"Lurton-what about the ships that went to interrogate Vly?
We know five took off, and yesterday I only saw one return. No one else
wants to ask about it, but I'm asking. If I'm going to risk my men and
my ships on this venture of yours, I want to know what's involved."
As the man was speaking, Gene lowered his head and kept his eyes on the
floor.
"All right, Captain Kimball. It's a fair question. You're right. Five
went out and only one returned. None of the men was lost-the returning
ship brought them all back. But four of the ships were destroyed before
they could land on Montezuma's Castle." Zimbardo's five lieutenants
were already aware of the setback. The visitors, Jeff Jenner and Lorry,
were stunned. Kimball grunted, as if a suspicion had been confirmed.
"Well?" he pressed, his face hard and demanding.
"Gene," said Zimbardo, turning away. He didn't like to deliver news of
defeat.
"The pilots of the ships tell essentially the same story," began Gene.
"They came directly to Montezuma's asteroid, opened communications, and
insisted that they were going to land. There was no response. But
within seconds some kind of energy beam came forth from Adamant, the
neighboring asteroid, and sliced the four ships into small sections. It
was clear that there was no intention to kill any personnel-only to
destroy the ships.
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