Lacq Larus led toward the huge panel and levers the two down-crashing cruisers had wrecked. "I want to examine the controls of this thing," he said. Jhul Din was looking at the fragments of machines around us with some little satisfaction. "At least some of them knew they met up with us," he said. We came to the shattered controls and examined them closely. Korus Kan was especially interested. "These dark stars are propelled by great generators of propulsion-vibrations, as I thought," he said. "The beams they use to pull suns away are simply attractive rays of immense power released from a huge projector." "So that's how they do it," Lacq Larus said. "Well, I'm afraid it makes small difference to us how they do it, as long as they continue to do it." But I clutched Korus Kan's arm. A sudden thought had entered my brain with his words. "Korus Kan, could the scientists of our galaxy duplicate this propulsion-apparatus and attractive beam?" I cried. He looked at me, puzzled. "I suppose so. I don't see why not when the principle is clear." "And we could install them in dark stars just as the machines did?" I pressed. "Yes, that would not be hard. But why do you ask, Dur Nal?" "Because I've found a way to get back our stolen suns and whip those machines once and for all!" I cried. "What do you mean, Dur Nal?" asked Lacq Larus quickly. Swiftly I explained. "Suppose we take a hundred of the dark stars in our galaxy and fit them with propulsion-apparatus and attraction-beams like this one. Then suppose we sail across space with those hundred dark stars to the galaxy of the machines and----" "And take our suns back from them!" cried Korus Kan, his eyes blazing. "If we can do it----" "By the suns, we _can_ do it!" cried Jhul Din. "It's a way to get back our stolen suns and smash the machine-people!" "Dur Nal, you may have found the right answer," Lacq Larus told me. "The thing you propose is stupendous, but it seems to be the only course open to us to win." "We'll assemble all the scientists and workers in the galaxy if necessary to get this done," he added. Within hours, the hastily summoned scientists of our galaxy had pronounced our plan practicable, and preparations had begun. Swiftly cruisers of the Interstellar Patrol went forth and located a hundred dark stars of the dimensions needed. There are hosts of such dead suns booming along in the galaxy's spaces, and it was not hard to find a hundred of suitable size. Meanwhile all the scientific ability of the galaxy had been thrown into the manufacture of huge generators and propulsion and attractive vibrations. In an incredibly short time these were completed and transported to the hundred selected dark stars. They were installed so that the dark stars could be propelled in space at great speed in any direction, and could fasten onto and tow any sun or body of stellar size. Giant defensive beam-batteries were also installed.