"Sir!" an officer snapped, "The remaining enemy vessels are turning, they're retreating, sir, heading for home."
      "Damn!"  Do cursed.  "Lock on remaining ordinance and fire!  Concentrate everything on their most powerful vessel."
     Their missiles quickly went away, but the enemy shielded himself with two of his own vessels.  Only one missile got through, and only did  superficial damage.  Three more of the enemy were sunk, but they weren't the ones Do wanted to sink.  The last of his ordinance gone, he headed for the base to reload. As they pulled into harbor and docked, The Patrick Henry was on the other side of the dock.  Do went down the gangplank and hollered up to the other ship, "Hey!  Open up!  We've got to get reloaded!"  There was no reply.  There was a rope hanging down from the side of the ship.  Do sent a man up it, and in a few minutes they made their way to the operations room.  Everybody in it was dead at their stations!  There wasn't a single person alive on the destroyer! 
     One of the men with Do looked at him in disbelief.  "These men have been dead for some time!"  he remarked.  "Who operated the weapons systems?  Who piloted the ship?  It couldn't have done all this by computer!"
     Do just shook his head.  "You've got me!"  he remarked.  "I'm sure somebody's going to call it some kind of miracle.  Maybe somebody was alive longer than the rest and instructed the computer, but this is as far as he got.  Just leave them here for now.  If we get time before the next attack, we'll remove them and reload her.  Right now we gotta get those missiles out of the bunkers and get 'em in our launchers."
     He went over and put his hand on the shoulder of The Patrick Henry's commander, slumped in his chair, then quickly hurried back to his own ship.  Their air boys did good, but the enemy put up a fierce resistance!  They paid a price for the attack, and the enemy was still determined.  He regrouped what he had left, more small vessels of every type joined them, and they again headed for the islands. 
      "They're trying to get here before we can be reinforced," Do told Holiday as they conferenced in the command bunker.
     "The first plane loads will be here in ten minutes,"  Holiday answered.  "I've put what men I have on the beaches, the only safe places they can land.   We've managed to reload half our missiles.  If they give us a little bit more time we may get more ready, and there's not so many of them this time!  Are you going to be able to get The Patrick Henry under way?"
     "No," Do answered.  "They're coming too fast.  I'll barely get my own ship rearmed.  I'll go after the warships.  You hold your fire and hit the transports when they get close, then, pray you can stop what gets ashore.  If we take out all their support they may run for home."
     "These are fanatics," Holiday answered.  "They're determined to be martyrs rather they have supporting fire or not.  If they get ashore they're going to fight!  They want to wipe us out, but by The Lords, they're not going to!"
     Do nodded, hurried back to his ship, and got underway.  The enemy seemed to be very willing to play his game.  The escorts peeled off from the merchantmen and came after him.  That was a mistake, that was a BIG mistake! 

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