th an alien form of life! Were it not to end in the extinction of
those unspeakable hexans, it would be futile to the point of silliness.
I cannot understand them at all. There is ample room upon this planet
for all of us. Our races combined are not using one seven-thousandth
of its surface. You would think that they would shun all strangers.
Yet for ages have they attacked us, refusing to let us alone, until
finally they forced us to prepare means for their destruction. They
seem as senselessly savage as the jungle growths, and, but for their
very evident intelligence, one would class them as such. You would
think that, being intelligent and being alien to us, they would not
have anything to do with us in any way, peacefully or otherwise.
However, their intrusions and depredations are about to end."

"They certainly are. Vorkulia has endured much--too much--but I am glad
that our forefathers did not decide to exterminate them sooner. If they
had, we could not have been doing this now."

"There speaks the rashness of youth, Kromodeor. It is a violation of all
our instincts to have any commerce with outsiders, as you will learn as
soon as you see one of them. Then, too, we will lose heavily. Since we
have studied their armaments so long, and have subjected every phase of
the situation to statistical analysis, it is certain that we are to
succeed--but you also know at what cost."

"Two-sevenths of our force, with a probable error of one in seven,"
replied the younger Vorkul. "And because that figure cannot be improved
within the next seven years and because of the exceptional weakness of
the hexans due to their unexpectedly great losses upon Callisto, we are
attacking at this time. Their spherical vessels are nothing, of course.
It is in the reduction of the city that we will lose men and vessels.
But at that, each of us has five chances in seven of returning, which is
good enough odds--much better than we had in that last expedition into
the jungle. But by the Mighty Seven, I shall make myself wrap around one
hexan, for my brother's sake," and his coils tightened unconsciously.
"Hideous, repulsive monstrosities! Creatures so horrible should not
be allowed to live--they should have been tossed over the wall to
the jungle ages ago!" Kromodeor curled out an eye as he spoke, and
complacently surveyed the writhing cylinder of sinuous, supple power
that was his own body.

"Better avoid contact work with them if possible," c