"How do we know _that_ was the sole purpose of your fleet?" Flushed, his magnificent tunic dishevelled, the Martian Ambassador asked furiously. "You invite reprisals!" A Neptunian was saying. "War Fleets are banned from space except by unanimous consent--you've broken the law! Or is it that you're scrapping the Treaty already?" He glared at the Head of the Terran Council belligerently, and with the complete approval of half a dozen races. "No laws have been broken ... _Gentlemen_." He emphasized the term. "You see, we're all party to the deed. Really now, don't tell me you were not aware that Mars, Venus, Neptune ... Mercury even, in fact, every signatory to the Inter-Planetary League made instant preparations the moment the 'Suicide' Spacer blasted off. Why, there wasn't a planet but had its fleet in readiness to follow!" Antaran smiled sweetly into their embarrassed faces. "Admitted," the Martian said stiffly, "but those were merely pardonable precautions!" "Precautions that became immediate action as soon as our fleet segment was discovered in space!" Antaran's voice went cold. "Like a comet dragging a lengthening tail, each planet we passed sent out part of its fleet, until _all of us_ were represented. Haven't your Governments advised you ... Gentlemen?" Smiling still, although inwardly disgusted at the eternal suspicion of the various worlds, he slowly drew an Astrograph from his tunic, silencing them as their suspicious curiosity was aroused. "As I already hinted," he said affably, "I'm afraid all of you are slightly behind the times. Let me read you this message from ... _your_ planet, Vermil!" Antaran nodded to the Neptunian Diplomat. "It's a message via Ethero-radio sent us copied from the original Astrograph Neptune received from outer space: "Combined Fleet reports sighting Spacer enter Saturn's atmosphere. Mathematics of orbital maneuver computed. Will correlate to attempt duplication. Astro-radio messages from Spacer indicate planet inhabited." Electrified, their faces ludicrous, they stood before the white-haired leader in silence. "Everyone of our Governments is now aware of this." Antaran said in kindly tones. "We've had to maintain the utmost secrecy, for if the billions that people the various worlds had learned what we were up against, there would have been panics, upheavals ... it would have been the signal for inimical minds among the '_have-nots_' to attempt the age-old cycle. Remember, Gentlemen ... excepting the Panadurs," he gazed with veiled admiration at the Ambassador of that mysterious race, "none of the rest of us have lost their Will to Battle ... which perhaps," he added as an after-thought, with a sort of brooding amusement, "is just as well!" They were still dazed, as the tremendous implications of Antaran's words filled their minds.