"Oh come on Nezz Narf. I have listened to your pathetic excuse for the deaths of our visiting tourists. I find it impossible to believe. Such a responsible team as Space Force would never let such an accident occur. Your pilot has committed a deliberately aggressive act against our people. You Saturnians have obviously not come to learn the value of truly welcoming new citizens. So your pilot makes a friendly gesture of greeting my own, and then blows the vessel out of existence."

"That's not true," pleaded Nezz Narf.

"How can you persist with these lies? I will personally order an attack on your home planet Saturn. It will teach you the folly of your prejudices."

"But how could it have been deliberate? Any one missile would have destroyed the touring vessel. Why should our pilot have deliberately fired all of them and thus left the ship unarmed and unable to defend itself?"

"Because it would help corroborate his story," said Kibok, "I am ending transmissions momentarily, but you can expect to pay dearly for your pilot's behaviour."

The message was over, and all radio contact was then gone.

"This is exceptionally serious, Ragol," said Nezz Narf, "Contact our honourary members and tell them that we'll be needing any help that they are willing to give us. In the meantime, I'll put all of our active members on standby, in anticipation of the attack from Kadrom."

*          *          *          *

Ann O’Malley felt a tiny surge of electrical impulse under her left bracelet. This was Butler One's way of signaling her even in the company of other people. Nobody else could see or hear what Ann O’Malley felt. She had explained her constant wearing of the bracelets away by telling people that they were a gift from an old man who soon after died.

"He was one of the few very close adult friends I have ever known," she had said. The story was partly true. They were the legacy of an aged and dying alien.

Ann was currently enjoying the first week of her school holidays. She closed her bedroom door and spoke softly into the receiver in her bracelet.

"I am alone Butler One, apart from Wendell. What is it?"

"An urgent call from Space Force, Miss O’Malley. I can give you more details if you wish to hear them, but the crucial factor is an impending attack on Saturn from a race outside our own solar system. It seems that a Space Force patrol craft accidentally destroyed a visiting Kadrom touring vessel."

"That's serious!" said Ann, "If it's a trip to Saturn, I think you'd better send my robot double into the forest. Tell her to await me in the clearing. I'll be with you myself there soon."

"At once, Miss O’Malley."

“I’ve always wanted to go on another adventure with Space Force,” said Wendell.

“This’ll be more than an adventure. It’s a mission of dire urgency, by the sound of things,” said Ann.

Ann O’Malley set out from Freedom Fields and soon reached the clearing. She instructed the robot to take her place at the orphanage until Ann returned. Then she boarded Wildstar and spoke to Butler One:

"Take off quickly. We've no time to waste, and it takes a fast departure to avoid being seen."

"I will use maximum escape velocity, Miss O’Malley. Do you wish to know more about the problem?"
"Yes, please tell us on the way."