Broward did not have much appetite when he sat down to eat and to listen to Scone's detailing of his plan. "The _Zemlya_," he said, "has everything we need to sustain us here. And to clothe the Earth with vegetation and replace her animal life in the distant future when the radiation is low enough for us to return. Her deepfreeze tanks contain seeds and plants of thousands of different species of vegetation. They also hold, in suspended animation, the bodies of cattle, sheep, horses, rabbits, dogs, cats, fowl, birds, useful insects and worms. The original intention was to reanimate these and use them on any Terrestrial-type planet the _Zemlya_ might find. "Now, our bases here are self-sustaining. But, when the time comes to return to Earth, we must have vegetation and animals. Otherwise, what's the use? "So, whoever holds the _Zemlya_ holds the key to the future. We must be the ones who hold that key. With it, we can bargain; the Russians and the Chinese will have to agree to independence if they want to share in the seeds and livestock." "What if the _Zemlya's_ commander chooses destruction of his vessel rather than surrender?" said Broward. "Then, all of humanity will be robbed. We'll have no future." "I have a plan to get us aboard the _Zemlya_ without violence." * * * * * An hour later, the four USAF destroyers accelerated outwards towards Earth. Their radar had picked up the _Zemlya_; it also had detected five other Unidentified Space Objects. These were the size of their own craft. Abruptly, the _Zemlya_ radioed that it was being attacked. Then, silence. No answer to the requests from Eratosthenes for more information. Scone had no doubt about the attackers' identity. "The Axis leaders wouldn't have stayed on Earth to die," he said. "They'll be on their way to their big base on Mars. Or, more likely, they have the same idea as us. Capture the _Zemlya_." "And if they do?" said Broward. "We take it from them." The four vessels continued to accelerate in the great curve which would take them out away from the _Zemlya_ and then would bring them around towards the Moon again. Their path was computed to swing them around so they would come up behind the interstellar ship and overtake it. Though the titanic globe was capable of eventually achieving far greater speeds than the destroyers, it was proceeding at a comparatively slow velocity. This speed was determined by the orbit around the Moon into which the _Zemlya_ intended to slip.