r_ let down slowly, firing her guns and dropping
bombs; as she descended, rifle-fire spurted from all her lower-deck
portholes. There was cheering, human and Ullran, from inside the
battered defense-perimeter; combat-cars, airjeeps, and improvised
bombers lifted out to strafe the Skilkans on the ground, and the four
air-tanks moved out to take position and open fire with their
90-mm.'s, helping to flush King Firkked's regulars and auxiliaries out
of the gullies and ruins and drive them south along the mountain, away
from where the ship would land and also away from the city of Skilk.
The _Northern Star_ set down quickly, and troops and artillery began
to be unloaded, joining in the fighting.

It was five hundred miles to Krink; three hours after lifting out, the
_Northern Star_ was back again, with two more of King Jonkvank's
infantry regiments, and by 1300, when the fourth load arrived from
Krink, the fighting was entirely on the eastern bank of the dry Hoork
River. This last contingent of reenforcements was landed in the
eastern suburbs of Skilk and began fighting their way into the city
from the rear.

It was evident, however, that the pacification of Skilk would not be
accomplished as rapidly as von Schlichten wished--street fighting,
against a determined enemy, is notoriously slow work--and he decided
to risk the _Northern Star_ in an attack against the Palace itself,
and, over the objections of Paula Quinton, Jules Keaveney, and Barney
Mordkovitz, to lead the attack in person.

* * * * *

Inside the city, he found that the Zirk cavalry from Krink had thrust
up one of the broader streets to within a thousand yards of the
Palace, and, supported by infantry, contragravity, and a couple of
air-tanks, were pounding and hacking at a mass of Skilkans whose
uniform lack of costume prevented distinguishing between soldiery and
townsfolk. Very few of these, he observed, seemed to be using
firearms; with his glasses, he could see them shooting with long
Northern air-rifles and a few Takkad Sea crossbows. Either weapon
would shoot clear through a Terran or half-way through an Ullran at
fifty yards, but at over two hundred they were almost harmless. There
were a few fires still burning from the bombardment of the night
before--Ullran, and particularly North Ullran, cities did not burn
well--and the blaze which had consumed the bulk of Firkked's stock of
thermoconcentrate fuel had long ago bu