Because of their tremendous acceleration, a war torpedo couldn't possibly be a homing type weapon; it moved too fast. Before even a subelectronic relay could operate, the target would be well out of range. The X-69 was in the position of a man ducking thrown stones; the only fatal move would be an inaccurate judgment. * * * * * Again the floor jerked beneath them as another enemy torpedo sizzled through the place where the ship might have been. "_Explosion at fifteen-sixty!_" shouted two observers at once. The FCO's face suddenly broke into a grin. "We did it," he said softly. Then the intercom flickered on. An excited Space Marine said: "Captain Dobrin! There's something funny going on down here; that Enlissa officer we've got in the brig just dropped dead!" It was at that instant that Roysland Dwyn found his answer. The pieces of the whole jigsaw puzzle fell into place and made a beautiful picture. And he realized that the Enlissa, too, had changed their battle tactics. And that was when the explosion hit. Four torpedoes had come in on the X-69 at once, and the robot had been a fraction of a second too late in computing the trajectories all at once and figuring a safe path. The screenbuster's detonation jarred the whole ship violently. Then there were two thumps as a pair of flies came into the hole through the screen and blasted the interior of the cruiser. Roysland wasn't sure what had happened; the whole control room had suddenly seemed to turn upside down. When he picked himself up from one wall--which had now become "down"--his nose was bleeding, and his right arm was dead to the shoulder. Broken clavicle. He shook his head groggily and looked around. Captain Dobrin was slumped against a corner of the wall. The FCO was sprawled across the side of his control board. The various observers were tumbled around the room like so many rag dolls shaken up in a shoe box. Gradually, the gravity righted itself, and Roysland rolled to the floor. He pulled himself up by one arm and ran toward the control panel. He had barely time to act. Fortunately, most of the observers were reasonably aware of their surroundings. Those who could move were back at their control boards by the time Roysland reached the fire control board. A second blast hit the ship, but Roysland was prepared for it this time; his fingers gripped the hand-holds and strained as the gravity shifted beneath his feet. The X-69 couldn't stand another one like that. The Enlissa ship had computed better than they had thought. "_aJ_ projectors!" Roysland shouted. "Prepare to track and fire!" The only way to save the ship now was to shoot down every torpedo before it hit. "All guns tracking, sir," said one of the observers. "Set and ready!" Roysland said. "Fire automatically!" He punched a button. The _aJ_ projectors moved in their mounts, each one seeking out a different missile. They would go on seeking until the--