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.
"Captain," said Madera. "I have made a preliminary examination of the
control system. Gene has been more than cooperative, I am happy to say.
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