"Not very thick for outer walls," observed Neil, measuring the partitions with his eye. "A Terrestrial disintegrator-ray could easily pierce them."
"Of course, but these are only inner walls, after all. The real strong, thick partition is the outside, the tough rind of the fruit. That is too much for the strongest ray or bomb ever made."
"There aren't any bolts to hold the sections together."
"Have you forgotten what I told you about the artificial gravity? That holds everything in place. But here's the theater. Let's get inside or we'll be late."
CHAPTER IV
The Great Battle
The television drama broadcast from the Martian pleasure city of Pulambar, was one of the cynical tragi-comedies that the men of Mars love so well. As it unfolded certain gases were released in the auditorium. They seemed pungent, even acrid, to Neil, who was not used to Martian luxuries, but those around him sniffed the fumes with every evidence of pleasure. He watched the drama progress and was careful to applaud and laugh whenever Yaxa did.
From there they went to an eating-compartment, where a group of young officers first looked askance at the Terrestrial stranger, but crowded around with exclamations of welcome when Yaxa explained his presence in the asteroid. Neil made the best of his limited command of the Martian language. The party seemed to be having a fine time, not the slightest bit worried by the fact that a strong force from Earth was due to attack within a few hours.
"We have only to remain inside our defenses," said one. "They can hammer away on our surface forever without effect, while we can bomb them out of existence one by one."