The Runaway Asteroid, Michael D. Cooper [mobi reader android TXT] 📗

have the same, but with tea," he announced, and sat down.

"Yes sir," came a voice from the galley.

"How're you feeling this morning, Mark?" asked Joe. "How's your hand?"

"Couldn't feel better, Joe! Had a good sleep at last, and my hand should be healed in a couple of weeks. It was a second-degree burn."

A few moments later, Gene came out carrying Joe's breakfast.

"Gene!" exclaimed Joe.

"Yes, Mr. Taylor. Just trying to help out a little," said the erstwhile pirate.

"He cooks as well as he pilots," said Mark.

"We're safe, then." Joe made it a statement rather than a question as he shook some pepper onto the steaming eggs.

"Yes," said Zip. "The asteroid will sweep past the Earth in a week, missing it by about 50,000 miles. It will be visible for almost the whole night over the south Pacific, like a fast-moving star. Should be quite a sight!"

"Then what?" asked Joe between gulps of juice.

"Then what, what?" responded Mark.

"Then where does it go?"

"As Gene said yesterday," explained Zip, "it's moving too fast to enter an orbit around the Earth, so Gene steered it into a course around the sun. It will take about seven months to circle the sun just inside Earth's orbit. Then it will catch up to the Earth and can easily be placed into an Earth orbit at that time. Scientists from Starlight Enterprise will live on it and try to learn its secrets. In fact, a ship will be launched from SE in a couple of days with a crew of them. They'll intercept the asteroid and start the exploration right away."

Mark continued bringing Joe up to date. "The Captain's got a team replacing the huge airlock on the surface of the asteroid, and the temporary power supply packets are being reloaded on the ships. We're in complete control of the asteroid now."

"Where's Madera?"

"He finally got a full sleep, then went back into the complex. He can't wait to find out how it all works. He's hoping that Richard will put him in charge of the exploration team."

Joe scooped a large helping of potatoes into his mouth, then talked around it to ask, "Well, when do we leave?"

"I'm excited about this place, and would like to explore a bit myself," said Zip, "but more than anything, I'd like to go home. We can leave any time we want to."

"I'd like to see Mr. Madera one more time before we go, and then take off for home."

A day later, the Star Ranger was well on its way to Amundsen City. The
Starmen were relaxed, seated comfortably at a small table in the
lounge, with the ship on automatic pilot. The strains of Bach's Little
Fugue filled the ship.

Joe asked, "Is that the disk Montezuma Vly gave us?"

"No," said Mark. "That was destroyed when Lather melted the Vigilant
Warrior. This is just part of our standard library. Beautiful piece.
But I sure wish we hadn't lost that disk Montezuma gave us. What a
tragedy!"

"Yes, well, Vly did say that we could visit him again. Maybe he'll give us another."

 "I'd like to see him again, but not for a while. I don't want to leave
home for a long time!"

At the end of their journey, the Star Ranger touched down gently on the tarmac at Amundsen Base, near the south pole of the Moon on the edge of the largest city in the Earth-Moon system-Amundsen City, with over eight million inhabitants. The Starmen debarked from their ship, crossed the field and entered the airlock that led into the receiving area. Through the second door, they could see an enormous crowd.

"Man! This place is jammed!" said Joe. "I've never seen so many people here!" As air filled the airlock, the Starmen removed their helmets and tucked them under their arms. Moments later they entered the public terminal. A roar went up from hundreds of voices.

"What's this?" yelled Mark to Zip and Joe. He could barely make himself heard above the clamor.

"Look!" cried out Zip. "Our families!" With a big smile on his face, he pointed to the front of the crowd. There were the boys' parents-Allen and Elizabeth Foster with Zip's eight-year old sister, Kathy; Keith and Barbara Seaton; and Charlie and Laura Taylor. All were smiling hugely.

"Wow!" exclaimed Mark. "All these people are here for us!"

Although the crowd was being kept behind a light barrier of stanchions and ribbons, as soon as the Starmen came through the airlock, Zip's sister Kathy ducked under the ribbon and ran toward them.

"David, David!" she yelled. When she was still a few feet away from her brother, she leaped and flew into his welcoming arms. "David, I missed you!" she cried, snuggling her head into his shoulder. "I was so worried!"

Zip smelled the little girl's hair and realized how much he loved her and his home. A lump came into his throat and he unexpectedly burst into tears, kissed her forehead and her cheek, and whispered, "Oh, Kathy, I missed you too, even more than I knew."

Zip's mother Elizabeth had the same red hair that he had, while his father Allen had dark hair, now turning a dignified salt-and-pepper. But Kathy had inherited the best of both hair colors. Her deep maroon hair shone with health. Zip picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck; then, pressing his cheek to hers, they came to where their parents were waiting for him. Joe and Mark, neither of whom had any brothers or sisters, were already greeting their parents.

On the evening of September 9, the asteroid streaked through the night sky, drawing the awed attention of people all over the planet. It was best seen from the island of Vanuatu in the south Pacific from just after dusk to the hour before dawn when its glow was overwhelmed by the dawnlight. Had the asteroid not been controlled, September 9 would have been the first of the last days of life on Earth.

The day after, the President presided at a worldwide celebration in honor of the Starmen-a celebration to honor them for their critical role in freeing Mars from the clutches of the pirates. The celebration had been postponed when the greatest threat ever to menace the Earth was engineered by Lurton Zimbardo, and then turned aside.

The Starmen were the subjects of many award ceremonies, dinners and receptions, interviews, and parades. With them were Richard Starlight, Robert Nolan, Jesus Madera-Cruz, and others who had been instrumental in freeing the Earth from destruction. The three Starmen were delighted to see Steve Cliff again, for he was honored along with them for the part he had played in the liberation of Mars. Jack and Jill were also invited, but preferred to remain on the Moon out of the limelight.

The highlight of the celebration was a ceremony on the grounds of the capital in New Washington, when the President presented medals to the Starmen for their valor. The medals had been fashioned from plates in the Gloria, the spaceship that had taken Lee High Eagle to Mars in 2014, the first spaceship to carry human beings to another planet.

When it was all over, the Starmen returned to their homes in Amundsen
City for a long and much-needed time of rest.

One afternoon, they were in Richard Starlight's office. Richard had not had an opportunity to hear the Starmen's entire story from beginning to end. He had invited them to join him, John Rwakatare, Robert Nolan, and Beowulf Denn for a relaxing afternoon so that the top four leaders of Starlight Enterprise and Nolan Mining Enterprise could hear firsthand the complete tale of the Starmen's adventures.

Tea and coffee were provided in a luxurious silver service that had been in Richard's family for generations-one of the few heirlooms that had been preserved through the Collapse. On the silverware was engraved the letter "R," the only clue to Richard's surname that still existed. Nearly a century earlier, before founding Starlight Enterprise Richard's father Thomas had changed his name to "Starlight" and destroyed all records that spoke of his past.

After the three Starmen had finished recounting their adventures, no one spoke for a long time. Joe poured himself a fresh cup of tea. Most of them gazed out of the panoramic window at the desolate beauty of the lunar landscape.

At length Richard said, "Starmen, you've had some exciting adventures, and in them you've gained something valuable and lasting: you are now a team. You've learned how to work together, how to think like Starmen and act like Starmen. You're experienced, proven Starmen now! You managed to escape from the clutches of the most dangerous, crazed maniac our century has ever seen. And you've had contact, however fleeting, with the second intelligent extra-terrestrial race that Earth has met-certainly ahead of the Titanians and far ahead of us!

"But as far as Starman's work goes, keep in mind that your adventures were the exception, not the rule. I know you've got exciting careers ahead, all three of you! You're three brilliant Starmen and you're a credit to Starlight Enterprise-but your next adventure could be as unglamorous as mapping geological samples in the canyons of Mercury."

"What will happen to Gene?" asked Mark.

"He will be tried with the rest of the pirates. His assistance in turning the asteroid aside and the intercession of Jesus Madera will probably stand him in good stead when his sentence is pronounced."

"What of the aliens aboard the asteroid, sir?"

"Well, maybe they're still there and maybe they're not. We saw no trace of them after your first encounter. My guess is that there were just the two of them, maybe a few more, and that they departed from the asteroid about the time you did. We have plenty of time now to explore the entire asteroid, and if they're there, we'll find them; and if not, we'll find whatever traces there are to be found!"

But Richard was wrong. Nothing and no one on Earth had the capability of finding and entering the inner sanctum on the asteroid. The revelation of the alien inhabitants would come only if and when the aliens wished it, and even Richard Starlight could not determine or predict when that might be.

Zip said, "But it's not over yet, is it, sir? Whatever or whoever the aliens were afraid of hasn't even been identified, much less overcome. And there are still six pirates who haven't been captured. Zimbardo is still free and we haven't any idea where he is. And the independent smugglers that Gene told us about disappeared without a trace."

Richard suddenly looked serious. "You're right, Zip-and there's still the matter of how Zimbardo knew our plans. Somewhere in our organization he has an ally-at least one."

Wulf Denn set his coffee cup down carefully and remarked, "But for now, things are peaceful. There is no danger anywhere, and no sign of any threat-and the amazing asteroid is ours to explore!"

"Right you are," agreed Rock, "and there are many secrets it can reveal to us. Time enough for us to face tomorrow's dangers tomorrow."

The Starmen were comforted. If even Rock was not on guard, they felt free to relax.

"What will you do now?" asked Robert Nolan.

"Well sir," said Mark. "David's uncle and aunt have invited all of us to go their farm in West Virginia-our parents and David's sister, too-for a long vacation. I love the stars, but frankly, spending time in the woods and fields, eating home-cooked meals at a large table with fifteen or so people, and sitting in front of a fireplace appeals to me more than I can say!"

"I don't blame you!" laughed Robert.

"But don't get too comfortable," warned Richard, with a chuckle.
"Something will come along before too long!"

"Maybe mapping geological samples in the canyons of Mercury," suggested
Joe.

"Maybe," said Richard.

A little more than two months later, as the Seatons, Taylors, and
Fosters prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner on the farm, the
Tartarus was speeding through the void.

"We've just passed the orbit of Neptune, sir," announced the pilot.

"Thank you, Mr. Gebbeth. We're making good time." Those who had seen Lurton Zimbardo in his last hours aboard the runaway asteroid would have been surprised to learn that he could be a patient man. As he had done almost obsessively since he had fled the asteroid, he sorted through his thoughts.

"Hundreds of us reduced to dozens, and then dozens reduced to this handful of six. The Superiors promised me power once I had obtained for them the access