ded a few
clues as to what was going on below.

I got it. Joyce's voice came from the wall annunciator. "Captain, this
is Lt. Joyce reporting." He sounded scared all the way through, and
desperate. "Sir, the mutiny has been successfully suppressed by the
loyal members of the crew. Major Kramer is under arrest. We're prepared
to go on with the search for the Omega Colony. But Sir ..." he paused,
gulping. "We ask you to change course now before launching any effective
attack. We still have a chance. Maybe they won't bother with us when
those firecrackers go off ..."

* * * * *

I watched the direct vision screen. Zero second closed in. And on the
screen the face of the left hand disk of the Mancji ship was lit
momentarily by a brilliant spark of yellow, then another. A
discoloration showed dimly against the dark metallic surface. It spread,
and a faint vapor formed over it. Now tiny specs could be seen moving
away from the ship. The disk elongated, with infinite leisure, widening.

"What's happenin'? Cap'n?" Thomas asked. He was staring at the scope in
fascination. "They launchin' scouts, or what?"

"Take a look here, Thomas," I said. "The ship is breaking up."

The disk was an impossibly long ellipse now, surrounded by a vast array
of smaller bodies, fragments and contents of the ship. Now the stricken
globe moved completely free of its companion. It rotated, presenting a
crescent toward us, then wheeled farther as it receded from its twin,
showing its elongation. The sphere had split wide open. Now the
shattered half itself separated into two halves, and these in turn
crumbled, strewing debris in a widening spiral.

"My God, Cap'n," Thomas said in awe. "That's the greatest display I ever
seen. And all it took to set her off was 200 kilos a PBL. Now that's
somethin'."

I keyed the mike again. "This is the Captain," I said. "I want ten
four-man patrols ready to go out in fifteen minutes. The enemy ship has
been put out of action and is now in a derelict condition. I want only
one thing from her; one live prisoner. All Section chiefs report to me
on the Bridge on the triple."

"Thomas," I said, "go down in the lift and open up for the Chiefs.
Here's the release key for the combination; you know how to operate it?"

"Sure, Cap'n; but are you sure you want to let them boys in here after
the way they jumped you an' all?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but he beat me to it. "Fergit I