However, they would need to be in spacesuits in
order to leave the ship and enter the SE facility.
An asteroid about ten miles across loomed up on the screen. Joe circled
it slowly.
"There it is," he said as a landing pad came into view. A small dome
next to the pad was barely visible, since the landscape that had been
artificially shaped was on the dark side of the asteroid, away from the
sun. The site on O344 was one of dozens of such places marked on the
navigational maps. They were unmanned stations stocked with supplies
and maintained for explorers, scientists, and others in the employ of
Starlight Enterprise. They contained large quantities of food, water,
and other basic necessities, and provided rustic living facilities.
It didn't take Joe long to land the ship on the surface of the small
asteroid. It settled down gently just a few yards from the dome.
"I'll need someone to go into the supply cache and get some bolts, Zip.
This ship doesn't have any to keep it fixed to the asteroid-or if it
does, I haven't found the controls for them. I'll have to stay aboard
until the ship is secure."
"Okay, Joe," Zip responded. "Great flying. You pilot this ship as if
you were trained in it."
"That's my job," said Joe. "Don't take too long, though. I'm hungry!"
The men went through the ship's airlock, made the brief walk across the
surface of the asteroid, and entered the dome.
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