Rusty stared unbelieving. Spike was dead. He suddenly felt very alone. Spike had been merciless, cruel, little different from the others of his kind on Pluto. But he had been a man--an Earthian--a friend.... Lothar swung. Before the green man could squeeze the trigger. Fast. A heavy arm struck the scaly hand, snapped the gun from a broken wrist. The vib-ray fell to the floor. Rusty watched him, motionless. Lothar grasped the green neck with one hand, placed iron fingers deftly over the squirming head and--as a man would pick up a marble--he plucked out the single eye. Rusty cringed. Fish screamed. His reptilian arms flailed the air. Lothar slowly dismembered him, tore off his limbs one by one. He yanked the head from the twitching body--hurled the gory thing across the room. Rusty stared with a strange fascination at the ghastly vengeance. He was still staring blankly when Lothar came toward him. "You Earthman! I thought spy! You die, too." The trance left Rusty. The giant Vulcanian loomed over him. "No," Rusty said. "No! Lothar, listen--!" He suddenly realized just what was happening. He would be helpless in those powerful hands. The creature reached for him. Rusty remembered covering a match between Earthman and Vulcanian once for the Tele-news sport section. The Earthian, champion of three worlds, hadn't had a chance. He retreated slowly as the brute came on, bumped sharply against the wall. The giant stopped before him, little eyes squinting at him. The stark deadliness of the face filled Rusty with an eery fright. Silently, a massive hand grabbed his arm. With all the strength of his 170 pounds, Rusty swung at the jutting chin. His hand smashed. The Vulcanian did not even blink. He lifted Rusty, swung him around. His hold slipped and Rusty was flung against the opposite wall. Arising dazed, he saw the Vulcanian lumbering over. Rusty had seen what had happened to Fish. It would be the same with him. How could he fight a man he couldn't hurt? He went ill as his foot slid upon one of the Venusian's severed arms. The star of Earth gleamed brightly in the window and Rusty died a little death of sorrow. The great Lothar plodded forward. Rusty glanced wildly about, heart trembling. His shirt was growing wet. There was nothing--he almost fainted at what he saw. Beneath his feet was the weapon dropped by the Venusian. Rusty snatched at the pistol as the Vulcanian swept upon him. He fired into the hairy chest. The mighty arm came on, knocked Rusty from his feet. Rusty fired again as he fell. The monster's body fell across him, dead. * * * * * As he crawled madly from under the heavy body, Rusty saw the side viewplates filled with a gleaming hull. And printed on the sleek metal was a familiar insignia. It was a space-plane alongside--the Stellar Patrol. Hope leaped like a flame. His long journey was ended.