"Why--why, that's true," said Dr. Bryant. "I had never realized it before, but that is undoubtedly responsible for the known disaffection between Earth and the outlying planets. But, Captain Warren, the common people of Earth don't realize this! They, like myself, are too busy with the small details of their private lives to wonder more than casually about such things. It never occurred to me to wonder at the lack of other interplanetary merchantmen. I suppose I always took it for granted that we of Earth were doing our solar neighbors a great favor by regulating interplanetary commerce. Now I can see--" He paused, his eyebrows knit in thought. Then--"But something must certainly be done about this situation. What can we do?" "Right now," replied Warren gravely, "nothing. We have a more important task confronting us. But if and when this other affair is successfully cleared up, something should be finally done to create a new world order truly based on the principle of equal rights ... with liberty and justice for all." Muldoon said cautiously, "But, wait a minute. There's a bug in that reasoning somewhere. You say the other planets haven't learned the secret of the hypatomic motor? Well, ships crash, don't they? And ships can be captured. It seems to me that if any nation really wanted to learn that secret--" "They could not do so," replied Warren, "any more than we in this ship could learn the actual mechanism of the motor driving us." "What? We can't--but why?" "Because the hypatomic motors which drive us are encased in a steel jacket equipped with a device so regulated that were any attempt made to open it and study its mechanism it would instantly explode, blowing itself and us into oblivion." And Warren added softly, "I think you begin to understand now, my friends, why every other world fears and distrusts Earth. And why our task of pleading for their cooperation is harder than Gary expected." CHAPTER VI "Introducing Larkspur O'Day...." In exactly three days, one hour and forty-five minutes Solar Constant time, the _Liberty_ dropped to a perfect landing in a cradle on the rocketdrome of Sun City, seat of the Venusian planetary government. As Warren had foretold, their arrival was unchallenged by any ship of the SSP fleet. Sole occupants of the rocketdrome's cradles were lumbering freighters and sleek merchantmen emblazoned with the emblem of Earth's merchant marine. But if their arrival was unchallenged it was not unexpected. A host of ebony-skinned Venusians gathered about their ship instantly. As soon as their party emerged from the lock, a delegation moved forward to greet them. With but a few words of preamble they were whisked away to the Venusian Council Hall. There, serving as spokesman for the group, Gary Lane launched earnestly upon an explanation of the mission which had brought them hither.