"We're going to save them from the coming Interplanetary War!" Twilken said forcefully. "Here's the way things--er--stack up. We know Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus have their armies poised for a quick thrust at the Allied Worlds--Mars, Earth and Neptune. But, so far, they have hesitated, knowing both sides are pretty well matched in strength and fearing the assault might be drawn out in a long, destructive conflict that would gain them nothing. They won't wait forever, however, and, sooner or later, they'll find a weakness in the Allied Worlds' armor and strike with all the force at their command. Mr. Mulhane, the Allied Worlds _must_ be the ones to break this deadlock. _We_ must be the ones to gain an edge in strength and force them to disarm, or be destroyed by the ruthless machine of the brain behind their mad plot. But, I forget, you know all of this, Mr. Mulhane." "Tod's the name," I said absently. "Yes, I know all about Xan VIII's scheme to defeat the Allied Worlds. So what? There's nothing I can do about it. Naturally, being a Martian, I am anxious to see the Allied Worlds win. But I can't see--" "You're a Martian?" Twilken stared, aghast. "But--but you look like an Earthian!" "I have many disguises," I smiled. "And many pseudonyms--among them being that of Tod Mulhane. A soldier of fortune such as I must resort to numerous devices to elude his enemies. Incidentally, how did you know who I was and where to find me?" "I have--uh--contacts," Twilken stammered. "But your disguise seems so realistic! I would swear you're an Earthian!" "I put my entire being into a part. I would long since be dead if I were unconvincing in my characterizations. But we digress, Twilken. Come to the point." "The point is this," Twilken recovered from his astonishment. "If we had the support of one of the lesser planets, such as Venus, we could easily overthrow Xan's regime and bring a lasting peace to the System. But, at the time, the inhabitants of Venus are in a crude stage of evolution and are too stupid to be of much help. They have expressed their willingness to help, but their ignorance might well be a weight on our progress and turn the tide against us." I shifted uneasily in my chair and glanced at the door. "But supposing evolution could be speeded up on Venus," Twilken continued. "Supposing the inhabitants could be developed as much in two months as would ordinarily take a thousand years. They would soon emerge to a state of intelligence as to be of immense value and aid to our cause. I have something that will do this very thing, Tod!" * * * * * I leaped from my chair and wrenched the door open, just about scaring Professor Twilken out of a year's growth. A short, fat Jovian fell into the room and lay grinning up from the floor. His pink, shaggy-browed eyes searched our faces briefly, then he arose, bowing deeply.