"Then I'll share it with you!"
Karns glanced at the pursuing ship. It was overtaking him. He didn't dare wait. He touched the controls and nosed into The Black Hole. He flew toward the shadow of the star that was silhouetted in darkness in the center of the whirlpool of space.
"Limio! Limio!" he called into the radio.
At last a reply came from the monster.
"Go away, earthman. Go away before I kill you."
"There's no reason for me to kill you. Why can't terrestrials and you get along?"
Limio's answer was simple.
"If I don't kill you, you'll kill me. It's the law of life. I don't want to be killed, so I kill you."
"If you kill me, my atoms will fall to your planet. You'll absorb them and grow. Other men will come to avenge my death and you'll kill them. You will eat their atoms and grow some more. Some day you'll be too big for Chaos. You'll die. By killing me, you kill yourself."
"If I don't kill you, you'll kill me," Limio repeated.