flame-erupting axis to bear upon the formless something
dimly perceptible to the ultra-vision of Samms' observers. Furiously the
gigantic composite beam of the massed fleet was hurled, nor was it
alone.

For Gharlane had known, ever since the easy escape of his human
prisoners, that something was occurring which was completely beyond his
experience, although not beyond his theoretical knowledge. He had found
the sub-ether closed; he had been unable to make his sub-ethereal
weapons operative against either the three captives or the war-vessels
of the Triplanetary Patrol. Now, however, he could work in the
sub-ethereal murk of the newcomers; a light trial showed him that if he
so wished he could use sub-ethereal offenses against them. What was the
real meaning of those facts?

He had become convinced that those three persons were no more human than
was Roger himself. Who or what was activating them? It was definitely
not Eddorian workmanship; no Eddorian would have developed those
particular techniques, nor could possibly have developed them without
his knowledge. What, then? To do what had been done necessitated the
existence of a race as old and as capable as the Eddorians, but of an
entirely different nature; and, according to Eddore's vast Information
Center, no such race existed or ever had existed.

Those visitors, possessing mechanisms supposedly known only to the
science of Eddore, would also be expected to possess the mental powers
which had been exhibited. Were they recent arrivals from some other
space-time continuum? Probably not--Eddorian surveys had found no trace
of any such life in any reachable plenum. Since it would be utterly
fantastic to postulate the unheralded appearance of two such races at
practically the same moment, the conclusion seemed unavoidable that
these as yet unknown beings were the protectors--the activators,
rather--of the two Triplanetary officers and the woman. This view was
supported by the fact that while the strangers had attacked
Triplanetary's fleet and had killed thousands of Triplanetary's men,
they had actually rescued those three supposedly human beings. The
planetoid, then would be attacked next. Very well, he would join
Triplanetary in attacking them--with weapons no more dangerous to them
than Triplanetary's own--the while preparing his real attack, which
would come later. Roger issued orders; and waited; and thought more and
more intensely upon one point which remaine