"but on a scale like nothing we have ever heard
of."
74 "Make for the outer planetoid. Maybe there's something there."
75 As they neared the outer planetoid Firing Control suddenly sat bolt
upright. "Incoming!" he cried, "Two fast moving objects. They're coming
from the debris field in-system. Hyper missiles, old type nuclear
warheads."
76 "Old type or not," cried North, "if one of them hits us, it could do
untold damage. Lock on and destroy."
77 Two brilliant beams of energy leaped from the ship and the two
missiles disappeared in a fiery flash. "Apparently," gasped navigation,
"someone's still alive in there!"
78 "Negative," argued The Voice, "automated, self-repairing systems,
programmed to fire on anything that moves; probably thousands of years
old. We must use extreme caution and approach the planetoid from far
out, keeping it between us and the system. There could be thousands of
those things floating around in there. If we activated a full barrage,
it could be nasty!"
79 "Agreed ," said North, "warn the rest of the ships to stand off
further while we go in to investigate."
80 "As soon as we're close enough," ordered The Voice, "send down a
transport beam tube, open end."
81 "Sir, if we intend to beam down," commented Communications, "we
can't use an open-end tube."
82 "Follow my orders," snapped The Voice.
83 A few minutes later Firing Control acknowledged that the transport
beam tube was now nearly touching the surface. "I know," answered The
Voice, "they're coming on board now."
84 "Yes," agreed North, "I sense them, too ....millions of Spiritual
entities. They're pouring up through the transport beam tube."
85 Firing Control again spoke. "Sir, I'm detecting an extensive complex
of some kind, a good-sized city, but no major life forms. A few alpha
and batas, but no gammas.