ols; they didn't expect Nansal to swallow
the same bait a second time. Sator had another ace up her sleeve.

Ten days after they arrived, every diplomat and courier of the Satorian
delegation committed suicide!

Puzzled, the government of Nansal reported the deaths to Sator at once,
expecting an immediate renewal of hostilities; they were quite sure that
Sator assumed they had been murdered. Nansal was totally unprepared for
what happened; Sator acknowledged the message with respects and said
they would send a new commission.

Two days later, Nansal realized it had been tricked again. A horrible
disease broke out and spread like wildfire. The incubation period was
twelve days; during that time it gave no sign. Then the flesh began to
rot away, and the victim died within hours. No wonder the ambassadors
had committed suicide!

Millions died, including Torlos' own father, during the raging epidemic
that followed. But, purely by lucky accident, the Nansalian medical
research teams came up with a cure and a preventive inoculation before
the disease had spread over the whole planet.

Sator's delegation had inoculated themselves with the disease and, at
the sacrifice of their own lives, had spread it on Nansal. Although the
Satorians had developed the horribly virulent strain of virus, they had
not found a cure; the diplomats knew they were going to die.

Having managed to stop the disease before it swept the planet, the
Nansalians decided to pull a trick of their own. Radio communication
with Sator was cut off in such a way as to lead the Satorian government
to believe that Nansal was dying of the disease.

The scientists of Sator knew that the virus was virulent; in fact, too
virulent for its own good. It killed the host every time, and the virus
could not live outside a living cell. They knew that shortly after every
Nansalian died, the virus, too, would be dead.

Their fleet started for Nansal six months after radio contact had broken
off. Expecting to find Nansal a dead planet, they were totally
unprepared to find them alive and ready for the attack. The Satorian
fleet, vastly surprised to find a living, vigorous enemy, was totally
wiped out.

Since that time, both planets had remained in a state of armed truce.
Neither had developed any weapon which would enable them to gain an
advantage over their enemy. Each was so spy-infested that no move could
pass undiscovered.

Stalemate.

XIX

Torlos spre