you to shout. I can hear you perfectly well if you speak in an ordinary voice."
"Please pardon me, sir," Mayer apologized. "What I am trying to get at is this: When I received my commission I was told that it was the duty of the Earth Republic Space Navy to safeguard the life and liberty of every Earth Republic citizen and every Christian—no matter where he or she might be in the Universe. Am I not right, therefore, in declaring that it is our duty to do everything in our power to save Miss Andersen from her abductors?"
"Of course you are right," the Colonel admitted. "But even the Space Navy cannot achieve the impossible."
"Again asking your pardon, sir; but it is hardly necessary to remind Colonel Alexander that the Space Marines are famous for accomplishing tasks which at the outset seemed impossible."
"True enough," Steiner conceded. "But in this case the obstacles are of much more formidable and serious character than we have ever previously encountered. Before I amplify this statement I must caution all of you that everything said here must be kept in strictest confidence."
The three younger officers nodded and Steiner went on, "There are strong reasons for believing that the military leaders of Mars are deliberately planning to invade certain of the more desirable portions of the Earth Republic for the purpose of annexation and colonization. Mars is ready right now—spoiling to start hostilities. For fear of incurring the enmity of Venus and the other states of the Solar System, Mars doesn't dare to employ the usual, ruthless, Martian system of attacking without warning and without reason. For some time they have been looking for an excuse to start hostilities. They know that the earth is not prepared for war now, but that our scientists and our manufacturers are quickly building up defensive armaments. Hence, from the standpoint of Mars, it is imperative that the excuse to declare war shall be found as soon as possible. In the interests of the Earth Republic it is equally vital that no such excuse shall be created. That's why it is particularly important that the E. R. Space Navy shall watch their space flights even more carefully than ever. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, but—" Mayer started to say.
He was interrupted by Sullivan, who said: "Pardon me, Dan. I suppose you heard what happened to Cummings and Lindskov and Christopher just a few days ago."
"All I know is that they went on a secret mission and never came back," Mayer answered.
"They were caught by Martian Intelligence Officers," Colonel Steiner told him. "The detectives claimed that they found motion pictures of the new Martian Spacedreadnaughts in the possession of Cummings. The other two were implicated as his assistants. All three of them were summarily executed—after the customary Martian session of refined torture, of course."
"What an unspeakable outrage!" Mayer exclaimed. "They must have been innocent. Officers of the Space Navy are not spies!"
"Don't be so sure of that," Steiner contradicted him. "It happens that Cummings and Lindskov and Christopher were sent on a special mission, and that mission—to use a plain, ugly word—was espionage. This, of course, had to be denied by the E. R. S. N. staff and by the Earth Republic Am-
