sorry if you think there's anything wrong. But I'm not apologizing for something of which I'm not guilty."
"We have strict customs on Io," Kris bit out. "Stricter than yours, it seems. If a man and woman leave for a shadowy trysting-place in the middle of the night, it usually means one thing—"
Dane's hand leaped up to seize the other by the throat. Kris darted back, pulling his disrupter in the same swift motion.
Without warning, a blinding spoke of light speared down from the night sky, illuminating the trio in a circle of brilliance. Dane's hand fell away. Kris lowered the gun. Rockets barked brokenly, and a long, silver shape began to drop.
In the next moment Margo was running back, screaming.
"Dane—Kris—an Earth-ship! Io is being attacked!"
CHAPTER VIII
Exodus
THE stark horror of that moment would never be forgotten by the three who watched a gleaming shell come silently gliding from the night. Against the Red Spot, it was limned like a giant shark darting to the attack. They could not guess how many more hundreds of ships had crossed the void with this first of a blood-hungry host.
Kris had his gun raised to fire when Dane's fingers clamped on his arm.
"Wait!" he cried. "It's not a fighting ship—it's a cruiser. She's going to land . . . not bomb us!"
A moment more and Dane's words were shown to be true. Lowering silently on invisible gravity repulsor beams, the craft settled beside Dane's little cruiser. No word, not a breath, broke the stillness as an air-lock hissed and the door slowly swung open. In the white glare of the landing lights, a girl stepped out and brushed her hand wearily across her forehead.
Dane frowned; then gasped.
"Brooke!"
The girl looked up. As she did so, her features, strained and weary, but lovely none the less, were illuminated. Dane experienced again that tug at his heart that Brooke's presence always called up.
Across the ground she came running to him, her arms outstretched.
"Dane!" The word was a choked cry.
Dane took the sobbing girl into his arms, deeply moved.
"What does it mean, Brooke? How did you find me? Why did you come?"
"Why did I come?" Brooke echoed. Her eyes searched his face. "Don't you remember I told you I'd go anywhere with you? But you escaped and didn't give me a chance. It's been ghastly without you, Dane. Not knowing whether you were alive or dead . . ."
"But how did you know where to come?" Margo and Kris had come closer to stare curiously.
"Tom Benchley left charts behind him, and I was the first to find them. I knew the Vedette would ransack his place, after he died, but I beat them to it. I was afraid he might have papers that would help them find you. He did, Dane. Charts of the whole trip out here!"
"Has the Vedette seen them?" Kris cut in.
Brooke's brown curls shook emphatically.
"I got everything out before they came. And I left immediately." Impulsively, her face tipped up to Dane's. "Oh, Dane—let's never be apart again for a minute!"
"No. No, of course we won't."
