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Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 1
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
1. Capitalization, or lack thereof, makes no difference with UNIX and Linux commands.
a. True
b. False
2. In UNIX and Linux, everything except monitors are considered files.
a. True
b. False
3. The term "kernel" is often used when discussing Linux because technically, Linus is only the core of the OS.
a. True
b. False
4. Linux is a certified UNIX operating system.
a. True
b. False
5. The only pieces of metadata not in an inode are the filename and path.
a. True
b. False
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
6. What is the minimum size of a block in UNIX/Linux filesystems?
a. 128 bytes
b. 512 bytes
c. 1024 bits
d. 2048 bits
7. What file under the /etc folder contains the hashed passwords for a local system?
a. passwd
b. hashes
c. shadow
d. users
8. What type of block does a UNIX/Linux computer only have one of?
a. boot block
b. data block
c. inode block
d. superblock
9. What file is used to store any file information that is not in the MDB or a VCB?
a. page file
b. metadata database file

Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
c. slack file
d. extents overflow file
10. Adding the _____________ flag to the ls -l command has the effect of of showing all files beginning with the "."
character in addition to other files.
a. -s
b. -d
c. -l
d. -a
11. The ______________ command can be used to see network interfaces.
a. ifconfig
b. ipconfig
c. show interfaces
d. show ip brief
12. Select below the command that can be used to display bad block information on a Linux file system, but also has the
capability to destroy valuable information.
a. dd
b. fdisk
c. badblocks
d. mke2fs
13. Who is the current maintainer of the Linux kernel?
a. Tim Cook
b. Eric Shmidt
c. Linus Torvalds
d. Lennart Poettering
14. As part of a forensics investigation, you need to recover the logon and logoff history information on a Linux based
OS. Where can this information be found?
a. /var/log/utmp
b. /var/log/wtmp
c. /var/log/userlog
d. /var/log/system.log
15. In a B*-tree file system, what node stores link information to previous and next nodes?
a. inode
b. header node
c. index node
d. map node
16. What command below will create a symbolic link to a file?
a. ln -s
b. ls -ia

Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
c. ln -l
d. ls -h
17. The Mac OS reduces file fragmentation by using _______________.
a. inodes
b. superblocks
c. clumps
d. chunks
18. If a file has 510 bytes of data, what is byte 510?
a. The physical EOF.
b. The logical EOF.
c. The terminating EOF.
d. The end of the sector.
19. On Mac OS X systems, what utility can be used to encrypt / decrypt a user's home directory?
a. Disk Utility
b. BitLocker
c. FileVault
d. iCrypt
20. ________________ is a specialized carving tool that can read many image file formats, such as RAW and Expert
Witness.
a. AccessData FTK
b. X-Ways Forensics
c. Guidance Software EnCase
d. Foremost
21. ________________ contain file and directory metadata and provide a mechanism for linking data stored in data
blocks.
a. Blocks
b. Clusters
c. Inodes
d. Plist files
22. A hash that begins with "$6" in the shadow file indicates that it is a hash from what hashing algorithm?
a. MD5
b. Blowfish
c. SHA-1
d. SHA-512
23. Where is the root user's home directory located on a Mac OS X file system?
a. /root
b. /private/var/root
c. /private/spool/root

Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
d. /home/root
24. Within the /etc/shadow file, what field contains the password hash for a user account if one exists?
a. 1st field
b. 2nd field
c. 3rd field
d. 4th field
25. What information below is not included within an inode?
a. The mode and type of the file or directory
b. The number of links to a file or directory
c. The file's or directory's last access time and last modified time
d. The file's or directory's path
Enter the appropriate word(s) to complete the statement.
26. An assigned inode has _____ pointers that link to data blocks and other pointers where files are stored.
27. Since Mac OS 8.6, _______________ have been available for use in managing passwords for applications, web sites,
and other system files.
28. ________ links are simply pointers to other files and aren't included in the link count.
29. With Linux commands, arguments consisting of multiple letters must be preceded by two ___________ characters
instead of one and can't be grouped together.
30. The _____________ is the listing of all files and directories on a volume and is used to maintain relationships between
files and directories on a volume.
Match each term with its definition:
a. B*-tree b. data block
c. logical block d. inodes
e. Volume Control Block f. Allocation Block
g. header node h. data fork
i. superblock j. resource fork
31. In the Mac file system, a group of consecutive logical blocks assembled in a volume when a file is saved.
32. A node that stores information about B*-tree file.
33. A Mac file that organizes the directory hierarchy and file block mapping for File Manager.
34. The part of a Mac file containing file metadata and application information, such as menus, dialog boxes, icons,
executable code, and controls. Also contains resource map and header information, window locations, and icons.
35. The part of a Mac file containing the file's actual data, both user-created data and data written by applications, as well

Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
as a resouce map and header information, window locations, and icons.
36. In the Mac file system, a collection of data that can't exceed 512 bytes. Assembled in allocation blocks to store files in
a volume.
37. A key part of the Linux file system, these informatuin nodes contain descriptive file or directory data, such as UIDS,
GIDs, modification times, access times, creation times, and file locations.
38. A block in the Linux file system that specifies and keep tracks of the disk geometry and available space and manages
the file system.
39. A block in the Linux file system where directories and files are stored on a drive.
40. An area of the Mac file system containing information from the Master Directory Block.
41. Linux supports a wide range of file systems. Distinguish the three Extended File Systems of Linux.
42. What are bad blocks, and how do you find them?
43. UNIX and Linux have four components defining the file system. Identify and give a brief description of each.
44. As you’ve learned, Linux commands use options to create variations of a command. Describe the rules for grouping
letter arguments.
45. Describe a tarball.
46. Compare and contrast the data fork and resource fork of a Mac file.
47. After making an acquisition on a Mac computer, the next step is examining the image of the ﬁle system with a
forensics tool. Explain how to select the proper forensics tool for the task.
48. Explain why one should have Apple factory training before attempting an acquisition on a Mac computer.
49. Explain the differences between a hard link and a symbolic link.
50. What is a plist file?

Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Answer Key
1. False
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. True
6. b
7. c
8. a
9. d
10. d
11. a
12. c
13. c
14. b
15. c
16. a
17. c
18. b
19. c
20. d
21. c
22. a
23. b
24. b
25. d

Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
26. 13
27. keychains
28. Symbolic
29. -
30. catalog
31. f
32. g
33. a
34. j
35. h
36. c
37. d
38. i
39. b
40. e
41. Linux supports a wide range of file systems. The early standard was Second Extended File System (Ext2), and then
Third Extended File System (Ext3) replaced Ext2 in most Linux distributions. Its major difference from Ext2 was being
a journaling file system, which has a built-in file recovery mechanism used after a crash.
A few years later, Fourth Extended File System (Ext4) was introduced. Among other features, it added support for
partitions larger than 16 TB, improved management of large files, and offered a more flexible approach to adding file
system features. Because these changes affected the way the Linux kernel interacts with the file system, adoption of Ext4
was slower in some Linux distributions, but it’s now considered the standard file system for most distributions. The
Ubuntu version you used previously, for example, has an Ext4 partition at its core, unless you select another file system
during installation.
42. All disks have more storage capacity than the manufacturer states. For example, a 240 GB disk might actually have
240.5 GB free space because disks always have bad sectors. Windows doesn’t keep track of bad sectors, but Linux does in
an inode called the bad block inode. The root inode is inode 2, and the bad block inode is inode 1. Some forensics tools
ignore inode 1 and fail to recover valuable data for cases. Someone trying to mislead an investigator can access the bad
block inode, list good sectors in it, and then hide information in these supposedly “bad” sectors.
To find bad blocks on your Linux computer, you can use the badblocks command, although you must log in as root to
do so. Linux includes two other commands that supply bad block information: mke2fs and e2fsck. The badblocks
command can destroy valuable data, but the mke2fs and e2fsck commands include safeguards that prevent them from

Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
overwriting important information.
43. UNIX/Linux has four components defining the file system: boot block, superblock, inode block, and data block.
The boot block contains the bootstrap code--instructions for startup.
The superblock contains vital information about the system and is considered part of the metadata.It specifies the disk
geometry and available space and keeps track of all inodes. It also manages the file system, including configuration
information, such as block size for the drive, file system names, blocks reserved for inodesm and volume name.
Inode blocks contain the first data after the superblock. An inode is assigned to every file allocation unit. As files or
directories are created or deleted, inodes are also created or deleted.
The data block is where directories and files are stored on a disk drive. This location is linked directly to inodes. A data
block is equivalent to a cluster of disk sectors on a FAT or NTFS volume.
44. Linux commands use options to create variations of a command. There’s no difference between grouping letter
arguments (such as l and a) after a single - or entering them separately. Therefore, ls -la functions the same as ls -
l -a. Arguments consisting of multiple letters must be preceded by two -- characters instead of one and can’t be
grouped together, as in ls --all.
45. A tarball is a highly compressed data file containing one or more files or directories and their contents. It's similar to
Windows zip utilitied and typically has a .tar or .gz extension.
46. In Mac, a file consists of two parts: a data fork, where data is stored, and a resource fork, where file metadata and
application information are stored. Both forks contain the following essential information for each file:
-Resource Map
-Resource header information for each file
-Windows location
-Icons
The data fork typically contains data the user creates, such as text or sprreadsheets. Applications, such as Microsoft Word
or Excel, also read and write to the data fork.
When you're working with an application file, the resource fork contains additional information, such as menus, dialog
boxes, icons, executable code, and controls.
47. After making an acquisition, the next step is examining the image of the file system with a forensics tool. The tool you
use depends on the image file’s format. For example, if you used EnCase, FTK, or X-Ways Forensics to create an Expert
Witness (.e0l) image, you must use one of these tools to analyze the image. If you made a raw format image, you can use
any of the following tools:
• BlackBag Technologies Macintosh Forensic Software (OS X only)
• SubRosaSoft MacForensicsLab (OS X only)
• Guidance Software EnCase
• X-Ways Forensics
• AccessData FTK
48. To examine a Mac computer, you need to make an image of the drive, using the same techniques described in Chapter
5. You should be aware of some exceptions, however, caused by Mac design and engineering. (In addition, removing the
drive from a Mac Mini case is difficult, and attempting to do so without Apple factory training could damage the
computer. A MacBook Air poses similar problems, as you need special Apple screwdrivers to open the case.) You need a
Mac-compatible forensic boot CD/DVD to make an image, which then must be written to an external drive, such as a
FireWire or USB drive. Larger Macs are constructed much like desktop PCs, making removal of the hard drive easier.

Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
49. A hard link is a pointer that allows accessing the same file by different filenames. The filenames refer to the same
inode and physical location on a drive, and increases the link count within the file's inode. A symbolic link is simply a
pointer to other files, and does not increase the link count. Symbolic links have their own inodes, and can be used to point
to files on other drives or on remote network locations.
50. Plist files are preference files for installed applications on a system, usually stored in /Library/Preferences.
These files can exist in plain XML form, or binary form, which consists of condensed XML.

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Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations 5th edition Bill Test Bank

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Flame-Jewel
of the Ancients

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
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you are located before using this eBook.
Title: Flame-Jewel of the Ancients
Author: Edwin L. Graber
Illustrator: Al McWilliams
Release date: March 9, 2021 [eBook #64764]
Most recently updated: October 18, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLAME-JEWEL OF
THE ANCIENTS ***

By EDWIN L. GRABER
The tiny golden sphere, blazing with terrible
energy, spelled Galactic Empire at last to
the out-space horde, once they had tapped its
limitless power. They were grimly amused
therefore when Captain Glayne of the Stellar
Guardians dropped innocently out of sub-space
to view their mighty prize.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories Spring 1950.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

The two Terran super Galactics glided side-by-side in the immensity
of the interstellar void. Secure in the knowledge that they were the
mightiest battleships ever built in the known galaxy, they didn't
bother to raise their anti-energy shields. They knew, absolutely, that
no other warcraft in the universe could equal their strength....
Jukes, the third pilot, lounged carelessly in his gimbal-slung shock
seat, idly watching the screen before him. Aside from his sister ship,
there was nothing to be seen but the harsh points of starlight.
Cautiously he looked over his shoulder to see if the executive officer
were nearby, then, apparently satisfied, lit a cigarette and blew an
expansive plume of smoke at the serried banks of instruments that
were terraced about him.
Suddenly the intermittent glowing of a red blinker aroused him.
Throwing the butt to the deck, he bent forward, squinting into the
screen. Far down in one corner he detected an irregularly sparkling
mote moving slowly across the blazing points of the distant stars.
With a single motion of his arm he swept the Call to Quarters alarm
studs and began to speak rapidly into his throat transmitter. As the
muffled vibrating thunder of his ship's drivers rose, he could make
out his sister ship gradually swinging into an approach orbit.
A double tap on his shoulder informed him that the first pilot was
there to take over. Smoothly he slipped from the shock seat and took
up his station with the other two pilots near the auxiliary control
boards. Everywhere about him was excited, orderly confusion as the
huge warship stripped for possible action. The orbit calculators at his
left took up the excited jabbering chorus and somewhere above the
third pilot was aware of the massive charge accumulators for the
Kellander miatron blasters whining up the scale.
"It's a Delban," he muttered to his fellow pilots. "Just a pipsqueak,
too, blast his miserable, trespassing soul. A light cruiser, from what I
saw of him."
The younger one looked at him eagerly. "Do you think he'll fight?"

The third pilot snorted. "One Stellar class cruiser against two Terran
Galactics? He'd be out of his mind."
Just then the battle screen lit up and a babbling group of gunnery
officers crowded about, feeding firing data to waiting miatron crews.
Over their shoulders the third pilot could make out the Delban
cruiser as it lay there, slim and deadly against the vast, star-studded
vault of space.
"What I'd like to know is why the devil he doesn't run for it," the
older pilot said to no one in particular. "Something's up, I'm sure.
Delbans just don't act like this."
The third pilot grunted absently, his eyes fixed on the battle screen.
The two Galactics now lay on either side of the Delban. His sister
ship began to communicate with the new arrival, her yellow beam
glowing with baleful intensity. But the pilot wasn't watching. He had
noticed something odd about that cruiser. It seemed to bulge in the
wrong places. It was completely enclosed by a peculiar mesh
antenna which glinted ominously in the faint light.
Then the Delban fired.
For a moment there was stunned amazement in the huge plotting
room. It was the very absurdity of the situation rather than mere
surprise. To make the blasphemy worse, the Delban had licked out
with the beam of a secondary Kellander projector rather than with
her main miatron batteries. The damage was slight, the
communicator bulb of the other Galactic having been reduced to
twisted slag. But this was the grossest of all insults in space warfare
and demanded immediate retaliation. The third pilot held his breath
in anticipation.
Then it came. The plotting room exploded into frantic activity.
Generators screamed into ear-splitting crescendoes as the main
driver engines were coupled into them to raise the anti-energy
shield. The Kellander miatron blasters hurled ravening bolts of
energy at the audacious Delban, reducing accumulator loads to zero
in instants. The remainder of the driver atomics were coupled into

the Kellander accumulators sending up loads that were fed through
the continuously thundering miatrons at the Delban cruiser. Literally
trillions of megawatts lapped at the Delban shield, making it glow up
the spectral scale in a brilliant spider web of absorbing power foci.
But it held.
The Delban shield held! The third pilot was unbelievably shocked as
he stared at the battle screen. It was simply not conceivable that the
two mightiest warships in space could not penetrate the shield of a
pipsqueak Stellar cruiser.
Where were they getting the power? The question blazed up in the
third pilot's consciousness as he stared at the slim, deadly Delban.
Abruptly he recalled where he had seen the Delban's peculiar
external mesh antenna.
"Broadcast power!" he blurted to his comrades. "Those devils are
receiving broadcast power!"
The other two pilots looked at him incredulously. "Hell!" snorted the
older one. "You can't transmit the stuff across interstellar distances."
The third pilot didn't reply. As he watched the screen he suddenly
knew they were in trouble. By rights this should have been the
greatest shock of all but his mind was so dulled with amazement
that he could only shake his head.
The Delban's firing had gradually increased in strength until now
both the Terran battleship's mighty shields were themselves glowing
up the spectral scale in its spidery force web. Despite the older
pilot's doubts, he realized that only broadcast power in unlimited
quantities could account for those overloaded shields. But where
were they getting it to broadcast? Only an infinite source of supply
could do the job.

Paralyzed, he watched the battle screen. He was aware of the
miatron blasters falling silent, one after another, as the straining
driver atomics were diverted to hold the shield. Their sister Galactic's
blasters had all fallen silent as all the power of her own huge drivers
was shunted into the shield generators. Their own shield was
trembling and shuddering under the inconceivable impact of the
energies that surged at it from the Delban.
Suddenly the pilot saw their sister ship's shield coruscate in a multi-
hued spider web of shorting power foci. Then it buckled. The third
pilot instinctively averted his face from the indescribably brilliant,
eye-searing nova that followed.
His own ship screamed. The drivers, the generators, the converters
and accumulators—all of them screamed in ultra-sonic crescendoes
in an effort to maintain the crumbling shield. The force webs shorted
one after another in brilliant red fire. The third pilot saw it rupture
but he never felt it....
For days the twin novae burned in the endless night, then slowly
faded to blackened cinders.
II
The Tri-di film came to an end and the Council Chamber's soft
fluorescents picked up in strength. For a moment the members of
Lorle Sector's High Council were stunned and bewildered at what
they had seen.
Captain Glayne waited patiently for the explosion which he knew
would come. For about the tenth time that morning he fervently
cursed all civilians. Not even the valiant efforts of Chairman Dell
Thorder could keep them in check. A vast wave of irritation filled him
as he listened to the piercing squeak of a fat Councilor named Trask.

"It will mean war, I say—and we haven't had a war involving Terra
for seventy years. Lorle Sector must remain neutral—especially if
Delb Sector has weapons which can crush super Galactic battleships.
Now I say," he squeaked, oblivious of the fact that no one was
paying any attention, "that we must request Captain Glayne to leave
immediately because his presence might be deemed an overt act by
our friends, the Delbans. True, the Stellar Guardians—"
He was suddenly cut off by the staccato thunder of Dell Thorder's
gavel. The chairman's thin, ascetic face wore a worried expression
as his eyes swept the now silent Council. Of them all, he was the
only man Glayne admired. For thirty years he had maneuvered the
nine-planet Lorle Sector through the treacherous shoals of Combine
politics and never once had the cry of "boss" or "dictator" seriously
been raised against him.
"I must confess," he began quietly, "that I do not myself understand
fully the implications of this situation. I do know that the fact that
Imperial Terra has lost two large battleships is inconsequential. The
real point is that the Terran Combine is facing imminent destruction
at the hands of Gort Bro-Doral and his Delban Empire. Because we
are Delb Sector's nearest neighbor, we may expect the first blow to
fall on us. Since it is a known fact that the Intelligence Service of the
Stellar Guardians is the finest in the galaxy, I have sent for Captain
Glayne to explain certain of the technical aspects of the new Delban
weapon in order that we may determine what action to take."
Thorder silently gestured to Glayne who arose and faced the hostile
stares of the councilors. Their unexpressed antipathy was amusing
rather than irritating. The meager little navy that Lorle Sector did
possess drained away funds that could otherwise be used in their
pork barrel. However, they all had something to worry about which
Thorder hadn't mentioned. The Revolution which had smashed the
Delb-Lorle Axis thirty years before had made Gort Bro-Doral a
ruthless enemy who would not rest until his ships had utterly
destroyed the Lorle cities in retaliation. So far they had depended
upon Imperial Terra to support them against the Bro's passionate

desire for power. But now the Terran navy was helpless and Lorle
was in a desperate plight.
"What Dell Thorder told you is true," he began in a firm, clear voice.
"Unfortunately it is an understatement because it implies that there
is a possibility of discovering a counter-weapon to offset that of the
Delbans. Such is not the case.
"For a long time we have been prone to think in terms of optimum
sizes for warships. We were accustomed to believe that we had
reached the pinnacle of development in destructive weapons. The
fatal radiations of atomic generators and converters make it
necessary to divert a part of the power into shields. These shields
are limited in size by the ship size, and the ship size in turn is limited
by the size of its power plant. But there is a point of diminishing
returns—that is, we cannot build ships larger than the Galactic class
battleships without losing efficiency. So for a long time we have
believed that there was a limit to the amount of power available in
any given class of warship.
"Unfortunately this no longer applies for the Delbans. As you have
just seen on the tri-di film obtained by Stellar Guardian Intelligence,
a single Stellar cruiser engaged and destroyed two Terran Galactics.
This means, as Chairman Thorder has suggested, that the entire
fleet strength of the nine hundred Sectors of the Terran Combine is
now quite helpless against the Delban Grand Fleet."
Glayne paused for a moment. In spite of the room's air conditioning,
many of the Councilors were mopping their faces anxiously. The one
called Trask was chewing his lower lip nervously, not liking a bit what
the tall Guardian officer had to say. Glayne felt a twinge of sympathy
for his three hundred and fifty million constituents.
"The crux of the whole problem is the source of this new Delban
power. Experts in our organization are absolutely certain that they
are using broadcast power, but this information is based on the tri-di
film you have seen which our agents have stolen from the Terran
Admiralty Office at Lunaport. It may be a fake, but that is hardly

likely. The implications of broadcast power are so tremendous as to
defy reason. Even under the best laboratory conditions the power
lost in transmission makes it impractical. Consequently any source
which produces energies capable of smashing two Terran Galactic
battleships at perhaps stellar distances is vast beyond conjecture. As
incredible as this sounds, we believe that the Delbans have it. As to
its precise nature, we are still in the dark. However, the Stellar
Guardians, at least, are in a position to investigate."
Dell Thorder cleared his throat at this point and Glayne stopped.
"You see our position," said the weary Chairman. "Almost any
countermeasure we attempt can be interpreted as an overt act by
Bro-Doral. Hence any action on our part will make our ruin sooner
instead of later. However, there is one thin possibility and that is
Captain Glayne. It is true that he is a mercenary belonging to the
Stellar Guardians. But Kairn's Intelligence vouches for him absolutely
and I am informed that he is as competent as any man in the Lorle
Fleet.
"Because of the peculiar nature of the Stellar Guardian organization,
he can carry out investigations where any such move on our part
would be suicidal. In my opinion, our only possible chance is to
employ him in this capacity to locate the Delban power transmitter—
if one exists. It is possible that an all-out attack with all the units we
can muster will succeed in destroying it."
As Thorder finished, Glayne took a deep breath. He stood motionless
by the immense circular table. He knew that the Councilors, like all
small planet men, were impressed with his great shoulders and their
suggestion of tremendous physical strength. But if they knew what
torment he had to endure under high driver thrust as a result of his
great size, they wouldn't be so impressed.
Dell Thorder coughed. "Captain Glayne, would you mind stepping
into the outer room while we take a vote? We will inform you
directly."

Glayne nodded silently and left the Chamber. Disregarding the
anteroom's soft chairs, he stood against the wall, waiting. His space-
tanned face hardened as he looked thoughtfully from the glassene
window at the jewel-like city of Lorle Capital, a dazzling white under
the noon sun. Mentally he pictured the sleek Delban cruisers flashing
overhead in fast orbits, pouring phenomenal torrents of energy into
the pathetic shield the city would attempt to set up. The Lorle High
Council would trust him. In the end, even Trask would. They were all
rabbits looking around desperately for someone to defend them.
They would hire him; they would pat him on the back and shake his
hand; they would make him solemnly swear the Guardian Oath to
struggle against all their enemies. And Glayne would promise to do
all of these things.
But he would lie.
He would do none of these things. Instead he would do all in his
power to bring war to Lorle. He would commit an overt act against
the Delbans and they would cry for Lorle blood. Their fast, sleek
ships would deal out death and destruction to the very cities which
he would swear ever so solemnly to defend to his last breath. With a
coldly objective part of his mind he marveled at the consummate
treachery he would perform.
But another part of his mind was aghast. He was unable to suppress
the bitter waves of remorse that filled him. Again he remembered
the serious, heavy-jowled face of Garstow, Grand Admiral of the
Stellar Guardians. In the Dorleb Headquarters, only forty hours
before, Garstow had said: "Glayne, we need time. Some Sector must
be thrown to the wolves. While the Delbans are occupied with that
unfortunate Sector, we will have time to unravel their broadcast
scramblers, build antennae of our own, and perhaps even locate
their power transmitter. The Policy Organ has decided upon Lorle
Sector. And it has decided that you, Glayne, are the man for the
job."
Glayne had listened in stunned silence to Garstow. A protest rose
automatically to his lips but he had crushed it back with a click of his

booted heels. And now here he was in Lorle Capital with his Stellar
class cruiser Algol ready for action. When the fat men with rabbit
eyes emerged from the Council Chamber and empowered him to
work for them, he would be ready to move. A sudden raid on Delban
space commerce, an energy bomb hurtling into a Delban city from a
stolen Lorle warship—any one of a dozen expedients would have the
ruthless Gort Bro-Doral screaming down on the helpless cities of
Lorle.
As he stared at the afternoon brilliance of Lorle Capital he realized
that his treachery was an ironic manifestation of a greater loyalty.
People forgot that the Stellar Guardians were dedicated to the ideal
of human progress. The great mercenary organization recognized
the inevitability of war and determined that wars should be fought
according to rules. But the Delbans were now in a position to flout
all rules and destroy all human progress. Hence all rules were
forgotten and ruthless treachery was the order of the day as every
resource was exploited to crush Gort Bro-Doral and his Delban
Empire.
Then the door of the Council Chamber opened and Dell Thorder
stepped into the anteroom. He faced Glayne silently for a moment,
lines of weariness etched in his tired, old face.
Then he thrust out his hand and said simply: "We wish you the best
of luck, Glayne."
The Guardian Captain took the outstretched hand and almost winced
at the trust he saw in Thorder's eyes. The weight of the crushing
responsibility bowed down the Chairman's frail shoulders, but he
seemed to burn with an indomitable determination to defend his
people. He was not a rabbit but a warrior. And Glayne was going to
betray him.
"I'll do my best," he said in quick, husky tones.
He felt like a swine as he closed the door behind him.

III
It was a second-class night spot called The Yarga. Glayne would
meet the Stellar Guardian espionage chief for the Lorle Sector here.
As he stood at the entrance bar absorbing the customary drink prior
to entering the first stage, he swept the place with cold grey eyes.
Evidently the city commission of Lorle Capital was going through a
phase of puritanism because the deadly Kesla lights were absent and
the swirling strains of the reportedly jawth-fed orchestra were
considerably toned down. Nevertheless, the general impression was
quite sufficiently exotic to suit Glayne as he entered the dimly-lit first
stage.
Vaguely he was aware of the less restrained laughter of patrons who
had already reached the second stage, having passed through the
vibrator screen that simulated a soothing color movement. The
function of the vibrator was to give jaded sensibilities the physical
fillip necessary to convince reluctant laggards that they really were
ready for the second stage. Glayne was also aware of his table's
slight movement toward the vibrator screen and he felt a wave of
irritation at the prospect of chasing through nine stages in this
outlandish place looking for his contact.
Suddenly the annunciator light in the center of his table began to
glow an intermittent red-orange. Glayne looked at it, eyes narrowed.
Experimentally he stabbed its speaker stud and a voice seemed to
emerge from the empty air before his face.
"Captain, you look so lonely and disconsolate sitting by yourself.
Won't you join me?" It was a woman's voice, low and casual. Glayne
was briefly startled—he had expected that his contact would be a
man. Then it occurred to him that she was not his contact, but that
doubt vanished when he remembered that he had discarded his
uniform for the light grey business jumper of a young business
executive. How could she know him for a Captain in the Stellar
Guardians unless she was his contact?

On the other hand, she had not made herself known with the code
which had been selected beforehand. Puzzled and suspicious, he
flicked the transmitter stud and said cautiously: "Where are you?"
"You can't miss me, darling," she replied. "Just stand up."
Glayne hesitated, hefting the heavy, comforting weight of the Cardy
blaster under his arm-pit. With a shrug he tossed off the remnants
of the blue-green borse which stirred lambently in the exquisite
goblet. Then he stood up.
She was perfectly correct. He couldn't miss her from ten light years,
much less thirty feet. She was tall and graceful in a tailored green
jumper which half suggested, half concealed the long, smooth
curves of her young body. She had coppery red hair and wide-set
green eyes that smiled boldly at him. She rested a hand on her hip
in mock impatience.
"Well, don't just stand there, fat-head!" she cried across the tables.
"What do you usually do when you haven't seen someone for years
and years?"
With an effort Glayne collected himself, assayed a weak smile, and
maneuvered around the tables to her side.
"Oh, you look perfectly gorgeous," she said, oblivious to the amused
people around her. "Dance with me—you always were a divine
dancer. You know, I was telling Jani just today how I wished you'd
come for a visit—we haven't seen you for such a long time...."
She prattled gaily on. Somewhat dazed, Glayne led her to the
resilient dance floor, an absurdity which had suddenly become the
very latest rage overnight. The girl slipped smoothly into his arms,
her fragrant, perfumed hair under his chin.
He wasn't at all prepared for the hard tones of her voice when she
said: "I regret to inform you, Captain Glayne, that the agent you
were supposed to meet here is dead. He had an unfortunate
accident with a Cardy gun."
Glayne stiffened perceptibly. "Who did it?"

"Probably Delban espionage. They know that something is in the fire
and they're not wearing kid gloves to find out what it is."
"Did they discover the identity of the person he was supposed to
meet?"
"No," she replied. "But they're looking. Fortunately the organization
was not in the dark as to whom he would meet. Otherwise I could
never have found you."
Glayne's eyes narrowed. Too many people knew what was going on.
That made it very dangerous. But what made it even more
dangerous was the fact that he himself did not know what was going
on. Agents of three organizations were involved in the search for
information and the tangled maze of plots would be deadly for
anyone caught in the middle. He was silent for a moment, battle-
trained senses sifting his surroundings instinctively. Something ...
somewhere ... was odd.
"If you will notice their eyes," the girl remarked dryly, "you will find
that a good proportion of the Yarga's clientele are high on Soames
drug."
Glayne started and looked more closely at the couples entering the
stage. Then he saw what she meant. Here and there he saw eyes—
burning eyes—eyes that glittered with a brilliant fire that emanated
from huge, dilated pupils. They were using the marvelous Soames
energizing drug; it fairly blazed from their slitted lids. Its purpose
was to accelerate physical reaction speeds—but why use it on a
small planet like Lorle IV? With the question came the answer. Their
quarry had the .95 reaction index of a big-planet man. That was
Glayne's index. And that meant that they were right on top of him.
"I think," he intoned softly to the girl, "it would be wise for us to
move on to the next stage."

In reply she slipped smoothly from his arms, seized him by the
sleeve of his loose-fitting jumper, and propelled him to the tingle
screen. When he balked she grinned at him and stood in the field of
the screen herself and laughed at him. It was a bubbly, elated laugh.
Glayne liked it. And he liked the way the soothing color movements
of the tingle screen caressed the long curves of her figure. But he
didn't like the nervous manner in which the glittering, dilated pupils
flickered at them and held them curiously, then flickered casually
away.
The girl was clever, he realized. The keyed-up Delban agents would
be far less likely to suspect an intoxicated couple of dark designs.
Suddenly the red-headed girl stumbled, accidentally pushed from the
other side of the screen. Instinctively Glayne reached out to steady
her—reached out with a long, liquid motion of his powerful arm. In
one instant every Soames-dilated eye in the room was upon him. In
another, Cardy guns were magically appearing in a dozen hands.
But, fast as they were, Glayne was faster. He drew his own weapon
with blurred speed, fired, and flung himself and the girl through the
screen into the second stage. The Delban agents hesitated to fire
blindly through the screen and rushed after them. The big Guardian
hurtled through the exotic darkness of the second stage with the girl
in his left arm. He scattered and smashed tables right and left,
littering the floor with bewildered and drunken patrons.
The exit toward which he was heading was suddenly no longer an
exit. It was filled with a crowd of huge, glittering eyes and wicked
looking Cardy guns. In a single movement, Glayne dropped to the
floor and fired.
The second stage was in an uproar. Now agents were pouring
through the tingle screen in pursuit. Desperately Glayne sought for a
means of escape. Then he saw the portal that evidently led to the
kitchen or the bar. He grabbed the dazed red-head and rushed
through the portal, swept down a short corridor, turned, and
straight-armed two tray-bearing waiters as he dashed through a
second portal. And suddenly he was behind the entrance bar where

he had taken his first drink. He tensed for a fraction of a second,
then vaulted the low bar.
A bartender and two customers stared at them with blank
amazement but there was not a Delban agent in sight. Swiftly
Glayne set the girl upon her feet and together they fled from the
building. He noted approvingly the capable-looking Cardy she held in
her small fist.
"My flier is outside," he said. "They've probably surrounded the
place, but in the confusion the ones outside won't know us. We'll try
to bluff through."
She nodded and put her gun away. As they approached the flier
parking area she clutched his arm with intoxicated possessiveness.
Glayne was right; here and there a Delban agent glanced at them
suspiciously—then looked contemptuously away. The object of their
search was alone. Controlling his heavy breathing with difficulty,
Glayne approached an attendant, digging out his micro-wave key
jewel.
"Here! Get my air-jet," he panted.
But instead of the expected response, the man stiffened for a
measureless instant, then whirled with blurred speed. A Cardy
blaster magically materialized in his hand and his eyes burned with
Soames-induced ferocity. But Glayne was a shade faster. His left
streaked with dazzling speed into the agent's stomach and the
Delban folded up, his motor nerves paralyzed from the blow in the
solar plexus.
Crouching, they ran toward Glayne's air-jet. A Cardy bolt splashed
into the side of a flier just above Glayne's head, battering the tough
beralloy and sending a shower of white hot droplets in all directions.
As they reached his air-jet, Glayne whirled and fired rapidly and with
murderous accuracy at the pursuing Delban agents. As they scuttled
for cover, Glayne turned and waved the talisman through the micro-
wave field and the door swung open.

Instantly he shoved the girl into the cabin, then climbed in behind
her. He let the tiny atomic engine thunder beyond audibility, then fed
power to the jets in huge gulps. With a tremendous surge the little
craft leaped into the air and roared over the roof of the Yarga. A
couple of Delban energy bolts slapped viciously into the air-jet, but
soon Glayne out-distanced them, flying low over the dark
countryside.
The girl sighed beside him. "This has been a very warm evening. Do
you think they'll catch us?"
"I don't think they're organized that well," Glayne grunted, busy with
the course-computer. "Their whole assault was hasty and ill-timed. I
doubt if they even had time to set up an air net."
"But, now that they are out in the open, they will move quickly. Do
you have a specific plan in mind, Captain Glayne?"
The Guardian frowned and cast a quick glance at her. He was
puzzled by her insistence. "My Flagship, the Algol, is maneuvered
into a fast orbit behind inert detector screens. About ninety miles
out. I've just set course to intercept her before we hit dayside."
In reply the girl bent past his shoulder toward the luminous figures
which floated in the dial of the computer, announcing the course.
The delicate lines of her face were hard in the faint light. Again
Glayne felt a twinge of uneasiness and it was not dispelled by the
soft touch of her body against his.
"What is your name?" he asked belatedly, trying to make out the
features of her face in the dim light from the instrument panel.
She chuckled in the darkness and he fancied he heard a note of
triumph. "Lieutenant Niala Chodred," she said. "Espionage Bureau of
Imperial Terra. At your service, Captain."

Of Imperial Terra! The words fairly blazed in Glayne's consciousness.
His hand shot like lightning for the Cardy in his arm-pit holster, then
stopped in mid-motion as he became aware of a hard, cylindrical
object thrust into his ribs. It was her tiny Cardy blaster.
Through the waves of chagrin and impotent fury that surged up
within him, Glayne heard her say mockingly: "Guardian warriors are
supposed to function like machines when on missions, aren't they,
Captain? Since when are machines rattled by pretty girls?"
The lines on Glayne's face deepened but he said nothing. Her
taunting rebuke was well-deserved. He had certainly lacked the
emotionless precision which was the Guardian ideal. But the mere
fact that he had been caught napping was inconsequential beside
the implications of her presence as a Terran agent. How much did
Terra know? The question hammered urgently in Glayne's mind.
Even as it flashed through his head, he heard her amused voice say:
"In time of crisis, Captain Glayne, the Stellar Guardians invariably
throw allies and friends to the dogs in order to gain time. This is
common knowledge. So all we had to do was determine the
direction of the Guardian move. We immediately thought of Lorle.
And we even thought that you might be the man the Guardians
would send, Glayne, because we have a complete file on your
activities for the past ten years. We know that you have been on
good terms with Delban brass since that successful exploring job you
performed at Jorger Sun, five years ago."
With growing horror, Glayne listened to her unfold the deepest
Guardian secrets—derived by Terran Espionage through simple
induction. What a fool he had been for trusting her even for a
minute! Unless he could stop her, she could utterly destroy all
Guardian hopes to overcome the Delbans. His great body tensed as
he stared at her from the corner of his eye, watching for the
slightest sign of inattention.
"Glayne," she continued, in a hard, objective voice with no trace of
amusement, "Imperial Terra is not itself adverse to a policy of

throwing someone to the dogs in order to gain time. But we want to
give the dogs someone who can put up a fight. Poor Lorle would not
be much of a match for Gort Bro-Doral and she wouldn't gain us
much time. But the Stellar Guardians would. In fact, the Stellar
Guardians themselves will commit the overt act—with a little help."
The Guardian Captain was stunned at the very audacity of her plan.
He had to admit that its logic was undeniable. But how could she
possibly seek to accomplish such an incredible feat as forcing the
Guardians into a suicidal attack upon the Delbans? Unless....
Then his worst suspicions were realized as she said: "The Ganser
mind-conditioning treatments will not harm your essential-ego,
Captain Glayne. But, if you struggle against them, your mind will be
shattered and you will be left an idiot when the effects wear off."
A cold thrill of fear caressed Glayne's spine as he heard her words.
The brutal, tearing fingers of the horrible mind-conditioner devised
by the Delban Espionage Chief, Hoteh Ganser, would change his
goals and values in the space of only a few hours. What seemed to
him irrational now would be the height of reason after his
conditioning. As the ramifications of Imperial Terra's plot came clear
to him, Glayne realized with increasing urgency that he simply had
to overcome the girl.
"You may be sure that your attack on Sterle II will not be in vain,"
came the girl's brittle tones. "Admiral Bardled will station units of the
Imperial Terran Fleet in hyper-space with the purpose of cracking
the wave length of the broadcast power and locating its source.
"Our plan is much cleaner and nobler than yours, is it not, Captain
Glayne? You Stellar Guardians are all hard, ruthless fighters. You can
take care of yourselves. But poor little Lorle wouldn't have a chance.
Don't you agree, Captain? Don't you find it heroic to sacrifice
yourself to the Delban dog pack to gain time for the rest of the
galaxy?"
Glayne ignored the mockery in her voice. A sudden wave of bitter
anger swept over him at the presumptuous manner in which they

were all bent upon throwing one another to the dogs. Surely they
were not so tactically poverty-stricken that they could not conceive
of a better plot which would not demand such a tremendous
sacrifice of human life.
Suddenly, almost without warning, the tiny spark of rebellion within
him blazed up in hot determination. To hell with Garstow and the
Stellar Guardian Policy Organ. To hell with Admiral Bardled and the
Terran fleet. To hell with everyone. The vague suggestion of a plan
was forming in the recesses of his mind, breath-taking in its audacity
and possibly, just possibly workable.
But what of the girl? To think about overpowering her was one
thing; actually doing it was another. She had already killed one
Guardian earlier this evening, he presumed. She would not hesitate
to kill another. That meant that he would have to meet cunning with
cunning.
"You don't mind if I smoke one last cigar while I am still in control of
my essential-ego, do you?" he asked, trying to match her mocking,
satirical mood. "I don't believe the Ganser-personality enjoys
tobacco as much as the average Guardian Captain."
She alerted instantly, but the Cardy didn't waver the least fraction of
an inch. "You are not the average Guardian Captain," she said in a
strange, low voice. "But go ahead and smoke."
Fleetingly Glayne wondered what she had meant, then he let the
thought flicker away as he concentrated on his cigar. He reached for
the radio-active on the instrument panel, flicking it so that its coal
gleamed into gradual dull red life. She was watching him like a
hawk, he knew, and smiled inwardly. The closer the better. Idly he
began to hum a snatch of melody, a curious thing arranged in
minors. It was peculiarly suited to his unsteady bass. He waved the

radio-active in his hand in slow, sweeping circles in time to his
humming.
Smoothly he ignited his cigar, puffing the semi-narcotic smoke in
thick clouds. He hummed louder, his voice pushing the deep, wailing
dirge into the cabin. It acted like a drug, throwing everything into
slow time. It numbed the sensibilities and dulled acute perceptions.
Ever so gently and smoothly Glayne turned his head and glanced at
the girl. His scheme had worked. Her eyes automatically followed
the circles he described with the radio-active in his hand. She was
lulled into a near-hypnotic condition.
In a single jump, Glayne seized the hand in which she held the
Cardy gun. She reacted instantly, but not quite fast enough to wrest
the weapon from his hand. Like a spring under great pressure she
exploded into writhing, clawing, kicking, biting action. Her savage
ferocity so startled Glayne that he nearly lost the weapon to her. As
he sought to fend her off with one hand and throw the weapon
away with the other, he felt her nails sink agonizingly into the side of
his face. Gasping, he finally got rid of the weapon, then drew back
his fist and slugged her with a short, jabbing punch.
Panting, he recovered from the struggle. Suddenly he became aware
of the peculiar angle of flight of the air-jet. It was shrieking down on
its stubby fins toward the planet's surface. Somehow the Terran girl
had kicked off the robot control. As he righted the craft and
reoriented the course, he became aware of the girl's brooding eyes
on him.
"You are very clever, Captain Glayne," she said. "Perhaps one might
even say courageous. A heavy planet man like yourself should not
risk himself with such reckless bravery in a physical struggle with a
small planet individual."
Glayne was stung by her rebuke, but he was even more startled at
her bitterness. She was an espionage agent and she knew the risks
and hazards involved. Certainly she was not whining at her defeat.

"How do you propose to fake the overt act, Captain?" she continued
in a light, conversational tone.
Glayne was grimly aware of the accusation in her words but he said
nothing. She had a right to be bitter, he realized. Ironically, she was
going to get her way after all, though she didn't know it yet. He
grinned mirthlessly at her, the cigar clenched between his teeth.
She was beautiful, but especially so in the resentment that was
mirrored in her features. Glayne was suddenly very sorry that she
had killed the Guardian agent he was supposed to meet. Otherwise
he would have liked very much to have known her.
IV
The nine-hundred-foot bulk of the Stellar class cruiser Algol loomed
hugely over the little air-jet as Glayne maneuvered it into the gaping
reception maw in the cruiser's belly. The craft's slight lurch as it
came to rest just inside the lock awoke the Terran girl who had fallen
asleep.
Glayne sighed, glancing at her. She stared back at him coolly. He
shook his head and said, "That green outfit of yours will just have to
go, Lieutenant Chodred. Crew's morale, you know."
Her eyes widened in sudden dismay. "But ... but surely you don't
want me to—"
He grinned. "You will have to wear a crew jumper." Glancing again at
her graceful figure, he made a mental note: it would have to be an
over-size jumper—several sizes over.
Stiffly they climbed from the little air-jet and propelled themselves
weightlessly to the elevator. Seconds later its door slid open and
they were on the navigation bridge. Glayne took the girl's arm and
escorted her around the bulking computers and auxiliary boards to
the Captain's Station.

Graysen, the grizzled old Executive Officer, snapped to attention and
delivered a brisk salute. Glayne acknowledged it absently, his
attention absorbed primarily in a hasty inspection of the bridge.
Then he became aware of the intent stares of Graysen and the other
officers. Those who were not gawking at Niala Chodred were staring
hard at his cheek, obviously striving not to laugh.
Puzzled, Glayne felt his cheek, then glanced at his hand. There was
blood on it. He suddenly recalled the two long red welts inflicted by
the Terran agent's fingernails and realized that his officers were
drawing the obvious inferences. Abruptly he was stung with chagrin
and pictured the juicy tidbit of gossip which he had just supplied
gunroom scuttlebutt throughout the Guardian Fleet. Exasperated at
his own lack of foresight, he stared back at his officers, browbeating
them into submission with his stony gaze.
"Morning, Captain," drawled Graysen, breaking the embarrassed
silence.
"Good morning, Commander," returned Glayne. "Stoke her up. Set
an orbit for Sterle II. Incidentally, this is Lieutenant Niala Chodred of
Imperial Terran Espionage. I met her instead of our own agent. He
had an unfortunate accident with a Cardy gun—I'm told."
Glayne glanced significantly at the girl. Graysen nodded
understandingly and raised a quizzical eyebrow in Niala's direction.
She looked from one to the other, mystified.
Then sudden understanding registered on her features. "Glayne!"
she cried in a horrified tone, "I didn't kill him! Terran Espionage had
nothing to do with his death. He was murdered by the Delbans and
we found out by bribing one of Kairn's men that he was supposed to
make contact with an unknown Guardian big gun at the Yarga. We
knew he was to meet you but the Delbans didn't. That's the only
reason you escaped them, Captain Glayne. The Delbans murdered
your contact agent but I had nothing to do with it. You must believe
me!"

Glayne smiled cynically at her and said, "Of course, Lieutenant
Chodred, we believe you." He brusquely turned his back on her and
said to Graysen, "You will have to move in with one of the other
officers, Commander. Just temporarily, of course."
"Aye, sir," replied Graysen.
Presently the navigation bridge was filled with hurrying men. The
orbit computers began to clatter noisily and somewhere within the
depths of the ship a keening whine indicated that the huge driver
atomics were being warmed.
"What acceleration, Captain?" Graysen asked, appearing with a sheaf
of orbit calculations.
Glayne was on the point of saying three G's out of deference to Niala
Chodred and her light planet birth. But he thrust her from his mind
as he realized that speed was of the utmost importance. High
acceleration meant speed and speed meant time saved. Time to
carry out his bold scheme, time to locate and sabotage the
mysterious Delban power broadcast, time to build the mesh
antennae and energize the Stellar Guardian fleet....
His face hardened grimly. "Five G's," he said shortly.
Doubt flickered for an instant across Graysen's face as he glanced at
the girl. Then he shrugged and turned away to comply with the
order.
Silently Glayne took Niala Chodred's arm and descended to the next
deck. As the first traces of a floor appeared under their feet, he
opened the door to Graysen's quarters. It was furnished with the
Spartan simplicity of a typical warrior. Trophies and a few rather
gruesome battle prints decorated the bulkheads. Niala examined the
room curiously but preserved a hurt silence.

He showed her the acceleration hammocks and how to use the anti-
thrust drugs in their small surettes.
"If you need me," he said, "I will be in the cabin at the end of the
corridor."
She looked at him with mock surprise. "What? No connecting door?
Really, Captain, you've shattered all my girlish illusions about the
Stellar Guardians."
Glayne paused, his hand on the door stud. He turned around and
said, "I want to wake up tomorrow without suffering an accident
with a Cardy gun." He closed the door behind him.
By the time he reached the navigation bridge again, the Algol had
built up to five G's. To Glayne, accustomed to the heavy Dorleb
planets, this was a little more than twice normal.
Young Brodis, the ship's Intelligence Officer, approached him and
saluted. "I beg your pardon, sir. Communications just handed these
over to me—I thought you might be interested." He extended a
sheaf of flimsies to Glayne.
The big Guardian examined them, eyes narrowed. They were
transcripts of an official Lorle news bulletin. Rapidly he read:
Intelligence Chief Kairn announced tonight the death of Carling
Clawdor, allegedly an espionage agent of the Stellar Guardians. It is
believed that he was to contact another agent or agents at the Yarga
night club this evening. Prior to his death by Cardy burns, Clawdor
accused Delban agents.
Intelligence Chief Kairn also revealed that a raid carried out on the
Yarga night club failed to apprehend the Guardian agents. Just
before their arrival a spectacular gun battle took place. Investigation
is still proceeding, Kairn announced, indicating that ...
Silently Glayne handed the flimsies back to Brodis, chewing his lower
lip. It was incredible that Kairn should reveal such confidential
information. Obviously the Lorle Intelligence Chief was taking no
chances on provoking an incident which the Delbans could twist into

a pretext for war. But an even more important fact came clear to
Glayne: Niala Chodred had not murdered Clawdor. He was very glad
that she was innocent of the Guardian agent's death. Unconsciously
he framed the apology he would make to her as he climbed with an
effort into the Captain's Dome and lowered himself into its gimbal-
slung shock seat.
Far off to his left the globe of Lorle IV shrunk visibly. Again the
mental picture of the Delban warships streaking over those short
horizons in fast orbits flashed across his mind and he imagined them
pouring their inconceivable torrents of energy into the unprotected
cities. At least, he thought, he wouldn't be guilty of that crime. But
what was the real chance of the wild scheme and its attendant
insubordination which he had conceived in the air-jet?
For a long time he pondered it. No matter how much he rationalized,
it was still insubordination and it lay heavily on his mind. Suddenly
he was shaky and he realized that he held the fate of the civilized
galaxy in his hands. If he blundered, would that not be a greater
crime than the mere sacrifice of Lorle? Glayne could not resolve the
question and he was vaguely glad that decision was no longer in his
hands and he could not turn back if he wanted to.
The Algol emerged from sub-space four hundred million kilometers
below the plane of the ecliptic in the Sterle System. With her identity
signals broadcasting at full power, she changed course, veering
"upward" toward the second planet of Sterle's small brood of five.
The faint beams of the distant red dwarf sun shed a sickly glow on
the navigation bridge through the huge glassene ports. Shortly after
her arrival the Algol was picked up by two fast and deadly Delban
destroyers of the Planet class. Almost delicate in their
unobtrusiveness, they slipped in on either side of the Algol and
escorted her swiftly to the capital planet of the Delban Empire,
Sterle II.

"There's one consolation, anyway," Graysen remarked to his chief as
they stood before the glassene ports. "They don't seem to have
fitted out their whole fleet with receiving antennae yet."
Glayne nodded, flipping on the small auxiliary battle screen at his
side. Expertly he manipulated the viewer until one of the rakish
Delban warships ballooned up mightily on its plate. The tell-tale
coppery mesh antenna was absent.
"That is fortunate," Glayne grunted dourly. "But there is the
possibility that these ships may be too small for the installation."
The Delbans began to decelerate and the Algol's pilot hastily
imitated them. Faintly Glayne made out the tiny red ball that was
Sterle II. Uneasily Glayne realized that he had better go over the
plan once more with Niala Chodred. Next to himself, the Terran girl's
part was the most important. He grunted at Graysen to take over
and descended to her quarters. He knocked twice perfunctorily and
entered the room.
Niala smiled up at him, pleased at his visit. "How much longer now,
Captain?"
Glayne looked down at her, marveling at the failure of her absurdly
huge jumper in concealing the long, smooth curves of her body. Her
hair was a varied mass of copper and gold which gleamed with a
subtle display of half tones. In the cabin's fluorescents Glayne noted
for the first time that she had once been the owner of a saddle of
freckles across her nose. Now only one or two were left which
contrasted deliciously with the smoothness of her face. Glayne felt a
sudden desire to jet down on Sterle Capital like the legendary
buccaneers and ransack the best dress shops to outfit her properly.
"Well?" she said.
"Huh?" said Glayne foolishly. Then he collected his wandering
thoughts and replied, "Oh, yes. We're being escorted in now. We'll
be down in a couple of hours. I wanted to make a last minute check
of the plan."

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