Mars.”
“The Sun already shoots its rays that far,” Marten said.
“The Sunbeam will shoot a coherent ray with vast killing power,” Ah Chen said.
“We could use that against the cyborgs,” Marten said.
Ah Chen nodded. “And after the cyborgs are gone, who will the Highborn use it against?”
Marten sagged against his seat as he glanced at Osadar. “Just how potent is this Sunbeam supposed to be?”
“The Highborn are taking deep-core mine specialists to the Sun Station,” Ah Chen said. “It has led me to believe that the ray is many factors more powerful than the greatest beams deployed so far.”
“Whoever has the Sunbeam can fire at anyone in Inner Planets,” Osadar said. “The only protection would be to hide behind an asteroid or planet.”
“The focusing problem needed to hit a ship in Mars orbit…it would be impossible,” Marten said.
Ah Chen shook her head. “To save time and so you will understand that I am privy to highly classified information, I will tell you my shame. The Highborn…have taken to seeing the women of Earth. One of the Sun Station’s chief engineers has been testing deep-core personnel in Australia Sector. He liked me and then he demanded I please him. After our times together, he spoke about many things. He was very boastful and proud.”
“They all are,” Marten said.
“How awful for you,” Nadia said.
Ah Chen nodded as she stared at the floor, speaking in a quiet voice. “I learned that the premier Highborn of the Sun-Works Factory—a Commandant Maximus—has declined a command position on a Doom Star several times already. According to the chief engineer, there are some Highborn who consider Maximus as Grand Admiral Cassius’s equal in strategic ability.”
“You think Maximus has declined the combat position because he’s found something even deadlier than a Doom Star?” Marten said.
“I do,” Ah Chen said.
“I can accept this,” Osadar said. “What I don’t understand is why you came all the way across Eurasia to tell Marten.”
“He is the Jovian Representative,” Ah Chen said, shyly glancing at the others. “He has space marines, and I remembered Marten Kluge. He did not like others controlling him.”
Marten laughed. It was a grim sound. “You think I should take my marines and try to storm this Sun Station.”
“I do,” Ah Chen said.
As the magnetic lifters raced for Geneva, silence descended upon the compartment.
Nadia turned frightened eyes upon Marten, shaking her head. She obviously didn’t like the idea. Marten scowled, with his eyes narrowed as he stared at an unseen place, thinking deeply.
“How can we do something like that?” asked Osadar, the first to break the silence. “These are Highborn we’re speaking about. We cannot defeat them with our handful.”
“To begin with,” Marten said, “we have to get off Earth. After that…after that, we’re going to have to do some serious thinking.”
His words left Nadia stricken. She stared at Ah Chen with growing hostility.
-13-
The civil war turned ugly fast.
The magnetic lifters passed a column of cybertanks heading for the Po Valley and ultimately for Milan, one would presume. The one hundred ton tanks were massive vehicles. Their treads churned up the road as their automated warfare pods scanned the skies and hunted for enemy on the ground.
Marten counted twenty of them. A half hour later as they began to climb the Ouster Pass, he spotted another two columns. Sixty new cybertanks headed for the front.
“Cone must be emptying the northern cities of them,” Osadar said. “She means to crush Italia Sector.”
“Or to gain Milan’s proton beam,” Marten said.
They had watched a Backus broadcast earlier. For seemingly cryptic reasons, the director had threatened to destroy the boosters launching from Geneva to supply the fleet.
“Cone is taking Backus’s threats seriously,” Marten added.
“Force-Leader!” Xenophon shouted. The small Jovian was pale as he said, “They’re using nuclear weapons, sir.”
Marten looked up at Xenophon’s screen. A mushroom cloud rose in the distance.
“It ignited in the Po Valley,” Xenophon said.
“Button the hatches!” Marten shouted. “Ground the lifters!”
The nine magnetic lifters soon thudded onto the ground as one after another they came to a halt. Then more mushroom clouds rose skyward.
“Madness,” Osadar said.
They waited, but the nuclear explosions were far enough away so that no screaming winds or intense heat washed over them.
“Who launched those?” Osadar asked.
Marten shook himself out of his stupor. He was remembering long ago on the Pacific Ocean as Social Unity launched nukes on their convoy. He had been on his way to Japan Sector then.
“Rev up the engines,” Marten radioed his troops. There was heavy static on the line. “We need to get off-world before Cone and Backus destroy each other and us with them.”
During the next two hours, they picked up several interesting broadcasts. Through it, they began to piece together what had happened. The added cybertanks had told almost immediately on the push toward Milan. Soon thereafter, Director Backus must have made his monumental decision: using nuclear missiles. Backus’s propagandist claimed total annihilation of the invading cybertanks, and the announcer added they were akin to cyborg troops, making Cone a stooge of the terrible enemy.
Seventeen minutes later, Osadar signaled Marten. “You have a message from Cone.”
He nodded, and tapped his screen. A harried Vice-Chairman Cone peered at him. High-ranking officers moved in the background amid a babble of sounds.
“The Geneva launch-site is under attack,” Cone said in her clipped way. “You should reroute to a different site.”
“To where?” asked Marten.
“Moscow would make the—”
“We have to lift now,” Marten said.
“Backus has infiltration agents everywhere,” Cone said. “There are viruses in much of our European software. We’ve hit the Milan proton-beam…” She shook her head. “An air-wing has gone over to him. They used missiles. Now interceptors are headed for Geneva. We have reason to believe they carry nuclear payloads. I urgently suggest you head elsewhere.”
“We’re fifteen minutes from the launch-site,” Osadar said quietly.
Marten squeezed his eyes closed. His heart thudded in his chest. He wanted to get off-planet now. He wanted to get back onto his patrol boats. Who knew how this civil war would go?
“No,” Marten said, opening his eyes. “We’re headed for Geneva. Keep a booster on the ground for us.”
“You’re taking a terrible risk,” Cone said.
“Yes,” Marten said. “Now I have to go. Leave us that booster.”
“…I’ll see what I can do.”
Marten radioed the other lifters. “I know these roads are treacherous and we’re in the Alps, but let’s push it.”
