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Squad ships continued to appear as if by necromancy, and space near the planet was streaked by flarings of white vapor as eighty-gee rockets hurled themselves to destruction against the invading objects. As each bomb went off, its light was brighter than the sun. But each was a mere flicker in enormousness. They flashed, and flashed–Each was a bomb turning forty kilograms of matter into pure, raw, raging destruction. Each was devastation sufficient to destroy the greatest city the galaxy ever knew.

But in that appalling emptiness they were mere scintillations. In the background of a solar system’s vastness they made all the doings of men and Huks alike seem ludicrous.

For a long time–perhaps five minutes, perhaps ten–the flashings which were the most terrible of all weapons continued. Each flash destroyed something which, in scale, was less than a dust mote. But more motes appeared, and more and more and more.

And presently the flashes grew infrequent. The threads of vapor which led to each grew longer. In a little while they came from halfway around the planet. Then squad ships appeared even there. And immediately pin points of intolerable brilliance destroyed them–yet never as fast as they appeared.

Finally there came ten seconds in which no atomic flame ravened in emptiness. One more glitter. Fifteen seconds. Twenty. Thirty seconds without a flashing of atomic explosive–

The surviving objects which appeared to be squad ships hung in space. They moved without plan. They swam through space without destination. Presently the most unobservant of watches must have perceived that their movement was random. That they were not driven. That they had no purpose. That they were not squad ships but targets–and not even robot targets–set out for the missile rockets of the Huk planet to expend themselves on.

The missile rockets had expended themselves.

So Sergeant Madden opened communication with the Huks.

* * * * *

“These Huks,” observed Sergeant Madden as the squad ship descended to the Huk planet’s surface, “they must’ve had a share in the scrapping eighty years ago. They’ve got everything the old-time Huks had. They’ve even got recordings of human talk from civilian human prisoners of years gone by. And they kept somebody able to talk it–for when they fought with us!”

Patrolman Willis did not answer. He had a strange expression on his face. At the moment they were already within the Huk home-planet’s atmosphere. From time to time a heavily accented voice gave curt instructions. It was a Huk voice, telling Patrolman Willis how to guide the squad ship to ground where–under truce–Sergeant Madden might hold conference with Huk authorities.

“Hold the course,” said the voice. “That is r-right. Do as you are.”

The horizon had ceased to be curved minutes ago. Now the ground rose gradually. The ground was green. Large green growths clustered off to one side of the flat area where the ship was to alight. They were the equivalent of trees on this planet. Undoubtedly there were equivalents of grass and shrubs, and seed-bearing and root-propagating vegetation, and Huks would make use of some seeds and roots for food. Because in order to have a civilization one has to have a larger food-supply than can be provided by even the thriftiest of grazing animals. But the Huks or their ancestors would need to have been flesh-eaters also, for brains to be useful in hunting and therefore for mental activity to be recognized as useful. A vegetarian community can maintain a civilization, but it has to start off on meat.

A clump of ground-cars waited for the squad ship’s landing. The ship touched, delicately. Sergeant Madden rumbled and got out of his chair. Patrolman Willis looked at him uneasily.

“Huh!” said Sergeant Madden. “Of course you can come. You want them to think we’re bluffing? No. Nothing to fight with. The Huks think our fleet’s set to do the fighting.”