s, took a knapsack and filled that. So, burdened down with
lethal equipment, I hurried back to Cyane's side. I didn't want to miss
a move of that visitor from far space. I wanted to learn, and I had an
idea she would show plenty of science if she got into action. The prince
wasn't gambling on her for nothing, not with that glorious sister of his
in jeopardy.

She had seated herself on that same big bench where I had first met the
Zoorph, Carna, and the Zervs were coming and going to her rapidly-given
orders. A dozen of the older Zervs were assembling apparatus under her
direction, and if I expected to learn something, I saw I was going to be
disappointed, for the stuff was inexplicable to me.

I went on outside to the ledge from which the city could be seen. I was
worried about how Genner had explained to the Jivros the death of the
two who had accompanied him. I had taken a pair of small binoculars from
my packs, and seeing activity near the gates of the wall, I trained the
lenses upon the wall.

I gave a cry which brought the Zervs speeding to me. I handed the
focused glasses to Holaf, pointed at the gates. He put them to his eyes,
then he too gave a cry of warning, and raced back to the Croen.

For, filing out of the gates and spreading out across the valley was the
vanguard of an army. The glass had shown the streets filled with
marching men.

For a few minutes I could not understand exactly what had happened, then
I guessed. The prince had asked for permission to use the entire forces
of the city in a search for the Croen! The strategy of the man was
exquisite. He was playing on the Jivro fear of the Croen to get the
military power fully in his hands!

Even as the great limbs of the Croen woman brought her to my side, as I
handed her the glasses, round disk ships began to rise from the center
of the city one after the other until at least five score of the smaller
type were in the sky. After them came two of the larger craft that I
knew were really space ships with huge inner chambers in the bottom
where the small craft nested.

An all-out search for the Croen was on in earnest!

But now quite suddenly an astonishing thing happened. One of the great
mother ships swung in a circle, came alongside the other, and from the
great center bulge of the upper surface a blue beam lashed out, struck
the other in a slicing flare and sheared off the entire upper bulge in
one blow. The great ship faltered for an instant