For minutes on end those titanic torrents of energy blasted at that phenomenal shield. But it held. The inconceivable energies could not crack it. Not even when every single accumulator and condenser in the massed fleets of the Terran Combine labored at peak capacity did the shield so much as tremble. Not even to the extent of a tiny spider web of coruscation along the power foci. Glayne barked a command to cease fire. He saw that the hail of torpedoes and mines which they had strewn had penetrated the shield. But they had been detonated by roving beams from the Tjadlinn secondaries before they could strike the surface of the discoid. If they could get through that mighty barrier, Glayne reasoned, then so could the _Algol_. He peered into the battle screen, attempting to locate the mammoth landing dock of the discoid through its shimmering grey shield. He made his decision. Garstow's face came to life on his communicator screen. Briefly he communicated his intention to the Guardian leader. When he had finished, Garstow nodded soberly and mumbled farewell. When he learned that the _Algol's_ Kellander batteries had been rigged to fire by remote control from the pilot's seat, Glayne contacted Harbin. "Abandon ship!" he ordered laconically when the youngster's face filled the screen. "Wha--what?" blurted Harbin incredulously. "I said," Glayne repeated curtly, "abandon ship. Make haste!" "Aye, sir," said Harbin. His face still mirrored astonishment as it faded from the screen. XI Glayne sat alone in the pilot's massive shock seat of the _Algol_. The instruments rose about him on all sides in terraced banks with the battle screen directly in front of his eyes. Tentatively he reached for the firing studs, accustoming his fingers to their shape. When he saw that the last of the _Algol's_ lifeboats had been picked up he realized that the time had come. He transferred his gaze to the discoid that was vague and indistinct beneath its anti-energy shield. Fastening his eyes to the armored outer lock doors of the landing dock, he gently fed power to the drivers. The _Algol_ shuddered and gradually picked up speed. Glayne dropped the anti-shield, realizing that he would never get through the barrier with the energized shield functioning. But once he was through, it would have to go up quickly or his ship would be shattered by the roving secondaries. Hand hovering tensely over the shield control, he guided the ship toward the landing dock. His speed increased; at twenty kilometers he was streaking toward the discoid in a free fall, all energy sources quiet. Fifteen--ten--five--and the _Algol_ was boring through the energy barrier, stormed and buffeted as it sought to impede the passage of the individual circuits. Suddenly she emerged _inside_ the shield and Tjadlinn was rushing upwards.