"Our civilization is in some way far in advance of yours. As you see, we have mastered interplanetary travel. But it is essentially a peaceful civilization. Our weapons, such as we have, are of limited range and power. "When it became known that Earth was developing monstrous weapons of aggression we realized that we must be prepared for the worst. There was only one way to discover what you already had and what you were working on. Once we arrived here we found that a man named Copperd was the prime figure in his country's atomic weapons research. It became our duty to seek him out." "I see," Copperd grunted. "And now you expect me to reveal secrets which I am bound by oath to protect with my very life?" "You will reveal them," Ristal told him. I didn't like the way Ristal said that. There was a tinge of cruelty in his tone and in the sudden tightening of his lips. I hadn't ever worked with him before, or with Kresh, who was Ristal's second in command, but I didn't like the methods their manner implied. Copperd looked worried. "I told you we were a peaceful people," I put in. "Let me handle this," Ristal said. He pointed to a machine which stood in a corner. "That," he explained to Copperd, "is a device which we ordinarily use in surgery and diagnosis. It has the faculty of making the nerves infinitely more sensitive to stimuli. Also to pain. Do you understand?" "You can't use that on him!" I said. Ristal looked at me strangely. "Of course not. But on his daughter, yes. No father likes to see his daughter suffer." "That's out," I said flatly. "You know what our orders are." "I know what they were. This is my own idea, Marko. Please remember that I am commander here." I was duty bound to obey him, and I thought that I _was_ going to obey. But as Kresh stepped toward Beth I found myself between them. "I think that those higher up may have something to say about this," I told Ristal. "With the information this man can give me I shall be in a position to ignore those higher up," Ristal grinned. Kresh reached for Beth and I hit him. I knew now what Ristal had in mind. With atomic weapons he could make himself master of Venus, and of Earth. But even more important than that was the thought that he must not harm Beth. * * * * * Kresh was coming back at me. I hit him again and he went down. Then the others came piling in. There were four of them, too many for me. I fought like a madman but they overwhelmed me and held me helpless. "Give him a shot of _bental_," Ristal ordered. "That ought to quiet him. Then dump him in a cabin. We'll dispose of him later." Then Kresh was coming at me with the hypodermic needle. I felt it stab into my arm. He gave me a dose that might have killed an ordinary man.