agreed. The Peepian rose and hurried
out. Only
Spearonias remained.
13 "Spearonias," North ordered, "I want you to take one-hundred of your
ships out to the next planet in from The Godden Base. I have waited for
the time when the two planets are the closest. If we do drive The
Goddens in system, I want you to join into the battle. But DON'T come
out beyond the point where The Goddens can use their star drive. Remain
within the limits of your system engines."
14 "Understood," the Peepian agreed. "And may I say, sir, good hunting!"
15 "Good hunting to us all!" prayed North.
16 As North had hoped the attack took The Goddens COMPLETELY by
surprise. They came in so fast that he did not think some of the ships
had their full compliments. Some of his first missiles were decoys,
dummies, filled with nuclear waste. Of course The Godden beamers didn't
know that, and vaporized most of them, leaving the planet surrounded in
a radioactive cloud that fogged their sensors, made it hard for The
Goddens to accurately target the incoming ships.
17 But North's forces had the telemetry of the wave before them to help
pinpoint their targets. They made ten passes, twenty passes, thirty,
forty, when suddenly the enemy broke out, heading in-system trying to
rally into a formation that could hold off the attackers. But the
pounding waves still drove at him. Abandoning the planet, they came
after the ships.
18 By now, the first freighters were returning with fresh loads of
missiles, and they, too, joined into the waves. Suddenly The Goddens
scattered in all directions, but North's Forces were already programmed
what to do. Two or three ships took after each target. A sudden radio
call made North's Communications Officer spin around. "General," he
snapped, "The Lander's in trouble! She was