"Thanks, lad. At the first sign of detection, we stop. They may be able to detect us, but I doubt it, since we are looking for them with special instruments. But that's immaterial. What I want to know is, can you and your crew split the fleet, making two big, hollow hemispheres of it? Let this group of ambers represent the enemy. Since they know that we will have to carry the battle to them, they will probably be in fairly close formation. Set your two hemispheres--the reds--there and there. Close in, making a sphere, like this--englobing their whole fleet. Can you do it?" Kinnison whistled through his teeth; a long, low, unmelodious whistle. "Yes--but Klono's brazen claws, chief, suppose they catch you at it?" "How can they? If you were using detectors, instead of double-ended, tight-beam binders, how many of our own vessels could you locate?" "That's right, too--less than one percent of them. They couldn't tell that they were being englobed until long after it was done. They could, however, globe up inside us--" "Yes--and that would give them the tactical advantage of position," the admiral admitted. "We probably have, however, enough superiority in firing power, if not in actual tonnage, to make up the difference. Also, we have speed enough, I think, so that we could retire in good order. But you are assuming that they can maneuver as rapidly and as surely as we can, a condition which I do not consider at all probable. If, as I believe much more likely, they have no better Grand Fleet Operations than we had in Helmuth's star cluster--if they haven't the equivalent of you and Worsel and this supertank here--then what?" "In that case it'd be just too bad. Just like pushing baby chicks into a pond." Kinnison saw the possibilities clearly enough after they had been explained to him. "How long will it take you?" "With Worsel and both full crews of Rigellians I would guess it at about ten hours--eight to compute and assign positions and two to get there." "Fast enough--faster than I would have thought possible. Oil up your calculating machines and Simplexes and get ready." * * * * * In due time the enemy fleet was detected and detection was confirmed. The "Cease Blasting" signal was sent out. Civilization's prodigious fleet stopped dead, hanging motionless in space with its nearest units at the tantalizing limit of detectability from the warships awaiting them. For eight hours two hundred Rigellians stood at whirring calculators, each solving course-and-distance problems at the rate of ten per minute. Two hours or less of free flight, and Haynes rejoiced audibly in the perfection of the two red hemispheres shown in his reducer. The two immense bowls flashed together, rim to rim. The sphere began inexorably to contract. Each ship put out a red K6T screen as a combined battle flag and identification, and the greatest naval engagement of the age was on.