Planet Wrecker

-68-

The three domes were in the center of a shallow crater two kilometers in diameter. Marten had taken pictures of it during their descent. Ringing the crater were burnt-out laser turrets. The torpedo bays were between the turrets and domes.

Marten, Nadia and Kleon crawled up the outer slope of the crater. Above them shined the stars and the bleakness of the Great Dark. Marten fought the impulse to jump to the top of the slope. Instead, he continued to walk in the soft stardust. At each footstep, dust slowly puffed upward.

“We should have brought thruster-packs,” said Kleon.

“We have what we have,” Marten said. “Now lower your transmission strength. We don’t want the cyborgs monitoring us.”

Soon, Marten flattened himself on the slope. He eased up the final distance and peered over the crater. Ancient rocks, a few boulders and smaller pitted craters dotted the plain before them. Across the plain stood the three low domes. The domes were situated more on the Earth-facing side of Asteroid E. Therefore, they were out of the line-of-sight of the Doom Stars’ lasers.

Nadia crawled beside Marten as she set down her sensor box.

“Turn that on, and the cyborgs are going to know we’re here,” said Kleon, through the com-link.

“They already know,” said Marten. “Ping them,” he told Nadia. “And be ready to slide down the slope.”

First adjusting the sensor-box, Nadia flipped a switch. Then she crouched lower down the slope, with her arms reaching upward to the box.

Marten used his helmet’s zoom feature. The three domes seemed to leap forward. There were rotating antenna dishes on top of the domes. Now ports slid open on the sides. There were flashes from those ports.

“Slide down!” shouted Marten. He pushed himself and wriggled madly down the slope.

Nadia pulled the box toward her.

“Leave it!” Marten roared.

She obeyed, and the three of them crawled. Seconds later, the top of the slope exploded. Kleon flew backward, and the line tethered between him and Nadia snapped tight, jerking her off her feet after him. A second later, Marten tumbled after Nadia. Marten clawed the ground. He was terrified they’d all be knocked upward and that they’d drift into space. As the line jerked again, pulling him off the ground, Marten gripped the edge of a boulder. His hands tightened and he strained to keep his grip. It slipped. He bellowed and clawed for a purchase, barely finding one. With grim determination, he clung to the boulder. In a moment, the intense pressure pulling him spaceward ceased. He looked up. Kleon was obviously dead, his helmet shattered.

“Cut him loose,” Marten said.

Nadia floated above him, with Kleon’s corpse even higher than she was.

“Nadia,” Marten said as calmly as he could. “You have to cut him loose. Kleon is dead.”

With a groan, she drew a vibroblade from her belt and cut the tether.

“Good,” Marten said. He began to drag her down to the surface.

“We’ve got cyborgs coming!” shouted Omi.