Ceres was the hub of the Asteroid Belt. Nearly 600 miles across, it was the largest body in the ring of planetary debris that swirled and turned in a large swath between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was the place where professional miners first arrived from Earth before their companies farmed them out to the mining centers on various asteroids. Independent asteroid miners came to Ceres once in a while for supplies, and corporations picked up equipment imported daily from Mars. Ceres, located several days' travel from the nearest sizable population center, was a buzz of activity.
The Star Ranger approached the large asteroid after a fast but uneventful journey of six days.
"Quite a cloud of starships!" remarked Joe as Yellow City came into view. A swarm of at least forty ships of an amazing variety of sizes, shapes, and vintages was moving over the port. Some were hovering, others were heading in toward the landing field and a few others were departing. None moved very fast since the space was as crowded as bees around a hive.
Yellow City was a well planned settlement, in spite of having been developed jointly by several different mining companies. Although the competition was fierce for the rich minerals of the Belt, cooperation was necessary to build the city, especially in the earliest years of settlement. The result was beneficial to all, as Yellow City could easily supply the needs of miners of all kinds as well as serve the traffic to the Outer Planets that almost always came by way of Ceres. Advancements in propulsion systems were making it possible for some of the newer ships to bypass Yellow City on their way to Jupiter and beyond, but Ceres was still a major stopping point.
Zip spoke quietly to Mark. "Mark, please let them know that we would like to land."
Mark opened the microphone. "Starman Mark Seaton on the starship Star Ranger requesting permission to land."
The response was immediate. "Yes sir, Starman! Ceres is proud to welcome you!" The operator went on to give directions for landing.
"Why is he so deferential?" queried Mark after communications had been completed.
"We're famous!" responded Zip. "We've been aboard ship since the end of the attempted takeover on Mars and haven't kept up with the news, but we've become household names. Oritz Konig told me that just as we were leaving the Base. We're the men who liberated Mars! The people in the Belt are especially pleased since the pirates had planned to blockade them once they had a strong hold on Eagle City. Why, you couldn't find another place in the Solar System that'd be happier to see us than Yellow City!"
The Star Ranger was given priority docking. Once its engines were shut down, a large crew ran to secure it and welcome the Starmen. As Zip, Mark, and Joe descended the ladder, eager hands reached up to help them down the last two or three rungs. Through the bubble helmets on their suits, the mechanics and service personnel were all smiles.
When Zip inquired about the offices of Starlight Enterprise, the Starmen were ushered to a small moonbus and driven directly to the site. The complex was a small two-story building set in a row of offices, workshops, and garages not far from the landing field. All buildings on Ceres were made of the gray rock native to the asteroid. Building material was cheap and solid, but plain.
Although the city itself was covered with an atmosphere dome, the SE office was located close to the landing field, not within the city proper. Entrance was through an airlock. Once through the airlock, the Starmen removed their helmets and placed them on the rack.
"Whoopee! This is fun, being famous!" exclaimed Joe, his eyes alight. "I hope it lasts until we get back to the Earth-Moon system! I'd like to enjoy it!"
"I hope so, too, for all our sakes. Your exploits have given all the Starmen a good name!" Joe whirled.
"Kathryn Mullaney!" cried Joe. Mark and Zip smiled widely.
"What are you doing on Ceres, Kathryn?" asked Zip. "I haven't seen you since your last visit to the Academy at the beginning of our senior year." Kathryn Mullaney had graduated from Starlight Academy a year before Zip and his partners; her first assignment as a Starman was in the Outer Planets. She was twenty years old, wore her strawberry blond hair short, and had a few freckles spangled across her nose below blue eyes which had a touch of green in them.
"Finished my assignment on Ganymede and I'm coming back home for a leave which I hope will be very long! I spent eight months in the smallest population center in the Solar System, and can't wait to get back where there are crowds of people! I'm just staying here long enough for a quick once-over on my ship, refueling, and then I'm Earth-bound. In fact, I'm on my way out now."
There was a little more pleasant conversation, then Kathryn said, "I've got to be going, and Sim is waiting for you upstairs. Good luck!"
Zip, Mark, and Joe ascended the stairs and came to the landing. The stairway and corridors were very plain. There was no unnecessary ornamentation of any kind, and lighting was minimal. They found a door with a sign on it that read STARLIGHT ENTERPRISE in bold letters. A second line provided the name of SE's resident operations officer on Ceres: "Sim Sala Bim." Joe knocked.
"Come in," said a voice. The Starmen entered the door. The occupant, a tall, slender man of Indian extraction with black thinning hair, was already coming toward the door to welcome his visitors. "Welcome! So glad to see you! Welcome, please come in!" He ushered them into the room.
"Nice to see you again, Sim," greeted Zip. They sat down in a circle of chairs, Sim sitting near a table on which were placed all the makings necessary for tea. There were already two cups set out, which had been used recently. Sim took one for himself and set the other aside. "This was Kathryn's," he said as he produced three new cups for his visitors. "You probably passed her on your way in."
The conversation continued as Sim poured the tea from a very large brown earthenware teapot. Before long, Zip brought up the subject of their visit.
"I wish we had more time to visit, Sim, but our assignment is extremely urgent. We must find George St. George as fast as possible, and Oritz has told us that only a miner named Montezuma Vly can tell us where he is. We're on our way to Montezuma's Castle."
"Ah, yes," said Sim Sala Bim, "Sabbath George. He is well known here, but we haven't seen him in almost a year, I think. Almost a year."
"Sabbath George?" asked Mark.
"George St. George is a devout man-genial, generous, liked and respected by everyone. Honest to a fault. He's called Sabbath George because of his beliefs. The nickname is intended to kid him a little bit, but is really meant as a term of respect and affection. But to find him in short order, you will indeed have to go through Montezuma Vly. Montezuma's Castle is not hard to find, but getting in will be difficult."
"We are familiar with Mr. Vly's convictions and we wouldn't bother him if there were any other way to find St. George. Given the time constraints, we have no choice."
Sim nodded. "Montezuma's Castle is easily recognizable by its unusual shape. It is a true crescent, a sliver of stone with Vly's operation in its very center." Sim went on to provide its coordinates and other information the Starmen would need to find it.
Zip continued. "On this assignment secrecy is of the utmost importance. It is vital that no one knows who we are or what we're doing. We obviously can't take the Star Ranger, as the news media have made that ship easily recognizable. We learned that when we landed on Ceres. I think we're going to need to use another ship."
With Sim, the Starmen made plans to leave the Star Ranger on Ceres while the Starmen, dressed in ordinary clothes, quietly departed for Montezuma's Castle in another ship.
"I'll let you have the Vigilant Warrior," said Sim. "It's a local ship, designed for operating in the Asteroid Belt. We own it, but it hasn't been used in a while and probably no one will recognize it as an SE ship. It's the best I can do on short notice, but it should serve you well."
"I'm sure it'll be fine, if you say so," answered Zip.
Sim Sala Bim got right to work, and the Vigilant Warrior was ready for takeoff within two hours. As soon as it was ready, the Starmen lifted
off from Yellow City. As Joe piloted the ship into the heart of the Belt, Zip looked back for a brief, wistful moment and saw the unusual dark red color of the Star Ranger, his ship, on the field of Yellow City.