Planet Wrecker

“To gauge Social Unity,” Cassius said.

“We hold the strategic advantage, sir. We should push that instead of risking our most valuable asset.”

“The Doom Stars are not our most valuable asset,” Cassius said.

Scipio blinked at him. “Sir?”

Cassius nodded to himself. Scipio wanted to ask what was, but he was too cautious to do that. He would help Scipio.

“We as Highborn are our most valuable asset,” Cassius said. “Our fighting spirit, our aggressiveness and sheer ability gives us the military edge.”

“The Doom Stars help, sir.”

“Why won’t the premen open fire with proton beams?” asked a different Highborn.

“An excellent question,” said Cassius. “It is something I’m endeavoring to answer. Now!” he said, signaling Engine Control. “Take us from low-orbit and head fast toward the Atlantic Ocean.”

“Should I recall the orbitals?” asked Scipio.

“Tell them to head toward the Pacific Ocean. We will pick them up over North America.”

“I’m picking up increased deep-core readings, sir.” Scipio looked up. “They’re bringing the proton beams online.”

“Interesting,” said Cassius. His gut began to churn. It made him feel alive. “Strap in, gentlemen. Engine Control, give us emergency speed. Scipio…order an increase in satellite targeting. I want them to rain debris on Eurasia. Since they’ve brought the protons online, let’s give them something to shoot at.”

“Enemy sensors are locking onto us, sir,” Scipio said.

Cassius’s heart-rate increased. The Julius Caesar was a huge ship, the biggest in the Solar System. So the premen wanted to frighten him off, did they? Or maybe they thought they could take potshots at his ship. There were personal enemies among the Highborn who would snap at the opportunity to bring him down. If the Julius Caesar should take serious damage because of a slip in a routine pass….

“Launch a spread of nuclear missiles,” Cassius said in a clam voice. “Use Green Pattern-E. Then begin spraying the upgraded aerosol-gel.”

It was a new gel, made specifically to slow proton beams.

A sigh of relief seemed to fill the bridge.

Cassius leaned forward as he studied the holoimages. Ports opened in the kilometers huge Doom Star. Space- to-land missiles launched toward the planet. Each had a MIRVed nosecone—multiple reentry vehicles. It meant that each missile shot a spread of five nuclear warheads.

He switched settings. The heavy orbitals also launched missiles, but at the floating cylinders, the former farm habitats. Checking range and distances, Cassius quickly calculated debris drop-rates.

“They have battle-level wattage online,” Scipio said.

From Eurasia, from Kiev, Berlin and Milan, proton beams stabbed upward at the Julius Caesar. The white beams hit the heavy lead-additive aerosol-gels, chewing through them with unbelievable speed.

“Emergency pumping,” Scipio growled.

Grand Admiral Cassius leaned back in his command shell, watching the crew. They moved with efficiency, with calm speed. That was another reason he’d dipped so near the stratosphere and over Eurasia. It had been a long time since these warriors had been in space combat. An unused sword became rusty.

“There is a breakthrough,” Scipio said.

Cassius returned attention to his holoimages. A weakened proton beam burned through the gels. It struck the Doom Star’s outer plating. It wasn’t the original plating, but a collapsium coating. It was a breakthrough technology, very hard to make. The Julius Caesar was presently the only warship with it, a coating micro-microns thick. Collapsium was hard and dense, and similar in nature to the core of a white star. The electrons of an atom were collapsed on the nuclei so the atoms were compressed so they actually touched. Lead in comparison was like a sponge.

The collapsium shielding held long enough for the Julius Caesar to begin rotation. No point on the ship received the hellish proton-beam longer than a second. Soon, more gels sprayed, absorbing the beams, giving the huge warship enough time to speed around the Earth’s curvature and out of line-of-sight first from Kiev, then Berlin and finally Milan.

“The proton beams are retargeting, sir,” Scipio said. The tall Highborn looked up. “They’re burning orbitals, sir.”

“Point-defense installations are opening up on the surface,” a different Highborn said.

“All orbitals are to take evasive action,” Cassius said.

“They’ve already begun do so, sir,” said Scipio.

The Grand Admiral nodded. That was the Highborn way, to take matters into your own hands. If a Highborn didn’t have the initiative to disregard a foolish order, he wasn’t worthy of the exalted status of super soldier. If a Highborn disregarded a wise order, however, he could be shot. A preman might fold under that kind of pressure. A Highborn thrived, exalting on the knife-edge of existence.

“There are new point-defense establishments!” an officer shouted.

“I can hear you quite easily, thank you,” Cassius told him.

“There are hits in the Po Valley,” Scipio said.

“None on Milan?” asked Cassius.

“It was too heavily defended.”

Cassius switched settings on his command shell, which switched his holoimages. A mushroom cloud rose in the Po River Valley. That was prime agricultural land. Good, good, that would hurt them in the belly.

“More nuclear warheads are detonating,” Scipio said.

“What percentage made it through their defenses?” asked Cassius.

“Fourteen point three-seven percent,” Scipio said. “No, make that fifteen point three.”

“So little?” asked Cassius.

“The number of point-defense establishments has dramatically risen.”

“Hmm,” said Cassius. Yet again, he redirected his holoimage, noting that Felix’s two-seater had interposed a drifting habitat between itself and Eurasia. Was the cockerel foolish enough to think he could remain there? Ah, no, the heavy orbital headed for deeper space. Maybe the youth could think after all.

“Begin battle analysis,” Cassius told Scipio.

“…Yes, sir,” said Scipio.

“Speak your mind.”

“Not all the orbitals have escaped the danger zone.”

“Notice the nuclear warhead patterns,” Cassius said. “Now direct your vectoring—”

“Oh,” said Scipio. “Yes, I see, sir. The warheads have affected SU defense, giving our orbitals cover. I will begin the battle analysis.”

Cassius switched off his holoimaging. How was it that he could see these things more quickly than other Highborn? Was it merely his superior genes? Or did his intense study of military history have something to do with it? Felix had his chromosomes and he’d received full Academy training. Would Felix be able to see as quickly? It was an interesting question, and one that Cassius planned to study in depth.

-20-

The raid over Eurasia had repercussions in Highborn High Command. Soon, Cassius found himself under criticism.

Item: He had revealed the existence of collapsium. The axiom concerning a technological advantage was simple. It should remain a secret until a substantial number of units were deployed in order to achieve a strategic victory.