“There is no need for the message. Kill them both,” Kome ordered loudly. “If they lie it will be the end of them. If they do not lie it will make no difference for we are as dead.”

“Move aside, Kome,” the nearest man said, sighting his gun. “Or I must shoot you.”

“Shoot me,” was the toneless answer.

“Stop it!” I ordered, shooting the man in the arm so his gun went flying. “It’s no use.”

They thought otherwise. The guns were swinging about when the pilot delivered the message he had been talking about. Not the one they had been expecting. He wasn’t too stupid; scout pilots rarely are.

The nose turret whipped about swiftly and explosive shells rained down on all sides. I wasted no time, rapping Kome on the skull with the gun so he would come along quietly, then adding a few shots of my own at the others to keep their heads down. Into the airlock and finger on closing button. Kome wasn’t quite unconscious but a kick in the side of the head fixed that. Normally I am not vicious, but this time I enjoyed the sadistic pleasure.

“Get flat, this will be a 5G takeoff,” the pilot said.

It was too, and I clunked the last centimeters to the deck and got a good slam on the back of my head. By the time I stopped seeing unusual colors the pressure eased and I floated up.

“Thanks,” I said with all sincerity.

“A pleasure. Those were some nasty-looking friends you had down there.”

“Those were the loonies who started this whole war. And, dare I ask, how is it going?”

“We’re still losing it,” he said with black gloom. “There is just nothing we can do.”

“Don’t say that, it’s bad luck! And head for the nearest station with a psiman because I have some urgent business to transact. You wouldn’t happen to know if a load of prisoners escaped from the aliens?”

“The admirals, you mean? They’re back, and a sorry lot they are too. I mean, normally you don’t care what happens to senior officers, like they’re different life forms or something. But this was a not-too-nice thing.”

“They’ll be cured. Excuse me smiling but my wife and sons were responsible for that escape so it means they are safe.”

“You got some family.”

“You can say that again!”

“You got some family.”

“Don’t take me too literally, though I enjoy hearing it. Now will you please pour the juice to this thing and get us to the psiman. There is much to be done.”

By the time we rocketed into the satellite station I had my messages all written. Something big with a lot of guns and a full complement of troopers would be spared from the war to bring civilization to the Kekkonshiki natives. There were exact instructions on how they were to find Hanasu and put him in charge of the pacification. Justice, revenge and everything else could come later. Right now it was important just to neutralize the gray men to guard our flank. The war still had to be won. I read all the reports in the ship and by the time I had reached the Special Corps Main Base I had a number of plans made. All of them were driven from my mind by the sight of the svelte figure of the woman I loved.

“Air…” I gasped after a number of minutes of close and passionate embrace. “It’s nice to be home.”

“There’s more in store, but I assume you want to look after the war a bit first.” “If you don’t mind, precious mine. Did you have any trouble admiral-saving?”

“None. You had everything in a lovely turmoil. The boys learn fast and are very good at this sort of job. They are also off now in the navy, doing important things. I worried about you.”

“You had very good reason to—but it’s all over now. You didn’t, by chance, happen to pick up any souvenirs when you were passing through that alien treasury?”

“I left that to the twins, who take after their father. I’m sure they pinched a good bit for themselves, but what they passed on will make us independently wealthy for life. If we live.”

“The war, of course.” My elation turned to depression at the thought. “What is happening?”

“Nothing good. As you observed the aliens on their own are a little on the stupid side. Once the gray men were out of the picture leadership must have been divided. But there still must have been a few commanders left who were bright enough to come in out of the rain because they launched an all-out attack. Left their base completely. Just took everything they had and came after us. So we ran, and are still running. Just picking away at their fringes to let them think we will stand and fight. But we can’t afford to. They outnumber us and outgun us at least a thousand to one.”

“How long can this last?”

“Not much longer, I’m afraid. We’re almost past all of our inhabited planets and will be coming out soon in intergalactic space. After that we can retreat no more. Or if we do the uglies will see what we are doing and even they are smart enough to figure this one out. All they have to do then is leave a small force to keep us at bay, then they can turn and start attacking our planetary bases.”

“You don’t make it sound too good.”

“It isn’t.”

“Do not worry, my sweet.” I clutched her and kissed her a bit more. “But your own little Slippery Jim will save the galaxy.”

“Again. That’s nice.”

“I was ordered to come here,” a familiar voice said.” Just to see you kissing and hugging? Don’t you know there is a war on? I’m a busy man.”

“Not as busy as you are going to be soon, Professor Coypu.”

“What do you mean?” He shouted angrily and clashed his protruding molars in my direction.

“I mean you are about to make the weapon that will save us all and your name will ring down through the history books forever. Coypu, Galaxy Savior.”

“You’re mad.”

“Don’t you think you’re the first one to ever say that. All geniuses are called mad. Or worse. I read a report highly secret that you now believe in parallel universes…”

“Silence, you fool! No one was to know. Specially you!”

“An accident, really. A safe just happened to fall open when I was passing and the report dropped out. Is it true?”

“True, true,” he muttered tapping his fingernails on his teeth unhappily. “I had the clue from your escapade with the time helix when you were trapped in a loop of time in a bit of past history that did not exist.”

“It existed for me.”

“Of course. Just what I said. Therefore, if one possible different past could exist, then an infinity of different pasts—and presents must exist. That’s logical.”

“It certainly is,” I cheered. “So you experimented.”

“I did. I have gained access to parallel universes, made observations and notes. But how does this save the galaxy?”

“One more question first, if you please. Is it possible to pass through into these other universes?”

“Of course. How else could I have made my observations? I sent a small machine through to make readings, take photographs.”

“How big a machine can you send through?”

“It depends on the power of the field.”

“Fine. Then that is the answer.”

“It may be an answer to you, Slippery Jim,” Angelina said with some puzzlement, “but it doesn’t make much sense to me.”

“Ahh, but just think, lover mine, what can be done with a machine like that. You mount it on a battleship with plenty of power. The battleship joins our space fleet and the fighting begins with the enemy. Our forces flee, the battleship limps behind, the enemy rushes up, the field is turned on—”

“And every one of those awful creepy-crawlies and all of their guns and things zip right through into another universe and the menace is over forever!”

“I was thinking of something roughly like that,” I said modestly, polishing my fingernails on my chest. “Can we do it, Coypu?”

“It is possible, possible…”

“Then let us get to your lab and look at the gadget and see if the possible can be turned into the tangible.”