her, his right hand slowly
turning up the potentiometer which was driving more and ever more of the
searing, torturing output of his super-power tube into that stubborn
brain. The captive was standing utterly rigid, eyes closed, every sense
and faculty mustered to resist that cruelly penetrant attack upon the
very innermost recesses of his mind. Crane and Dunark scarcely breathed
as the three-dimensional picture in the visualizer varied from a blank
to the hazy outlines of a giant space-cruiser. It faded out as the
unknown exerted himself to withstand that poignant inquisition, only to
come back in, clearer than before, as Seaton advanced the potentiometer
still farther. Finally, flesh and blood could no longer resist that
lethal probe and the picture became sharp and clear. It showed the
captain--for he was no less an officer than the commander of the
vessel--at a great council table, seated, together with many other
officers, upon very low, enormously strong metal stools. They were
receiving orders from their Emperor; orders plainly understood by Crane
and the Osnomian alike, for thought needs no translation.

"Gentlemen of the Navy," the ruler spoke solemnly, "Our preliminary
expedition, returned some time ago, achieved its every aim, and we are
now ready to begin fulfilling our destiny, the Conquest of the Universe.
This Galaxy comes first. Our base of operations will be the largest
planet of that group of brilliant green suns, for they can be seen from
any point in the Galaxy and are almost in the exact center of it. Our
astronomers," here the captain's thoughts shifted briefly to an
observatory far out in space for perfect seeing, and portrayed a
reflecting telescope with a mirror five miles in diameter, capable of
penetrating unimaginable myriads of light-years into space, "have
tabulated all the suns, planets, and satellites belonging to this
Galaxy, and each of you has been given a complete chart and assigned a
certain area which he is to explore. Remember, gentlemen, that this
first major expedition is to be purely one of exploration; the one of
conquest will set out after you have returned with complete information.
You will each report by torpedo every tenth of the year. We do not
anticipate any serious difficulty, as we are of course the highest type
of life in the Universe; nevertheless, in the unlikely event of trouble,
report it. We shall do the rest. In conclusion, I warn you again--let no
people know t