“Of course, Starman Taylor. This asteroid, however, appears to be the work of some advanced race, other than Earth. The pirates didn’t create it--they took it over. Its sheathing system is highly effective, highly effective indeed. The pirates could be lying, of course, but once the word got out to them that we knew about the asteroid, most of them seemed to swell with a kind of arrogant pride, even welcoming the fact that we had the information. They were confident that we couldn’t do anything about it.” “And that explains, I’m sure, why we couldn’t find them in spite of an exceedingly thorough search of the area,” concluded David Foster, feeling somewhat vindicated. “So are we to go find the asteroid?” put forth Joe, leaning forward in his chair. “No, Mr. Taylor. We want you to find the man who discovered it.” Joe leaned back into his chair, a puzzled look on his face. Oritz Konig continued. “The asteroid was discovered almost twenty years ago by an asteroid miner named George St. George. He’s a loner, like so many of the asteroid miners. He makes a good living, but has no fixed address. He’s constantly on the move and spends most of his time away from settlements in the Belt. He’ll disappear for months, maybe a year or two--then show up on Ceres or in Eagle City with what he has found in the Belt and turn it into cash and supplies. Then he’s gone again. “Apparently he discovered this remarkable asteroid the pirates took over. He’s a trusting, almost naïve, decent man. He spoke unguardedly about his find at one time and Troy Putnam learned about it. Putnam had St. George take him to the asteroid and paid him a good price for the knowledge. St. George showed Putnam where it was, and then disappeared into the Belt. Putnam went on to build his empire of pirates.” “And now you want us to find St. George so he can show us where the asteroid is,” inferred Zip. “It’s not that simple, Starman. We’ve also learned that the pirates who escaped are the most dangerous of the lot. Their leader is a very bad number named Lurton Zimbardo. The pirates were willing to obey Troy Putnam because he encouraged them. They liked him. He was a charismatic leader who gave them visions of grandeur and made them think that they could pull off the impossible. But they are afraid of Zimbardo--for good reason, from what we hear. He is a merciless, calculating spaceman, patiently willing to play second-in-command to Putnam while waiting for his chance to take over. That chance has now come.