Two hours later, he burst into the anteroom of the base commander's office in Fort Roye, where the warrant on duty almost failed to recognize him. Lieutenant Vaughn's eyes glittered through their thick lenses; his face was red and he was grinning from ear to ear. He pounded past the startled warrant, pulled open the door to the inner office where Colonel Thayer sat with the visiting Territorial Commissioner, and plunged inside. "Sir," the warrant heard him quaver breathlessly, "I have the proof--the undeniable proof! They _were_ intelligent beings. They did _not_ die of disease. They were exterminated in war! They were ... but see for yourself!" There was a thud as he dropped something on the polished table top between the commissioner and Colonel Thayer. "_That_ was dug up just now--among their own artifacts!" Silas Thayer was on his feet, sucking in his breath for the blast that would hurl his blundering Science Officer back out of the office. What halted him was an odd, choked exclamation from Commissioner Sanford. The colonel's gaze flicked over to the visitor, then followed Sanford's stare to the object on the table. For an instant, Colonel Thayer froze. Vaughn was bubbling on. "And, sir, I ..." "Shut up!" Thayer snapped. He continued immediately, "You say this was found in the diggings in the ruins?" [Illustration] "Yes, sir--just now! It's ..." Lieutenant Vaughn checked himself under the colonel's stare, some dawning comprehension of the enormous irregularities he'd committed showing in his flushed face. He licked his lips uncertainly. "You will excuse me for a moment, sir," Thayer said to Commissioner Sanford. He picked the Geest gun up gingerly by its unmistakably curved shaft, took it over to the office safe, laid it inside and relocked the safe. He then left the office. * * * In an adjoining room, Thayer rapped out Major Wayne Jackson's code number on a communicator. He heard a faint click as Jackson's wrist speaker switched on, and said quickly, "Wayne, are you in a position to speak?" "I am at the moment," Jackson's voice replied cautiously. Colonel Thayer said, "Norm Vaughn just crashed in here with something he claims was found in the diggings. Sanford saw it, and obviously recognized it. We might be able to keep him quiet. But now some questions. Was that item actually dug up just now?" "Apparently it was," Jackson said. "I didn't see it happen--I was talking to Black at the moment. But there are over a dozen witnesses who claim they did see it happen, including five or six of the news agency men." "And they knew what it was?" "Enough of them did." Thayer cursed softly. "No chance that one of them pitched the thing into the diggings for an Earthside sensation?" "I'm afraid not," Jackson said. "It was lying in the sifter after most of the sand and dust had been blown away." "Why didn't you call me at once?"