And now, the Turberites were ready to show their true colors! They stopped paying for the use of the aerial power. That was just today--June 12, 2445. They had flung up insulation a week ago--against the government news mirrors. They demanded--the demand had come today--that the city sell itself for the sum of four hundred and fifty thousand billions of dollars. The government was to sell for this sum, incredibly too small; to pay the citizens, each for his proportionate property ownership, what would be a mere pittance; and order every one to leave the city. In one transaction, they were to abandon this world capital; disorganize its business; fling thirty million people into unemployment! It was unthinkable. And it had given to the world a hint of the real menace of Turber. This was the beginning of his intended ruling of the world. By money power, and by force of arms, he meant to extend his despotism over all humanity. We heard it all discussed, now at this Council meeting. And I saw these men, gigantic governmental Captains of Industry. Men of business, nothing more. Business men, trying to meet a crisis of war and handling it by business principles. An impossibility! * * * * * The president's thin face was haggard and harassed. His stiff circular coat was rumpled; he passed a hand over his face and dropped his close-clipped gray head. An old man, utterly tired. But in a moment he looked up again. He spoke, more vehemently than I had heard any of these men speak before. "We must learn what weapons the Turberites have. If he is to attack us--when? We have plenty of men--the city police army--" "Armed how?" asked Alan. "With the needle-swords. And the steel slingshots--our men are very expert--and they have projectors of compressed air, and sleeping gas." Primitive weapons, modernized! My heart sank. "How many of the police are available?" I asked. "We have some two hundred thousand here. And Great London will send us by liner all the police we need." "Are your air-liners armed?" Alan asked. "No. How could they be? Except with short-range slings." Another man said: "If Turber cuts off the incoming supply ships--if his ships are armed--our city here will starve in a day." A commotion in the adjoining room interrupted us. A messenger came out. "A communication from Turber!" The president read the document. "It has come!" He spoke with a strained hush to his voice. "He gives us but half an hour. An ultimatum! He says we vacillate like children all this morning, and give him no answer to his business proposal. Either we accept his purchase price--and our citizens must start leaving the city within thirty minutes--or he will begin war! We must tell him now. He gives us just sixty seconds to answer!" Some one said huskily: "We shall have to yield."