call it. I think I
have our bearing. Get ready--_now_."

It was a slow turn and Jason never lost the signal. A few times it
wavered, but he brought it back on. When the compass settled down Meta
pushed on more power.

They set their course towards the native Pyrrans.

An hour's flight at close to top atmospheric speed brought no change.
Meta complained, but Jason kept her on course. The signal never varied
and was slowly picking up strength. They crossed the chain of volcanoes
that marked the continental limits, the ship bucking in the fierce
thermals. Once the shore was behind and they were over water, Skop
joined Meta in grumbling. He kept his turret spinning, but there was
very little to shoot at this far from land.

When the islands came over the horizon the signal began to dip.

"Slow now," Jason called. "Those islands ahead look like our source!"

A continent had been here once, floating on Pyrrus' liquid core.
Pressures changed, land masses shifted, and the continent had sunk
beneath the ocean. All that was left now of the teeming life of that
land mass was confined to a chain of islands, once the mountain peaks of
the highest range of mountains. These islands, whose sheer, sides rose
straight from the water, held the last inhabitants of the lost
continent. The weeded-out descendants, of the victors of uncountable
violent contests. Here lived the oldest native Pyrrans.

"Come in lower," Jason signaled. "Towards that large peak. The signals
seem to originate there."

They swooped low over the mountain, but nothing was visible other than
the trees and sun-blasted rock.

The pain almost took Jason's head off. A blast of hatred that drove
through the amplifier and into his skull. He tore off the phones, and
clutched his skull between his hands. Through watering eyes he saw the
black cloud of flying beasts hurtle up from the trees below. He had a
single glimpse of the hillside beyond, before Meta blasted power to the
engines and the ship leaped away.

"We've found them!" Her fierce exultation faded as she saw Jason through
the communicator. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Feel ... burned out ... I've felt a psi blast before, but nothing like
that! I had a glimpse of an opening, looked like a cave mouth, just
before the blast hit. Seemed to come from there."

"Lie down," Meta said. "I'll get you back as fast as I can. I'm calling
ahead to Kerk, he has to know what happened."

* *