senses were out of action. I thought about the situation
aboard my ship.

I wondered what Kramer and his men were planning now, how they felt
about having let me slip through their fingers. The only thing they
could try now was blasting their way into the Bridge. They'd never make
it. The designers of these ships were not unaware of the hazards of
space life; the Bridge was an unassailable fortress. They couldn't
possibly get to it.

I guessed that Kramer was having a pretty rough time of it now. He had
convinced the men that we were rushing headlong to sure destruction at
the hands of the all-powerful Mancji, and that their Captain was a fool.
Now he was trapped with them in the panic he had helped to create. I
thought that in all probability they had torn him apart.

I wavered in and out of consciousness. It was just as well; I needed the
rest. Then I heard Thomas calling me. "We're closin' now, Cap'n," he
said. "Wake up, Cap'n, only twenty-three miles now."

"Okay," I said. My body had been preparing itself for this, now it was
ready again. I felt the needle in my arm. That helped, too.

"Hand me the intercom, Thomas," I said. He placed the mike in my hand. I
keyed for a general announcement.

"This is the Captain," I said. I tried to keep my voice as steady as
possible. "We are now at a distance of twenty-one miles from the enemy.
Stand by for missile launching and possible evasive action. Damage
control crews on the alert." I paused for breath.

"Now we're going to take out the Mancji ship, men," I said. "All two
miles of it."

I dropped the mike and groped for the firing key. Thomas handed it to
me.

"Cap'n," he said, bending over me. "I notice you got the selector set
for your chemical warheads. You wouldn't want me to set up pluto heads
for ya, would ya, Cap'n?"

"No, thanks, Thomas," I said. "Chemical is what I want. Stand by to
observe." I pressed the firing key.

Thomas was at the radarscope. "Missiles away, Cap'n. Trackin' O.K. Looks
like they'll take out the left half a that dumbbell."

I found the mike again. "Missiles homing on target," I said. "Strike in
thirty-five seconds. You'll be interested to know we're employing
chemical warheads. So far there is no sign of offense or defense from
the enemy." I figured the news would shock a few mutineers. David wasn't
even using his slingshot on Goliath. He was going after him bare-handed.
I wanted to scare some kind of response out of them. I nee