Steele and his space marines stormed the building. The corridors echoed with the sounds of combat, coil guns firing in controlled bursts. Steele’s HUD marked targets as they cleared room after room, pushing deeper into the heart of the headquarters.

  In the command center, the enemy’s leadership was in disarray. Steele’s space marines burst in, their presence overwhelming. The Gurkha and Bengal soldiers inside were subdued, and the commanders were captured, their attempts at resistance futile against the marines’ superior technology and training.

  Steele approached the enemy commander, wondering if this was how it felt relieving Narva from the Russians long ago. “It’s over,” he said. “Sydney is ours.”

  With the enemy headquarters secured, Steele’s pod began to fortify their position, preparing for any counterattacks.

  The battle for Sydney and Australia might continue, but with the headquarters in their hands, the tide had likely turned decisively. They had descended from the heavens and chopped off the head of the beast holding Australia captive.

  -6-

  The fighting in Australia lasted another three weeks.

  The five VDSs blasted off into orbital space with their marines aboard. Before they left, the space marines handed over the enemy generals and top officers to the New World Conglomerate Forces.

  As hovercraft and VTOL jets chased the remnants of the World Government’s broken occupation army, the rebel soldiers joined with the NWC soldiers. At that point, Australians voted with their phones on whether they wished to join the New World Conglomerate.

  The plebiscite tallied 77 percent voting to join, 17 percent voting to decline, and 6 percent neutral on the matter.

  From Mexico City, the capital of the New World Conglomerate, an announcement informed the rest of the world that Australia would join North and South America, along with the old United Kingdom. Most people expected New Zealand and Tasmania to join soon.

  Of the world’s major islands, only Greenland, Indonesia, and the islands along the South China Sea remained under Director Drusus’ control.

  Certainly, she retained the bulk of Earth, but the NWC was a sizable opponent.

  A few weeks later, people began to discuss the Valiant invasion fleet. It was only a few months from reaching Earth. Time was running out, and there was no unified defense against the enemy.

  Many believed this corporate division had happened due to the iron projectiles from Iapetus smashing so many critical factories. It had gravely weakened Livia Drusus and her allies compared to everyone else.

  That meant a slowdown of supplies to the orbital stations. It had also brought a complete halt to building more Orion ships. There were a few missile defense systems on the Moon, but pitifully few compared to how many there could have been.

  CEO Petty spoke to the Chief CEO of the New World Conglomerate, Maria Chavez. She was a relatively young woman in her early forties. She had been a beauty pageant winner in Mexico in her youth. She had used her beauty, worming her way into the beds of several powerful corporation CEOs.

  Maria Chavez might have had the highest IQ among Livia Drusus and James Petty. She was cunning and ambitious as well.

  She knew how to gain an advantage and leverage it further. Several powerful CEOs who had taken her to bed, found that out to their dismay.

  She had made Petty several key promises for his help in Australia. One of them was sending up the parts of the Orion ship so workers could assemble it in the orbital space yards.

  Chavez reneged on that deal, using many excuses. She did send other supplies with the laser launch systems. Some of those were military hardware, including missiles meant for installation on the Moon.

  Petty pressed for all the promised items.

  Chavez sent other important items into space.

  Petty pressed her even more.

  “If Director Drusus sends you the parts of her Orion ship, I will send ours,” Chavez told him. “Until then, I won’t.”

  Petty quit pressing the issue. Those were the terms, and it didn’t seem as if Chavez would relent on them.

  “How can they be so short-sighted?” Petty asked Huber in his office aboard O.S. Aphrodite.

  “Power politics never changes,” Huber said. “The Orion ships are the biggest coins of the realm. You have three. Each of the others has one.”

  “It’s not a coin until the ship is assembled and ready for battle.”

  “Perhaps,” Huber said.

  “Three Orion ships cannot face three Enforcers on their own.”

  “Did you ever plan to do that?” Huber asked.

  “If I had eight Orion ships I would.”

  “Would you with five?” Huber asked.

  Petty mulled that over. His was the most precarious position against the approaching invasion fleet. He was on the front instead of being in the rear as before against those on Earth.

  “I still don’t get it,” Petty said. “How can the Valiants hope to do anything militarily with just three ships? That’s too few to win the orbital battle. Our massed missiles and railguns will obliterate them, never mind our Orion ships.”

  “You’re right,” Huber said. “That would indicate they have a different plan in mind.”

  “What plan?” Petty asked.

  Huber turned his big head, staring out a viewport at space. “I need to speak to your strategy team. We need possibilities and see which seems most reasonable.”

  “Do you think the Valiants expected to find Earth so disunited?” Petty asked.

  Huber shook his head. “I don’t know. It seems doubtful. They have auxiliary ships, but the three Enforcers seem like all the muscle they’re bringing. How do they hope to achieve anything with such a relatively small force?”

  Petty picked up a whiskey, sipping. “How did they get so far without us spotting the fleet?”

  “We must act, sir,” Huber said. “I have a terrible feeling the Valiants are about to achieve something critical. I suggest you work on repairing relations with the Director. I’ll attempt to pierce the alien plan. We must face the enemy united and smash this attack with overwhelming force.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Petty said. “How do you suggest I repair relations with Livia?”

  “I would start by seeking a face-to-face with her.”

  “Meet her in person?” Petty asked, aghast.

  “I doubt that would be wise,” Huber said. “No, a face-to-face video conference should do the trick.”

  Petty nodded, sipping the whiskey again. It was his fifth this afternoon. “I’ll start the process tomorrow.”

  Huber slid out of his chair. “I’ll do the same with your strategy people. First, though, I need a good night’s sleep. Good luck, sir.”

  “To you too,” Petty said, finishing the whiskey and wondering if he should have a sixth.

  -7-

  It had been years since Petty had spoken directly to Director Drusus. Did she still deserve the title of Director? North and South America, Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and other large islands were no longer under her control. She still controlled Greenland, many of the islands in the Arctic, and Indonesia, but some of those might soon fall away.

  Petty cracked his knuckles. He sat behind his desk, not on O.S. Aphrodite, but aboard one of the Orion ships. He did that in case anyone on Earth targeted the station. Petty no longer trusted Livia on this matter.

  Each of them had sent assassination teams at the other. Some of his best people had died to poison, the knife, the gun, or the strangling cord.

  Despite still dealing with a rebellion in the middle of India, Livia was beloved by the rest of the subcontinent and surrounding regions. An old Thuggee cult had resurfaced there. The Thuggees had been a secret criminal organization that operated in India for several hundred years, mainly during the 17th to 19th centuries. They had been infamous for their involvement in highway robbery and ritualistic killings.

  The Thuggees would often pose as travelers or religious pilgrims to gain the trust of their victims before strangling them with a cloth or rope, a method known as “thugging.” They believed that their actions were sanctioned by the Hindu goddess Kali and performed these acts as a form of ritual sacrifice.

  The British colonial authorities eventually launched a massive campaign to eradicate the Thuggee cult in the early 19th century. This campaign had involved extensive investigations, arrests, and executions, which ultimately led to the decline and eventual disappearance of the Thuggee organization.

  Eventually, “thuggery” came to denote any form of violent, aggressive, or criminal behavior, typically associated with gangs or organized crime, rather than referring to the specific historical context of the Thuggees in India.

  The modern Thuggees were some of Livia’s best assassins. They preferred to kill through strangulation as a nod to the Hindu goddess Kali and old times.

  The assassination games had shown Petty that he was vulnerable in orbital space, as he lacked a broad power base. Yes, the orbital stations and those on them were beholden to him, but they were such a small percentage of all the people on Earth. The orbital stations also lacked direct access to any industrial sites except for the space yards that constructed prefabricated Orion ships, orbital stations, satellites, and shuttles.

  The orbital stations were also the first line of defense against the aliens. That had been good against the iron projectiles, which had never targeted a station. Petty had indirectly whittled away at Livia’s power by working harder to stop the projectiles aimed at his allies’ industries than her industries. How good would the orbital advantage be against approaching warships?

  The stations had a gravitational advantage over those on Earth, as those on Earth were in a deep gravity well, having to pay vast energy costs to leave it.

  In other ways, Petty was the weakest of the three. Therefore, he tried to remain neutral in corporate power politics. That had changed with his openly siding with North and South America in Australia.

  “We’re ready, sir,” a communications officer said, poking his head through the open hatch.

  “Thank you,” Petty said. He pressed a button, and the hatch closed.

  Petty straightened, and then he looked into a screen. A moment later, Livia Drusus appeared.

  Livia didn’t look bad compared to what Petty had thought she would look like. Then he realized she used makeup and other arts to make herself look better than she was.

  “Hello, Director,” Petty said. “I appreciate the chance to talk to you directly.”

  Livia said nothing, although scorn and hatred shined in her eyes. Clearly, she still loathed him, probably wished him dead. It took a moment; then she breathed and said, “What do you want?”

  “Have you seen the latest videos of the alien vessels heading for Earth?”

  “What of it?”

  “The Enforcers are 100,000 tons each. That means they’re as big as an Orion ship.”

  “You have three Orion ships,” Livia said. “You have missiles. Defeat them. Defend us.”

  “I realize you believe combat between the aliens and my ships would gravely weaken me while leaving you on Earth unharmed. But what if the Valiants have powerful secret weapons?”

  Livia shrugged.

  “We know from past battles that the aliens will use aerosols and have other clever tactics,” Petty said. “We also know the aliens aren’t stupid, but brilliant. I doubt they would send three ships if they didn’t believe they could conquer with them.”

  “Now I understand,” Livia said. “You’re scared.”

  “Damn right, I’m scared,” Petty said. “I’m suggesting you ought to be scared, too.”

  “Why, because of a few rebels in North and South America?”

  “No,” Petty said. “Because the aliens are coming. Aren’t you listening to me?”

  Livia made a dismissive gesture. “I don’t see why I should trouble myself with the aliens. Three ships is a joke. If 30 ships approached, then yes, I would say we should throw aside our differences and unite against them. In the present circumstances, I’m sure you can deal with them.”

  “The Valiants have a plan no doubt guaranteed to defeat us,” Petty said.

  “What plan?”

  “Some suggest they might launch missiles onto Earth and spread a horrible new disease onto our planet, potentially exterminating us through it.”

  Once more, Livia shrugged. “We have scientists who can counter that. We might lose a few million, but if that is the Valiants’ great objective, it will fail.”

  “This is a long-term war,” Petty said. “We struck them. Now, they’re striking us for the first time. Well, coming themselves to strike us. That’s critical and telling.”

  “Why have they waited so long?”

  “I can’t answer that,” Petty said. “But they surely have a reason. That should frighten us enough to unite and eliminate the threat utterly.”

  “You’re a monomaniac on the subject. Very well, I’ll bite. What do you suggest we do?”

  “First, we must make peace with each other. Second, we must come to a workable concord in dealing with the aliens.”

  “Ah,” Livia said. “I see it now. You want me to recognize North and South America as independent corporations, as well as Australia and England, I suppose.”

  “That might be a good start,” Petty said.

  “What would they give me in return?”

  “Restart trade so we can work in concert and defeat the aliens.”

  “No,” Livia said, her features hardening. “They are upstarts, rebels. You should have helped me crush them. Instead, you threw your vaunted space marines into the fray and tore Australia from me. You captured some of my most brilliant commanders and created chaos within their army. That chaos was just enough to tip the balance against my force in Australia. You have done me a great disservice. I owe you mayhem in return. I should launch missiles against your orbital stations as the initial payback.”

  “Are you mad?” Petty said. “The aliens are coming. Take care of them first.”

  “You’re the Lord of Space,” Livia sneered. “Isn’t that your purview?”

  “Yes, but I need supplies and munitions. If I’m to do my part, I should receive the goods to do it.”

  “I am afraid we are at an impasse,” Livia said. “From now on, I will build my own Orion vessels down here and launch them directly from Earth. I suppose the others can do the same.”

  “You have to assemble the ships first,” Petty said. “It’s ten times easier to do that in space.”

  “Perhaps, but we have not forgotten the art of assembling big vessels.”

  “What about the damage you’ll do to Earth’s atmosphere with the nuclear explosions?” Petty asked.

  “If that concerns you so much, throw in with me and help me recover the lost corporations. Then, and only then, can we work together.”

  “Livia, I implore you, we must put aside our differences, defeat the aliens, and then we can fight each other. At least consider what I’m saying. What if you are doomed because you refuse to work with me?”

  Livia looked away. Did she find that a telling point? Finally, she looked up, casting a haunted gaze at him.

  “I suppose you think yourself clever,” Livia said. “You think that you can use this emergency to wrest more power from me. You think it will be a fait accompli, and I will accept the corporations that rebelled. Well, I don’t. I reject your plea. I will send you no Orion ships.”

  “If you won’t send it to me, the others won’t send me theirs. I need at least five Orion ships so I can face the enemy beyond Earth.”

  “Why is that important?” Livia asked.

  “In case the aliens have some grand strategy to destroy us. The best method to thwarting that is a forward defense.”

  “Do you think you could defeat the Valiant fleet with five Orion ships?”

  “I’ll have a better chance of doing so than with three. That almost doubles my combat power. And if I’m resupplied…”

  “You should have thought of that before you ordered your space marines into the fray. You have made a mortal enemy of me, Petty. Do you know what that means?”

  “That we’re doomed,” Petty said, dispirited. “That our species is as good as dead. I implore you; don’t do this. Let us make common cause so we’re not at each other’s throats when the aliens arrive. Study history. That is how many nations died.”

  Livia became thoughtful. “What are you willing to pay for this Orion ship?”

  “I’m not sure I understand the question.”

  “Of course you do,” Livia said. “I need Australia and Britain returned to me. Then, and only then, will I give you the parts to the Orion ship. Let me see you do that in good faith and we can continue our talks.”

  Petty wondered if she was mad with her lust for power. Did he have to assassinate her in order to free the planet? Such an assassination could embroil the Earth in an even worse civil war. It was time to think, to make deep and careful plans.

  “You tried,” Livia said. “I’ll give you that much.”

  Petty nodded. “Goodbye, Director. Perhaps we can talk again after you’ve thought about this.”

  “While you think about my demands,” Livia said. “And when you are ready, then I will be willing to listen to you.”

  -8-

  From: Strategic Review # 109, by Dr. Manfred Huber:

  After an extended consultation with the officers of the Orbital Strategy Staff, I have concluded that there are three primary possibilities regarding the goal of the Valiant invasion fleet.

  Firstly, before I list them, it is disconcerting that our telescopes did not spot the enemy fleet when it originally left the Saturn system. We believe their construction yards are in Titan’s near-orbital space. However, it is possible that this is a sham, and the real construction yards are farther away, hidden from our view.

  Secondly, the Voyager Akkad reached Titan and entered its orbital construction yards. That lends credibility to the idea that the Titan yards are real. The most intriguing question is why the Voyager returned to the Saturn system now. Unfortunately, we simply do not know.