Lomax summoned his second-in-command to the bridge of the ship.

“Sir?” said the man.

“We have a serious problem here,” he announced.

“Problem, sir?”

Lomax nodded. “One of the goddamned bombs has armed itself.”

He stood aside so that the man could study his control panel, and especially the blinking red light on the left side of it.

“Could it be a malfunction on the board, sir?”

“I already thought of that,” answered Lomax. “The board is working perfectly.”

“Let me check the bomb itself, sir,” said the man. “Perhaps it's emitting a false signal.”

“Do so,” said Lomax. “And be discreet. No sense upsetting the rest of the crew until we know what we're dealing with.”

The man nodded and headed off toward the weapons bay. He returned some four minutes later.

“It's armed, sir,” he reported.

“How much time do you think we have before it blows?”

“I don't know, sir. Maybe ten minutes, maybe ten hours. We've never carried this type of weapon before.”

“It's new to me, too,” complained Lomax. “Hell, the whole ship is new to me. I'm just a gunman that the Anointed One took a liking to.”

“You saved his life, sir,” protested the man with the passion of a fanatic. “We are prepared to carry out any orders that you give.”

“The problem is that I don't know what orders are required in this situation,” said Lomax grimly. “I suppose we should jettison the bomb, but according to my computer, it's in a position where we'd have to jettison the entire payload.” He paused. “I hate to do that. We're attacking with a smaller force that I would have recommended had time not been a vital consideration. The Prophet is the most formidable antagonist in the galaxy; we may need every weapon we possess.”

“There is an alternative, sir.”

I was wondering when it would occur to you.

“What is that?” asked Lomax aloud.

“We can load the crew onto our landing craft and leave them to make their way to the planet behind the bulk of the fleet, while you and I stay aboard and try to deactivate the bomb.”

“Excellent suggestion!” replied Lomax. “Pass the word. I want them all off the ship within fifteen minutes.” He paused. “Yourself included.”

“I request permission to remain on board, sir.”

“Permission denied.”

“I insist, sir. One of us is going to have to go down into the weapons bay and try to deactivate the bomb, and one of us is going to have to navigate the ship.”

“I'll put it on automatic.”

“That might work in deep space, sir, but we're in a war zone. You may come under attack.”

“I doubt it,” said Lomax.

“You yourself have stated that she is the most formidable foe we will ever face, sir.”

Lomax realized that further argument could arouse the man's suspicions. Furthermore, it was essential that he get the crew off the ship as quickly as possible, before someone discovered what was really happening.

“All right,” he said. “You can stay. Now see to the evacuation, and report to me when it's complete. I'll continue trying to deactivate the bomb from here.”

The man saluted and left, and Lomax lit a small cigar and pretended to work the control panel until the bridge was totally deserted. He watched the viewscreen as the shuttlecraft left the mother ship one by one, until the last of the crew had gone and only Lomax and his second-in-command remained.

The man approached him and saluted. “The evacuation is completed, sir.”

“Good,” said Lomax.

“Now I'll go down and see if I can deactivate the bomb, sir.”

“Be careful,” said Lomax.

“Yes, sir.”

The man departed, and Lomax lit another cigar and hoped the Prophet could see far enough into the future to know that his ship was no threat to her.

The man returned some ten minutes later, a puzzled frown on his face.

“Sir?” he said.

“Yes?”

“As nearly as I can tell, the bomb is not malfunctioning.”

“You mean it's not armed?”

“It's armed, all right—but it seems to have been armed purposely, from here.”

“You don't say.”

“Yes, sir. From your panel.”

Lomax pulled his pistol out. “You should have abandoned ship with the others.”

“I don't understand, sir.”

“You're a good man,” said Lomax. “And I am truly sorry for what I must do.”

He fired his gun. The man uttered a single surprised grunt and fell to the deck, dead.

Then, having done everything within his power to convince the Prophet that his ship wanted no part of the doomed battle, Lomax sat back to await the outcome.