Harven shook his head. “I don’t know, Chief Marshal. The deception seems odd, and I don’t like not knowing the true reason.”

  Assur wished Naram Sin were on the bridge. Should he call him? Too many would hear the questions in his voice. Later… he would speak about this later to the so-called Chess Master.

  “Clearly and logically, the humans must have had a reason for what they did,” Assur said. “We ought to be able to divine it easily enough.”

  “I agree that we should be able to,” Harven said. “I just don’t know what it could be.”

  The bridge crew exchanged uneasy glances. They had bought themselves clarity at the cost of a little firepower, the expended missiles.

  Assur continued to wonder. The only explanation he could conceive was that the delay caused by engaging the objects meant they hadn’t deployed the aerosol cloud yet. The humans surely hadn’t forgotten Valiants used aerosol clouds to shield or hide their exact dispositions as they neared the enemy. Surely, the decoys couldn’t be related to that, though.

  Assur became uneasy as he said, “Prepare to deploy the aerosol cloud.”

  “We need a few more minutes, sir,” an officer said. “We’re switching on the venting tanks.”

  The minutes passed and still nothing had happened. Why did Assur feel troubled? The aerosol cloud couldn’t be it, could it? How could the humans use the delay in any way? It didn’t make sense. The nearest enemy vessels must be behind the Moon. A missile launched from there would take hours to reach the Enforcers.

  “What’s the status on the aerosol deployment?” Assur asked.

  “We’re ready to deploy … now, Chief Marshal.”

  “Then start,” Assur said. “You should have started already.”

  “Deploy the aerosol cloud,” came the command over the fleet’s secure channel.

  Within moments, the Enforcers released a fine mist of particles into the space ahead of them. The aerosol cloud expanded rapidly, forming a dense screen that shimmered in the reflected light. The particles were designed to scatter light and radar signals, creating a ghostly veil between them and the enemy.

  The cloud’s purpose was twofold: it served as a visual and sensor shield and provided a medium for electronic warfare devices to scatter and create false signals to confound any prying eyes from Earth. As the cloud spread, the tension on the bridge eased.

  Though the reason for the humans deploying decoys remained unclear, the fleet was finally protected from direct surveillance, ready to engage the humans in the final battle.

  -19-

  Unbeknownst to the alien fleet, a secret weapon was waiting, hidden by layers of black ice, in plain sight, and closer to the approaching fleet than any Valiant would be able to believe. These missiles, encased in their frigid armor, lay dormant, hidden from Valiant sensors and teleoptics. The missiles waited serenely for the signal that would bring them to life.

  On OS Aphrodite, as operators nervously watched the tableau, timing everything, the signal was finally sent. With a quiet hum, the encrypted message traveled past the Moon, soon reaching a point five million kilometers beyond the Moon.

  On each missile, the black ice began to crack open, spider-web fissures spreading across its surface. The missiles, like hibernating beasts, came to life as engines ignited. Then the massed missiles began to surge forward in timed sequences, breaking free from their icy prisons.

  Ironically, the aerosol cloud hid the missiles from the Enforcers. For once, luck sided in the humans’ favor.

  ***

  Less than an hour later, aboard the Marduk, Sub-Marshal Harven monitored the tactical displays, scanning for any anomalies. His eyes narrowed as an alert sounded. Multiple, fast-moving contacts burst through the aerosol cloud, their trajectories unmistakable.

  “Incoming missiles,” Harven shouted. “All hands to battle stations.”

  The Marduk’s alarms blared, red lights flashing as crewmembers rushed to their stations. Harven targeted the nearest missile with an active particle beam cannon. They weren’t all online yet, but they would be soon.

  A blue-white lance of energy shot out from the Marduk, striking the missile and reducing it to a cloud of debris.

  Nearby, the Lagash’s particle beam cannon also discharged ionized particles. At the same time, point-defense cannons whirred into action, unleashing torrents of depleted uranium rounds.

  Roaring commands indicated that the other cannons would be ready soon.

  The other Enforcers were doing likewise.

  The lead enemy missiles disintegrated under the onslaught, their nuclear payloads rendered inert by intense energy and high-velocity projectiles.

  The missiles seemed endless, however, appearing in greater numbers as they continued to burst through the aerosol cloud. For once, the human-forged weapons used the cloud to their advantage.

  Even as the Enforcers fired with all their particle beam cannons, one missile slipped through the defensive barrage, its hardened casing resisting the uranium slugs hammering against it. The missile closed, its proximity fuse triggered by the Lagash’s 100,000-ton bulk.

  A blinding flash erupted as the warhead detonated near the hull, the nuclear explosion creating a shockwave that rippled against the ship. The hull buckled and cracked under the force, chunks of armor flying off into space.

  The Lagash’s internal systems struggled to cope with the sudden surge of radiation that swept through the damaged sections. The Valiants felt the ship shudder. Radiation alarms blared, and some of the crew staggered as the insidious effects of poisoning began to take hold.

  The Valiants were not easily cowed, however. They continued to man their stations. Damage control teams raced to affected areas, sealing off sections of the ship and rerouting power away from the crippled systems.

  As they worked, yet more missiles emerged from the aerosol cloud and flashed toward the Lagash like sharks smelling blood. It appeared the missiles’ AI recognized a damaged ship and zeroed in on it instead of the other Enforcers.

  At the same time, the particle beam cannons fired. The missiles exploded in droves. The Earthers were fools if they thought this evil deception would work.

  Assur leaned forward in his command chair, thinking, How could this be happening?

  “We’re destroying all the missiles,” Harven said. “We have this under control.”

  Assur glanced at Harven.

  Then another missile that had evaded the particle beams and massed point-defense slugs detonated near the Lagash. Breaches widened, and ship atmosphere vented into space, carrying debris and now bodies.

  Hard behind that missile came a third one. This missile slammed into the Lagash, its hardened casing piercing the ship’s superstructure. A second passed. Then, the warhead detonated, a violent flash that turned everything searing white. The nuclear fireball expanded in the blink of an eye, a sphere of boiling energy consuming everything in its path. The blast wave shredded bulkheads and hurled debris through corridors at lethal velocities. Compartments collapsed, their bulkheads crumpling into nothing.

  The Lagash split open along its length, spilling its innards into space.

  As the fireball reached the ship’s reactor core, a second explosion rocked the ship. This blast sent shockwaves through the disintegrating structures, amplifying the devastation. The remains of the Lagash were flung outward: a cloud of glowing debris and radioactive particles.

  Aboard the Marduk, the bridge crew watched the destruction in disbelief and agony.

  Assur stepped up to Harven. At first, the Chief Marshal couldn’t speak. Then, in a dull voice, he said, “How could this have happened?”

  Harven looked up, staring helplessly.

  “Are more missiles coming?” Assur said.

  There was silence until a weapons officer said, “No. It looks like we stopped the missiles.”

  “Now we know why the humans used the decoys,” Assur said. “They were masking the hidden missiles. Where did the missiles come from?”

  No one answered, as no one knew. Most of the officers were too shocked to speak.

  Assur scowled, with his mind racing. He had lost an Enforcer. They were down to five and the battle hadn’t even started yet. The Earthers had improved their tactics. Damn them and their decoys.

  Sensors were now launched from the Enforcers. These were probes that moved through the aerosol cloud to the front, slowing and remaining there. They would be the fleet’s eyes, watching for signs of the Earthers’ next move.

  They had delayed this action. If only they had done it earlier...

  “We will smash them,” Assur declared hoarsely. “We will annihilate them as a species for this treacherous act. They got in one good blow. It is going to be their last, I swear to you.”

  Assur couldn’t remain dull and shocked. It made him too angry. He had lost an Enforcer. He felt sick, but more determined than ever to finish this fight and the solar-wide war with it.

  -20-

  In Command Central aboard OS Aphrodite, Petty, Huber, and others cheered and hugged each other as they watched one of the hated Enforcers disintegrate under the mass assault of the black-ice missiles.

  They received the data from a Watchdog satellite behind and to the side of the enemy fleet.

  “The ruse was perfect.” Petty said in a loud voice. “This was more than we could have ever hoped. Well done, everyone. Well done, indeed.” He pointed to a communications operator. “Send a missive to Admiral Tojo: ‘Sir, I commend your placement of the stealth missiles. We have achieved the destruction of one of the enemy’s Enforcers. Now, sir, I implore you to prepare for the grand assault against the enemy.’”

  With a nod, Petty acknowledged the end of the message. In moments, the comms officer sent it.

  “Well, Huber,” Petty said, “isn’t this an excellent beginning to the Battle for Earth?”

  “Indeed, the diminutive Huber said. “Let us hope that we continue to make such excellent progress.”

  Petty laughed as the two turned to watch the main display. It showed the aerosol cloud concealing the Enforcers. The cloud and the warships behind it continued heading for Earth. However, if the aliens believed that was going to hide them from Earth’s eyes, they had another thing coming. Watchdog satellites placed far to the sides examined them, beaming information back to relay stations. The relay stations sent the data to OS Aphrodite, the heart of Earth’s defense.

  Over the next half hour, it became clear. The five Enforcers had gained separation from the aerosol cloud. That meant the warships had braked further so the cloud pulled further ahead of them.

  “The Valiants think they’re tricky, do they?” Petty said.

  “We can count on that, sir,” Huber replied.

  Petty nodded, finally sobering. “We won a victory with the decoys and missiles, but we haven’t won the battle.”

  “I couldn’t have put that better myself,” Huber said.

  “Well now,” Petty said as they looked at the tactical displays, seeing that the seven Orion ships were waiting behind the Moon relative to the incoming alien fleet. The Moon was swinging around Earth, interposing itself between the enemy fleet and the home planet.

  “It’s time to launch the first phase, sir,” one of the chief analysts said.

  “Relay that to Senior General Bain,” Petty said.

  A message was sent.

  Soon, from behind the Moon, the Phoenix capsules swung around and accelerated toward the hated enemy fleet. Seventy-four capsules with augmented thrusters gained velocity. Among them were deployable space marine breaching units. These were improved versions of the ones the marines had used at Neptune when Colonel Mike Steele had successfully boarded the Akkad.

  Colonel Garvey and First Lieutenant Steele were aboard these breaching units, moving away from the Moon. All the space marines were pressed against acceleration couches as the breaching vessels gained velocity as they raced toward the aerosol cloud.

  The expanding cloud was now four million kilometers away and closing in to the Moon.

  Behind the alien fleet, coming up fast, were the three asteroids—the planet killers.

  Earth Defense planned to engage and destroy the screening Enforcers before attempting to stop the planet killers.

  CEO Petty and Dr. Huber watched from Command Central on Aphrodite as the Phoenix capsules and marine breaching units headed toward an engagement with destiny.

  At this point, the seven Orion ships remained behind the Moon. And at this point, the three completed mass drivers on the Moon waited to engage the asteroids when their turn came.

  Meanwhile, the Enforcers and asteroids zeroed in on Earth, with the asteroids rapidly closing the gap with the Enforcers. The stage was set for the greatest battle the solar system had ever known.

  -21-

  On the bridge of the Marduk, Chief Marshal Assur studied the main screen and spoke with Naram Sin in the Enkidu. Assur was still numb over the loss of the Lagash. He could not believe that tricky humans had pulled off such a coup. He shook his head, trying to drive that from his thoughts. He should have listened to Naram Sin earlier about stealth assaults.

  “Can we still win this battle?” Assur asked over the comms.

  “Steady, Chief Marshal,” Naram Sin replied from the Enkidu. “Our victory is assured. First, we must destroy the advancing screen of vessels heading for us. According to my analysts, some of those are the same breaching capsules the humans used against the Akkad at Neptune.”

  “I had not realized.” Assur looked at his bridge crew accusingly. “No one here recognized that yet?”

  “The humans have disguised their breaching vessels to a significant degree,” Naram Sin said. “But I was suspicious, and our sensors detected the extra structures they added on the breaching units to disguise their true function.”

  “The humans are nothing if not clever little bastards, aren’t they?” Assur said.

  “Yes, Chief Marshal,” Naram Sin replied. “They are clever. They are clever, and they breed like cockroaches.”

  “Ah, you have watched the Earth nature shows on cockroaches?” Assur said.

  “I have,” Naram Sin said. “It is disgusting and repulsive that the Earthers would share their planet with such vile creatures.”

  “I wonder if that is why our people left Earth long ago.”

  “Chief Marshal?” Naram Sin asked.

  “Never mind, never mind. Do you have a firing pattern to use against the approaching swarm of small ships?”

  “I do,” Naram Sin said. “Shall I send it over?”

  “Immediately,” Assur said.

  A few minutes later, Assur reviewed the fire spread and amount in terms of launched missiles. So many, he thought to himself. Then he looked up at his bridge crew. “Send this to the rest of the fleet. We will use the Chess Master’s fire plan.”

  “When will we launch, Chief Marshal?” Harven asked.

  “Now,” Assur said. “We will launch them now—or as soon as the other ships are ready.”

  Soon, each of the Enforcers launched a mass of missiles. They overcompensated partly because the Lagash was gone and could no longer contribute any of its destroyed missiles to the barrage.

  “I believe this is the key moment,” Naram Sin told Assur. “Clearly, the humans are relying on their space marines to help even the odds. They successfully used the marines against us at Neptune. Now, they want to replicate the feat here. Therefore, if we can annihilate the breaching capsules before the Orion ships move up to shield them—”

  “Do you suspect the Orion ships will try to do that?” Assur asked, interrupting.

  “I certainly do. That is why we’re using our fastest missiles to strike now.”

  “Ah,” Assur said. “Yes, yes. That is wise.”

  “I thought you had already noticed that part,” Naram Sin said.

  “I did,” Assur lied. “Of course I noticed. Now, we will begin the launch sequence.”

  The missiles gathered in front of the Enforcers, they used gentle thrust. The missiles slowly moved into the aerosol cloud and beyond. Once beyond the cloud, they began to accelerate at full burn, maneuvering in a staggered formation. They headed straight for the oncoming Phoenix capsules and space marine breaching units.

  Did Petty mean to draw the fangs—more missiles—from the enemy with these smaller vessels?

  In one of the Phoenix capsules, Senior General Bain wondered about that. He hated the idea of being the goat to lure the tiger. Wasn’t it better than ending up in former Director Drusus’ Shark Tank? Bain thought so.

  In a heavily armored breaching unit, First Lieutenant John Steele lay on an acceleration couch, his helmet off as he wore his 1.5-ton battlesuit. Was Garvey confident about all this? Steele grinned. Garvey was finally going into action as a space marine against the enemy. It was the old man’s lifelong dream.

  Steele inhaled deeply. Could he do what his dad had at Neptune? He would try—not only for the Steele family legacy but also for his beloved wife, Dawnstar, and their two beautiful children.

  As all this occurred, the Battle for Earth entered its next stage.

  -22-

  For two and a half hours, the Phoenix capsules and the space marine breaching units accelerated away from the Moon and toward the aerosol cloud.

  As the two and a half hours concluded, Dr. Huber nodded at CEO Petty. Petty nodded to the comms officer, who sent the go-ahead signal.

  Soon, tall, cautious Admiral Wilson, with his four Orion ships, and Admiral Tojo, with his three Orion ships, engaged their nuclear pulse propulsion systems.

  WHAM

  WHAM

  WHAM

  WHAM

  WHAM

  WHAM

  With nuclear bombs detonating, the 100,000-ton Orion ships accelerated around the Moon and toward the approaching aerosol cloud. Behind the cloud was the first enemy fleet of Enforcers and auxiliary vessels. The admirals had data on what lay behind the aerosol cloud, so it was hoped the cloud would not prove important in the coming fight.