"It was the lux hull that saved us," Arcot said. "It wouldn't break, and the temperature of the arc didn't bother it. And since it wouldn't carry a current, we didn't get the full electrical effect.
"I'm going to convince those birds that this ship is made of something they can't touch! We'll give them a real show!"
He dived downward, back into the battle.
It was a show, all right! It was impossible to fight the Earth ship. The enemy had to concentrate four magnetic rays on it to use their electric weapon, and they could only do that by sheer luck!
And even that was of little use, for they simply lost one of their own ships without harming the Ancient Mariner in the least.
Ship after ship crumpled in on itself like crushed tinfoil or hurled itself violently to the ground as the molecular beams touched them. The Satorian fleet was a fleet no longer; it was a small collection of disorganized ships whose commanders had only one thought—to flee!
The few ships that were left spearheaded out into space, using every bit of acceleration that the tough bodies of the Satorians could stand. With a good head start, they were rapidly escaping.
"We can't equal that acceleration," said Wade. "We'll lose them!"
"Nope!" Arcot said grimly. "I want a couple of those ships, and I'm going to get them!"
At four gravities of acceleration, the Ancient Mariner drove after the fleeing ships of Sator, but the enemy ships soon dropped rapidly from sight.