She sang of a sweetheart who waited for the return of a spaceman, and to each man in the room Alayna was the sweetheart and he was the one for whom she waited.
Her song ended and the spotlight upon her shifted from the warm pink glow to a sunny blue. She stood there watching them, keeping their eyes upon her.
Then she said, "Spacemen, what would you do for Alayna?"
There was a moment of silence. Strange, rash promises surged upon the lips of hardened spacemen who thought this was only more of the illusions of Alayna and hesitated.
"Would you fight for Alayna?" she said. "Would you fight for that green Earth with the blue skies?"
"Our guns would be yours, if you needed them," someone said fervently.
"I need them—every one of them, spacemen. At this moment, in the tunnels beyond Starhouse, the Martians are gathered. They are attacking Earthmen and seek to drive you from this planet. If they can be subdued quickly, the rebellion may end. If not, we are doomed, and all Earth with us."
The silence was charged, then a dozen men leaped up at once. "Show us where they are. We'll kill the dirty—"
"You are fighting men, not a mob," Alayna warned. "Ready your lances and follow me."