CHAPTER 14They plummeted through space, towards the lead ship in the Thuscan fleet that was circling ever closer to the planet below. Stan glanced at his watch. Barely an hour remained before the planet below would be fighting a hideous, futile battle.
Barely an hour left in which he had to accomplish the impossible.
“Look!” somebody shouted. “Look at the screen!”
Stan glanced at it briefly. There was the Thuscan fleet laid out below—much nearer now—and the small, flashing dot that represented his own craft.
Behind him, strung out like a lazy figure C, was the rest of the Aurelian fleet. They were following the leader down, even though they recognized the enormous odds at which they were going to be fighting.
Courage, Stan thought, feeling something catch in his throat. The unknown we
