Strong turned, started to speak, then clamped his lips together.
"Another quarter space speed, roughly," replied Astro, "about fifteen hundred miles more an hour. Do you want me to do that?"
"No, not now," replied Tom. "Just wanted to know what I could depend on, if I get stuck."
"O.K.," said Astro. "Let me know!"
"Why use emergency speed, Corbett?" asked Strong. "You seem to have your enemy right where you want him now."
"Yes, sir," replied Tom. "And the enemy knows I have him. He can't possibly attack Luna City now. But he can still run away. He can make his escape by this one route."
Tom walked to the chart and ran his finger on a line away from the invader's position into the asteroid belt.
"I don't want him to get away," Tom explained. "And with the extra speed, we can cut him off, force him to turn into a position where the remainder of my fleet would finish him off."
"You'll do this with just the Polaris?"
"Oh, no, sir," said Tom. "I'd use the Arcturus, Capella and the Centauri, as well."