"I could not understand why you did not act to forestall your enemies who were so apparent to me. Then I realized that it was because you did not possess the _abasa_ at all. I was frightened because I did not know what to do. I had never dreamed in all my life that I would meet with creatures who might be gods because they possessed the metals, and yet were lower than men because they did not have the _abasa_. I did not understand." * * * * * "We do not understand many things about each other," said Underwood, "but perhaps you understand us well enough now to know that we need your help against these enemies of ours--and of yours. "Many hundreds of thousands of years ago, there was a race, called the Sirenians, and they were deadly enemies of your race, the Dragbora. Like you, they possessed the _abasa_, but instead of living peacefully they set out to conquer all the worlds and the Galaxies. In the end they were defeated by your people who had some mysterious weapon that penetrated every defense of the Sirenians. We came to your ancient world to find a clue to that weapon because one of the Sirenians succeeded in surviving and is now at large upon our own world. He has seized control over our people and is setting out to sweep the Galaxies with conquest and blood. In time he will find even your little world. The civilizations of many Galaxies will suffer centuries of retrogression. "We didn't find the weapon we came for, and now our chance is gone, for the fleet of Demarzule, the Sirenian, is almost upon us. There is just one hope left to us. "We believe that his men will capture us alive and take us to him if we permit it. If we could be taken into his presence bearing the power of destruction that lies in the _abasa_, we might be able to destroy him. "Can you--will you--make it possible for us to gain that power by grafting the _abasa_ in some of us upon your world?" Dreyer translated as rapidly as possible the swift spoken words of Underwood while Jandro lay with closed eyes, as if sleeping a dreamless sleep. It was a long time after Dreyer finished that Jandro slowly opened his eyes again. * * * * * His voice was so low that Dreyer had to lean forward to catch his words. "It is a strange story you tell," he said, "but I am impressed that what you say is true. As to your request--no. It would be utterly impossible for you to be given fresh _abasa_ as are the young of our race. Not that I wouldn't make it possible for some of you--a very few--to receive them, if I could, but the _abasa_ can be installed in only the very young.