Suddenly from the surface of the star a long, tenuous arm shot out. It was fifty miles long and five miles in diameter. It leaped from the surface with mile a second velocity, aiming a blow at the space ship that could have pounded it to junk, had it landed. But the pilot saw the blow and dodged out of the way. The tentacle snapped back. Again Limio tingled with radio energy. His brain caught the rhythm and deciphered the thought: "It is a living world. It seems to be a vicious animal. Just now it attacked--" "And I will attack again!" whispered Limio's brain in the same magnetic rhythm of the impulses that flowed from the ship. Again the arm shot out toward the ship's hull. Once more the alert pilot dodged in time. "Who are you?" asked the space ship, in the rhythm Limio had begun to understand. "I am Limio," replied the monster. "Who are you, metal monster?" "This ship is the _Burnt Atom_, from earth in the solar system." "I have never heard of the solar system, but I have seen others like you in my time. I have never had trouble destroying one of your kind. Go away. Leave me alone, or I shall kill you." "That is not our policy. We are men. We have principles. Our principles demand that you be destroyed as a menace to space navigation." "Why?" "Because you interfere with progress. We know now why ships that enter The Black Hole never return. We intend to put an end to this wanton and useless destruction." "If you do not go away, I will kill you," said Limio. "But if you creatures who call yourselves men leave me alone, I will leave you alone." "We can't leave you alone because your principles are not the same as ours. You stand in the way of progress. You are hideous. You are a monster. You must be destroyed." "You are unbeauteous yourself, but no doubt you are in your early stages of development. But I do not kill for esthetic reasons. I simply want to be left alone. Go away." "No!" came from the _Burnt Atom_. "There is no room in the universe for enemies of progress. Besides, our studies reveal that your planet has rare minerals on its surface." Limio studied the assertion. It was evident to him that the intelligence directing the _Burnt Atom_ had room for progress. There was nothing wrong in wanting to progress, except that rapid progress was self-evidently a bad policy. Progress was inevitable, according to Limio's way of looking at things, but it should be avoided, because progress would seek one out. Limio's ultimate destruction would be due to progress. He would grow until Chaos was too small to keep his bodily processes in operation. Limio could not stop growth, because carbon molecules and spores fell continually on the surface of Chaos. But he did not invite food to come to his planet. That was why he asked the men to go away. "Perhaps your idea of progress is different from mine," Limio said. "To me, progress is synonymous with growth."