There was a deafening sound like that of a huge metal block falling to the floor and then grinding along an uneven surface. A wailing screech filled the room and everyone but Zimbardo covered his ears. The screech increased in intensity until men fell to the floor and writhed, pressing their hands firmly to the sides of their heads. Then there was sudden silence and the lights went out. Men began to moan, and someone’s voice quavered: “The atmosphere recycler has stopped!” “_Everything_ has stopped,” said Gene from the darkness. * * * * * Twelve Firewasps came upon the eighteen pirate ships with a suddenness that took the pirates completely by surprise. The small spacecraft moved so quickly that the pirates could get off only wild shots that never came close to any of the SE craft. The Firewasps used narrow but highly dense laser weaponlight with remarkable effectiveness. Skilled pilots and marksmen quickly disabled the pirate ships by piercing their power supply, effectively casting them adrift in space. The pirates’ sheathing systems went down, rendering the ships visible. The battle was over in less than two minutes. Captain Mary Marks-Owens and Richard Starlight received the news within minutes of each other, that the eighteen pirate ships were derelicts and their crews would no doubt be eager to be picked up by the nearest Space Command ships. Without power, their air would not last more than twenty-four hours. Richard and Commander Lewis made the next order jointly. With a few exceptions, all Starlight Enterprise and Space Command spacecraft were to journey to the pirates’ asteroid at once and prepare for battle. They would bring the attack directly to Lurton Zimbardo. After issuing the order, Richard reset his communication system to contact the _Star Ranger_. Now that the need for secrecy was past, he wanted to bring the returning Starmen up to date and urge them to come to the pirates’ asteroid with the others. Inside the _Star Ranger_, Mark cried out, “Hey! Listen to this!” He directed the communication system to public announcement mode and restarted the message from Richard Starlight. In exultant tones, Richard related the events of the previous two days, concluding with the capture of the eighteen pirate ships and the coming attack on Zimbardo’s asteroid. The Starmen cheered. They all jumped up and danced. After a moment, Zip asked, “How soon can we get to the asteroid, Mark?” Mark sat down and quickly figured. “We’re only about a day and a half away.” “What are we waiting for?!” exclaimed Joe. “Let’s go!” said Zip. “We could use a little diversion on our way back to Earth.” Mark set a new course and Joe initiated it. The _Star Ranger_ turned slightly to intercept the asteroid where they had been imprisoned nearly three weeks before. * * * * *