her mistakes were shown. The picture changed every three seconds.
Super Queen-Mother was watching with surprise how many blunders she had made. She would never forget them after such «lessons».
All her way from an ordinary girl, like millions of girls all around, to a trained, experienced fighter came before her eyes. Everything was real for her, and all her feelings during those trainings were also true.
In the meantime, something grandiose was happening on Earth.
The work was humming on all spaceports – spaceships were being adjusted on launching pads.
As soon as the crew settled in the ship, the command «Key to start!» was given, and the rocket left Earth’s orbit.
All rockets ready to be launched into space, were launched without delay, one after another. The basement of the pad did not get cold.
All land and overwater spaceports were used.
Spaceships were launched to a maximum distance from Earth.
Ground control centers gasped at the surfeit of information. The main task was to withdraw launched spaceships from Earth as far as possible and transfer them into the regime of temporary information conservation, until all spaceships were launched.
Next in turn spaceships, ready to be launched, were standing compactly on railways leading to launch pads.
All plants operated on a three-shift basis. Rockets were not only being completed; all unnecessary equipment had been taken off, both civilian and military. Only oxygen cylinders, water and food were being loaded.
Only the equipment, necessary to land a spaceship on Earth, was left.
Separate modules were filled with seeds and genetic material, together with the equipment, necessary to reproduce Earth’s flora and fauna.
Crews were completed with men and women. In case of trouble, they would be able to spend five years in space, then land and try to continue living under the ground, in dugouts, which would remain after the destruction.
Each crew was provided with a code, marked on thin titanium plates, to open any well-fortified underground bunker and even towns, available on Earth. Their exact location was also pointed out on the plates.
The codes to open state depots, filled to the brim with food, water, oxygen, and scientific literature, were marked on the other side of the plates. It was a small chance, but still a chance.
Under special control, in each depot there were sealed laboratories, fitted up with extended, or to be more exact, Earth’s full flora and fauna gene pool. Scientists from all over the world had collected it.
Books also took a lot of space. Standard libraries contained descriptions of all knowledge and technologies of the sixth civilization of Earth people. They also included fiction and enormous photographic material on arts.
In addition to the above, huge basic depots contained working models of conserved machinery.
Reservoirs with fuel were not far from the dugouts. They were deep in the ground, only pipes with faucets were on the surface.
Powerful war ships were hurrying to designated points to launch a nuclear strike.
Submarines emerged to the surface of the seas and oceans and also took to jump-oft lines.
Their crews were urgently changing active point positions to empty ones, which were in standby mode, to be filled in with new data they would receive from the headquarters on nuclear and conventional weaponry control.
Heavy silo-based missiles were undergoing the last dispositions before the start. Heavy covers, shielding them, were ejected with a bang. Firing pins of warheads were looking into the sky, ready to scorch out the target by intense nuclear charge after the «Start» button would be pressed.
All special trains were driven off into dead-end tracks, carriage decks were moved off, and the missiles were directed up.
Radio detection stations, accompanied by working engine roar, were performing the dance of death, quickly spinning about their axis, looking for a target in space.
They started their round-the-clock work.
Large-tonnage quad carriers, with powerful nuclear missiles on them, scattered all over the planet. Like centipedes, they were slowly moving on their wheels to the strategic locations, known only to them.
Power-actuated missile launchers were racing along the roads to evenly protect the territory against air attack. They could get through everywhere, but the military tried to set them on treeless altitudes.
Missile carriers were slowly whirling high in the sky. From the ground they seemed to be small silver stars.
Flying around the part of the sky in charge, missile carriers sometimes changed their closed loops to figure eights. They made their maneuvers at one altitude – maximum permissible for the flight.
A fuel dispenser was flying not far from each group. It was flying very slowly, circling at one speed.
Every other minute was registered in its flight assignment – where and when it had to be, and when a plane had to be fueled from it.
Each piece of Earth was equally important – everybody would perish, wherever an asteroid would have fallen.
Military pointsmen and military vehicles were everywhere on the cross roads. The troops were controlling any displacement of vehicles or people. The main goal was to prevent panics and, in case of danger, to direct people to safe places on foot and by cars.
The rest was in God’s hands.
Soldiers were also at factories and plants. They were responsible for the order, safety, and product release. The enterprises worked around the clock. Everything was important, clothes and food in particular.
People had to lay in stock all things might need for a long duration. Supplies were immediately carried to army depots and underground bunkers.
All abandoned bomb shelters were being restored. Though people had little hope to survive, it was better than nothing. At least they dealt with the matter, and did not have time for gossips.
Children were carried away to the mountains, where shelters were being built in deep gorges. Warm clothes and food were also sent there.
All houses of God reminded one of overcrowded stadiums. People were coming there in an endless stream, filling the whole space in prayer rooms.
When the trouble came nobody tried to find out nationality or faith; it did not even cross anybody’s mind; the main thing was to survive, and it was not important at all whose shoulder would support you.
It appeared that the emphasis on seeing signs of difference between people had been the work of fanatics and rogues who lived on stirring hatred.
All appeared to be similar, only forms differed – different languages, different buildings, different praying gestures – but the essence of prayer was the same: people were asking to save their lives.
Super
