Birrel answered him. "You'll be the one to surrender, when the ships come from Ruun."
Vannevan laughed. "The Earthman. You still think the Ruunites will fight, eh? They won't."
They attacked again, and were again fought off—or rather, Birrel thought, they withdrew, content to hack away at their opponents' numbers without exposing themselves any more than they had to.
The amplifiers spoke again. But suddenly the voice had a different tone, and it did not talk about surrender.
"A message has just been received from Ruun. Ruunite ships will position over this target in one hour and destroy it. All persons are warned to get clear of the area at once. I repeat that message. Ruunite ships will position—"
Pandemonium broke out in the rebel ranks.
"You hear that, Vannevan?" Birrel shouted. "You're through."
Vannevan did not answer.
The amplifiers fell silent. Birrel looked at Thile, and then at Shannock, who said,
"They're not going away."