"Journey's End...."
"So," said Tsalnor regretfully, "you will not change your mind? You
will not stay?"
Gary Lane shook his head. "No, Tsalnor. Someday we may return. But now
our duty is to go to our own system, there tell them what we have here
learned."
Tsalnor nodded. "Yes, man uff Earth, I suppose that is best. But you
will send others uff your people to see us? You will teach us, as you
promised, your method uff travel? That there may be friendship and
amity between the people uff our worlds?"
"We will," pledged Gary. "Dr. Bryant has said that now the ultrawave
cannon is destroyed the solar universe will not only stop its dwindling
but will, indeed, begin to return to the true and greater universe from
which it was exiled.
"But before this happens our races will have forged bonds of friendship
so close that when Sol returns to take its place amongst its sister
stars there need never again be war between our worlds."
Muldoon said, "And you, Tsalnor, you've got an even more important job
than we have. Keeping the Magogeans under control. You've got to see to
it that they never try to build another one of those cannon."
Tsalnor said softly, "We shall be careful. But I think we need
never again fear the construction uff such a weapon. The _kraedars_
of Magog have been overthrown. It was never the common people who
conspired against us. When we haff taught them the benefits of freedom
and democracy, they too shall take their place in a new and better
universe."
A bell clanged in the control turret of the _Liberty_, and Captain Hugh
Warren, seated in the pilot's swivel, turned to his friends. "Well, I'm
afraid that's the signal. All ashore that's going ashore."
[Illustration: "Short circuit!" roared Gary. "For God's sake...!"]
Tsalnor and his retinue left. A few minutes later the _Liberty_ was
once again tenanted only by those making the return trip to the solar
universe. To an Earth free now forever of the dangers which had
threatened it.
Dr. Bryant sighed. "And so," he said, "begins the long journey home."
"Only," grinned Lark O'Day, "it won't be such a long journey. We've got
the Jovians' quadridimensional co-ordinates for a space warp that will
drop us a couple of hours from Earth. All set over here, Hugh."
"Right!" Warren called from his banks. "All right, folks, here we go!"
And he depressed the green stud.
Lark rose. "Leaving me," he drawled, "with nothing to do for the next
couple of hours. Unless," he spoke to Pen-N'hi hopefully, "unless maybe
you'd like to take a little stroll out on the observation deck?"
"Yeah," chuckled Flick, "and watch the fourth dimension whizzing by?
That ought to be a lot of fun, Miss Penny."
"It all depends," chuckled Warren, "on who you're watching it with. I
was just about to suggest something of the same sort. How about it,
Nora? Suppose you and I--"
* * * * *
But Gary interrupted him. This was a new and different Gary Lane from
the curt young man who, for months past, had been too preoccupied
with a life-and-death struggle to pay a proper amount of attention to
matters which were a part of his personal and private life.
Gary said, "Oh, no you don't, Hugh! Not so fast. I got here first." He
reached out and folded the arm of Nora Powell into his own. He said,
"Nora and I have a few matters to discuss. _Business_ matters."
The girl looked at him astonished. "B-business, Gary? At a time like
this--_business_?"
Gary said seriously, "Very important business that has been delayed
altogether too long. A--a matter of a merger, you might say."
Nora sighed. Whether it was with relief, or whether there was in that
sigh a hint of acquiescence to follow was hard to tell. But she smiled
and nodded. And:
"In that case," she said, "I have no choice. I have to do what my boss
tells me, Hugh. I'll go with you, Gary."
And they left the bridge.
Muldoon snickered. "Business!" he snorted. "Business my hat!
_Biological_ business, if you ask me!"
And Warren shook his head dejectedly. "Oh, well," he shrugged. "What
the hell! _Somebody's_ got to stick around to drive the ship...."