Blish,James – And all the Stars a Stage

TEN SECONDS.”

Those ten seconds seemed preternaturally quiet to jorn, despite the

screaming of the atmosphere and the clangor of the missiles against the

hull. Five

four … three … two … one.. .

With a rasping roar from the drive, more thunderous and ugly than any sound

it had ever made before, the Javelin rolled on her axis and clawed skyward,

on full emergency acceleration.

The nearest fort got off a shot at her as she passed, already doing 200

miles per second and building more velocity every instant. The shot was a

clean missluckily, for a few thousand miles to starboard-and-rear some

metallic bit of meteoric trash triggered its proximity fuse and it

blossomed out into a megaton fusion explosion.

But from now on, for a while, the Javelin would be an increasingly better

target. If the black creatures bad a drive fast enough to enable them to

colonize all their planets economically, furthermore, there would still be

a considerable gauntlet to run.

The gabble of venom and fury spewing after them by radio did not suggest

that the creatures would simply be glad to see them go. The ranging shots

were coming closer-

But in fact the battle was effectively over. Had the fifth planet not been

on the other side of the sun at the time, the outcome might have been

different;

And all the Stars a Stage 153 but as events actually fell out,

there was only a stern chase, in which the Javelin proved to

have the advantage all the way. The ranging shots fell farther

and farther behind; and then, finally, they stopped.