began. "When we became aware
that you also represented a bi-sexual race, as do we, we realized at
once that you afforded us an unexpected opportunity. Otherwise, we
should have remained at our business and spared you this intrusion.

"We of Ihelos, as you doubtless have noted, are at war. It is perhaps
not war as your culture understands it; it is perhaps more accurately
described by your word 'feud,' I think, and it has continued between
us and our only similar neighbor, the planet of Thrayx, for many
thousands of your years.

"We have been quite self-sufficient cultures for all that time, and
have taken great care that our conflict not infect any other area in
either our galaxy or yours, for neither of us, by inherent nature, is
war-like in the sense of aggressiveness. Our conflict is between us
and us alone.

"However, we of Ihelos recently received a staggering setback from our
traditional enemy due to a certain unexpected innovation in their
battle techniques, and we realized that our cause could end only in
eventual defeat. As it shall, unless your people will help us."

There was a moment of silence, and Mason found himself wondering how
often this had happened in Earth's own bitter past. It was, wherever
men lived, an old story.

"What," Cain was asking, "is in this for us?"

"Could you tell us," Judith said before the alien could answer Cain,
"just why you chose us? Certainly, you must have noticed our
techniques of warfare are quite inferior to your own. We have not
employed them for more than two hundred years--"

"Nor," Mason finished for her, "do we intend to again. You must seek
help elsewhere, sir."

"That, for us, would be quite impossible," the alien replied slowly.
"The chances of finding other life forms like our own are billions to
one, the immensity of both our galaxies notwithstanding. Had you not
ventured within range of our screens we would in all probability never
known you existed. And to organize a search...." and now the smile on
his lips was almost a sad thing, "a search of two galaxies--it would
take us aeons, even at a thousand times the speed of light, simply to
cover the vast distances involved, to say nothing of finding a similar
life and thought form. And we do not have aeons, Lieutenant. We have
but two--three, at most--generations.

"There is too little time to search for allies. We have no other
choice, as you can see, than to take what advantage we can of those
upon wh