Thorn's mind was crazy with worry for the fate of Lana Cain. The League cruiser that had hooked its magnetic grapples on the keel of her ship was still winching her helpless craft closer. The capture or killing of the pirate girl meant the collapse of his great plan, and the probable ruin of the four inner worlds.
"We've got to free Lana's ship!” he cried to Sual Av over the thudding of guns. “There's only one way — drive our ship between hers and the one that's hooked her — break the grapple-lines!"
Sual Av's green eyes widened startledly inside his glassite helmet. Then the bald Venusian laughed recklessly.
"All right — here goes, John! Hold tight!'!
"Cease firing!” Thorn yelled into the interphone to Gunner Welk at the same moment.
Sual Av's fingers smashed down on firing keys. The Cauphul jumped forward in space, a raving torrent of energy streaming from her stern tubes.
The Venusian drove the ship straight toward the two craft ahead, the League cruiser and the Lightning. The half-dozen grapple-lines had been now so far drawn in that there was not enough room for a third ship to pass between the two.
But Sual Av steered the hurtling Cauphul between the two, anyway. Space around them seemed blazing with continuous flares of bursting atom-shells.
Crash! The grinding shock that flung Thorn to the floor of the control-room seemed to him the end of everything. The Cauphul, rushing in between the Lightning and the League cruiser grappling it, sideswiped both ships with stunning force.
Thorn tried, to clutch a stanchion and pull himself up, as the control-room rocked wildly around him. He heard the triumphant shout of the bald Venusian clinging to the controlpanel.