Lorkan only smiled. “There is some truth in that. But, remember, you don’t know all of the facts. Possibly you never will. You will just have to accept our word for it.”

  Then Nita’s thought cut across the subdued comments of the councilors. “Just a moment, please. May I speak?”

  A thought of assent came from the Council.

  “It has occurred to me that it may be wise to make a personal investigation of the Shanador Galaxy.”

  “Indeed?” came the general thought of the Council.

  “And why?” thought Lorkan to his daughter. “We have them under continual mental observation. Our Observers report nothing unusual.” “Remember,” said Nita, “in spite of their weaknesses and their warped minds, the Starlords are of our race. They know us. It’s possible that they may have developed a method of hiding their activities from

  our Observers.”

  Hammill kept out of it. He sensed that the girl was on his side, and she seemed to be making her point. There was no need to interrupt yet.

  Lorkan was silent for a moment. Then he sent out a powerful thought. “Observers! Link up and come in with us.”

  In several star systems scattered throughout the local cluster, fifty Rhodanans linked their minds together to become, in effect, one mind. Then that mind sent a thought to the Council. “What do you wish?” The Council, too, had linked themselves together, thinking as one individual. “Have you made the latest check on the activities of the Outcasts?”

  “Shanador?” came the Observers’ thought. “We have.”

  “Is there anything unusual to report?” the Council asked. “Nothing,” said the Observers. “They are arming, of course, and

  they war among themselves and with others. They have expanded in the past few centuries, but we have nothing to fear from them.”

  “Excellent. But is there any chance that they may be acting in a manner which is not detectable to you?”

  There was a silence for a moment, then the Observers said: “It is admittedly possible that they may have developed a method of concealing their activities from us. But the probability is so remote that we have not taken it into account. We will, however, check again. It will not take long.” “Do so,” said the Council. “And this time, make a careful check for

  any clues that might mean that they have found a method of screening us out.”

  “One moment.”

  It had lasted only a minute fraction of a second of time, that conversation. And through it all, Hammill had listened and watched. What a people! What minds! Here was a race that could really think!

  The answer came from the Observers. “Our results are negative. We find nothing suspicious whatsoever. No Starlord or any of his subordinates anywhere are working on any weapon or device which might prove inimical to us. And that, of course, in the light of your question, is highly suspicious in itself.

  “Other than that, we have nothing to report.” “Thank you,” said the Council.

  The councilors unlinked their minds and became separate people once again.

  Lorkan looked puzzled. “We have no evidence that there is anything wrong—nor do you, Hammill. But, in view of the remote possibility that something may be happening of which we are utterly ignorant, we must, for our own safety, check the Galaxy of Shanador in person.

  “Will you be willing to aid our agent?”

  Hammill nodded. “If it will help convince you that the Starlords of Shanador are more dangerous than you think, I’ll go with your agent wherever he wants to go.”

  “Not he,” Lorkan said, smiling. “She. My daughter will go with you.”

  * * * *

  The small ship curved upward from the surface of Rhodanas as in a tight, smooth arc and shot away into the blackness of space. Hammill fed coordinates into the automatic pilot while Nita, at his side, watched with great interest.

  “We’ll return to the Earth Federation fleet,” he told her, as he guided the tape into the entry slot of the computor that controlled the ship. “Then we can get our plans squared away with them.”

  Nita smiled. “Remember, I’m just along as an observer on this flight. Don’t start figuring either me or the hsrorn into your plans, Laird.”

  He glanced at her. She was wearing an abbreviated tunic that clung to her tightly from breast to thigh, and nestled in the valley between her full breasts was the glowing radiance of the hsrorn. Hammill had to force himself to recall that she was not merely another lovely girl, but a representative of the universe’s wisest race.

  “I think you’ll see what the Starlords are up to, Nita. They’re assaulting innocent races—and if you and your people let them do it, the guilt will be on Rhodanas forever.”

  She shook her head. “Our custom is not to interfere,” she said. “But

  I will see if there is justification in what you say.”

  He returned his attention to the drive, and worked rapidly until the ship was fully automatic. Then he moved to the sub-space radio and began setting up the coordinates that would put him in contact with the Flagship Gifford of the Earth Federation fleet.

  There was a momentary whine and crackle of static, and then the

  Gifford came in.

  “Starship Gifford. Starship Gifford. Come in, please. Over.” “Gifford, this is Laird Hammill.”

  “Hammill! Where have you been?”

  “It’s a long story, Sparks. But I’m on the way back to the fleet with something interesting.”

  “You’ve been missing for more than a week! We’d written you off as dead.”

  “I’ll explain it to the captain,” Hammill said. “Beam me in.” “Are you crazy? In the middle of a battle?”

  “Battle?” Hammill glanced at Nita and then back at the sub-radio. “What’s happened?”

  “Didn’t you know? The Starlord’s fleets have been on us for three days! We’ve been dodging where we could and fighting where we had to. We have them pretty much at a standstill now; they can’t find us. But we’ve been completely outmaneuvered. We’re out-gunned and outmanned, and they are fighting us on their own territory!”

  ‘‘How about reinforcements?”

  “From the home Galaxy? It’ll take days! By that time, we’ll be wiped out, and the Starlords can set a trap for the reinforcements!” Then there was a sudden roaring crackle of static.

  “Gifford! Battleship Gifford! Come in!” Hammill shouted. But there was no answer.

  Hammill clenched his fists and glared at Nita. “That may have been a battleship exploding! Do you see what your stupid ‘hands off’ policy is doing? You’ve set a bunch of maniacs loose in the Universe, and you’re doing nothing about it!”

  Nita shook her head. “I’m sorry, Laird, if you think so badly of us. But don’t judge us until you’ve uncovered all the facts.”

  “Men are dying out there,” he said coldly.

  Nita’s face sobered. “Perhaps we can help them.”

  “How?” Hammill’s voice was sarcastic. “We’re only an hour out from Rhodanas! It’s a five day trip from here to there, even in this ship.” Nita looked at him for a long moment before answering. Then she said: “Laird, you have a strong mind. You’ve got more power than you know—perhaps more than I know. But if you push your abilities too

  hard and fail, you may die. Do you want to take the chance?” “What sort of chance?”

  “Would you risk your life in the off chance that you might be able to reach the Earth fleet in time to help them—even if your help wasn’t worth much?”

  Hammill’s face became hard. “You know damned well I would!” “Very well, then.” The girl put her hands behind her head and

  unclasped the necklace that encircled her neck. The chain came away from her throat as she brought her left hand out. From her hand dangled the iridium chain—and at the end of the chain glowed the supernal light of the tiny hsrorn jewel. With her right hand she reached out and cradled the scintillating gem in her palm. Then she looked again at the Earthman. “Hold my hand,” she said softly, extending the palm containing the jewel.

  Without hesitation, the big Earthman closed his hand over hers, clasping it as though they were lovers. Between their palms, the glowing bit of crystallized light throbbed warmly.

  And, in that second, Laird Hammill became the first Earthman to contact the hsrorn.

  * * * *

  Hsrorn was a symbol—not a word. It was never actually meant to be pronounced in any human language. It was a concept-thought for something that could not be described in language.

  Hsrorn was a being—and yet not a being. It was a race—and yet not a race. It was intelligent—and yet not intelligent. In its entirety, it was entirely incomprehensible to the human mind. There was only one— and yet there were many.

  In the heart of every living star dwelt the hsrorn. In every glowing star throughout the sidereal Universe—in every one of a billion billion billion shining suns—dwelt the hsrorn. Some of them—or, perhaps, parts of it—were stronger than others. A blue-white giant was a more powerful star than a red dwarf. But, as a whole, the hsrorn was more powerful, more potent, than any or all of the stars that were its components.

  As a planet changes the light of a sun into heat and chemical energy, as the vast Powertapper engines of Earth’s Federation bled the inconceivable nuclear power of a sun, so did the tiny jewel tap the tremendous mental energy of the uncounted suns of the Universe.

  But a plant does not tap all the power of a sun, nor does a Powertapper engine pick up more than a tiny portion of the limitless nuclear energy of a huge star. Each is limited by its own ability to use that power.

  And thus it was with the mental energies of those suns—each mind, with the aid of the jewel, could use the energy that the jewel tapped—provided that the resiliency and ability to handle the energy that poured from those tiny bits of crystallized light.

  The electrical socket in an ordinary house has no ability of its own; it is merely the outlet for the tremendous energies of the generator at the power station. If something that is too weak to withstand the voltage and amperage of a household socket is plugged into it, there is a short circuit. The weak appliance burns out. But if it is used properly, the socket can feed energy into a motor or any other appliance—and that energy can be used, transmitted from a power source many miles away.

  And thus it was with the hsrorn gem; it was a power source that could be used—provided the mentality of the being using it was strong enough to stand the strain of those incomprehensible energies.

  * * * *

  For a moment, Hammill’s mind reeled as the power from the jewel flowed through him. Then the flow stabilized, and the Earthman’s mind could feel the energy backing it.

  Nita’s thought came into his brain, urging, pressing. Think, Laird! Think of the ship moving! Faster! Faster! Push, Laird; aim it toward the Earth Federation fleet and push—with all your might!

  There was a terrible rushing. Stars swam and blurred. The coupled minds of Nita and Laird Hammill slammed the tiny scoutship through space as though distance were a negligible thing—as though there were no distance at all.

  Then, quite suddenly, the ship slowed.

  Nita gently took her hand from Hammill’s own and relocked the

  hsrorn jewel about her throat. “We’re here,” she said gently.

  Hammill glanced at the plate. There, within less than a hundred million miles, he saw the ravening fury of a space battle.

  The blackness of space was rent with the brilliant gouts of flame that told of titanic conflict. Rays splashed across the arch of the void, battered into protective screens, staggered armaments. As Hammill watched, the dull gray snout of a Shanador cruiser spurted bright green as an energy charge leaped from its fore batteries and blazed toward a retreating Terran destroyer.

  The ray-charge struck. Hammill pictured vividly what must be going on aboard the ship as the screens labored valiantly to absorb the overload. Again the Shanador cruiser struck, probably raising temperatures aboard the Terran ship to unbearable degrees.

  He watched as a second Shanador vessel cruised in for the kill, orbiting silently downward and smashing through the Terran starship’s defenses with a powerful caesium-beam that sizzled through screens and turned the Earth ship into a spinning husk. Another Terran ship cut upward to provide a defensive maneuver, but it was too late.

  “You see what’s happening?” Hammill said. “The Starlords are cutting us to pieces!”

  She nodded grimly. “I see. Perhaps it is not too late to save them. Take my hand once again.”

  He grasped her, tingling at the contact, and felt the throbbing vibrance of the hsrorn surge through him—that, and the quite different throbbing vibrance of the girl’s physical nearness.

  “Hold me tightly,” she whispered—and for a moment it seemed that her mind was not entirely on the battle. But it was only for a moment. She stared keenly into the viewplate, searching the roaring turmoil below.

  “That’s the Shanador flagship,” Hammill said, pointing to a long, menacing dreadnought that seemed to be controlling strategy. “We’ll be best concentrating our attack there.”

  She nodded. Suddenly he stiffened as the hsrorn drew on his and the girl’s combined mental powers, and hurled a bolt of faint pink light down toward the cruising Shanador ship.

  It enveloped the flagship like the fuzzy halo of a comet, and then the beam—vanished! Winked out of existence!

  A ripple of despair ran through him, and Hammill realized that he was linked to the girl by the hsrorn, sharing her emotions and her reactions. Puzzled, he turned to her.

  “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Let’s try again.”

  A second time the beam streaked toward the Shanador flagship, and a second time it was deflected and blinked out.

  “I don’t understand what they’re doing,” she said. “Unless—yes, that must be it! They’ve finally developed a shield!”

  Hammill whitened. “You mean the Starlords have a defense against the hsrorn?”

  “Yes and no. They can’t ever be able to withstand our combined might—but this shield can hold off whatever you and I can throw against them. At the moment, we can’t stop them. I hope your friends know how to retreat swiftly.”

  Hammill’s eyes narrowed. The Rhodanans had failed him, and he wasn’t sure what to believe now. If the hsrorn were as powerful as it was supposed to be, how could the Starlords shield against it? And why didn’t the rest of the Rhodanans join in to save the Earth fleet?

  There were no answers. He glanced at the girl, who was fingering the gem at her throat with nervous fingers. Her breasts rose and fell rapidly; he could see she was worried.

  “Let’s get out of here!” he said, and turned to the control panel. A quick look at the viewplate showed him that the Shanador fleet was in full command, with the Earth ships streaking to all corners of the cosmos in frantic and undignified retreat. Hammill’s fingers played rapidly over the blasting console—there was not time to set up the automatics— and directed his ship out and away from the advancing Shanador fleet.

  “We’ll have to figure out some other line of attack. We’ll—”

  The sentence was never completed. The ship came to a sudden halt, as complete as if it had run into an immovable screen in mid-space.

  “They’ve slapped a traction beam on us,” Hammill muttered. He looked around and saw the slumped body of Nita sprawled near the wall—the sudden jolt of deceleration had slammed her up against it with a stunning impact.

  There was a twisting effect as the frozen ship dipped and whirled in space. Hammill clung to the controls and fought for consciousness. They were giving him the spin treatment, pivoting the traction on beam off one end of the ship and whirling them in a tight circle like a cat held by its tail.

  Blood circled dizzyingly in his head as the ship went over and over. Once, he managed to glance out the plate, and saw Lord Kleyne’s flagship hovering within striking distance, ready to pounce. Kleyne was no doubt enjoying the scene of Hammill’s ship whirling over and over.

  Hammill rocked and swung, clinging tightly to awareness. He knew why Kleyne was spinning them—Kleyne realized there was a Rhodanan aboard, and Kleyne was taking no chances. They were trapped.

  Hammill hung on a moment more, then blacked out completely. He could almost hear Kleyne’s sadistic laughter now.

  * * * *

  The blackout didn’t last more than a few seconds. When stability returned, Hammill found himself still hanging on to the wall of the ship, holding himself erect by sheer will power.

  There was a wave of searingly hot air which washed through the ship as Lord Kleyne’s cruiser burned the airlock door open and clamped a tube against it before the air could escape.

  The two ships were tied together now, connected by the tube which ran from the airlock of Lord Kleyne’s battle cruiser to the burned lock of the little scout ship.

  As he pulled himself upright, Hammill saw Lord Kleyne step into the ship from the tube. There was a sardonic smile on his lips and a semi-portable ray rifle in his arms. The radiation-blackened muzzle pointed directly at Hammill’s midsection.

  “Well, Earthling,” the Starlord said contemptuously, “I see you’ve done your duty.” He glanced at the supine figure of Nita, who lay unconscious on the floor.

  Hammill realized instantly what the Starlord must think. Laird Hammill had been sent out, under hypnotic compulsion, to steal one of the hsrorn jewels from Rhodanas. Lord Kleyne thought that he had done just that!

  If he could play it right, Hammill knew he could make the Starlord think he was still under compulsion!

  Hammill blinked. “Yes, Lord Kleyne,” he said dully, “I’ve brought you the jewel.”

  The muzzle of the Starlord’s ray rifle lowered a bit. He looked hungrily at the glowing bit of cold fire at Nita’s throat.

  “Within a short time, I shall be Starlord of Rhodanas,” he said.

  He was so intent upon the jewel that neither he nor the men who had followed him through the tube had seen the little ship pull up alongside the other airlock. But Hammill had seen it. Some other ship was also trying to board the scout cruiser!