Dr. Kang said softly, "This I know, my friend, _now_. But you must admit that appearances were against you. You came foreheralded by bulletins of treachery and theft on Earth, of strong-armed compulsion and allegiance with a privateer on Venus. We did not know what you wanted, but--" The old Martian shrugged--"we thought it best to deter your arrival until you could be questioned." O'Day, whom it was hard to believe had heard a single word of the conversation, so raptly had his attention been riveted upon the ivory-skinned scientist's daughter, said abruptly, "And now that you know, Dr. Kang, what is your decision?" Kang's long dark eyes seemed to withdraw within the curiously involute epithelial folds of their lids. For a long moment he considered the question. Silent he sat, and as impassive as a carven Buddha of the Earth race whose members he so strongly resembled. Then he said, "There can be but one answer, my friend. And on a matter such as this I am free to speak not only for myself but for all my people. You shall have that for which you came." "We may, Doctor?" cried Gary Lane. "No kidding?" yelled Muldoon. "_Say_--!" breathed Captain Warren. The old man halted their expressions of gratitude with a turn of the hand. "Yes, you shall have what you need. We of Mars are a peaceloving race. That which you have chosen to call a 'military weapon' we employ simply and solely as a defensive measure against aggression. But now it seems the time has come to turn this weapon against an interloper of unguessed strength. Therefore, you shall have what you need. But there is one small stipulation--" Lane thought grimly, "_This is it. The fly in the ointment. You never get something for nothing._" But aloud he asked politely, "And that is, Dr. Kang--?" "Simply," replied the aged Martian, "that my daughter and I be permitted to install the equipment on the _Liberty_ ourselves--" "Why, of course!" said Gary. "And," continued Dr. Kang, "that we further be permitted to join your party." And for the first time a flicker of expression crossed his features. A smile touched the corners of his lips. "You see, my friend, though we of Mars are called an impassive people, we are not entirely without curiosity. This quest upon which you are embarked has about it a breathtaking challenge which stirs me greatly. I am an old man, but I am not unlearned. It is possible that my knowledge may prove of some value--" * * * * * Dr. Bryant said, "Please, Dr. Kang! Not another word! We should be not only happy but _proud_ to welcome you to our party." Lark O'Day stirred restlessly. "But your daughter, Dr. Kang? It is a perilous trip. Scarcely the sort of adventure for a girl of gentle breeding."