Ixmal never saw "Star-Blaster" after it passed through the asteroid belt—never saw the disturbance in one minute sector of Jupiter's planetary system as Callisto flamed into cosmic dust. Nor did he see the forests around him burst into roaring flames, nor hear the screaming animals and strange man-forms which fled in howling terror.
Much later the man-forms returned.
Some of the more fearless crept to the very edge of the huge crater where the batholith had stood. They looked with awe into its scarred depths, jabbering excitedly. One of them remained long after the others had gone until, in the swiftly gathering darkness, the first bright stars of evening gleamed.
The man-form did something which none of his kind had ever done before. He lifted his eyes skyward, watching for a long time.
THE END