"You, Ignacius, will deliver a message for me to Sectors-General Hoskins, in person." Kram was writing things on a memo pad, the blanks of which were stamped CONFIDENTIAL at their tops in big red letters. "It says, Iggy, that President Thurston is to be informed that I have unequivocally failed to glean any information concerning the Sirian secret weapon, and in trying further to do so, would seriously imperil whatever chances Earth may have left to escape total destruction. I, Kram, have somehow failed! The message points out in addition that I've lost seventy-three percent of my secret operatives already, and it explains that with each additional one captured, Xenthl's temper is shortening to the breaking point. Being slightly paranoiac, he hates to be crossed. He's one of those egotistical bastards, you know...." "Oh, but you can't--" "Shuddup. It also advises that the Terrestrial government open truce negotiations for the consideration of terms." "You mean you're telling Hoskins and Thurston that we should wave the white flag?" Luverduk paled to the color of old paste. "You deliver it. And--" Kram kept writing, "there's a P.S. It says that I personally--that _we_ personally--plan to request audience with Xenthl, to open aforementioned truce negotiations. Today!" "You," quavered the Major scarcely above a whisper, "have cracked up!" "We will take off for Xenthl's Moonside headquarters at precisely 1600 hours, radiating a truce signal. And you will now deliver this message." He thrust the memo into Luverduk's wringing hands. "And you will return here in exactly 30 minutes. That's an order!" "Oh, Gaylord!" breathed Luverduk asthmatically. "Oh, oh, oh...." The length of the corridor down which he waddled swallowed up the gibberish that whispered in his wake. * * * * * Thirty minutes to the second later, just as Kram was putting the finishing touches on the thing which he had estimated would take him precisely 30 minutes to rig, Luverduk returned. "Gaylord!" "I have something to show you, Major Luverduk. Come here." Kram gestured toward the outside door of the large office which led through a space-cruiser hangar and out to the experimental detonation range where new weapons received their first tests in the half-scale stage. "Show me! Good Lord, Gaylord! Hoskins read it right there in front of me! He said for you to get to his headquarters as fast as you can double-time it! Sore! It was more or less nice knowing you, Lance-corporal Kram!" "I knew he'd be a little silly about it at first." "He said if you're not in his office in 15 minutes, he's coming to yours with his whole damned guard!" "Might, come to think of it. Come here, Luverduk." "But--" "See this?" Kram held a shiny new needle-ray pistol in his hand. It was strictly an anti-personnel weapon, and good only for close-in combat. A hand weapon of limited powers, and nothing more.