Planet Wrecker

-52-

The battle report came in from the defeated Mars Battlefleet at the speed of light. The cyborg lasers, their targeting tactics and lack of prismatic-crystals became well known even on the Meteor-ship Spartacus.

“The first round goes to the cyborgs,” Osadar said.

Marten and she stood in the think-tank. With the hand-unit, he opened a link with the ship’s computer and downloaded the latest information from Chief Strategist Tan. It was dark in the think-tank, with simulated light showing the star fields.

“Now we know exactly what the Highborn plan to do,” Marten said.

“It strikes me as overly complicated,” said Osadar.

Marten nodded as he switched to strategic zoom. According to Tan, the plan had originated with Grand Admiral Cassius.

Their part was interesting. They had passed the Sun and now sped through the Inner System faster than anyone else did. Their objective was to land on the asteroids. They couldn’t do that if they sped straight at the cyborg taskforce head-to-head. The two objects with their velocities as they headed at each other would make landing impossible. Any space marine in a patrol boat trying to land on the surface in those circumstances would be instantly crushed like an insect. Instead of trying to land head-to-head, the Spartacus would soon whip around Mars, turn enough and speed toward the asteroids as the asteroids went away from them. The meteor-ship could have accelerated even faster during the trip. But for what they needed to do, they couldn’t whip around Mars until the asteroids had passed the Red Planet.

For the Earth and Luna-launched ships and missiles, the problem was similar—at least for those vessels that wished to land on the asteroid surfaces. If they headed straight at the asteroids, none of them would be able to land troops but would smash like two cars in a head-on collision. The angle for Mars was wrong for Earth and Luna-launched vessels. Instead, they headed for Venus. The Saturn-launched asteroids moved almost parallel to the Sun, at least in relation to Earth.

For tactical purposes, the Solar System wasn’t just empty space. Planets and gravity were the major terrain features, as it were. Because of the near parallel line of attack from Saturn to Earth—parallel in relation to the Sun—Venus became critical. The Earth and Luna-launched vessels traveling to Venus, would whip around it, turning, and then accelerate on their new heading. They would come at the planet wreckers at an oblique angle. This angle would allow the SU and Highborn vessels to decelerate enough so troops could theoretically land on the surfaces.

It was the gut of the plan.

As Marten examined it, his doubts grew.

“We will have little time to defeat any cyborg occupants, learn how to control the asteroid and then move it out of position enough so it misses Earth,” said Osadar.

Marten silently agreed. The Saturn-launched asteroids had gained their initial velocity long ago around the gas giant. That velocity had taken the taskforce across the great gulf between Saturn and the Inner Planets. Roughly, the distance from Saturn to Earth was 1,400,000,000 kilometers. The distance from Mars to Earth was presently nearly 210,000,000 kilometers. In other words, the asteroids had already traveled six-sevenths of their journey, and now time was running out.

A klaxon began to blare.

Marten checked his watch, and he grew queasy. Was it already time?

“Mars approaches,” said Osadar.

“It seems we just left it,” Marten said.

“Not for me,” said Osadar.

“…Do you remember much of what it was like under the Web-Mind’s control?” Marten recalled that Osadar had first come to Mars as a full-fledged cyborg.

“Do you recall any of your childhood nightmares?” asked Osadar.

Marten thought about the bad dream he’d had the other day. “They stick with me,” he said.

“Yes,” said Osadar. Then she made a vague gesture and headed for the hatch. “It is time, Force-Leader.”

Marten switched off the think-tank before heading to the control center.