"No," replied Perrin, reflectively. "That's not too fantastic a thought, but the Brain's not that powerful yet. However, those Proktols might man the ships. I think that's the plan. Did you notice those antennae they have? That's the way the Brain contacts them, and it might control them from any distance! Another thing: did you notice their flame-pistols? Modelled after the ones the Martians use, but an improvement. If you men left any atom-blasts there, the Brain'll soon find out how they click, and they'll turn out their own. And _they'll_ be an improvement. That entire space fleet will be equipped with them. But that fleet's not quite ready to move yet; they've got to have fuel." "You mean," said Devries, "they haven't any?" Perrin laughed softly. "They _did_ have. Those Proktols were mining it on Neptune--greenish grained stuff, something like the Tynyte we get from the Mars mountains. I watched their operations awhile, secretly. It seems to be pretty hard stuff to get out. I waited until they had quite a supply, then I swooped down and blasted it all sky high, together with a few score Proktols. That's just one more reason they hate me. But they're still mining, and getting more of the fuel out." Janus had been listening to the pirate's words. Now he paced the control room, nervously. "That would give us time," he said softly to himself. "We could get back to Earth in a week, at full speed." He stopped and looked up. "Yes," he said aloud, "we're going back to Earth immediately!" "Very well, Commander Janus," said Perrin, looking straight at him. "But I trust you will take the _Princess_ in tow? I love that ship very much." "Not you, Perrin! You're not going." "Not me, Commander? I wonder what you can mean?" The pirate's black eyes were glowing. "Perrin, suppose I should get very careless and you suddenly escaped. I wonder where you'd escape to?" Perrin glanced out at the glowing ball of Neptune. He was smiling again, but it was a grim little smile. "I have a hideout," he said, "which not even those Proktols have found yet. I imagine they have a lot more of that fuel mined by now, and I just love for them to hate me." Janus glanced at the space-lock, and turned his back. When next he looked he saw the trim, black _Princess_ speeding unerringly back toward Neptune, a thousand miles away. Devries alone was regretful, almost bitter. He weighed the familiar atom-blast in his hand. "And I didn't even get to use this! Damn it, Janus, you know what that Brain's doing, planning. If they keep on with those sacrifices, feeding it that mental force, who knows how far it'll go? It's a potential menace, it oughtn't to be allowed to exist!" "Devries, stop gibbering!" Once again Janus was in his familiar role, Commander of the _Wasp_ of the Earth Patrol. "Ross! Stand by in the rocket room for orders; we're on double duty now." "Yes, sir! It's a pleasure, sir." Ross hurried away. "Devries! Start charting our course for Earth."