of his world and of Opal.

Those other worlds which he had seen had been blasted. So there was no way
of knowing how their cities had looked. But these were too recognizable.
He was certain that he had seen several of the taller buildings before.

Was space no more creative than this? Had the worlds dedicated themselves
to the same monotonous pattern? He had caught a glimpse of conventional,
rocket-shaped spaceships, plying their courses back and forth among the
planets. He saw boats and cars and a few long-nosed airplanes, with the
merest trace of vestigial wings far back near the empennage, streaking
through the sky in high arcs, leaving curling trails of fog and smoke
behind them. But there was little here that his world had not already
mastered--or at least had on the drawing board.

The Nebula came to rest upon a bare plain not far from the nearest city. As
he turned to the scanner upon it, Odin saw that while it looked familiar
enough there was one exotic thing about it. Toward the outskirts of the
city, in the bend of a wide river, was the Taj Mahal.

He felt nearly as bewildered as he had been when Nea explained her theories
of the Time-Space Concept to him.

They had hardly landed before one of Ato's scientists announced that there
was good clean air outside. Oxygen and nitrogen with good old water held as
moisture within it.

The city sat there upon the plain and stared at them. The Nebula looked
back.

At length a procession of cars moved toward them.

Grim Hagen's voice came thundering over the loud-speakers.

"A truce, Ato. I offer you a week's truce in return for a few meetings.
This world has seen enough destruction--"

Gunnar and his crew leveled their death-gun at the advancing party. Odin
kept them on the screen. Ato and a few of his captains got ready to
disembark.

As Odin watched, he kept puzzling over that voice. It certainly was Grim
Hagen's. But it was different. Perhaps it was a bit lower, a bit more
commanding. But there was just a bit of weariness in it. And the answer
came to him suddenly--although he never knew why.

The voice was older!

* * * * *

Then Grim Hagen and his staff were below The Nebula. They were dressed in
white and gold uniforms. That was not surprising, either. Ato and his men
advanced for a parley. Odin watched and listened.

At first he could not get a clear look at the man for Ato's broad
shoulders. Then Ato turned aside,