and insignificant by comparison to what happened on Earth.
“According to the broadcasts we received next,” Wabussie continued, “it was about three months later that a large asteroid was spotted heading toward the Earth. Broadcasts said it was about 40 kilometers in diameter?” Wabussie said glancing from his vid pad to me. I was shocked.
“Did they send up THORS’ HAMMER to destroy it?” I stammered.
Wabussie looked down at his vid pad and said. “It says here that apparently all the devices and missiles that the Earth governments had for defense against asteroids and meteors had been used against the attack from the Chinese when used the moon rocks against Earth. The broadcasts said that THORS’ HAMMER was sent out, but it had used all its anti-matter and nuclear bombs and missiles in their attack against the Moon base and Beijing. They only had lasers, pulse weapons and particle beam weapons still functioning and those weren’t powerful enough. The standard missiles that the military was using at the time would not fit on THORS’ Hammer and there was no time to build or modify one.
Even so, a crew of men loaded as many conventional nuclear war heads aboard the ship as they could so they could intercept the asteroid and blow themselves up as near to it as possible to divert it from Earth.” Wabussie stopped reading and stared at the vid pad.
“What happened?” I asked.
“It says the ship blew up before it reached the asteroid.”
“What? How?”
“It doesn’t say, only that it blew up. There was some speculation they may have been arming the warheads before they reached the asteroid and something went wrong, but no one knows. Two weeks later, all transmissions from the Earth ended.”
I sat there dumbfounded. This couldn’t be. How could they have been fighting for all that time in such a large war and have the war end, only to be destroyed by an asteroid just a few weeks later? What was left of the Earth? How much damage could have an asteroid that size done? The asteroid that hit Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs was believed to only be 4 to 6 kilometers in diameter; this asteroid was over 40 kilometers in diameter.
“I want every one of our crew back aboard the NEW ORLEANS as soon as possible. Tell them to wrap up whatever they are doing, get someone to take charge of the tasks they were doing and to be aboard the NEW ORLEANS in 20 hours. Commodore, plot a course to Earth; I want us underway in 20 hours. Check out how close our route takes us to Alle Bamma; if it’s not too far, I want to stop by there for a day. Commander,” I said, turning to Wabussie, “I hope you do not mind my leaving you and Commander Sokaia in the hands of Captain Felenna to see to your return to the Federation aboard the MIZBAGONA . I’ll leave it up to you to return the solbidyum we recovered back to the proper authorities. I need to get to Earth as soon as I can to see what has happened and if there are any survivors.”
“I understand Tibby. It will be no problem at all traveling with Captain Felenna on the MIZBAGONA ; it’s a fine ship, perhaps not quite as luxurious as the NEW ORLEANS , but a fine ship nonetheless,, and Felenna is a good Captain. I wish I could be going with you, but I’ve already been away from my post with the FSO too long, and Commander Sokaia has been away from her troops as well; we both need to be getting back to our duties.
“Tibby, I can’t tell you what an honor it has been being with you near the action on your missions. What the Federation owes you is far beyond the rewards you have gotten, even though I know you think you have already received too much. I truly admire you, and all of your crew for that matter. Thanks again for everything.”
A few hours later found Kala and me seeing Commanders Wabussie and Sokaia off in the hangar bay. They had Logden with them, accompanied by two of my troopers for guards. He