CHAPTER 2

THE END AND THE BEGINNING

Captain Jacob Advor is a typical, salty tugboat captain, rough and tough, but enterprising and with a heart of gold. He is highly respected by all who work with him. He does not like to be called Jake -anything else is ok. He is definitely in charge bringing a large ice bearing asteroid back to tuna: Hey fellows, lets get this tug into a better trajectory. That ole Iceteroid is just aheada little heavier on the Vortex Booster No.2...Now be careful of that projecting hunk of icefire your tow beams into the southwest quadrant. Now lets get out of here and get beams into the Northwest quadrant, and then well take a look around this ole iceberg.

This ice asteroid has been tracked and analyzed by the Vortexians for centuries. Now Captain Advors Spacetug #866 is preparing to haul it back to Luna but first freeing it from its trajectory and momentum. The window will be perfect in 140 hours, enough time to make it ready and to do the necessary final testing of the asteroids structural integrity.

Captain Advor and his crew are in close contact with both tuna and Vortexia. The asteroid they are preparing to tow is over 400 kilometers in diameter across its widest point, and the 95%, plus, water content is sufficient to fill all the empty internal seas and lakes of tuna that are waiting for water.

Run the calcs again on the mass of that chunk of ice, Van, lets get two teams out to drill more sample cores, says Captain Advor, and, lets also be sure where those weak fault lines are before we try for a slingshot around Jupiter. We sure dont want it to fly apart on us. Besides we need the whole thing.

Animals everywhere on planet Vortexia are in a panic. Many people are still blindly resisting the thought of moving to tuna. Their beautiful homes and furnishings are too comfortable to leave, even though gigantic tidal waves are destroying coastal cities.

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Back to Spacetug #866, Dr. Vandrake is busily engaged in preparing for the energy boost that will send their tug and payload into a slingshot orbit around Jupiter twice and then on to tuna. Vortex boosters have been installed at strategic locations on the asteroid. Vans main concern is the possible breakup of the iceteroid during the next maneuvers. Theyll have to gain momentum slowly. Captain Advor is depending upon him to furnish all inertial stress diagrams based on known structural faults on the asteroid discovered in earlier expeditions as well as from current data being confirmed by the teams out on the ice now.

Captain, everything out there looks satisfactory for continuing the countdown. Vortex boosters are scheduled to be activated at 1400 hours. All systems are operative.

You dont need to always be that formal, Van, says Captain Advor: Just say: Everything will be ready to go at 1400, thats fine with me. Our B exploration team is two hours overdue from their check of the N.E. quadrant. Has anyone heard from them? All they had to do is plant a booster, drill a hole and look things over. ?

No communication has been received from B Team, but A Team is out searching for them, Captain.

Captain Advor is obviously disturbed and worried about the missing team. In his favorite monotone he quietly says to Van: We shouldnt have anyone out on that chunk of ice during the next ten hours, if we can help it. We might lose a chunk of it along with anyone who is still out there. Lets see if theres anyone we can spare to help in the search.

Everyone is busily engaged with a critical job right now, sir says Vandrake. This countdown is going to take every man-hour available.