in an everlasting display of
terrific lightnings, great burning balls of electric force floating
dangerous and deadly across the frozen, ultra-cold plain.

And the expeditions brought back data. Yet still Gresth Gkae could not
sleep, his thoughts intruding constantly. Hours Merth Skahl spent with
him, calming him to sleep.

"But what is this constant search? It is little enough I know of
science, but why do you send our men to these spots of wonderfully
beautiful, but useless natural forces. Can we somehow, do you think,
turn them against the people of these worlds?"

Softly the old Miran smiled. "Yes, you might say so. For look, it is the
strange balls of electric force I want to know about. Sthor had few, but
occasionally we saw them. Never were they properly investigated. I want
to know their secret, for I am sure they are balls of electric forces
not vastly dissimilar from the nucleus of the atom. Always we have known
that no system of purely electrical forces could remain stable. Yet
these strange balls of energy do. How is it? I am sure it will be of
vast importance. But the direct secret I hope to learn is in this: What
can be done with electric fields can nearly always be duplicated, or
paralleled in magnetic fields. If I can learn how to make these
electric balls of energy, can I not hope to make similar magnetic balls
of energy?"

"Yes, I see--that would seem true. But what benefit would you derive
from that? You have magnetic beams now, and yet they are useless because
you can get nowhere near the forts. How then would these benefit you?"

"We can do nothing to those forts, because of that magnetic shield.
Could we once break it down, then the fort is helpless, and one or two
small atomic bombs destroy it. But--we cannot stay near, for the
terrible infra-X-rays of theirs burn holes in our ships, and--in our
men.

"But look you, I can drop many atomic bombs from a distance where their
beams are ineffective. Suppose I _do_ make a magnetic ball of energy, a
magnetic bomb. Then--I can drop it from a distance! We have learned that
the power supply of these forts is very great--but not endless, as is
ours now, thanks to the vast supplies of power metal on this heavy
planet. Then all we need do is stay at a distance where they cannot
reach us--and drop magnetic bombs. Ah, they will be stopped, and their
energy absorbed. But we can keep it up, day after day, and slowly drain
out their power. Then--then our at