Graff's expedition to earth! His forces, embarking now! I saw very little of it as with a crowd of Brauns around me I was shoved toward the monster vehicle. The sloping ladders had wide steps one above the other at nearly ten-foot intervals. At a word of command, Zetta bounded up. They let down a cable, hooked it on me, hauled me up the fifty-foot height. I saw them leading Zetta away. She turned toward me, but they forced her on. A Braun abruptly threw a metal hook around me, pinning my arms. I was jerked through a doorway, down a long echoing metal passage and thrown into a metal room, which had a single bull's-eye window. The door slammed upon me. I was left alone. [Illustration: A cable they let down was hooked onto me; I was hauled up the fifty-foot height. . . . In an hour, I knew, the great cylinder would embark for Earth] Within an hour, in the light of my second dawn upon Xenephrene, we left the purple planet on our way to conquer the earth. CHAPTER XVII PLANNING THE CONQUEST "Well," said Graff, "I had not thought to have you with me, but you are welcome. A pleasure--" I got to my feet; I had been lying on the bare metal floor. We were well beyond Xenephrene's atmosphere now. And so insistent are the human mundane needs--amid all my perturbed thoughts of the future, my worry over Zetta, my aching head with a miserable gash and lump on it--my chief trouble at the moment was an almost intolerable hunger. I swayed as I stood up; Graff put out his hand to steady me. "You're not hurt?" "No. I'm hungry." "That is good. Zetta said you would be. Well, you shall be fed. Come with me." He stood off, regarding me. I must have been a disheveled enough figure; wide-flaring, corded gray riding trousers, tight over the knee; heavy rolled stockings; a white shirt, open at the throat, torn and with Braun blood upon it; and with my own blood matting my tousled hair. "You are a strong-looking little fellow," Graff chuckled. "My men, worse luck to them, told me how you fought them. It is my idea--now that you are here with me--you would not run wild like that again. Is it so?" "Yes," I agreed. Why not? Of what use for me to try to fight, penned up here? I added: "Besides, your men took my weapons." He was leading me down a long metal passage with closed doors along it at intervals. "Yes. They look interesting--the mechanical one particularly. I mus' get you to explain it to me. Zetta says you will be ver' helpful to me. I think she is right. A clever little girl, Zetta." His words made my blood run cold! But I kept silent. We entered a wide room, set amidship of the vehicle; through its windows I could see the black firmament on both sides--the great, star-filled void of Space. Zetta was here, perched on a bench before a high table littered with parchment sheets. She flashed me a smile and a warning glance. Food was on the table near her.