s wrong with armistice," he said. "It's a coward's
way out, that's what it is. It's all right for you to suggest it, you're
from off-world and don't know any better. But do you honestly think I
could entertain such a defeatist notion for one instant? When I speak, I
speak not only for myself, but for all of us here. We don't mind
fighting, and we know how to do it. We know that if this war was over we
could build a better world here. At the same time, if we have the choice
of continued war or a cowardly peace--_we vote for war_. This war will
only be over when the enemy is utterly destroyed!"

The listening Pyrrans shouted in agreement, and when Kerk pushed out
through the crowd some of them patted his shoulder as he went by. Jason
slumped back on the couch, worn out by his exertions and exhausted by
the attempt to win the violent Pyrrans over to a peaceful point of view.

When he looked up they were gone--all except Meta. She had the same look
of blood-thirsty elation as the others, but it drained away when she
glanced at him.

"What about it, Meta?" he asked bitterly. "No doubts? Do you think that
destruction is the only way to end this war?"

"I don't know," she said. "I can't be sure. For the first time in my
life I find myself with more than one answer to the same question."

"Congratulations," he said. "It's a sign of growing up."

XXII.

Jason stood to one side and watched the deadly cargo being loaded into
the hold of the ship. The Pyrrans were in good humor as they stowed away
riot guns, grenades and gas bombs. When the back-pack atom bomb was put
aboard one of them broke into a marching song, and the others picked it
up. Maybe they were happy, but the approaching carnage only filled Jason
with an intense gloom. He felt that somehow he was a traitor to life.
Perhaps the life form he had found needed destroying--and perhaps it
didn't. Without making the slightest attempt at conciliation,
destruction would be plain murder.

Kerk came out of the operations building and the starter pumps could be
heard whining inside the ship. They would leave within minutes. Jason
forced himself into a foot-dragging rush and met Kerk halfway to the
ship.

"I'm coming with you, Kerk. You owe me at least that much for finding
them."

Kerk hesitated, not liking the idea. "This is an operational mission,"
he said. "No room for observers, and the extra weight-- And it's too
late to stop us Jason, you know that."