cover what you can about a suspected plot of
interplanetary financiers to plunge the Earth and Mars into a war."

"How so?" Sime asked enigmatically, concealing his dismay at the
girl's ready reply. Here was inside information with a vengeance!

"Several shiploads of gray industrial diamonds from Venus have been
seized by war vessels carrying the insignia of the Martian atmospheric
guard."

Sime nodded. "Go on!"

"Curiously enough, these raids were so timed that they were witnessed
by the news telecasters. All of the people on Earth were thus
eye-witnesses, and feeling ran high. Am I right?"

"Go on!"

"And of course you know about the raids on the Martian borium mines by
pirates armed with modern weapons. In the fights, some of the pirates'
weapons were captured. They bore the ordnance marks of the terrestrial
government."

"I'm way ahead of you, girlie!" Sime conceded. "Certain financial
interests would like to see a war. They're cookin' up these overt acts
to get the people all steamed up till they're ready to fight. I'll go
further, since you seem to know all about it anyway, and admit that
I'm here to find out just who's back of all this. And how does all
that tie up with you hiding in my mist-bath with a long and mean
lookin' knife?"

The girl dropped her dark lashes in a sidelong glance at the stiletto
on the floor. There was a little smile on her lips.

"My usual weapon. Don't you know most of us Martians go armed all the
time?"

"Yeh?" Sime grinned skeptically. "And is it a habit of yours to hide
in the bedroom of visiting policemen? Come on, kid. I'm going to turn
you over to the guard."

For a second it looked as if she would make a dash for the blade
glistening there on the floor. But she straightened up, and with a
look of infinite scorn said:

"So the mighty policeman of the Sun calls a hotel guard, does he?
Please! Believe me, I am myself working for the same object as
yourself--the prevention of a horrible war!"

She was pleading now.

"Believe me, you are against forces that you don't understand! I can
help you, if you will listen. Let me tell you, the Martian government
is itself corrupted. The planetary president, Wilcox, is in alliance
with the war party. You will have to fight the police. You will have
to fear poison. You will be set upon and killed in the first dark
passage. Yet if you help me you may accomplish your object. You must
help me!"

"What do you want of me?"

"He