air. Group Two was idling at
extreme radar range, making a convincing blip, and he designed some
false messages to be beamed toward it with the expectation of
interception. The impression he wanted to give was that Group Two was
the Force that had been bombarding Coar, coming in now to join him.
Actually, the latter fleet was farther away, hidden in the sun and, he
hoped, unsuspected.

* * * * *

Things were going according to plan except for one puzzling item: there
was no message from Sennech's small garrison on Teyr. All he could get
from the planet was a steady radar scan, which might mean that Sennech's
colony had been conquered by Coar's.

He'd been hoping to get certain supplies from Teyr, and now he took a
strong detachment in close to the planet to find out what was wrong. The
threat finally raised an answer. "This is the Chief of Council. What is
it that you want?"

"Chief of Council? What are you talking about? I want the Garrison
Commander."

"I suppose you're Admiral Tulan. There's been a change here, Tulan; Teyr
is now an independent planet. Your garrison, with Coar's, comprise our
defense forces."

Tulan stared at the planet's image. "You're at war with Coar!"

"Not any more, we aren't." There was a chuckle. "Don't sound so shocked,
Admiral; we understand you're in mutiny yourself."

Tulan slapped the microphone onto its hangar. He sat, angry and
bewildered, until he remembered something, then buzzed Communications.
"Get me that connection again. Hello? Listen. I have sixty thousand
troops in transports, with almost no food. I intend to land them."

"They're welcome as noncombatants, Admiral. They'll have to land
disarmed, in areas we designate, and live off the country. We've already
got more refugees than we can handle."

"Refugees from where?"

"Haven't you been in contact with Sennech at all?"

"No."

"Oh." There was a thoughtful pause. "Then you don't know. There's bad
radiation in the atmosphere and we're hauling as many away as we can. We
can use your ships if you're finished playing soldier."

Tulan broke the connection again and turned, fuming, to Jezef. "We'll
blast our way in and take over!"

Jezef raised his eyebrows. "What good would that do?" he asked.

"Why; they--for one thing, we've got to think of those troops! We can't
land them unarmed and let them be slaughtered by the savages!"

Jezef grinned. "I doubt if they'll refuse to let them