There was the rushing sound of compartment doors closing. Then a cushioned silence everywhere, save for the faint, standby scratching sounds that loudspeakers always emit.
Screens lighted. A speck moved among the stars.
"Prepare counter-missiles," said the voice. "Proximity and track. Fire only as missiles appear."
The moving speck flamed and was again only a moving speck. It ejected something which hurtled toward the ship just up from Kandar.
"Intercept one away!" said a confident voice.
The last-launched missile fled toward the first moving speck, diminishing as it went. It swung suddenly, off course.
"Fire two!" snapped somebody somewhere.
Another object hurtled away toward the stars.
"Fire three! Fire four!"
Far away, something came plunging toward the ship. It did not travel in a straight line. It curved. It was not reasonable for a missile to travel in a curved line. The interceptor missiles had to detect it, swing to intercept, to accelerate furiously. The first interceptor missed. Worse, it had lost its target. It went wandering vaguely among the stars and was gone.