e?" Hargraves said.

"Yes," said Nielson defiantly. "And I was right. I should have killed
him. He isn't Hal Sarkoff. He isn't telling the truth about coming back
to life. Sarkoff is dead."

* * * * *

Sarkoff glanced up at Thulon who was still standing in the lock looking
down at the men before him. There was a ghost of a smile on his face.

"See!" said Sarkoff, addressing Thulon. "I told you we couldn't tell
these boys anything. They have to see, they have to feel, they have to
be shown."

"Well," the thought came from Thulon to everyone. "Why don't you show
them?"

"Okay," Sarkoff answered. "Nevins!" he shouted. "Reese! Come out of that
ship."

Nevins and Reese were the two engineers who had died with Sarkoff.

Thulon moved a little to one side. Nevins and Reese came out of the
ship. They were grinning.

"Feel us!" Sarkoff shouted. "Pinch us. Cut off a slice of skin and
examine it under a microscope. Make blood tests. Use X-rays. Do whatever
you damned please." He shoved a brawny arm under Nielson's nose. "Here.
Pinch this and see if you think it's real."

Nielson shrank away.

Nevins and Reese passed among the men, offering themselves in evidence.
Startled voices called softly in answer to other startled voices.
"They're real."

"This is no lie. This is the truth."

"I've known this man for years. This is Eddie Nevins."

"And this is Sam Reese."

Hargraves heard the voices, saw the conclusion they were reaching.

"One moment," he said.

The voices went into silence. Eyes turned questioningly to him.

"Even if these men are really Hal Sarkoff and Eddie Nevins and Sam
Reese, if they are the companions we knew as dead who have miraculously
been returned to us, there are still facts that do not fit into a
logical pattern. Even here on this world the laws of logic must hold
true."

Silence fell. Men looked at him and at each other. Where there had been
wonder on their faces, new doubts were appearing.

"What facts, Jed?" Sarkoff questioned.

"The sphere that attacked us, that attempted to destroy us, without
warning. This is a fact that does not fit."

"The sphere?" Uncertainty showed on Sarkoff's face. Then he grinned
again and turned to Thulon. "You tell him about that sphere."

"Gladly," Thulon's thoughts came. "As you know, Vega has two planets.
Long ago we were at war with the inhabitants of this other planet. Part
of our defenses around our own planet we