here, seems to have good reason to believe are
somehow electrical in nature. Putting all these facts together, what is
the most logical conclusion?"

"That these things caused the two lost ships to be reported missing in
space!" said Hendricks.

* * * * *

I glanced at Kincaide, and he nodded gravely.

"And you, Mr. Correy?" I asked.

Correy shrugged.

"I believe you're, right, sir. They seem like such rather flimsy,
harmless things, though, that the disintegrator rays will take care of
without difficulty. Shall I order the ray operators to their stations,
sir?"

"Do that, please. And take personal charge of the forward projectors,
will you? Mr. Hendricks, will you command the after projectors? Mr.
Kincaide and I will carry on here."

"Shall we open upon them at will, or upon orders, sir?" asked Correy.

"Upon orders," I said. "And you'll get your orders as soon as they're in
range; I have a feeling we're in for trouble."

"I hope so, sir!" grinned Correy from the door.

Hendricks followed him silently, but I saw there was a deep, thoughtful
frown between his brows.

"I think," commented Kincaide quietly, "that Hendricks is likely to be
more useful to us in this matter than Correy."

I nodded, and bent over the television disk. The things were perceptibly
nearer; the hurtling group nearly filled the disk, now.

There was something horribly eager, horribly malignant, in the way they
shone, so palely red, and in the fashion in which their blunt tentacles
reached out toward the _Ertak_.

I glanced up at the Earth clock on the wall.

"The next hour," I said soberly, "cannot pass too quickly for me!"

* * * * *

We had decelerated steadily during the hour, but we were still above
maximum atmospheric speed when at last I gave the order to open the
invaders with disintegrator rays. They were close, but of course the
rays are not as effective in space as when operating in a more favorable
medium, and I wished to make sure of our prey.

I pressed the attention signal to Correy's post, and he answered
instantly.

"Ready, Mr. Correy?"

"Ready, sir!"

"Then commence action!"

Before I could repeat the command to Hendricks, I heard the deepening
note of the atomic generators, and knew Correy had already begun
operations.

Together, and silently, Kincaide and I bent over the television disk. We
watched for a moment, and then, with one acco