eventual end to all hostilities."

A dead silence followed his words as the Pyrrans tried to comprehend the
ideas. Kerk moved first, waving them all away.

"Go back to your work. This is my responsibility and I'll take care of
it. As soon as I find out what truth there is here--if any--I'll make a
complete report." The people drifted away silently, looking back as they
went.

[Illustration]

XX.

"From the beginning now," Kerk said. "And leave out nothing."

"There is very little more that I can add to the physical facts. I saw
the animals, understood the message. I even experimented with some of
them and they reacted to my mental commands. What I must do now is track
down the source of the orders that keep this war going.

"I'll tell you something that I have never told anyone else. I'm not
only lucky at gambling. I have enough psi ability to alter probability
in my favor. It's an erratic ability that I have tried to improve for
obvious reasons. During the past ten years I managed to study at all of
the centers that do psi research. Compared to other fields of knowledge
it is amazing how little they know. Basic psi talents can be improved by
practice, and some machines have been devised that act as psionic
amplifiers. One of these, used correctly, is a very good directional
indicator."

"You want to build this machine?" Kerk asked.

"Exactly. Build it and take it outside the city in the ship. Any signal
strong enough to keep this centuries-old battle going should be strong
enough to track down. I'll follow it, contact the creatures who are
sending it, and try to find out why they are doing it. I assume you'll
go along with any reasonable plan that will end this war?"

"Anything reasonable," Kerk said coldly. "How long will it take you to
build this machine?"

"Just a few days if you have all the parts here," Jason told him.

"Then do it. I'm canceling the flight that's leaving now and I'll keep
the ship here, ready to go. When the machine is built I want you to
track the signal and report back to me."

"Agreed," Jason said, standing up. "As soon as I have this hole in my
back looked at I'll draw up a list of things needed."

A grim, unsmiling man named Skop was assigned to Jason as a combination
guide and guard. He took his job very seriously, and it didn't take
Jason long to realize that he was a prisoner-at-large. Kerk had accepted
his story, but that was no guarantee that he believed it. At