"Yes, in his own private quarters." She was puzzled.
"You must get to it! Tune it into the Earth beam, then give me a channel from this tele-vise here, into that beam. If I can reach Mark Travers, I'll have him send the Earth Fleet!"
He saw her hesitate. She knew that Mars' patrollers could not stand against Earth's mighty armada. She was visioning the holocaust, the destruction of Martian cities and her own people. Ketrik went on quickly.
"Praana, you've been to Earth! You spent most of your girlhood there, and you must remember it still, have a fondness for it! The green forests and wide lakes, the mountains, the unreal clouds in a blue sky—and the people who treated you kindly! All this will go, unless you act. Surely—"
"Mars is my world," she was murmuring. "My own people ... to consign them to another horrible war! Mars would never recover."
"It will not come to that! If Earth takes the initiative, sends its Fleet in a surprise attack—the display of power will be enough. Dar Vaajo will be helpless in the face of it." Ketrik was not at all sure this would be the case, but here was his only chance. "Quickly ... we haven't much time!"
Praana was wavering. "You saved my life," she whispered. "Yes, I will try!" She tossed an electro-gun down to him, her own gun. Then she was gone, as the ceiling door went shut.
Ketrik waited, facing the wall which he knew was the tele-vise. Minutes passed, seemed to lengthen interminably. If he couldn't get through to Mark ... if Praana failed to gain access to the Ethero-Magnum, that was his last hope.... He wondered if she knew how to operate it!
Suddenly a pale glow came across the wall, wavered for a moment and then deepened. He was looking into a luxurious room which must be somewhere in the palace above him. At the far end he saw the magnificent Ethero-Magnum, with Praana standing before it manipulating the controls. He heard the ascending whine as selenic cells poured power into the beam, then minutes passed as it gained full strength. At last a voice came through faint and clear! Mark Travers' voice saying cautiously, "Go ahead, go ahead! You're on Earth beam."
"Ketrik speaking! Mark, listen carefully now and act fast! Mass the Earth Fleet, get it to Mars. Blast the city of Turibek clear off the planet if you have to! Things—"