ansacked; papers and documents blowing in vagrant winds;
tales of a monster ship in the air, incredibly huge, unbelievably
swift--

There are matters that at times are not allowed to reach the press,
but not happenings like these. And the papers of the United States
blazed out with headlines to tell the world of this latest mystery.

Then came corroboration from the far corners of the world. The mystery
ship had not visited one section only; it had made a survey of the
whole civilized sphere, and the tales of those who had seen it were no
longer laughed to scorn but went on the wires of the great press
agencies to be given to the world. And with that the censorship
imposed by the Department of War broke down, and the tragic story of
the destruction of the 91st Air Squadron passed into written history.
The wild tale of Captain Blake was on every tongue.

An invasion from space! The idea was difficult to accept. There were
scoffers who tried to find something here for their easy wit. Why
should we be attacked? What had that other world to gain? There was no
answer ready, but the silent lips of the men who had fallen spoke
eloquently of the truth. And the world, in wonder and consternation,
was forced to believe.

Were there more to come? How meet them? Was this war--and with whom?
What neighboring planet could reasonably be suspected. What had
science to say?

The scientists! The scientists! The clamor of the world was beating at
the doors of science and demanding explanations and answers. And
science answered.

A conference was arranged in London; the best minds in the realms of
astronomy and physics came together. They were the last to admit the
truth that would not be denied, but admit it they must. And to some of
the questions they found their answer.

* * * * *

It was not Mars, they said, though this in the popular mind was the
source of the trouble. Not Mars, for that planet was far in the
heavens. But Venus!--misnamed for the Goddess of Love. It was Venus,
and she alone, who by any stretch of the imagination could be
threatening Earth.

What did it mean? They had no answer. The ship was the only answer to
that. Would there be more?--could we meet them?--defeat them? And
again the wise men of the world refused to hazard a guess.

But they told what they knew; that Venus was past her eastern
elongation, was approaching the earth. She of all the planets that
swung around t