s easy to understand why the scientists could not believe Arcot's
theory of attack from another sun until they had actually seen those
other worlds.

In that war between two solar systems we learned much and lost much.
Yet, in all probability we gained more than we lost, for those two
new-old planets will mean tremendous things to us. Already scientists
are at work in the vast museums and ancient laboratories that are on
them, and every day new things are being discovered. We lost many men,
but we saved our worlds, and we learned many invaluable secrets from the
invaders. In addition, we have but scratched the surface of a science
that is at least a thousand million years old!

EPILOGUE

Taj Lamor looked out across the void of space toward a fading point of
yellow light. Far in the distance it glowed, and every second moved it
many more miles farther from him. They had lost their struggle for life
and a new sun, he had thought when he turned back, defeated, from that
distant sun. But time had brought new hope.

They had lost many men in that struggle, and their dwindling resources
had been strained to the limit, but now there was hope, for a new spirit
had been born in their race. They had fought, and lost, but they had
gained a spirit of adventure that had been dormant for millions of
years.

Below him, in the great dim mass that was their city, he knew that many
laboratories were in the full swing of active work. Knowledge and its
application were being discovered and rediscovered. New uses were being
found for old things, and their daily life was changing. It was again a
race awake, rejuvenated by a change!

As the great sea of yellow fire that was that strange sun had faded
behind their fleeing ships, leaving their dead planets still circling a
dead sun, he had thought their last chance was gone forever. But hope
had reawakened, with the birth of new ideas, new ways of doing things.

Tordos Gar had been right! They had lost--but in the losing, they had
won!

Taj Lamor shifted his gaze to a blazing point of light, where a titanic
sea of flame was burning with a brilliance and power that, despite the
greater distance, made the remote yellow sun seem pale and dim. The
blue-white glow told of a monster star, a star far brighter than the one
they had just left. It had become the brightest star in their heavens.
On their ancient star charts it was listed as a red giant, named
Tongsil-239-e, which meant i