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"Obviously," said the king. "The idea being," Bors went on, "that if I can get enough food for the fleet so it can make a journey of several hundreds of light-years " "It is necessary to go a long way," the king confirmed unhappily. "We need to take the fleet to where Mekin is only a name and Kandar not even that." "Where you will disband the fleet " "Yes."
If Mekin masses its entire fleet to destroy us, they can do it, new missile-system or no new missile-system! We have somehow to keep them from resolving to do just that!" "Which," said Bors, "may mean negotiation. But there's no point in negotiating unless you know what your enemy thinks you've got. We could have Mekin scared!"
So while a ship the size of the Isis could and did carry enough confined hellfire in its missile warheads to destroy an area hundreds of miles across, the occupation troops of Mekin could not use such weapons. They needed blast-rifles for minor threats and artillery for selective destruction.
And a harsh voice now rasped out of loudspeakers everywhere, uttering threats, cursing Mekin few could believe their ears and rousing hopes which Bors knew regretfully were bound to be disappointed. The rasping broadcast cut off in the middle of a syllable. Somebody had come to believe that he really heard what he thought he heard. Now there would be reaction.
When the actual fleet appeared, I would blast it for questioning my honor." Bors looked at him with hot eyes. The king said drearily, "No, Bors. We must act in good faith. We cannot question the Mekinese good faith as you propose, and then expect them to believe in ours. The admiral is right. We can fight and bring destruction on our people, or we can place ourselves at the mercy of Mekin.
Because of this cause it was the organization and not the individual who was apotheosized. Therefore, there could be fierce battles among members of the ruling class. There could be conspiracies. The last three dictators of Mekin had been murdered in palace revolutions, and the current dictator was more elaborately protected from his confreres than any mere hereditary tyrant ever needed to be.
We have a very tiny force there three ships. Of course our ships won't attack the Mekinese, but they might as well. Knowing that we destroyed their first fleet and that we still live, Mekin will assuredly retaliate." "And not only on Kandar," said Bors. "On Tralee and Garen and Cassis and Meriden " Morgan interrupted. "Majesty! All this is more reason to listen to me!
It could be the most decisive of catastrophes. But he made his report with precision. For seven successive ship-days there was no event whatever on the Horus, as she drove toward Mekin. Undoubtedly the one survivor of the enemy squadron was fleeing for Mekin, too, to report to the highest possible authority what it had seen and experienced. It would not be much, if at all, slower than the Horus.
It might be faster, and might reach the solar system of Mekin before the Horus broke out there. It had every advantage but one. It had solar-system drive, for use within a planetary group, and it had overdrive for use between the stars. But the Horus had an intermediate drive as well, which was faster than the enemy's slow speed and slower than the fast.
The technicians of Mekin would set to work instantly to duplicate them. Once they were considered possible once they were recognized they could be achieved. The combat efficiency of the Mekinese fleet would be increased as greatly as that of the fleet of Kandar had been, and the overwhelming superiority of numbers would again become decisive.
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