Stand by for Mars! - Carey Rockwell (reading in the dark txt) 📗

three and four of Squadron F⁠—you will proceed to chart six⁠—sectors sixty-eight through seventy-five. Cut all rockets and remain there until further orders. The remainder of Squadron F⁠—ships one and two⁠—will join Squadron A. Squadron A will stand by for further orders.” Tom glanced at the clock and punched the intercom button.

“Have you got that course, Roger?”

“Three degrees on the starboard rockets, seventy-eight degrees on the up-plane of the ecliptic will put you at the corner of Luna Drive and Moonset Land in the heart of Luna City, spaceboy!” answered Roger.

“Get that, Astro?” asked Tom on the intercom.

“All set,” replied Astro.

“Attention all ships in Squadron A⁠—this is flagship⁠—code name Starlight⁠—am changing course. Stand by to form up on me!”

Tom turned back to the intercom.

“Power deck, execute!”

At more than five thousand miles an hour, the Polaris hurtled toward its destination. One by one the remaining ships moved alongside until all six had their needlelike noses pointed toward the pale satellite of the Moon.

“I’d like to know what your plans are, Tom,” said Strong, when the long haul toward the Moon had settled down to a routine. “Just idle curiosity, nothing more. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“Golly, yes,” said Tom, “I’d be very grateful for your opinion.”

“Well, let’s have it,” said the captain. “But as for my opinion⁠—I’ll listen, but I won’t say anything.”

Tom grinned sheepishly.

“Well,” he began, “if I were in command of the invading fleet, I would strike in force⁠—I’d have to, to do damage with only eight ships. There are three possible approaches to Luna City. One is from the Earth side, using the eclipse corridor of darkness as protection. To meet that, I’ve stationed two ships at different levels and distances in that corridor so that it would be impossible for an invasion to pass unnoticed.”

“You mean, you’d be willing to give up two ships to the invader to have him betray his position. Is that right?”

“Yes, sir. But I’ve also sent Squadrons B and C to sectors eight and nine on chart seven. So I have a roving squadron to go to their aid, should the invader strike there. And on the other hand, should he manage to get through my outer defense, I have Squadrons D and E over Luna City itself as an inner defense. As for Squadron A, we’ll try to engage the enemy first and maybe weaken him; at least reduce the full force of his attack. And then have Squadrons B, C, D and E finish him off, by attack from three different points.”

Strong nodded silently. The young cadet was shaping up a defensive strategy with great skill. If he could only follow through on his plans, the invaders of Luna City wouldn’t have much chance of success⁠—even if willing to take heavy losses.

Roger’s voice came on. “Got a report for you, Tom. From command ship, Squadron B. They’ve sighted the invaders and are advancing to meet them.”

Tom checked his charts and turned to the intercom.

“Send them this message, Roger,” he said. “From Starlight, to command ship, Squadrons B and C⁠—approach enemy ships from position of chart nineteen, sections one through ten.”

“Right!” said Roger.

Strong smiled. Tom was driving his heaviest force between the invading fleet and its objective⁠—forcing the aggressors into a trap.

Tom gave more crisp orders to his squadrons. He asked Roger for an estimated range, and then, rechecking his position, turned again to the intercom.

“Astro, how much could you get out of this baby by opening the by-pass between the cooling pumps and the reactant chamber? That’d mean feeding the stuff into the motors only half cooled.”

Strong turned, started to speak, then clamped his lips together.

“Another quarter space speed, roughly,” replied Astro, “about fifteen hundred miles more an hour. Do you want me to do that?”

“No, not now,” replied Tom. “Just wanted to know what I could depend on, if I get stuck.”

“OK,” said Astro. “Let me know!”

“Why use emergency speed, Corbett?” asked Strong. “You seem to have your enemy right where you want him now.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Tom. “And the enemy knows I have him. He can’t possibly attack Luna City now. But he can still run away. He can make his escape by this one route.”

Tom walked to the chart and ran his finger on a line away from the invader’s position into the asteroid belt.

“I don’t want him to get away,” Tom explained. “And with the extra speed, we can cut him off, force him to turn into a position where the remainder of my fleet would finish him off.”

“You’ll do this with just the Polaris?”

“Oh, no, sir,” said Tom. “I’d use the Arcturus, Capella and the Centauri, as well.”

“Are you sure those other ships can equal your speed?”

“They’ve got exactly the same type engines as we have here on the Polaris, sir. I’m sure they could⁠—and with perfect safety.”

Strong hesitated a moment, started to ask a question, then stopped and walked to the chart screen. He checked the figures. He checked them four times, then turned to Tom with a grin and an outstretched hand.

“I’ve got to offer my congratulations, Tom. This maneuver would wipe them out. And I’ve got a notion that you’d come off without the loss of a single ship, plus, and it is a big plus, keeping the invaders more than fifty thousand miles away from their objective!”

The captain turned to the teleceiver. “Rocket cruiser Polaris to control tower at Space Academy⁠—”

There was a crackle of static and then the deep voice of Commander Walters boomed from the speaker.

“Spaceport control to Polaris. Come in, Steve.”

In a few brief sentences, Strong outlined Tom’s plan of action to the Academy commander. The commander’s face on the teleceiver widened into a grin, then broke out in a hearty laugh.

“What’s that, sir?” asked Captain Strong.

“Very simple, Steve. All of us⁠—all the Academy top brass⁠—develop a foolproof test for cadet maneuvers. And then your young Corbett makes us look like amateurs.”

“But didn’t you