The Runaway Asteroid Part 3

"The manufacturing will begin tomorrow-that'll be for Stubb to oversee.

Once the sheathing device has proven effective we can begin work on restoring and disguising our fleet. After that, Cra.s.s, you'll take care of the rest."

One of the men looked up. "What about St. George? If anyone discovers him he could put a serious crimp in our plans."

Zimbardo looked annoyed. "St. George will be dealt with, Mr. Slant. I have not forgotten him; you can leave that to me. He will never speak to the Starmen or anyone else."

Another spoke. "Is it really necessary to silence him? It will take a large number of men to make a search-men we could use on the urgent projects at hand. Since you've moved the asteroid from its original site, he can't find us now or show anyone else how to find us."

"He can't find us, but he knows how this asteroid works-almost as well as I do. If the Starmen learn what he knows, it could be disastrous for us in the unlikely chance that they ever locate us. I don't like taking chances, and I don't like leaving any loose ends. St. George is a loose end we can't afford."

"Do you know where to find him? He doesn't have any fixed place he calls home."

"Our men have quietly inquired for him on Ceres and learned that he has a good friend, another asteroid miner named Montezuma Vly. We know where Vly lives, and Vly will know where St. George is. Vly doesn't receive visitors, but his resistance won't keep a small fleet from landing. One way or another, Vly will tell us where to find George St.

George-and soon."

3: Montezuma's Castle

A FEW DAYS later, Lurton Zimbardo decided to take a tour of the workshops and check on progress. Where Troy Putnam's organization had been large, easy-going, and confident, Zimbardo's was tight, highly-organized, and ruthless. Its high degree of efficiency was dependent almost exclusively on Zimbardo himself. Once Zimbardo had a.s.serted his control over the organization, the asteroid and its crew had rapidly become an extension of his formidable personality.

He took an elevator from his suite down to the main floor of the organizational complex and stepped out into the hallway. He walked with a firm tread, and men stepped aside with a slight deferential bow. He pa.s.sed through the great gla.s.s doors at the end of the pa.s.sage into a huge foyer. Pa.s.sing through, he entered a courtyard, strode across it, and came into the working area.

About sixty men were working at various stations. The men felt that Zimbardo was a real leader and were glad to see their new commander. It was amazing how rapidly the sense of defeat had been changed to one of expectancy and pride.

Every day or two another ship docked and new workers came in to join the crew. Zimbardo had sent out a few trusted leaders to recruit men form noted asteroid bases and mining operations in the proximity of his asteroid. He could use more men, especially skilled workers in electronics and mathematics, but he wasn't eager to build up a large force. He chose carefully. The workforce was being built up gradually with men he could trust. He had also invited three smugglers he had known before to join the operation, with their men.

"Stubb," called out Zimbardo.

"Sir," responded the man so addressed, an eager man about thirty years old, with sandy blond hair and baby blue eyes. He hastened up to the pirate leader.

"Give me a status report. The ships first."

"The sheathing systems are easy to manufacture, thanks to the ample supplies from the warehouses. The men are able to put them together rapidly, even the unskilled workers, since they just need a master circuit to copy. I have forty men working on these, with the skilled electricians checking each plate. As you know, we completed work on ten ships six days ago; they were tested and went out on their a.s.signments.

They have not returned yet. These plates we're working on now are going on the remaining ships, and we have already finished work on four of them. That leaves just three to go, including the ship that just joined the crew yesterday. We should be finished by tomorrow afternoon."

"Good. And the power units?"

"These are far more complicated, sir, so I only have the most skilled workers a.s.sembling these. The same with the propulsion units. They won't be ready for at least a week, not even one of them. However, once we get the prototype finished the rest should follow rapidly."

"How long until you have all 85 completed?"

"I should have a good number of the unskilled workers ready for a new a.s.signment once they have finished with the sheathing plates. Once the design has been checked by the experts, we can get them cracking on the power and propulsion units. Of course, each unit will have to be tested by the experts, so I would estimate that all 85 can be operational within ten days-unless we run into any problems."

"Good work, Mr. Stubb. I will check on progress every day."

"Very well, sir." The man went back to work and Zimbardo returned to the main complex.

Ceres was the hub of the Asteroid Belt. Nearly 600 miles across, it was the largest body in the ring of planetary debris that swirled and turned in a large swath between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was the place where professional miners first arrived from Earth before their companies farmed them out to the mining centers on various asteroids. Independent asteroid miners came to Ceres once in a while for supplies, and corporations picked up equipment imported daily from Mars. Ceres, located several days' travel from the nearest sizable population center, was a buzz of activity.

The Star Ranger approached the large asteroid after a fast but uneventful journey of six days.

"Quite a cloud of starships!" remarked Joe as Yellow City came into view. A swarm of at least forty ships of an amazing variety of sizes, shapes, and vintages was moving over the port. Some were hovering, others were heading in toward the landing field and a few others were departing. None moved very fast since the s.p.a.ce was as crowded as bees around a hive.

Yellow City was a well planned settlement, in spite of having been developed jointly by several different mining companies. Although the compet.i.tion was fierce for the rich minerals of the Belt, cooperation was necessary to build the city, especially in the earliest years of settlement. The result was beneficial to all, as Yellow City could easily supply the needs of miners of all kinds as well as serve the traffic to the Outer Planets that almost always came by way of Ceres.

Advancements in propulsion systems were making it possible for some of the newer ships to bypa.s.s Yellow City on their way to Jupiter and beyond, but Ceres was still a major stopping point.

Zip spoke quietly to Mark. "Mark, please let them know that we would like to land."

Mark opened the microphone. "Starman Mark Seaton on the starship Star Ranger requesting permission to land."

The response was immediate. "Yes sir, Starman! Ceres is proud to welcome you!" The operator went on to give directions for landing.

"Why is he so deferential?" queried Mark after communications had been completed.

"We're famous!" responded Zip. "We've been aboard ship since the end of the attempted takeover on Mars and haven't kept up with the news, but we've become household names. Oritz Konig told me that just as we were leaving the Base. We're the men who liberated Mars! The people in the Belt are especially pleased since the pirates had planned to blockade them once they had a strong hold on Eagle City. Why, you couldn't find another place in the Solar System that'd be happier to see us than Yellow City!"

The Star Ranger was given priority docking. Once its engines were shut down, a large crew ran to secure it and welcome the Starmen. As Zip, Mark, and Joe descended the ladder, eager hands reached up to help them down the last two or three rungs. Through the bubble helmets on their suits, the mechanics and service personnel were all smiles.

When Zip inquired about the offices of Starlight Enterprise, the Starmen were ushered to a small moonbus and driven directly to the site. The complex was a small two-story building set in a row of offices, workshops, and garages not far from the landing field. All buildings on Ceres were made of the gray rock native to the asteroid.

Building material was cheap and solid, but plain.

Although the city itself was covered with an atmosphere dome, the SE office was located close to the landing field, not within the city proper. Entrance was through an airlock. Once through the airlock, the Starmen removed their helmets and placed them on the rack.

"Whoopee! This is fun, being famous!" exclaimed Joe, his eyes alight.

"I hope it lasts until we get back to the Earth-Moon system! I'd like to enjoy it!"

"I hope so, too, for all our sakes. Your exploits have given all the Starmen a good name!" Joe whirled.

"Kathryn Mullaney!" cried Joe. Mark and Zip smiled widely.

"What are you doing on Ceres, Kathryn?" asked Zip. "I haven't seen you since your last visit to the Academy at the beginning of our senior year." Kathryn Mullaney had graduated from Starlight Academy a year before Zip and his partners; her first a.s.signment as a Starman was in the Outer Planets. She was twenty years old, wore her strawberry blond hair short, and had a few freckles spangled across her nose below blue eyes which had a touch of green in them.

"Finished my a.s.signment on Ganymede and I'm coming back home for a leave which I hope will be very long! I spent eight months in the smallest population center in the Solar System, and can't wait to get back where there are crowds of people! I'm just staying here long enough for a quick once-over on my ship, refueling, and then I'm Earth-bound. In fact, I'm on my way out now."

There was a little more pleasant conversation, then Kathryn said, "I've got to be going, and Sim is waiting for you upstairs. Good luck!"

Zip, Mark, and Joe ascended the stairs and came to the landing. The stairway and corridors were very plain. There was no unnecessary ornamentation of any kind, and lighting was minimal. They found a door with a sign on it that read STARLIGHT ENTERPRISE in bold letters. A second line provided the name of SE's resident operations officer on Ceres: "Sim Sala Bim." Joe knocked.

"Come in," said a voice. The Starmen entered the door. The occupant, a tall, slender man of Indian extraction with black thinning hair, was already coming toward the door to welcome his visitors. "Welcome! So glad to see you! Welcome, please come in!" He ushered them into the room.

"Nice to see you again, Sim," greeted Zip. They sat down in a circle of chairs, Sim sitting near a table on which were placed all the makings necessary for tea. There were already two cups set out, which had been used recently. Sim took one for himself and set the other aside. "This was Kathryn's," he said as he produced three new cups for his visitors.

"You probably pa.s.sed her on your way in."

The conversation continued as Sim poured the tea from a very large brown earthenware teapot. Before long, Zip brought up the subject of their visit.

"I wish we had more time to visit, Sim, but our a.s.signment is extremely urgent. We must find George St. George as fast as possible, and Oritz has told us that only a miner named Montezuma Vly can tell us where he is. We're on our way to Montezuma's Castle."