He paused
thoughtfully.

"And, General MacMaine, in case we do not live through this, I would
like to extend my apologies. I do not like you; I don't think I could
ever learn to like an anim ... to like a non-Kerothi. But I know when
to admit an error in judgment. You have fought bravely and
well--better, I know, than I could have done myself. You have shown
yourself to be loyal to your adopted planet; you are a Kerothi in every
sense of the word except the physical. My apologies for having wronged
you."

He extended his hands and MacMaine took them. A choking sensation
constricted the Earthman's throat for a moment, then he got the words
out--the words he had to say. "Believe me, General Hokotan, there is no
need for an apology. No need whatever."

"Thank you," said Hokotan. Then he turned and left the room.

"All right, Tallis," MacMaine said hurriedly, "let's get moving."

* * * * *

The orders were given to the remnants of the Fleet, and they cut in
their drives to head homeward. And the instant they did, there was
chaos. Earth's fleet of "ghost ships" had been patrolling the area for
weeks, knowing that the Kerothi fleet had last been detected somewhere
in the vicinity. As soon as the spatial distortions of the Kerothi
drives flashed on the Earth ships' detectors, the Earth fleet, widely
scattered over the whole circumambient volume of space, coalesced
toward the center of the spatial disturbance like a cloud of bees all
heading for the same flower.

Where there had been only the dull red light of the giant star, there
suddenly appeared the blinding, blue-white brilliance of disintegrating
matter, blossoming like cruel, deadly, beautiful flowers in the midst
of the Kerothi ships, then fading slowly as each expanding cloud of
plasma cooled.

Sebastian MacMaine might have died with the others except that the
_Shudos_, as the flagship, was to trail behind the fleet, so her drive
had not yet been activated. The _Shudos_ was still in orbit, moving at
only a few miles per second when the Earth fleet struck.

Her drive never did go on. A bomb, only a short distance away as the
distance from atomic disintegration is measured, sent the _Shudos_
spinning away, end over end, like a discarded cigar butt flipped toward
a gutter, one side caved in near the rear, as if it had been kicked in
by a giant foot.

There was still air in the ship, MacMaine realized groggily as he aw