r
the other. You may, of course, destroy more of our Nevian cities, in
which case I should be compelled to go and destroy similarly upon your
Earth; but, to reasoning minds, such a course would be sheerest
stupidity."

Rodebush cut the communicator beam.

"Does he mean it?" he demanded of Costigan. "It sounds perfectly
reasonable, but...."

"But fishy!" Cleveland broke in. "Altogether too reasonable to be true!"

"He means it. He means every word of it," Costigan assured his fellows.
"I had an idea that he would take it that way. That's the way they are.
Reasonable; passionless. Funny--they lack a lot of things that we have;
but they've got stuff that I wish more of us Tellurians had, too. Give
me the plate--I'll talk for Triplanetary," and the beam was restored.

"Captain Nerado," he greeted the Nevian commander. "Having been with you
and among your people, I know that you mean what you say and that you
speak for your race. Similarly, I believe that I can speak for the
Triplanetary Council--the governing body of three of the planets of our
solar system--in saying that there is no need for any more conflict
between our peoples. I also was compelled by circumstances to do certain
things which I now wish could be undone; but as you have said, the past
is past. Our two races have much to gain from each other by friendly
exchanges of materials and of ideas, while we can expect nothing except
mutual extermination if we elect to continue this warfare. I offer you
the friendship of Triplanetary. Will you release your screens and come
aboard to sign a treaty?"

"My screens are down. I will come." Rodebush likewise cut off his power,
although somewhat apprehensively, and a Nevian lifeboat entered the main
airlock of the _Boise_.

Then, at a table in the control room of Triplanetary's first super-ship,
there was written the first Inter-Systemic Treaty. Upon one side were
the three Nevians; amphibious, cone-headed, loop-necked, scaly,
four-legged things to us monstrosities: upon the other were human
beings; air-breathing, round-headed, short-necked, smooth-bodied,
two-legged creatures equally monstrous to the fastidious Nevians. Yet
each of these representatives of two races so different felt respect for
the other race increase within him minute by minute as the conversation
went on.

The Nevians had destroyed Pittsburgh, but Adlington's bomb had blown an
important Nevian city completely out of existence. One Nevian vess