The Decisive Battle

See "Time Lag."

The "agoric drive," (p. 116) powered by an "agoratron," (p. 136) converts atomic mass into speed, thus instantly accelerating a spaceship to near light speed. The speed is converted back into mass as soon as the agoratron is switched off.

The Chertkoian Third Expedition, eleven hundred craft, comprising dreadnaughts, cruisers and auxiliary warcraft supported by many transport and engineer ships, approaches Vaynamo;

objects approach the fleet and neutrino emissions indicate nuclear engines;

a massive quiescent object is detected in Vaynamo orbit;

the approaching objects are identified as about five thousand scoutboat-sized space craft, still accelerating;

a cone of gravitational force emanating from the massive orbiting object catches the fleet and throws its ships off course at accelerating speeds;

two ships collide and fuse, shorting their accumulator banks, then crack open, shedding men and supplies, before striking a third vessel;

the ships closest to the object are wrecked while the rest are pulled towards it;

the Vaynamoan fleet passes through, releasing tracking torpedoes that many of the Chertkoians are too battered and stunned to resist;

many Chertkoian ships are destroyed although others fight back as the Vaynamoans recede;

a nuclear barrage from the Chertkoian fleet destroys not only the massive object but also many Chertkoian ships that are too close to it;

the ships already crashed on the object become unstable isotopes;

the nearest that are still in space become very hot gas;

the next nearest become fused lumps;

beyond that, the crews of forty ships die instantly;

however, the surviving fleet remains a hundred times bigger than the Vaynamoans' and will now attack the planet;

the Vaynamoan fleet, which should have needed hours to decelerate, instead has some new technology that enables it to turn around and to re-attack at about 100 G, then to brake almost instananeously;

braking within the Chertkoian fleet with a swiftness for which the Chertkoians are unprepared, the Vaynamoans destroy the armada with guns and torpedoes although they spare any unarmed craft that surrender;

the escaping flagship is not destroyed when it is learned that it contains over a hundred Vaynamoan prisoners;

instead, dummy missiles occupy its defenses while other boats lay alongside and cut through the armor;

Vaynamoan boarders outnumber and outgun the resisting crew;

holdouts in a fortified compartment are welded in and left to surrender or starve;

and I am out of breath.