Chapter 9

“Ow!” said the three Starmen and covered their eyes. They were not prepared for the sudden brightness. When they could tolerate the light, they looked above them. Without a word, Mark lay down on his back and just stared upward. Rank after rank of lights went up on the iron framework for nearly a mile. A ceiling the color of charcoal was barely visible, with what looked like rectangular viewports imbedded in it.

Joe and Zip remained standing and looked to their left. The lights blazed for about half a mile. Beyond that point was darkness.

“It will take a lifetime to learn everything there is to know about this place,” said Mark dreamily.

“I think we’ll be back someday,” replied Zip. “What else can you do, Mark?”

Mark got up and turned the lights off. It took nearly a minute for their eyes to adjust to the dimness. While Mark looked through file after file, Joe and Zip wandered through some of the iron latticework. They climbed spiral staircases for a level or two before descending again, and examined the connections of tubes, pipes, and circuits.

“I’ve got something!” called out Mark. The others ran to him. He pointed at the screen. “See, this is the main power generator. I can tell because of the coils over here and the way the circuits are connected. There are about eight of these; they must be spaced in a row a little over a mile apart. They can operate singly or in combination. But look! They don’t just power the life-support systems--in fact, I haven’t found that part at all yet. But these are thrust systems! Do you know what that means? _This asteroid is a spacecraft! It’s made to travel!_”

“Can’t be!” said Joe, flabbergasted

“It is. Look.” Mark flipped past a few more files, pointing out the connections and the diagrams of chambers, coils, and energy field generators. “I’m just barely getting a glance at this stuff, of course, and I don’t understand it all, but I have no doubt about what I’ve seen so far.”

“Why don’t you look for that life-support file and see if you can turn off the pirates’ energy or something?” Joe suggested.

“No, Joe,” said Zip. “As I said before, if it were a good idea, our hosts would probably have done it already. I think that whatever they’re not doing, we shouldn’t try to do. Remember, even St. George didn’t want to fiddle with something he didn’t understand.”

“George is a real nice guy, Zip,” said Joe, “but I still think he’s breathed a little too much vacuum for his own good. You have to experiment in life, sometimes.”

“I want to learn more about this power system! This is amazing!” rhapsodized Mark. “If I’m right, this button here will...” He pressed it. Almost at once a stream of paper began to feed out of a slot to the right of the terminal and fell down, sheet by sheet, into a gathering tray. Mark picked up the first sheet.

“It’s printing out the diagrams of the thrust system. just like that. You’re right, Joe--this place is _great_!”

* * * * *

On the northeast edge of the massive area on the surface of Mars called the Mare Hadriacum, stood a complex of domes and cylinders. Made of metal and glass, it stood on an open plain about 35 degrees south of the equator and 85 degrees east of the central meridian. The complex was one of five atmosphere-generating plants on Mars, and the only one in the southern hemisphere. In a small crater nearby was the settlement of New Emmaus, with a population of about 12,500.

The long process of terraforming Mars had begun when a meteor shower struck the fourth planet in 2009, significantly raising the temperature of the atmosphere and altering the weather systems. With this jump start serendipitously provided by meteorites, Earth had hastened the process of making Mars livable by scattering the surface with spores and seeds, introducing desert--hardy animals, and establishing the five atmosphere-generating plants. Thanks to Earth’s efforts, the planet’s temperature had continued to rise. Eventually water had emerged from below ground and from the ice caps around the poles, and the air was gradually thickening.

Terraformation had been taking place for almost 150 years, and it would be at least another two centuries before it would be possible to live anywhere on Mars without a spacesuit. The atmosphere-generating plants were critical to the process. The plants themselves were automated, with all systems operated and monitored by robots, and the major centers of population on Mars were located in craters not far from each plant. The complexes were on the open surface of the planet rather than in craters, but the air they created flowed first into the nearest depressions in the surface, and it was here that most settlements were located.

The plant located in the southern hemisphere was the most remote, but had been filling the Mare Hadriacum, locally known as the Red Sea, for decades. This great depression was 2,500 miles in diameter. When much of the southern ice cap had melted, it filled the Red Sea with water up to about three-fourths capacity, making the region a delightful place for quiet living.

In the early morning of August 15, 2151, the cloudless sky was a brilliant violet, and the sun was rising like a bowl of molten gold. Marshal and Averette North, a retired couple, had climbed to the top of the crater wall to enjoy the sunrise. Six miles away was the atmosphere plant, gleaming in the newly-risen sun.

They were the only ones to see what happened next, but it happened so quickly that there was almost nothing to see. In the thin atmosphere, there was only a slight vapor trail and a short-lived but powerful whine; then with a dull, gut-churning thud a ball of black and orange flame slammed obliquely into the desert floor within a quarter of a mile of the atmosphere plant. An enormous wave of pinkish-ochre sand rose up in front of the impact site like a great wall. The shock wave quickly blew the wall of sand upward and outward, so that it sparkled like luminous rain until the sand particles became too scattered to be seen.

The shock wave struck the atmosphere plant and shoved it aside as if a giant, invisible hand were violently clearing a table of unwanted crockery. The crater wall where the Norths were standing rocked and heaved as if in an earthquake. The shock wave passed them, blowing their hair and rippling their clothing as if it were a pleasant breeze that died away as quickly as it had come.

The elderly couple stood frozen in shock and watched the cloud of dust gradually fill the entire eastern sky. After several minutes, the dust was thin enough to reveal a horseshoe-shaped crater almost a mile across. On the southwestern edge of the crater, where it trailed off into the desert without a sharp boundary, was the place where the atmosphere plant had been. Now the plant was broken into many thousands of pieces and the wreckage was scattered for three or four miles in a wide fan across the sand.

13: The Brink of Disaster

THE ALIEN SPACECRAFT was beautifully designed and well equipped. The Starmen had spent more than two days exploring it fully and tracking its electronics systems. It was planned for a crew of twenty. The galley was not stocked, but Zip assigned some of St. George’s men to store their food in it. The storage area inside the ship included spacesuits for the entire crew. The suits were shaped slightly differently from what the Earthmen were used to. They squeezed a little in the chest and were somewhat baggy between abdomen and knee, especially for the shorter men, but they could be used.

Joe and Mark were working to the point of exhaustion, trying to figure out the controls in the cockpit. Mark had to trace innumerable leads from the panel through the walls of the craft back to the wings, tail, and especially the propulsion compartment. The Starmen found the work exhilarating but time-consuming. Mark estimated at the end of the second day that he had figured out about 80% of the control panel, including all the major systems. Joe confirmed his reckoning and, without even igniting the power, was learning to pilot the alien craft. Both Starmen kept Zip informed of their progress.

It was still up to Zip to find a way to escape from the asteroid. Even if they could pilot the ship, it was certain that the pirates would locate them by radar within seconds of their departure and the chances of their escape would be practically nil.

The atmosphere tanks supplied with the spacesuits were empty, so Zip had to fill them from large storage tanks of pure gases he found to one side of the hangar. Since Zip was unable to read any labels, he had to analyze the gas in each supply tank to determine which gases the tanks contained. Once he had succeeded in identifying nitrogen and oxygen, he was able to fill the tanks for the spacesuits with a mixture similar to that of air on Earth. This project was tedious and physically demanding, but St. George’s men assisted him with the heavy work. Since the gravity was so low, two men were easily able to move even the largest equipment needed for the work. By the end of the second day, all the tanks had been filled.

That evening, Zip put on one of the spacesuits and practiced operating it and moving around inside the hangar. When he was satisfied that the mixture of air was breathable and that he could maneuver in the suit, he took off the helmet and walked over to where Joe and Mark were sprawled under the spacecraft with a panel open over their heads. The deep green of the highly reflective metal hull was marvelously soothing to the eye. For a moment, Zip paused and wondered about the race that had built the ships. Then he called out to the others.

“Joe, Mark--I’m going through the airlock to see what’s out there.”

Joe skidded out from under the hinged panel. “Are you sure that’s wise, Zip? We don’t know where the pirates are.”

“That’s why I’m going out. I have a plan for our escape, but I have to explore a little bit outside to see if it’ll work.”

“Want some company?”

“Thanks, I do, but I’ll take George. You and Mark keep up the work.” Zip went over to where George St. George was sitting at a table with several other miners.

“George, could you come with me? I’d like to see what’s outside.”

“Sure, Zip,” said the blond man, standing up. The asteroid miner suited up and the two men walked to the far end of the hangar. Zip was carrying a small iron plate. In front of them was a huge panel that could open to permit spacecraft to pass through the airlock, and on either side of it were sets of doors to allow men through. These doors entered a hallway that proceeded to the outside of the asteroid and allowed passage without the major airlock’s having to be emptied.

“Ready?” asked Zip through the suits’ intercom system.

“Sure. Let’s go.” Zip opened the door into the airlock and they passed through and closed the door behind them. Zip operated the controls that sucked the air out of the hallway. The two men walked about 50 yards to the far end of the passage and opened the door to the outside. They stepped out onto the surface of the asteroid.

They looked around, but could see no evidence that there was an airlock adjacent to where they were standing!

“Camouflaged!” said Zip.

“Whoever made this wondrous thing,” commented George, “apparently had a reason for wanting to be hidden. Let’s make sure we can still get back in. Can you open the door we just came out of?”

“No need to worry. I’m not about to close a door behind me for good until I know I can open it again.” He took the small iron plate and used it to jam the door open. From the inside, the door was transparent; from the outside, it looked like the surface of the iron asteroid. Its hinges were completely hidden. “Now let’s see what’s out here.”

For the first time, the two men gazed outward. The Milky Way blazed above and to the right, its countless stars bright enough to cast slight shadows behind the two men.

“I never tire of seeing that view,” said George. “I’ve missed it, just in the few days we’ve been inside.”

“Yes, it’s inspiring,” answered Zip, but he was already in motion, walking and scanning the ground on both sides of him. George followed. Their asteroid boots gripped the surface of the asteroid.

“What are you looking for, Zip?”

“Evidence of the pirates. I’ve got a plan for escaping them, but our exit point here can’t be too close to their entrance.”

“We’ve walked a dozen miles through the asteroid from their headquarters--they can’t be too close.”

“I’m sure you’re right, but there may be other entrances. _We found one, didn’t we?_”

“Even if there were other entrances, they’re bound to be as invisible to the eye as the one we just came out of.”

“Right again, I’m sure, George, but I don’t want to take any chances. Our escape depends on our being unseen--at least for most of the time. Then I _want_ to be seen.”

“What do you mean, Zip? I--” George suddenly stopped talking, almost as if his communicator had been turned off. Zip looked over.

“What’s wrong, George?” Through his helmet, George’s eyes were opened wide and his mouth was agape. “What is it?” Zip repeated.

“We, we, we’re not in the Asteroid Belt,” George stammered. “Look, there’s the Belt over there.” He raised his hand and pointed. The slow rotation of the asteroid that gave it its slight gravity had brought the Belt into view over the horizon. Motionless on the asteroid’s surface, Zip and George were slowly moving into the dawn. A pale sun far away was coming into view, and a golden line of light began to grow over the 45-mile-long chunk of almost pure iron. The spacesuits’ faceplates automatically darkened slightly. The sunlight came through a scattering of asteroids orbiting at least a thousand miles away.

“He’s moved the asteroid. He knows more about it than I gave him credit for,” Zip said grimly. “My plan will still work, but the situation has changed. Now we have to hurry. Let’s go back.”

Back inside the hangar, Zip called a meeting of the fourteen men and explained his plan for escape.

“Sounds good, Zip,” affirmed Mark, and Joe agreed.

“What about food and water?” asked one of the miners.

“What’s left?” responded Zip. “How many days can we go if we ration even more strictly?”

“About five until the food runs out, and there’s about a gallon of water for each man left.”

“We can do it. No choice anyway. Let’s get some sleep and start things rolling first thing tomorrow.”

* * * * *

Immediately after they awoke, the Starmen put Zip’s plan into action. Joe opened another of the alien spacecraft. The Starmen had taken a quick look at the other ships in the hangar and found them to be identical. Quickly they made the ship look as if it had been abandoned in panic. When they were finished, two men carried a small tank of oxygen into the storage area. Joe then piloted the ship through the airlock to a point where it hovered just above the asteroid. Zip, Mark, and two miners stood outside on the ground. An explosion rocked the ship, and a panel was blown out from the wall of the storage area. Joe had detonated the oxygen tank to make it look as if some cargo had ignited and destroyed the ship.

Joe emerged from the main door and jumped to the ground. He had been tethered and the others pulled him in. They went back through the airlock and shut the door. They were still able to watch what happened through the immense window, transparent on their side. The ship began to drift away from the asteroid on a pre-arranged course Joe had set.

“The pirates should be seeing that on their radar in a few minutes,” said Zip. “I figure the ship has to be at least a quarter mile from the surface for it to register on their screens.”

But it was nearly ten minutes later that three pirate ships appeared. The pirates could easily see the ripped panel on the ship and took only a few precautions on approaching the derelict. Zip turned to a “reception only” channel on the communicator his suit provided.

“It’s not an Earth ship, sir,” said a voice, “and it’s empty. Completely derelict. Must have been clamped to the surface of the asteroid and got shaken off when you moved it out of the Belt.”

“Go inside! Make sure there’s no one in it!” It was the commanding voice of Lurton Zimbardo. “Look for any sign that the Starmen had something to do with it!”

“Yes sir!” The orders were given and six men left one of the pirate ships and went through the open door of the alien craft. It took less than a minute to get a report.

“Nothing here, sir,” said one of the spacesuited men to his officer. “The cargo area has been completely destroyed in an explosion, and the wall has been blown open into empty space. There are no suits, no signs of any habitation.”

“It’s an old wreck, sir, and so damaged that it can’t be used,” reported the pirate officer to headquarters.

“Probably left by the beings who built the asteroid,” said Zimbardo. “Come on back to work. I’d like to take a look at it, but we don’t have the men or time right now. Other matters are pressing.”

“Yes sir.” The communication terminated. The pirate ship took back its six crew members and the three ships cruised over the horizon.

“Part one, the least risky part, successful,” said Zip. “Let’s get going on part two, right now. Joe?”

“Ready Zip,” the lanky Starman responded. He stepped through the airlock and leaped off the iron surface of the asteroid toward the derelict. Powered by small jets of oxygen he sped to the ship and disappeared through the open door.

“Everyone else get busy,” called Zip. They ran back through the airlock to the hangar. The others were already aboard their escape craft. Zip piloted it through the airlock and kept the ship close to the surface of the asteroid. The airlock closed behind them. In the meantime Joe had caused the damaged ship to drift back down toward the asteroid out of radar range. He and Zip brought the two ships together and made a link. Joe left the broken ship and joined the others.

“Ready, Zip” he announced, once he was aboard. Zip put the slightest possible power into the escape ship, then turned the power off. Both ships began to drift away from the asteroid, so slowly as to be almost unnoticeable. Zip was hoping that when the pirates saw the blip on their radar, they would conclude it was the derelict and pay no attention. He was ready to drift for as long as it took to escape the notice of the pirates before turning on the power and setting a course for freedom. But now that the asteroid was not in the Belt any longer, he knew that they would have to drift for much longer than he had anticipated.

They were free. But the tension was thick. It would not dissipate for a long time.

* * * * *

Forty-two hours later, Marshal and Averette North witnessed the impact of an asteroid that turned their atmosphere plant into rubble. Within an hour of the impact, Lurton Zimbardo opened a channel that allowed him to speak through nearly every communication system on Mars. Gene had previously discovered a method for entering and using all communication bands on Mars except those that were most closely guarded. He had surreptitiously placed automatic signal points into the Martian system without activating them until this moment. Now that the moment had arrived, the voice of the pirate leader was heard throughout Mars.

“This is Lurton Zimbardo. The atmosphere plant at New Emmaus has just been destroyed by an asteroid impact. You were not able to detect the asteroid by radar. It struck without warning. This is to prove that I am able to render asteroids invisible and send them wherever I wish. You cannot see them and you cannot stop them. Within a day the four remaining atmosphere plants on Mars will be similarly destroyed. This will convince you that I have more power than you can imagine, and that you are helpless to oppose me. After the last asteroid has struck your planet, I will announce my demands.”

Lurton Zimbardo shut off the microphone in the control center of the asteroid. A crowd of at least forty men jammed the center where Zimbardo sat at the console. The rest of the pirates were standing in the factory or at their assigned work places in the facility. All had heard the broadcast. A feeling of immense power and invulnerability surged through them. A few men began to cheer, and within seconds the enthusiasm had infected the rest of the pirates and the cheer became a roar. It rang throughout the control center and along the corridors, and filled the factory. Zimbardo’s smile was wide. He looked down almost modestly, as if he were reluctant to accept the men’s accolades.

When the cheers had died down at last, Zimbardo said simply but so that all could hear, “And now for the last step in the plan.” The room was quiet. He took out a set of notes from his pocket. The paper was marked with scrawls, lines, and columns of figures. His eyes flicked rapidly from the notes to the controls. His fingers began to fly over the keyboard. He punched in coordinates and set the power grid. He marked the timing of various operations.

Gene, Zimbardo’s closest associate, was watching. Gradually his smile narrowed. His eyebrows creased. Then his eyes widened and his face drained.

“Sir!” he exclaimed in a quiet voice. “Those are the coordinates of Earth! If you use those, you’ll take this whole asteroid directly to Earth!”

“Exactly,” nodded Zimbardo. “In about 32 days, as I figure it.” He was smiling widely again as he pressed “Enter” and activated the asteroid’s propulsion system.

14: The Shield of St. George

THE CONVERSATION was very quiet, but the microphone picked it up. The words that passed between Lurton Zimbardo and Gene were heard by every pirate on the asteroid. There was complete silence. The pirates’ enthusiasm and their complete trust in Zimbardo’s leadership was instantly badly damaged. Though no one spoke, many of the men began to doubt their leader’s sanity, and became afraid.

“But sir,” pleaded Gene. “This asteroid is the key to our success, and we’re all its passengers. If you program it to collide with Earth, I...” words failed him.

Zimbardo smiled indulgently. “Gene,” he soothed, as if explaining something obvious to a confused child, “I’m not going to cause us to smash into the Earth. We want to control Earth, not destroy it, and how better to do it than from a close orbit around the planet in this magnificent flying base? I’m taking us to Earth, and there will be plenty of time to adjust our course once we get close. We will accelerate until about midway there, then decelerate until we achieve orbital speed.

“I will, however, inform Earth that I have sent an asteroid more than forty miles long on a collision course--an asteroid they can’t see and can’t stop! They will meet any demands I make! They will definitely meet any demands I make, after we destroy the five atmosphere generators on Mars with pinpoint accuracy. Relax now. In a month or so, we will be the undisputed masters of the third planet--and all without leaving home!” He laughed.

Gene grinned and also laughed, but while Zimbardo’s laugh was deep and genuine, Gene’s was a little forced. He was relieved, but his trust in Zimbardo’s leadership had suffered a severe setback. He would be on his guard from here on. He looked up and caught the eye of Mr. Lather. His face was hard and unsmiling; it was difficult to tell what he was thinking. Gene turned and looked at Gebbeth. His expression was marked with merciless determination. He, at least, appeared convinced and prepared to follow Zimbardo all the way. But Gene was no fool; he looked around and surmised that the majority of those in the room were harboring secret reservations.