Inside, the tall, balding man behind the desk jumped to his feet with
a grin. "Jack! Mike! Boy, you two guys certainly beat anything I ever
saw. Talk about your heroes...."
"Cut it, George," Harrigan growled, "you don't have to rub it in."
"Rub what in? Great Caesar, hasn't anyone told you yet? You guys won
the war, that's all!"
"Yeah. On the seat of our pants at Antares III," O'Brien muttered.
"But I'm telling you, damnit!" Garrison came around the desk and
clapped them on the shoulders. "Those League ships you brought down
were heading for home with the Hyper-drive secret. And you stopped
them."
Slow and stunning realization dawned on the two officers. O'Brien gave
a long, low whistle and sank in his chair. Harrigan broke into a slow
grin.
"What a deal!" Garrison rubbed his hands. "What a deal. You guys will
get promotions out of this or my name isn't George Garr...."
"But what the hell happened?" Harrigan demanded.
"Like this," Garrison explained. "Three League ships picked up spies
just off Anaton. They had the Hyper-drive papers. Then they threw a
Duodec bomb into the Base and high-tailed. The _Albion_ was the only
Federation ship of any size left in commission in the area. You got
them. Just before the last League ship went down, it beamed a message
to Zithobar, which we intercepted. So the Third attack arm swung
over quick to see what the trouble was. Then we got your S.O.S. and
went after you before the League could get back for a little of its
well-known vengeance."
"Now, what the devil?" Harrigan rubbed his chin, grinning. "Is the war
over, then?"
"Not altogether, but it's just a matter of mopping up now, and fixing
Zithobar and the Xantu planet once and for all. The Third and Seventh
attack arms are completely equipped with the 'drive and the Second is
just about ready to roll. Brother, are those babies surprised when we
pop out of nowhere into the middle of their formations and burn them
down before they can aim a gun ... but if _they_ had hooked onto the
'drive secret, it would have been all day for the Federation!" Garrison
threw back his head and roared with laughter. "You birds ... with a
green crew--" he held his sides--"with a tub full of greenies you win
the war. And by accident yet. Oh Lordie ..." he sat down to catch his
breath.
"Well ... I'll ... be ... a ..." Harrigan shook his head.
"Yeah. I'll be one too," O'Brien muttered.