"Of course, Twilken. And just what is it we're going to do for these
worlds?"
"We're going to save them from the coming Interplanetary War!" Twilken
said forcefully. "Here's the way things--er--stack up. We know Jupiter,
Saturn and Uranus have their armies poised for a quick thrust at
the Allied Worlds--Mars, Earth and Neptune. But, so far, they have
hesitated, knowing both sides are pretty well matched in strength and
fearing the assault might be drawn out in a long, destructive conflict
that would gain them nothing. They won't wait forever, however, and,
sooner or later, they'll find a weakness in the Allied Worlds' armor
and strike with all the force at their command. Mr. Mulhane, the Allied
Worlds _must_ be the ones to break this deadlock. _We_ must be the ones
to gain an edge in strength and force them to disarm, or be destroyed
by the ruthless machine of the brain behind their mad plot. But, I
forget, you know all of this, Mr. Mulhane."
"Tod's the name," I said absently. "Yes, I know all about Xan VIII's
scheme to defeat the Allied Worlds. So what? There's nothing I can do
about it. Naturally, being a Martian, I am anxious to see the Allied
Worlds win. But I can't see--"
"You're a Martian?" Twilken stared, aghast. "But--but you look like an
Earthian!"
"I have many disguises," I smiled. "And many pseudonyms--among them
being that of Tod Mulhane. A soldier of fortune such as I must resort
to numerous devices to elude his enemies. Incidentally, how did you
know who I was and where to find me?"
"I have--uh--contacts," Twilken stammered. "But your disguise seems so
realistic! I would swear you're an Earthian!"
"I put my entire being into a part. I would long since be dead if I
were unconvincing in my characterizations. But we digress, Twilken.
Come to the point."
"The point is this," Twilken recovered from his astonishment. "If we
had the support of one of the lesser planets, such as Venus, we could
easily overthrow Xan's regime and bring a lasting peace to the System.
But, at the time, the inhabitants of Venus are in a crude stage of
evolution and are too stupid to be of much help. They have expressed
their willingness to help, but their ignorance might well be a weight
on our progress and turn the tide against us."