Joe eased the ship through a scattering of moderate-sized
asteroids and then came into a space where there were relatively few
chunks of stone and iron moving through space. On the far side of the
open area was an asteroid nearly twenty miles long and half as wide.
"There it is," announced Joe. "Z25."
Zip gave a nod to Mark, and Mark opened communications.
"Vigilant Warrior calling Z25. We have arrived in your area and seek
permission to land."
"You made good time, friends," came a voice instantly. "Come on in and
welcome."
The Starmen had spoken to St. George once during their journey from
Montezuma's Castle, but only briefly. The communications were
encrypted, but even the encryption could be a tipoff to an enemy who
might be listening in.
As they made their final approach, the Starmen had a good view of Z25's
horizon near the time of local sunset. The surface was dark because of
the oblique illumination, but several boulders caught the sunlight and
appeared as bright sentinels on the landscape. The brightest of the
boulders, just to the upper right of a deeply shadowed crater in the
foreground, marked the landing area. A cluster of artificial structures
was visible nearby, and several spaceships were parked in an informal
array. A dome covered the buildings, and reflected the sun in a burst
of brightness.
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