"I'll surrender this way!” Trask's crazed, harsh voice came back.
The dictator shot at Thorn in the same instant. The little shell flicked past Thorn and exploded behind him — and Lana Cain sank to the floor as the blinding flare touched her side.
Wild with rage, Thorn raised his gun to fire. But Ool was ahead of him. The big space dog, eyes terrible as it saw its mistress fall, arced through space in a leap straight at Trask.
The huge jaws closed upon the throat of the dictator's space-suit and tore. The other League men beside Trask shrunk back appalled, raising their hands in surrender.
The battle in the cavern behind the Planeteers was over. The remaining League defenders, seeing their Leader fall, raised their hands in surrender also, dropping their weapons.
Thorn was bending frantically over the fallen pirate girl.
"Lana!” he cried.
"I'm… not much hurt,” the girl stammered, stumbling up with his help. “The side of my suit is scorched. I threw myself aside to avoid the shell, and that's why I fell."
She sprang unsteadily forward, and gripped Ool's collar to pull him off the prostrate dictator. But it was too late. The space dog's great tusks had ripped through Haskell Trask's suit and torn his throat.
Trask looked up at them with pale eyes curiously drained of emotion.