acFife called, "Come with me. Hurry." He led the way
through passages and up ladders, to the very top of the ship, to the
hatch where the astrogators took their star sights. The protective shield
of nuclite had been rolled back, and they could see into space through
the clear-vision port.

Rip and MacFife hurried to the side where they were connected to the
Connie. Rip looked down along the length of the ship. The valve
connection was in the middle of each ship, at the point of greatest
diameter. From that point each ship grew more slender.

MacFife pointed to the Connie's nose. Projecting from it like great horns
were the ship's steering tubes. Unlike the Federation cruiser, which
blasted steam through internal tubes that did not project, the Connie
used chemical fuel.

"Watch," MacFife said.

There were similar tubes on the Connie's stern, Rip knew. He wondered
what they had to do with the plan.

MacFife walked to a wall communicator. "Follow instructions."

He turned to Rip. "Remember, lad, the _Sagittarius_ is on the other side
of the Connie, about to do the same thing."

Rip waited in silence, wondering.

Then the voice horn called. "Valve closed!"

A second voice yelled, "Blast!"

A tremor jarred its way through the entire ship, making the deck throb
under Rip's feet. He saw that the ship's nose had swung away from the
Connie. What in space--

"Blast!"

The nose swung into the Connie again, with a jar that sent Rip sliding
into the clear plastic of the astrodome. His nose jammed into the
plastic, but he didn't even wince, because he saw the Connie cruiser's
steering tubes buckle under the _Aquila's_ sudden shove.

And suddenly the picture was clear. The two Federation cruisers hadn't
cared about getting into the Connie ship. They had only wanted an excuse
to tie up to it so they could do what had just been done.

They had sheared off the enemy's steering tubes, first at the stern, then
at the bow, leaving him helpless, able to go only forward or back in the
direction in which he happened to be pointing!

MacFife had a broad grin on his face. As Rip started to speak, he held up
his hand and pointed at a wall speaker.

The Connie commander came on the circuit. He screamed, "You planned that!
You--you--"

Galliene's voice spoke soothingly. "But my dear commander! How can I
apologize? Believe me, the man responsible will be reward--I mean, the
man responsible will be disciplined. You may rest ass