 Why does Starre lay claim to the asteroid?
Moments later, they were outside the ship, with star-powdered infinity spread to all sides. And yet, if by some chance there was such a rigidly specified asteroid, their financial worries would be over. For there are literally millions of asteroids in the asteroid belt, and they had been out in space only three weeks. Now that he and Queazy had found the asteroid, they were desperate to get it to its destination, for fear that the Saylor brothers might get wind of what was going on, and try to beat them out of their profits. Now they scuffed along the smooth-plane topside of the asteroid, the magnets in their shoes keeping them from stepping off into space. He and Queazy caught up with her on the side of the asteroid they hadn't yet examined. About twenty steps away was her small dumbbell-shaped ship, so shiny and unscarred that it reflected starlight in highlights from its curved surface. If we don't take this asteroid to Earth before June 2, we go back to Satterfield City and work the rest of our lives in the glass factories. I'm staying here and—" she smiled sweetly "—it may interest you to know that if I let you have the asteroid you'll save your business, but I'll meet a fate worse than death! The big ship had landed, and little blue sparks crackled between the hull and the asteroid as the magnetic clamps took hold.
 She's trying to delay her arranged marriage, by preventing the asteroid from ever being delivered.
 She's trying to get away from her life. She can't stand how stubborn her Grandfather is.  She's trying to delay her arranged marriage, by preventing the asteroid from ever being delivered.  She told her Grandfather about the asteroid and told him she would marry Mac on top of it.  She's Burnside's granddaughter and is protecting it for him.