d obscure--why, when the
strangers themselves destroyed Triplanetary's fleet, had Roger been
unable to use his most potent weapons against that fleet?

Thus, then, for the first time in Triplanetary's history, the forces of
law and order joined hands with those of piracy and banditry against a
common foe. Rods, beams, planes, and stilettos of unbearable energy the
doomed fleet launched, in addition to its terrifically destructive main
beam: Roger hurled every material weapon at his command. But bombs,
high-explosive shells, even the ultra-deadly atomic torpedoes, alike
were ineffective; alike simply vanished in the redly murky veil of
nothingness. And the fleet was being melted. In quick succession the
vessels flamed red, shrank together, gave out their air, and merged
their component iron into the intensely crimson, sullenly viscous stream
which was flowing through the impenetrable veil against which both
Triplanetarians and pirates were directing their terrific offense.

The last vessel of the attacking cone having been converted and the
resulting metal stored away, the Nevians--as Roger had anticipated--turned
their attention toward the planetoid. But that structure was no feeble
warship. It had been designed by, and built under the personal supervision
of, Gharlane of Eddore. It was powered, equipped, and armed to meet any
emergency which Gharlane's tremendous mind had been able to envision.
Its entire bulk was protected by the shield whose qualities had so
surprised Costigan; a shield far more effective than any Tellurian
scientist or engineer would have believed possible.

The voracious converting beam of the Nevians, below the level of the
ether though it was, struck that shield and rebounded; defeated and
futile. Struck again, again rebounded; then struck and clung hungrily,
licking out over that impermeable surface in darting tongues of flame as
the surprised Nerado doubled and then quadrupled his power. Fiercer and
fiercer the Nevian flood of force drove in. The whole immense globe of
the planetoid became one scintillant ball of raw, red energy; but still
the pirates' shield remained intact.

Gray Roger sat coldly motionless at his great desk, the top of which was
now swung up to become a panel of massed and tiered instruments and
controls. He could carry this load forever--but unless he was very
wrong, this load would change shortly. What then? The essence that was
Gharlane could not be killed--could not e