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a high relative magnetic permeability covers the entire space station. The maintenance system constantly monitors the shield and sends a signal to the control center when it’s in need of repairs or periodic maintenance.”
    “What are the dimensions of the shaft?”
    “About as high and wide for five to six adults to walk through holding hands.”
    “The security inside the maintenance shafts?”
    “It’s possible to load a security system onto a repair robot. But you can’t enter and exit the shaft just anywhere,” Kline said. “Access is restricted. The access points are only located in the control center and residential district for the staff. The special district can’t be accessed through the maintenance shafts.”
    “But once someone is in the shaft, can’t they cut their way out through the ceiling?”
    “Not likely. The shaft isn’t made of anything so vulnerable. Even if someone were able to cut their way out, the noise alone would alert the Rounds in the special district. Not to mention the intruders would be picked up by the heat and vibration sensors.”
    The special district was located on the Jupiter end of the station, farthest away from the docking bays. It had been built there deliberately to keep intruders at bay.
    “What about the possibility of their breaking in from the Jupiter side?”
    “Jupiter-I is equipped with a surveillance system. We’re capable of destroying any spacecraft that tries to approach us.”
    “Looks like the special district also has an air lock.” Shirosaki pointed to the schematic. “What are these capsules along the walls here?”
    “Emergency shuttles. There are also four shuttles dedicated to the special district.”
    “Its capacity?”
    “Eighty. The shuttles are fully equipped to fly to Asteroid City.”
    “How many people are on this station now, including the Rounds in the special district?”
    “Exactly one hundred staff members, forty task force members, and one hundred fifty-eight Rounds, which makes two hundred ninety-eight.”
    “Then all we need to do is guard the docking bays,” Shirosaki said.
    “In theory, yes.”
    The task force was forty strong—more than the number necessary to monitor the ships coming in to dock.
    “The Vessel of Life has two goals: to stop the bioscientific experiments going on at the station and to destroy the facilities and existing data. The fact that they’re coming out here rather than inciting demonstrations on Earth and on Mars seems to indicate that they think they have a fighting chance. We can’t take this threat lightly.”
    “Is there any chance the terrorists will simply give up? That they’ll turn around and head back after realizing the security precautions we’ve taken?” Kline asked.
    “That’s certainly possible if they realize we’re onto them,” Shirosaki said. “But I’m willing to bet it wasn’t cheap to put a team together and send them out here. Now that the plan’s been set in motion, they won’t give up so easily. There’ll probably only be a few of them, just the necessary manpower to destroy the station’s facilities.”
    “Then what we need to do is clear.” Harding looked at the faces around him. “We intercept them at the docking bays and end them there. But we keep the walls between each section lowered in case they’re able to penetrate our defenses. Station some officers at the walls separating the special district from the rest of Jupiter-I for good measure.”
    “To think that a group standing up for bioethical principles would resort to bloodshed.” Preda let slip a cynical smile. “Just who is being inhumane here? Those of us conducting medical experiments or the fringe group unashamed to commit acts of terrorism?”
    After parting ways with the station staff outside the meeting room, Shirosaki and Arino headed for the quarters assigned to the security team with Harding and Miles.
    As they walked down the corridor, Harding said to Shirosaki, “They’re