Part 34 (2/2)

”But fishy!” Cleveland broke in. ”Altogether too reasonable to be true!”

”He means it. He means every word of it,” Costigan a.s.sured his fellows. ”I had an idea that he would take it that way. That's the way they are. Reasonable; pa.s.sionless. Funny-they lack a lot of things that we have; but they've got stuff that I wish more of us Tellurians had, too. Give me the plate-I'll talk for Triplanetary,” and the beam was restored.

”Captain Nerado,” he greeted the Nevian commander. ”Having been with you and among your people, I know that you mean what you say and that you speak for your race. Similarly, I believe that I can speak for the Triplanetary Council-the governing body of three of the planets of our solar system-in saying that there is no need for any more conflict between our peoples. I also was compelled by circ.u.mstances to do certain things which I now wish could be undone; but as you have said, the past is past. Our two races have much to gain from each other by friendly exchanges of materials and of ideas, while we can expect nothing except mutual extermination if we elect to continue this warfare. I offer you the friends.h.i.+p of Triplanetary. Will you release your screens and come aboard to sign a treaty?”

”My screens are down. I will come.” Rodebush likewise cut off his power, although somewhat apprehensively, and a Nevian lifeboat entered the main airlock of the Boise.

Then, at a table in the control room of Triplanetary's first super-s.h.i.+p, there was written the first Inter-Systemic Treaty. Upon one side were the three Nevians; amphibious, cone-headed, loop-necked, scaly, four-legged things to us monstrosities: upon the other were human beings; air-breathing, round-headed, short-necked, smooth-bodied, two-legged creatures equally monstrous to the fastidious Nevians. Yet each of these representatives of two races so different felt respect for the other race increase within him minute by minute as the conversation went on.

The Nevians had destroyed Pittsburgh, but Adlington's bomb had blown an important Nevian city completely out of existence. One Nevian vessel had wiped out a Triplanetarian fleet; but Costigan had depopulated one Nevian city, had seriously damaged another, and had beamed down many Nevian s.h.i.+ps. Therefore loss of life and material damage could be balanced off. The Solarian System was rich in iron, to which the Nevians were welcome; red Nevia possessed abundant stores of substances which upon Earth were either rare or of vital importance, or both. Therefore commerce was to be encouraged. The Nevians had knowledges and skills unknown to Earthly science, but were entirely ignorant of many things commonplace to us. Therefore interchange of students and of books was highly desirable. And so on.

Thus was signed the Triplanetario-Nevian Treaty of Eternal Peace. Nerado and his two companions were escorted ceremoniously to their vessel, and the Boise took off inertialess for Earth, bearing the good news that the Nevian menace was no more.

Clio, now a hardened s.p.a.cehound, immune even to the horrible nausea of inertialessness, wriggled lithely in the curve of Costigan's arm and laughed up at him.

”You can talk all you want to, Conway Murphy Spud Costigan, but I don't like them the least little bit. They give me goose-b.u.mps all over. I suppose that they are really estimable folks; talented, cultured, and everything; but just the same I'll bet that it will be a long, long time before anybody on Earth will really, truly like them!”

war of the galaxies

Eddore and Arisia fought desperately to control the Universe. The ultimate battleground was a tiny, backward planet in a remote galaxy-Earth.

And only a few Earthmen knew of the t.i.tanic struggle-and of the strange, decisive role they were to play in the war of the super-races.

Here is the beginning of ”Doc” Smith's famous Lensman series-the first of the celebrated novels that set a pattern for science fiction.

BE SURE TO GET EVERY ONE OF THE LENSMAN NOVELS AS THEY GO ON SALE!

ONE OF THE GREATEST SCIENCE FICTION SERIES EVER WRITTEN!

A PYRAMID BOOK 95 Printed in U.S.A.

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