ed to be equally interested in building up her
potential enemies and ruining her friends. Duke had watched a showing
of new films on the work being done on Throm the night before, and he
was still sick from it. Throm had lost the war, but by a military
defeat, not by thirty-one unprotected raids on all her surface. She
still had landing fields equipped for Earth ships, and the big
freighters were dropping down regularly, spewing out foods, equipment
and even heavy machinery for her rebuilding. Throm was already on the
road back. Meloa had to wait until she could pull herself up enough to
build fields.

Duke turned his eyes to the port. The ship had stopped at Clovis on the
way back to Earth. From where he sat, he could see almost Earth-like
skyscrapers stretching up in a great city. The landing field was huge,
and there were rows on rows of factories building more of the
freighters that stubbed the field.

It seemed impossible, when he remembered that only forty years had
passed since Djamboula's suicide raid had finally defeated the fungoid
creatures of the planet and since the survivors' vows to repay all
Earthmen for their defeat. They were a prolific race, of course--but
without help from Earth, the factories would be shacks and the rockets
and high-drive ships would be only memories.

He wondered how many were cursing their ancestors for making the
mistake of attacking a neighboring humanoid planet instead of Earth,
only two days away on high drive. By now, they knew that Earth was
defenseless. And yet, they seemed content to go on with their vows
forgotten. Duke couldn't believe it. Down underground, beyond Earth
inspection, they could have vast stockpiles of weapons, ready to
install in their ships within days.

How could Earth risk it, unless she had her own stock of hidden ships
and weapons? Yet if she did, he was sure that it would have been
impossible not to use them in defense of the colony of Cathay.

He stared out, watching the crewmen mixing with the repulsive alien
natives, laughing as they worked side by side. There must be some
factor he didn't understand, but he'd never found it--nor did he know
anyone who had guessed it.

He stirred, uncomfortable with his own thoughts. But it wasn't fear for
Earth that bothered him. It was simply that sooner or later some alien
race would risk whatever unknown power the others feared. If the aliens
won, the vast potential power of Earth would then be turned a