Planet Wrecker

-49-

“Marten, are you sure this is a good idea?” Nadia asked.

The Spartacus accelerated at two-Gs as it traveled across the face of the burning Sun. The meteor-ship had built up tremendous velocity, a speed even greater than the fast-approaching asteroids. Those asteroids sped on a straight collision course for Earth’s projected position. It was obvious now that the asteroids had originated in the Saturn System. That was something over 1,400,000,000 kilometers away, nearly twice the distance between Jupiter and Earth. As far as Marten knew, those asteroids had not accelerated since they’d shot out of Saturn’s orbit and begun their fatal journey.

“Marten,” said Nadia.

They lay on the bed in his Force-Leader’s quarters. At two-Gs, both of them needed to practice caution, particularly Marten, or any man for that matter. Each man wore a special cup around his privates. Extended two-Gs for days on end could cause possible rupture.

Marten lay stretched on the bed with his wife. He stroked her face as he lay on the pillow. Gently, the two of them kissed.

“My dearest,” he whispered.

“I love you,” she said.

He embraced her and they continued to kiss. Soon, carefully, they made love…. Afterward, Marten slept with Nadia.

He dreamed he was back in the Sun-Works Factory, running through the endless corridors. Instead of PHC chasing him, giant Highborn did. He heard Training Master Lycon and the Praetor. They shouted to each other about his coming castration. Just before they rounded a corridor to grab him, cyborgs dropped from somewhere, even though Marten knew it couldn’t have been the ceiling. The strange beings dropped, the Highborn appeared and everyone drew guns and began blasting.

Marten woke up with a start. Nadia’s head lay on his chest, with her hair sprawled in disarray. He stroked her head and squeezed his eyes closed. What an awful dream. Soon, however, it was going to be reality as Highborn and cyborgs were together again in a confined space. Blowing out his cheeks, Marten listened to the soft thrum of the fusion core.

“Uh, what time is it?” Nadia whispered.

“Shhh,” Marten said, touching her cheek.

She looked up into his eyes. He looked back. Then he gazed at her perfect butt and her long legs.

“You beast,” she said in a sleepy voice.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

She turned serious then. “I’m frightened, Marten. We’re going to be near Mars soon. Then we have to turn, to shift onto a new heading. I’m not sure the Spartacus can take the strain.”

“We have to try,” he said.

“I’ve been studying the projected forces. We’re hardly anything compared to all the Highborn missiles and Doom Stars.”

“I know,” said Marten.

“If we fail to show up, no one will miss us.”

“Maybe,” he said.

“Which is our side again?” she asked.

“I hate Social Unity and I hate the Highborn. But the cyborgs aren’t even an option. If the Jovians are to survive, they’ll need allies. In this, a man has to choose the lesser of two or three evils. After the war is won, however, I’ll go back to fighting Social Unity.”

“So first we save Earth?”

“If we can,” he said.

She looked up into his eyes. Hers were haunted. “Hold me,” she whispered.

He stroked her hair, wondering how this would all turn out.