ning out of enormous hatches, like the
bristles jutting from a tendril brush.

"Blast out!" Var screamed into his engine phone. His flagship leaped
away at full drive, while the enemy seemed to grow on the screen. Then
it diminished as they began drawing away from the fleet.

There was nothing Var could do about the horror that followed. The
great vessel bored through the fleet with cannons spitting out hell. If
countershots were fired, they had no effect.

"Sugfarth!" the aide screamed in his ears. "A ship from Sugfarth!"

Var remembered the pictures he had seen, and they matched, though none
had suggested such a size. It was impossible. The race of Sugfarth were
aliens--warriors who had fought humanoids as few races had done. They
would have fought with him, not against him!

The ship drove down toward the planet, braking fiercely now. From it,
two bulky objects fell. While the planet bombs dropped, the behemoth
began to rise again. It came through the shattered ranks of Kloomiria's
fleet, blasting again, and headed toward the tiny ships that had
screened it, new hatches opening to receive them.

Half of Var's fleet was in total ruin. On the planet below, two
horrible gouts of flame leaped up through the atmosphere and beyond it,
while all of Kloomiria seemed to tremble as half a continent was
ruined. Var stared down at the destruction, unmoving.

The aide coughed, holding out another roll of paper. "Cathay is
broadcasting an appeal for us to surrender without reprisals,
magnificence. And the Estate Governors are demanding fleet protection."

Var crushed the paper in his hands without reading it.

It would take half the remaining part of the fleet to give even token
protection to Kloomiria. His plans had never been based on holding back
the seemingly weak forces of Cathay.

"No answer," he said. His hand reached for the communicator switch and
he began issuing orders. "The fleet will regroup and return to base for
immediate repairs and rearming. Commanders of _all_ ships will prepare
to take off against Cathay within six hours!"

Somehow, the humans had to be crushed completely before they could
destroy Kloomiria. After that, if any of his race survived, there would
be a mission for all future generations.

Only the power of Earth could have sent the alien ship from Sugfarth,
loaded with cannon and bombs, to fight against fellow aliens. Earth had
declared neutrality, and then struck! For such a villainy,