And to fire the
projector with a continuous bolt would, in thirty minutes, perhaps,
have exhausted their own power-reserve.

This strange warfare! It was new to all of us, for there had been no
wars on any of the three inhabited worlds for many years. Silent,
electronic conflict! Not a question of men in battle. A man at a
switch on the brigand ship was the sole actor so far in this assault.
And the results were visible only in the movement of the needle-dials
on our instrument panels. A struggle, so far, not of man's bravery, or
skill, or strategy, but merely of electronic power supply.

* * * * *

Yet warfare, however modern, can never transcend the human element.
Before this insult was ended I was to have many demonstrations of
that!

"I won't answer them," Grantline declared. "Our game is to sit
defensive. Conserve everything. Let them make the leading moves."

We waited half an hour, but no other shot came. The valley floor was
patched with Earthlight and shadow. We could see the vague outline of
the brigand ship backed up at the foot of the opposite crater-wall.
The form of its dome over the illumined deck was visible, and the line
of its tiny hull ovals.

On the rocks near the ship, helmet-lights of prowling brigands
occasionally showed.

Whatever activity was going on down there we could not see with the
naked eye. Grantline did not use our telescope at first. To connect
it, even for local range, drew on our precious ammunition of power.
Some of the men urged that we search the sky with the telescope. Was
our rescue ship from Earth coming? But Grantline refused. We were in
no trouble yet. And every delay was to our advantage.

"Commander, where shall I put these helmets?"

A man came wheeling a pile of helmets on a little truck.

"At the manual porte--other building."

Our weapons and outside equipment were massed at the main exit-locks
of the large building. But we might want to sally out through the
smaller locks also. Grantline sent helmets there; suits were not
needed, as most of us were garbed in them now, but without the
helmets.

* * * * *

Snap was still in the workshop. I went there during this first
half-hour of the attack. Ten of our men were busy there with the
little flying platforms and the fabric shields.

"How is it, Snap?"

"Almost all ready."

He had six of the platforms, including the one we had already used,