of "Tales of the Space Pioneers," socked the butt of the 110 mm. into the ground, looked at the silver image in the magnetosight and let drive with two thumbs on the trips.
The whole air over them turned flaming red. Another half dozen trees collapsed from concussion. Ole Doc dragged himself out of the water and looked up through the haze at the target.
"Train right!" he said. "Up six miles. Now left!"
But although they kept firing, the silver speck had picked up enough speed toward the zenith to parallel the sizzling, murderous charges and in a moment Hippocrates, with the sight flashing green for out-of-range, stopped shooting.
Ole Doc looked at the upset rumade. He looked at his rod being towed aimlessly across the lake. He looked at Hippocrates.
"Missed," said Hippocrates brightly.
"Is there a force screen over the Morgue?" snapped Ole Doc.
"Certainly, master."
"Well, it probably need reinforcing. Grab up the remains here and be quick about it."
While Ole Doc strode rapidly through the jungle to the old landing field, blasting his way through the creepers with a gun in each hand, Hippocrates hastily bundled the remains and scurried along at his heels.
They entered the corridor through the Morgue's force field and came to the side of the ship. "At least she's all right," said Ole Doc.
Hippocrates bounced in and stowed the tattered gear while Ole Doc pulled down the switches on the battle panel. After a few minor accidents he had had a complete band of force fields installed and he turned them all on now.
He went forward to the control room and was, as usual, startled by the dulcet tones of his audio recorder. It never seemed right to him that the Morgue should talk soprano but he liked soprano and he'd never had it changed.
"There was a battle cruiser overhead eighteen minutes ago," said the Morgue complacently. "It dropped a bomb."
"Are you hurt?" said Ole Doc to the board.
"Oh, it didn't drop a bomb on me. It dropped a bomb on you."
"Dimensions and armament?"
"It isn't friendly," said the Morgue. "I recorded no data on it except hostility. Advice."
"O.K. What?"
"Turn on invisio screens and move me into the jungle cover."
Ole Doc threw off the switch. Even his ship was ordering him around these days.
He turned to the remote control battle panel and punched the button marked "Invisible" and a moment later a series of light-baffling planes, acting as reflectors for the ground below and so making the Morgue disappear from the outside except to detectors, hid them entirely. He
