There was no life on the asteroid, but the miles of rock-hewn corridors through which the earth party wandered left no doubt about the purpose of the asteroid. It was a mighty fortress, stocked with weapons of destruction beyond man's power to understand.<br />And yet there was no life here, nor had there been for untold centuries.<br />What race had built this stronghold? What unimaginable power were they defending against? Why was it abandoned? There was no answer, all was dead. But—not quite all.<br />For in a room above the tomb-like fortress a powerful transmitter beamed its birdlike, fluting sounds toward earth. Near it, on a huge star-map of the universe, with light-years measured by inches, ten tiny red sparks were moving, crawling inexorably toward the center.<br />Moving, at many times the speed of light, with the acquired mass of suns ... moving, on a course that would pass through the solar system.<br />The unknown aliens would not even see our sun explode from the force of
