Chapter 17The three Horsemen, as Starret hadnicknamed the aliens, had returned to their ships. The table hadsunkagain into the sand.
“That’s all folks,” Starret said.
A desert wind, sounding angry yetforlorn, blew sand across his ship. The red sand smacked againstthetwo ships, a pitter-patter of granules. Rain sounded better,Starretthought. On a dozen different planets you could fall asleeplisteningto the rain. Rain had a gentle, tranquilizing sound. Not the sand.The granules sounded hard as steel. They bounced across the shipakinto angry insects.
“Will you warn your people?”
“Yes, I will give them this littlepicture show and tell them where the information came from. I willalso tell them you have nothing to gain by revealing theinvasion.”
“And everything to lose,” saidUherlt.
“Marie
