Overlord of the entire green system, as well as of Osnome."

He then sent out a call to the commander-in-chief of all the armies of
the planet, informing him that he was coming to visit him at once, and
the _Skylark_ tore through the air to the capital city. No sooner had
the earthly vessel alighted upon the palace grounds than she was
surrounded by a ring of warships who, however, made no offensive move.
Seaton again used the telegraph.

"Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the planet Urvania; greetings
from the Overlord of this solar system. I invite you to come into my
vessel, unarmed and alone, for a conference. I come in peace and, peace
or war as you decide, no harm shall come to you, until after you have
returned to your own command. Think well before you reply."

"If I refuse?"

"I shall destroy one of the vessels surrounding me, and shall continue
to destroy them, one every ten seconds, until you agree to come. If you
still do not agree. I shall destroy all the armed forces upon this
planet, then destroy all your people who are at present upon Osnome. I
wish to avoid bloodshed and destruction, but I can and I will do as I
have said."

"I will come."

The general came out upon the field unarmed, escorted by a company of
soldiers. A hundred feet from the vessel he halted the guards and came
on alone, erect and soldierly. Seaton met him at the door and invited
him to be seated.

"What can you have to say to me?" the general demanded, disregarding the
invitation.

"Many things. First, let me say that you are not only a brave man; you
are a wise general--your visit to me proves it."

"It is a sign of weakness, but I believed when I heard those reports,
and still believe, that a refusal would have resulted in a heavy loss of
our men," was the General's reply.

"It would have," said Seaton. "I repeat that your act was not weakness,
but wisdom. The second thing I have to say is that I had not planned on
taking any active part in the management of things, either upon Osnome
or upon this planet, until I learned of a catastrophe that is
threatening all the civilization in this Galaxy--thus threatening my own
distant world as well as those of this solar system. Third, only by
superior force can I make either your race or the Osnomians listen to
reason sufficiently to unite against a common foe. You have been reared
in unreasoning hatred for so many generations that your minds are
warped. For that reason