on, but these Atla-Hi and Alamos folk
seemed a different sort of cat altogether (though I'd only come to that
point of view today)--the kind of cat that ought to have outgrown war or
thought its way around it. Maybe Savannah Fortress had simply forced the
war on them and they had to defend themselves. I hadn't contacted any
Savannans--they might be as blood-simple as the Porterites. Still, I
don't know that it's always a good excuse that somebody else forced you
into war. That sort of justification can keep on until the end of time.
But who's a germ to judge?

A minute later I was feeling doubly like a germ and a very lowly one,
because the situation had just got more difficult and depressing
too--the thing had happened that I said I'd tell you about in due
course.

The voice was just repeating its instructions to Pop on making the drop,
when it broke off of a sudden and a second voice came in, a deep voice
with a sort of European accent (not Chinese, oddly)--not talking _to_
us, I think, but to the first voice and overlooking or not caring that
we could hear.

"_Also_ tell them," the second voice said, "that we will blow them out
of the sky the instant they stop obeying us! If they should hesitate to
make the drop or if they should put a finger on the button that reverses
their course, then--_pouf!_ Such brutes understand only the language of
force. _Also_ warn them that the blocks are atomic grenades that will
blow them out of the sky too if--"

"Dr. Kovalsky, will you permit me to point out--" the first voice
interrupted, getting as close to expressing irritation as I imagine it
ever allowed itself to do. Then both voices cut off abruptly and the
screen was silent for ten seconds or so. I guess the first voice thought
it wasn't nice for us to overhear Atla-Hi bickering with itself, even if
the second voice didn't give a damn (any more than a farmer would mind
the pigs overhearing him squabble with his hired man; of course this guy
seemed to overlook that we were killer-pigs, but there wasn't anything
we could do in that line just now except get burned up).

When the screen came on again, it was just the first voice talking once
more, but it had something to say that was probably the result of a
rapid conference and compromise.

"Attention, everyone! I wish to inform you that the plane in which you
are traveling can be exploded--melted in the air, rather--if we activate
a certain control at this end. We will _n