few of the smaller sections and a shower of
debris fell clear, however, in spite of all efforts, and their approach
was heralded by a meteoric display unprecedented in that world of
continuous daylight.

As the three vessels with their cumbersome convoy dropped down into the
lower atmosphere, the guns of the city roared a welcome; banners and
pennons waved; the air became riotous with color from hundreds of
projectors and odorous with a bewildering variety of scents; while all
around them played numberless aircraft of all descriptions and sizes.
The space below them was carefully avoided, but on all sides and above
them the air was so full that it seemed marvelous that no collision
occurred. Tiny one-man helicopters, little more than single chairs
flying about; beautiful pleasure-planes, soaring and wheeling; immense
multiplane liners and giant helicopter freighters--everything in the air
found occasion to fly as near as possible to the Skylark in order to dip
their flags in salute to Dunark, their Kofedix, and to Seaton, the
wearer of the seven disks--their revered Overlord.

Finally the freight was landed without serious mishap and the _Skylark_
leaped to the landing dock upon the palace roof, where the royal family
and many nobles were waiting, in full panoply of glittering harness.
Dunark and Sitar disembarked and the four others stepped out and stood
at attention as Seaton addressed Roban, the Karfedix.

"Sir, we greet you, but we cannot stop, even for a moment. You know that
only the most urgent necessity would make us forego the pleasure of a
brief rest beneath your roof--the Kofedix will presently give you the
measure of that dire need. We shall endeavor to return soon. Greetings,
and, for a time, farewell."

"Overlord, we greet you, and trust that soon we may entertain you and
profit from your companionship. For what you have done, we thank you.
May the great First Cause smile upon you until your return. Farewell."

CHAPTER VI

The Peace Conference

"Here's a chart of the green system, Mart, with all the motions and the
rest of the dope that they've been able to get. How'd it be for you to
navigate us over to the third planet of the fourteenth sun?"

"While you build a Fenachrone super-generator?"

"Right, the first time. Your deducer is hitting on all eight, as usual.
That big ray is hot stuff, and their ray-screen is something to write
home about, too."

"How can their rays be any hotter t