"Hit for Terra!"
Farradyne set the drive for Terra and then sat there, tense and waiting. He had not long to wait. The radar wiggled its warning trace almost dead ahead.
They moved to intercept him, but Farradyne raised the drive to four gravities and plunged on. The starship grew and behind it Terra grew, but slower. The radio burst into sound and Farradyne grabbed the microphone and said, "Come and get me, fellows!"
"Stop," came the demand, "or we fire!"
"Start a shooting match here and you'll have all of Terra wondering why the fireworks," Farradyne said.
"Stop!"
"No!"
"One last warning. Stop!"
Farradyne touched a lever. "Maybe you'd like to polish a few rivets?"
The Lancaster turned ever so slightly until the starship was directly on the point-of-drive. His other hand touched the drive and the acceleration increased a bit. Caustically, Farradyne said, "Go ahead and shoot! You'll find your own living room full of by-products if you do!"