EARTHMEN ASK NO QUARTER!

"Let them in, sergeant." The white-haired New United Nations WorldSpace Force chief spoke the words as though he had been forced intothe most humiliating surrender in history. And he had been.

What could he tell them? They were not fools, after all, and he was soimpossibly exhausted.... Uniform was a mess. All day and all night,words, words, ... and nothing. Too many useless, powerless words,all adding up to nothing. Foreign space admirals, ground-force fieldmarshals, defense secretaries from a dozen capitals.

Where were the ion-field cannon that had been promised for the lasttwenty years? Where were the new main-drives? The new alloys? Promises,always promises—but where in God's name were they?

And now—now it didn't matter any more.

He let his massive frame slump tiredly for a moment, elbows flatteningsome of the official litter strewn across the broad desk-top, head inhis big hands.

"General Taylor, sir—"

He forced the thoughts from his brain with almost the same physicalforce with which he shoved his tired body erect.

"Yes, yes, thank you, sergeant. Good morning, gentlemen. Sorry to havekept you waiting."

There were perhaps thirty of them, all civilians, all crowding for aspot nearest the huge desk, all with stub pencils and sheafs of rumplednewsprint in their hands. A couple of flash-bulbs went off.

"General, can you tell us what the aliens' intentions are?"

And it had begun.

"I'm authorized to tell you that the alien space ship is hostile. But,under the circumstances we are convinced with reasonable certainty thattheir hostility may be ... mollified to an appreciable degree."

He watched them as they got the official double-talk down word forword. And then, "In other words, General—we are counter-attacking?"

"Sorry. That information is classified."

"About how high is the alien, sir?"

"He is circling Earth in an orbit about two thousand miles out, passingour own stations about once every forty-eight hours."

"How big is the ship, sir? About what shape?"

"It is a cigar-shaped vessel, approximately three miles in length andslightly under one at maximum diameter."

"Have any of our own ships as yet had actual contact with this craft?"

"Yes, there has been contact. I am sorry that for the time being theresult cannot be disclosed."

"There are rumors, General, that the 402nd Space Wing sent a five orsix-ship element of J-83 Lancers from Lunar Base, and that the shipshave not reported back. Is this true, sir?"

"It is true that they have not been heard from since they left."

Then a young, unquavering voice cut in softly. "When is it to begin,sir? And when will we—"

"You may—write, gentlemen, that the invasion of Earth has alreadybegun. And, that we have absolutely no defense against it. None.Because of that fact, the decision of the New U. N. Joint Chiefs hasbeen that there should be no needless loss of life. You may write thatwe have—that we have already surrendered."

His face felt as though it were hewn from wood—a strange wood with afever in it. He had spoken far beyond his authorization. But they hadto know. They could not be lied to forever. And the lies had always,ultimately, been worthless things. He was so tired<