Part 34 (2/2)

The meeting was adjourned. Hilton, however, accompanied Sawtelle and Kedy to the captain's office. ”So you see, Skipper, we got troubles,” he said. ”If we don't use those boosters against their skeletons it'll boil down to a stalemate lasting G.o.d only knows how long. It will be a war of attrition, outcome dependent on which side can build the most and biggest and strongest s.h.i.+ps the fastest. On the other hand, if we _do_ use 'em on defense here, they'll a.n.a.lyze 'em and have everything worked out in a day or so. The first thing they'll do is beef up their planetary defenses to match. That way, we'd blow all their s.h.i.+ps out of s.p.a.ce, probably easily enough, but Strett itself will be just as safe as though it were in G.o.d's left-hand hip pocket. So what's the answer?”

”It isn't that simple, Jarve,” Sawtelle said. ”Let's hear from you, Kedy.”

”Thank you, sir. There is an optimum ma.s.s, a point of maximum efficiency of firepower as balanced against loss of maneuverability, for any craft designed for attack,” Kedy thought, in his most professional manner. ”We a.s.sume that the Stretts know that as well as we do. No such limitation applies to strictly defensive structures, but both the Strett craft and ours must be designed for attack. We have built and are building many hundreds of thousands of s.h.i.+ps of that type. So, undoubtedly, are the Stretts. s.h.i.+p for s.h.i.+p, they will be pretty well matched. Therefore one part of my strategy will be for two of our s.h.i.+ps to engage simultaneously one of theirs. There is a distinct probability that we will have enough advantage in speed of control to make that tactic operable.”

”But there's another that we won't,” Sawtelle objected. ”And maybe they can build more s.h.i.+ps than we can.”

”Another point is that they may build, in addition to their big stuff, a lot of small, ultra-fast ones,” Hilton put in. ”Suicide jobs--crash and detonate--simply super-missiles. How sure are you that you can stop such missiles with ordinary beams?”

”Not at all, sir. Some of them would of course reach and destroy some of our s.h.i.+ps. Which brings up the second part of my strategy. For each one of the heavies, we are building many small s.h.i.+ps of the type you just called 'super-missiles'.”

”Superdreadnoughts versus superdreadnoughts, super-missiles versus super-missiles.” Hilton digested that concept for several minutes. ”That could still wind up as a stalemate, except for what you said about control. That isn't much to depend on, especially since we won't have the time-lag advantage you Omans had before. They'll see to that. Also, I don't like to sacrifice a million Omans, either.”

”I haven't explained the newest development yet, sir. There will be no Omans. Each s.h.i.+p and each missile has a built-in Kedy brain, sir.”

”_What?_ That makes it infinitely worse. You Kedys, unless it's absolutely necessary, are _not_ expendable!”

”Oh, but we are, sir. You don't quite understand. We Kedys are not merely similar, but are in fact identical. Thus we are not independent ent.i.ties. All of us together make up the actual Kedy--that which is meant when we say 'I'. That is, I am the sum total of all Kedys everywhere, not merely this individual that you call Kedy One.”

”You mean you're _all_ talking to me?”

”Exactly, sir. Thus, no one element of the Kedy has any need of, or any desire for, self-preservation. The destruction of one element, or of thousands of elements, would be of no more consequence to the Kedy than ... well, they are strictly a.n.a.logous to the severed ends of the hairs, every time you get a haircut.”

”My G.o.d!” Hilton stared at Sawtelle. Sawtelle stared back. ”I'm beginning to see ... maybe ... I hope. What control that would be! But just in case we _should_ have to use the boosters....” Hilton's voice died away. Scowling in concentration, he clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace the floor.

”Better give up, Jarve. Kedy's got the same mind you have,” Sawtelle began, to Hilton's oblivious back; but Kedy silenced the thought almost in the moment of its inception.

”By no means, sir,” he contradicted. ”I have the brain only. The _mind_ is entirely different.”

”Link up, Kedy, and see what you think of this,” Hilton broke in. There ensued an interchange of thought so fast and so deeply mathematical that Sawtelle was lost in seconds. ”Do you think it'll work?”

”I don't see how it can fail, sir. At what point in the action should it be put into effect? And will you call the time of initiation, or shall I?”

”Not until all their reserves are in action. Or, at worst, all of ours except that one task-force. Since you'll know a lot more about the status of the battle than either Sawtelle or I will, you give the signal and I'll start things going.”

”What are you two talking about?” Sawtelle demanded.

”It's a long story, chum. Kedy can tell you about it better than I can.

Besides, it's getting late and Dark Lady and Larry both give me h.e.l.l every time I hold supper on plus time unless there's a mighty good reason for it. So, so long, guys.”

XIII

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