One Way To Mars

Chapter 27

The Goliath settled in a hugecrater, sending up a cloud of red dust. Storme made his finalinspection.

'Right, you scrunts. You know whywe are here. We have the element of surprise on our side, plussuperior fire-power. I'm not expecting any resistance, but if we do,we'll deal with it. We are travelling at night over unknown terrain.Polaski. You'll drive Battle Buggy One. I'll be up front with you.Use lights until the last twenty miles. Slow right down at thatpoint. We do not want to be trying to dig the beast out of a ravine.Got that, Polaski?'

'Yessir, Commander.'

'Pascalli. You'll drive BattleBuggy Two. Pratt. You be his eyes when the lights go out.'

'Yessir.'

'Get strapped in. And I don'tmean tomorrow. MOVE!'

The battle buggies were allpressure sealed units, sixteen wheels, laser cannons mounted fore andaft, capable of travelling at ninety miles per hour, carrying ninefully armed troopers plus the drivers. Even being sealed, Storme madehis men suit up. The terrain was too treacherous to take chanceswith.

Storme got in his seat next tothe driver. He pressed the button on his radio.

'Tanner. Open the door.'

The entire back of the Goliathopened up to the Martian night sky.

'Bye, bye, shit head,' saidTanner.

'Later, Tanner. MOVE!'

The Battle Buggies rolledforwards, and there in front of them was the mighty Olympus Mons, thebiggest mountain in the solar system. Rolling steadily along at fortymiles per hour, both Polaski and Storme looked out for naturalhazards. The buggies were tough and tested, but the Martian landscapewas a mishmash of craters and ravines. The many sandstorms couldeasily fill a ravine, making them undetectable until it was too late.Only fools and men on a mission, like the uncompromising CommanderStorme, would even contemplate driving two hundred miles at night.And only men whipped into shape by a leader like Storme would becrazy enough to follow him.