureliness across the blue sky. There was no motion of any
sort within the wide, open are