Asteroid Crisis: Star Challengers Book 3 by Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, June Scobee Rodgers Read Free Book Online Page A

effort, funding, and resources into the revitalized space program. JJ was glad to find out that the ISSC’s crew complement had doubled since then, and ground-based monitoring stations and the orbiting space station remained on high alert.
    “Looks like they’re finally taking the Kylarn threat seriously,” King observed, when the five Star Challengers reached the central command module.
    “The destruction of Moonbase Magellan was enough to wake everyone up,” Stationmaster Ansari said. “But even in times of great urgency, the governments of Earth often take too long to get major programs moving. Fortunately, many entrepreneurs and private companies recognized the potential disaster and acted immediately, assigning some of the best researchers and significant money to building up the support industries to meet our needs.”
    As they pulled themselves into Central, the ISSC’s nerve center, JJ and her friends saw familiar faces, including communications specialist Anton Pi, Dr. Romero, and Specialist Lifchez. They exchanged warm and excited greetings, while a dozen new crewmembers regarded the young people with skeptical looks. After the last two missions, Stationmaster Ansari had issued a detailed report to Earth authorities, so everyone on the station knew about this handful of ambitious teens who had such a baffling habit of arriving and disappearing at unexpected times.
    Although Ansari believed that the Star Challengers were true allies, the crew’s easy and naive acceptance of Mira last time had taught them all a lesson. Security Chief Napali now had a team of four combat-trained men and women who could defend the station if the Kylarn ever tried to capture it again. In addition, the combined space agency had installed some emergency defenses to protect the station from an alien attack: an array of small rocket-propelled missiles was mounted to one of the modules on the ISSC. They could shoot at any oncoming Kylarn starfish ships that might try to cause trouble. So far, though, the system hadn’t been tested in actual combat.
    A replacement surveillance satellite, Eye in the Sky II, had been constructed and launched in secret under tight security so that no saboteur like Mira could expose it. The spy satellite had unobtrusively drifted across space until it reached the gravitational stable point L-5, ahead of the Moon in its orbit. The images from the satellite showed the extensive alien lunar base with its convoluted structures, spaceship landing zones, mines, and factories—a termite-nest of squidbutt activity.
    “I will personally vouch for all of you,” said Ansari, “but we’re keeping an eye open for Cadet Mira—or anyone else who might intend us harm.”
    “If you wouldn’t mind, Ma’am, we could use a quick briefing,” King said, sounding businesslike. “What exactly has happened since our last visit?”
    Dr. Kloor made a sound of disbelief. “How can you come here so unprepared? It’s not as if we keep our operations secret—this is a worldwide emergency.”
    “We’ve, uh, been kept out of the loop,” JJ explained quickly.
    “Then you all must have been in suspended animation,” Kloor replied, shaking his head, then paused. “Is that the real answer? Is that why you haven’t aged a day since you left the station last time? It’s been almost two years.”
    Feeling alarm, but knowing she shouldn’t give away any answers, JJ avoided the question, “I’m sorry, but we really can’t give you any information.”
    “It’s classified. We could tell you, but then we’d have to shoot you,” Dyl quipped.
    Song-Ye rolled her eyes; everyone had heard that line before. “Not funny, Junior.”
    Kloor turned to Ansari. “Stationmaster, it’s absurd that these kids won’t trust us when they ask us to accept them at face value.”
    “It’s not that we don’t trust you,” JJ said. “I … we have … orders.” How did military people put it? “Telling anyone could adversely affect