He said in a strangled voice, 'May I ask the reason for the order, sir?' He emphasized the syllable of respect with heavy irony. ' The captain was visibly struggling with his temper. The orders I give you are to return to Earth.' 'I would sooner. 'As full Councilman of the Council of Science, Captain, I outrank you and you know it. He was taller than the captain, and his cool glance did not waver. It is now my intention to move on to Saturn and attack.' Lucky's own rangy figure stiffened. That couldn't have been done before we had, in our rum, alerted home base.' 'And started a war?' 'They've started the war. 'Nor would it matter if we got blasted out of space. You might have been blown out of space, but you would have had time to warn us and we would have been there to take over.' 'With how much power left in your micro-pile units, Captain?' The captain flushed. He said now quietly, 'I did what was necessary to be done.' 'When the enemy had invaded our home system, retreat can never be necessary. 'And you backed away?' The Shooting Starr, having headed inward toward the Sun again, had met the ships of the squadron approximately halfway between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. He stared at the much younger Lucky Starr with undisguised scorn.

His hair was graying, but his eyebrows were still their original black and his beard showed blue about his shaven chin. He was a four-striper, still under fifty, and with the physique of a man ten years younger. The ranking officer in the pursuing squadron (not counting Councilman Wessilewsky, of course) was Captain Myron Bernold.

The rings of saturn novel