He swung around to follow the starship, which hadslowed down. It was pouring shot after shot into thecommand shipwhich wasn't firing back.

Johnny stared in horror.

The ship rocked under the hail of fire. The GunneryOfficer crawled across the shaking floor and pulledhimself up beside the Captain's chair.

'Fool! Fool! I told you this would happen! I demandthat we return fire!'

The Captain was watching the Chosen One's ship.It hadn't moved.

'No,' she said. 'We have to give him a chance. Wemust not fire on human ships.'

'A chance? How much of a chance do we have? I shallgive the order to-'

The Captain moved very fast. When her handstopped she was holding a gun very close to the Gun-nery Officer's head. It was really only a ceremonialweapon; normally ScreeWee fought only with theirclaws. But its shape said very clearly that things cameout of the hole in the front end with the very definitepurpose of travelling fast through the air and then kill-ing people.

'No,' she said.

The Gunnery Officer's face went blue, a sure sign ofterror. But he had enough courage left to say: 'Youwould not dare fire!'

It's a game, thought Johnny. There's not a real personin that ship. It's someone playing a game. It's all agame. It's just things happening on a screen somewhere.No.

I mean, yes.But...at the same timeit's all happening here

His own ship leapt forward.

It was easy. It was so easy. Just line up circles on thescreen, binkabinkabinka, and then press the Fire buttonuntil every weapon on the ship was empty. He'd done.it many times before.

The invader hadn't even seen him. It launched somemissiles - and then blew up in an impressive display ofgraphics.

That's all it is, Johnny told himself. Just things on ascreen. It's not real. There's no arms and feet spinningaway through the wreckage. It's all a game.