At this point, they were joined by the young man for whom the Captain had asked. He was about thirty years old, with a full crown of thick brown hair and deep brown eyes. This was Jesus Madera-Cruz, Chief Ioneer for Starlight Enterprise. He was adept with engines and micro-electronics. Noted for a placid nature, nothing ever seemed to bother him, and his expertise in power systems had never failed the trust which Richard Starlight had placed in him.
“You asked for me, Captain?” he asked.
“Yes, Mr. Madera. We need your skills urgently. This is Gene, one of Zimbardo’s men. Zimbardo has been gone for two hours. Gene tells us that before he fled he burned out the power. Before the power went out, he also redirected the asteroid on a collision course with Earth. I’ve asked our ships outside to confirm that. In the meantime, I’d like you to check out the power system and see if you can bring it back up. Obviously, if what Gene says is true, this is a matter of extreme urgency, not just convenience.”
“Yes, ma’am,” answered the man with a brief nod. The Captain detailed several men to go with Gene and Madera to wherever Zimbardo’s former chief control officer wanted to take them. Gene took them first to the control deck.
Captain Marks-Owens detailed the rest of her men to search the complex in pairs. As other ships landed, minutes apart from each other, she directed their crews to the search. After an hour, ten other pirates had been located. All had been eager to turn themselves in. They were taken into captivity and led to one of the Space Command ships where they were fed and kept under guard.
Soon there were over a hundred men searching the facility. Operations officers began connecting portable power systems to various parts of the complex to reestablish the lights and get the airlocks working again. The atmosphere recycling system was not yet accessible, but the air would last for a long time.
An ensign brought a report to Captain Marks-Owens during the search, confirming Gene’s account that the asteroid was on a collision course with Earth.
“Details?” asked the Captain.
“The asteroid will collide with Earth in approximately eight days, at a speed of nearly 300,000 miles per hour,” responded the ensign. “It was vastly accelerated for a few minutes before the power burned out, and the sun’s gravity continues to increase the rate of acceleration. We have not yet determined precisely where it will strike, but we are forwarding the data to SE and that will be determined.”
At that point, Gene and Madera came up to Marks-Owens.