“In the storming of the Bangladesh you are correct. What occurred afterward?”
“You have files concerning that?”
“The Grand Admiral knows I do not. The experimental beamship was destroyed.”
“It’s your move.”
The Praetor studied the chessboard. After a moment, he looked up. “My neutraloids are superior to the shock troopers.”
“In a primitive setting, you may be right. The shock troopers were high-tech soldiers. We will need a four hundred percent increase in space combat premen to help secure the remaining farm habitats in Earth orbit. If the neutraloids could function as police, they could perform some useful task. They are, however, too savage to be policemen.”
“I have taken steps to modify their savagery.”
The Grand Admiral grunted in a noncommittal manner.
The Praetor shifted in his chair and resumed studying the chessboard. He willed his thoughts onto the game and spent the next five minutes mentally moving the chess-pieces five, six and then seven moves ahead. Finally, he dropped his bishop two levels and captured another pawn. This piece he lined up precisely with his other captured pawns.
“If—” the Praetor began to say.
Grand Admiral Cassius held up a big hand, signaling for silence. He then clasped his left wrist again and leaned forward like a statue. After three minutes, he captured the bishop with a castle.
The Praetor nodded, trying to hide his smile.
“I appreciate your dedication to solving the space combat dilemma,” the Grand Admiral rumbled. “We have too few Highborn and need additional population if we’re to conquer the Solar System.”
The Praetor yearned to hold up his hand and halt the Grand Admiral’s words. He recognized the tactic of only talking during his turns. The Grand Admiral used his position of strength, of possessing the higher rank. The Praetor did not think that was unfair. A position of strength should be exploited for all the advantages it could give. He simply wished he had the high ground, not the Grand Admiral.
“It is a pressing dilemma,” the Praetor agreed.
“This training of premen space-combat soldiers fails to engage your talents to the full benefit of the Highborn.”
The Praetor blinked slowly, the game forgotten now. He trembled with seething vitality, his rage only held in check by his will. He yearned to flex his big hands. He wanted to lunge across the chessboard, wrap his fingers around the Grand Admiral’s throat and squeeze the life from him. Surely, the Grand Admiral had to offer him the command of the Hannibal Barca.
“The premen of Social Unity have moved more quickly than I’d foreseen.”
“They surprised you?” the Praetor asked.
The Grand Admiral shook his iron-haired head. “Surprise is the wrong word. I have set a trap for them. It is a delicate trap, however. I have debated with myself whether their side had a commander worthy enough to see the possibility and thereby find himself lured by my bait.”
The Praetor waited as he wondered what the Grand Admiral was talking about. He was too proud to admit that he didn’t know.
“Five days ago, Social Unity launched a surprise assault.”
“I’m obviously well aware of that,” the Praetor said.
“You are probably also aware that we probe the Earth’s defenses with the Hannibal Barca.”
“You’re bringing the Julius Caesar into near-Earth orbit to help?”
“The premen expect it, so it’s best to comply and keep them from thinking too deeply,” the Grand Admiral said.
The Praetor’s nostrils flared. He wished the Grand Admiral would get to the point and offer him command of the Hannibal Barca.
“Consider the problem, Praetor. We possess five Doom Stars. There are four planets in the inner system. We could pin down each planet with a Doom Star and have one extra warship for duty wherever the primary objective happens to be. That extra warship, however, took damage. Fortunately, the Genghis Khan nears completion of its repairs. The problem still remains, however, especially with the damage sustained by the Hannibal Barca.”
“Our Doom Star left Mars for just that reason,” the Praetor said. “Mars is now in Rebel hands so it’s out of Social Unity’s hands. That means we have five Doom Stars for three planets.”
“The Bangladesh highlighted our dilemma,” the Grand Admiral said, as if he hadn’t heard the Praetor.
“Guerilla attacks?” the Praetor asked.
“Would you call the pounding your Sun-Works Factory took a guerilla attack?”
“We destroyed the Bangladesh,” the Praetor said.
“But we have not yet solved the situation. Mind you, it could become worse if the other planets came to Social Unity’s aid.”
“The Outer Planets?” the Praetor asked in jest.
“The Jupiter Confederation once came to the aid of the Mars Rebels.”
“Those Rebels now control Mars.”
“I will frame the situation exactly, Praetor. We own Mercury but must guard it with at least one Doom Star to insure its safety. We pin down Venus with a Doom Star and thereby cut it off from the rest of Inner Planets. Soon, we will have three Doom Stars in Earth orbit. Yet if we wish to travel anywhere else in the Solar System, we must leave at least one Doom Star on guard duty here and preferably two.”
“Go on,” the Praetor said.
“As I’m sure you understand, the problem is the Social Unity space fleet. As long as it exists, we must scatter our Doom Stars in this inefficient manner. The longer the war progresses, the longer the Outer Planets have to come to their senses and join their fellow premen against us. Premen are slow-witted and often foolish to an amazing degree. They still do, however, have overwhelming numbers.”
“Has the Intelligence Service discovered communications between Inner and Outer Planets?”
The Grand Admiral nodded.
The idea made the Praetor uncomfortable. There were two million Highborn, more or less. The training schools graduated just enough young Highborn to make up for combat losses. Earth System alone still contained over thirty-eight billion premen. If the entire Solar System of premen should unite against the Highborn—
“You spoke about a trap,” the Praetor said.
“I believe the director of the premen war effort possesses elementary cunning. The Bangladesh affair proves that. The stiffening of their war effort on Earth also points to it. Our days of easy victories are over for the present. I therefore withdrew the Doom Star from Mars in order to give him a golden opportunity.”
“You left the Rebels in charge of the orbital defenses.”
“Yes. Now you’re beginning to see. Our exit from Mars seemed reasonable from their limited view. The SU premen will think we believe we’ve garrisoned the planet against them.”
“But we have not done so sufficiently?” the Praetor asked.
“No. I say this for two reasons. One, Social Unity still possesses many powerful warships, a more than credible force if combined. Two, that force will have another surprise for us.”
“Of what nature?” the Praetor asked.
The Grand Admiral chuckled. “This is nothing the Intelligence Services have discovered. It is something I have logically deduced.”
The Praetor frowned.
“We are superior, Praetor, but we are not infallible. The premen have among them intelligent scientists and able tacticians. They will have a surprise, maybe even two surprises, that we have not foreseen. I accept that and plan accordingly. The trick is to use their surprises against them.”
The Praetor waited, having expended his willingness to ask questions.
“I have enticed Social Unity to gather their scattered warships into one place,” the Grand Admiral said. “This place is Mars. Using their trick, they will likely capture the Rebel orbital defenses in short order. If it is bloody for them, that will be even better for us. The point is they will set their space forces and orbital defenses to face us. They will no doubt believe they’re setting a trap for us.”