nsal, that planet Arcot had discovered on his first voyage
across space, far in another Island of Space, another Island Universe,
was not constructed as are human beings of Earth, nor of Venus, Talso,
or Ortol, but most nearly resembled, save in size, the Thessians. Their
framework, instead of being stone, as is ours, was iron, their bones
were pure metallic iron, far stronger than bone. On these far stronger
bones were great muscles of an entirely different sort, a muscle that
used heat of the body as its fuel, a muscle that was utterly tireless,
and unbelievably powerful. Not a chemical engine, but a molecular motion
engine, it had no chemical fatigue-products that would tire it, and
needed only the constant heat supply the body sucked from the air to
work indefinitely. Unlimited by waste-carrying considerations, the
strength was enormous.

It was one of the commercial space freighters plying between Nansal,
Sator, Earth and Venus that had brought the news of this war to him,
Torlos explained, and he, as the new Trade Coordinator and Fourth of the
Four who now ruled Nansal, had suggested that they go to the aid of the
man who had so aided them in their great war with Sator. It was Arcot's
gift of the secret of the molecular ray and the molecular ship that had
enabled them to overcome their enemy of centuries, and force upon them
an unwelcome peace.

Now, with a fleet of fifty interstellar, or better, intergalactic
battleships, Nansal was coming to Earth's aid.

The battleships were now on patrol with all of Earth's and Venus' fleet.
But the Nansalian ships were all equipped with the enormously rapid
space distortion system of travel, of course, and were a shock troop in
the patrol. The Terrestrian and Venerian patrols were not so equipped in
full.

"And Arcot, from what I have learned from your father, it seems that I
can be of real assistance," finished Torlos.

"But now, I think, I should know what the enemy has done. I see they
built some forts."

"Yes," replied Arcot senior, "they did. They decided that the system
used on the forts of North and South poles was too effective. They moved
to space, and cut off slices of Luna, pulled it over on their molecular
rays, and used some of the most magnificent apparatus you ever dreamed
of. I have just started working on the mathematics of it.

"We sent out a fleet to do some investigating, but they attacked, and
stopped work in the meantime. Whatever the ray is that