Commander O'Brine had not exaggerated. The of and on the blast was stubborn, dirty, and penetrating. It was on in a solid sheet, but when scraped, it up into powder.
The Planeteers coveralls, gloves, and with respirators, but that didn't prevent the from through onto their bodies. Rip, who the work and of the with a gamma-beta and an counter, they would have to personal decontamination.
He took a reading on the chamber. Only a of and radiation. That was the kind, and and skin. But the Planeteers wouldn't of a to do any at all. The count was high, but so long as they didn't breathe any of the it was not dangerous.
The Scorpius had six tubes. Rip the Planeteers into two squads, one under his direction and one under Koa's. Each took a of hours' hard work. Several times the the men would the and go into the main mixing while the was with live steam to the they had off out into space.
Each was on its last when a arrived. He Rip. "Sir, the safety officer says to secure the tubes."
That only one thing: deceleration. Rip up his men. "We're finished. The safety officer passed the word to secure the tubes, which means we're going to decelerate." He grimly. "You all know they gave us this job just out of pure love for the Planeteers. So it when you go through the room to the chamber."
The Planeteers enthusiastically.
Rip the way from the mixing through the safety door into the engine room. His entrance was met with by the spacemen.
Halfway across the room Rip and into Sergeant-major Koa. Koa to the deck, arms for balance—but against his clothing. The other Planeteers to him up, and somehow all their arms and hands against each other.
The was with dust. It rose from them in a cloud, was up, and by the system. It was dust. The safety the ship with an ear-splitting of warning. Spacemen to their and spoke of Rip's Planeteers in the space language they think of.
Rip and his men up Koa and their to the room, under their at the around them. There was no to the since they had on the moment the sounded. But a little meant the whole ship had to be gone over with instruments, and the would have to be cleaned.
The met Rip at the door of the room. Above the respirator, his looked furious.
"Lieutenant," he bellowed. "Haven't you any more than to into the engine room?"
Rip was sorry the couldn't see him under his respirator. He said innocently, "No, sir. I haven't any more than that."
The grated, "I'll have you up the Discipline Board for this."
Rip was himself thoroughly. "I don't think so, sir. The are very clear. They say, 'It is the of the safety officer to with all safety by complete to and personal supervision.' Your safety officer didn't us and he didn't us. You him up the Board."
The into his respirator. Rip had him, and he it. "He a Planeteer had to safety rules," he yelled.
"He was wrong," Rip said gently. Then, just to make himself perfectly clear, he added, "Commander O'Brine was his when he us radiation. But he one thing. Planeteers know the regulations, too. Excuse me, sir. I have to my men decontaminated."
Inside the chamber, the Planeteers took off their and Rip with grins. For a moment he back, good. He had his own with the spacemen, and he that his men liked him.
"All right," he said briskly. "Strip and into the showers."
In a moments they were all under the water, off the dust. Rip paid special attention to his hair, that was where the was most likely to stick. He had it well when the water cut off. At the same moment, the as stopped its and left them all weightless. Rip saw what had happened. He called, "All right, men. Down on the floor."
The Planeteers to the deck. In a the pressure of pushed at them.
"I like spacemen," Rip said wryly. "They wait until just the right moment they cut the water and decelerate. Now we're in our birthday until we land—wherever that may be."
Corporal Nels Pederson spoke up in a soft Stockholm accent. "Never mind, sor. Ve'll at them. Ve do!"
While the Scorpius and started for a landing, Rip did some calculations. He the and of of this class in terms of time, and part of his daily on the space had been to the daily astro-plot which gave the positions of all and other large the system.
There was only one possible destination: Mars.
Rip's quickened. He had always wanted to visit the red planet. Of he had all the films, audio-mags, and books on the planet, and he had to see the spacecast. He had a good idea of what the was like, but reading or was not like actually landing and taking a look for himself.
Of they would land at Marsport. It was the only landing area to drive cruisers.
The and cut to zero. At the same moment, the water came on.
Rip up, dressed, then took his and his men as they came from the shower. Private Dowst had to go for another try at his clean, but the were all right. Rip his to Koa. "You Dowst when he finishes. I want to see what's happening."
He from the and his way the toward the engine room. There was a good possibility he might a call from O'Brine, with to take his men off the ship. He might learn what he was to do!
As he the engine room, Commander O'Brine was to his on the of that was aboard. Rip a of disappointment. If the Scorpius had to take on of some kind, his was not on Mars.
He started to approach the with a question about his orders, then of it. He near the and watched.
The air lock hissed, then open. A Martian in the entryway, a case on his shoulder. Rip him with interest. He had Martians before, on the space platform, but he had used to them. They were human, still....
He to out, as he had before, what it was that them strange. It wasn't the blue-whiteness of their skins the very large, eyes. It was something about their bodies. He the Martian's carefully. He was and more than the earthman, but his would be about the same. Nor were his very much longer.
Suddenly Rip he had it. The Martian's and arms joined his at a different angle, him an look. That was what him look like a of a human. Although he was human, of course. As as any of them.
Rip saw that other Martians were in the air lock, all cases of and shapes. They came through into the room and put them down, then without a word and into the lock. They were all heavily, Rip noticed. Of course! The the space ship must very and to them after the thin, air of Mars.
The lock and the Martians were replaced by others. They, too, deposited their cases. But these cases were and heavier. It took four Martians to one, which meant they close to a each. The Martians more than an earthman's capacity.
When the lock next time, a Planeteer captain came in. He the air appreciatively, the he had to wear outside. He Commander O'Brine and reported, "This is all, sir. We the order as Terra sent it. Is there anything else you need?"
O'Brine to his deputy. "Find out," he ordered. "This is our last chance. We have of supplies, but we may be of audio-mags and other for the men." He his on the Planeteer captain and walked away.
The captain at O'Brine's back, then walked over to Rip. They hands.
"I'm Southwick, SOS Two. Canadian."
Rip himself and said he was an American. He added, "And from my men, you're the being I've since we space."
Southwick chuckled. "Trouble with the spacemen? Well, you're not the first."
Talking about wasn't good practice, but Rip was with curiosity. "You don't by know what my is, do you?"
The captain's up. "Don't you?"
Rip his head. "O'Brine hasn't told me."
"I don't know a thing," Southwick said. "We got to pack up a of for the Scorpius and that's all I know. The order was in special cipher, though, so we're all about it."
The returned, reported to O'Brine, then walked up to Rip and Southwick. "Nothing else needed," he said curtly. "We'll off at once."
Southwick nodded, hands with Rip, and said in a voice the hear, "Don't let these you. Trouble with them is, they all wanted to be Planeteers and couldn't pass the tests." He winked, then to the air lock.
Spacemen to clear the of the new supplies, them in a near-by workroom. Within five minutes the engine room was clear. The safety officer and the sounded. Taking off!
Rip to the and into an chair. The other Planeteers were already in the room, most of them in their bunks. Koa into the chair him. "Find out anything, sir?"
"Nothing useful. A of came aboard, but it was in plain crates. I couldn't tell what it was."
Acceleration pressed them against the chairs. Rip sighed, up an audio-circuit set, and put it over his ears. Might as well to what the had to offer. There was nothing else to do. Music was playing, and it was the he liked. He settled to and listen.
Brennschluss came some time later. It Rip up from a sleep. He blinked, at his chronometer. Great Cosmos! With that length of they must be high-vacking for Jupiter! He waited until the ship into the spin, then got out of his chair and stretched. He was hungry. Koa was still sleeping. He not to wake him. The sergeant-major would see that the men ate when they wanted to.
In the only one table was occupied—by Commander O'Brine.
Rip gave him a hello and started to alone at another table. To his surprise, O'Brine to him.
"Sit down," the gruffly.
Rip did, and what was next.
"We'll start to in about ten minutes," O'Brine said. "Eat while you can." He and a Rip the day's in an plastic with thermo-lining. The Planeteer opened it and a of mixed vegetables, a of space-meat, and two of biscuit. He his nose. Space-meat he didn't mind. It was but tasty. The mixed vegetable was for its food value and not for taste. A good of earth-grass would be a more palatable. He off pieces of the warm and thoughtfully, O'Brine's for a as to why the had him to down.
It wasn't long in coming. "Your orders are the I've read," O'Brine stated. "Do you know where we're going?"
Rip quickly. They had for six and a hours. Now, ten minutes after brennschluss, they were going to start deceleration. That meant they had high-vacked it to in a hurry. He calculated swiftly.
"I don't know exactly," he admitted. "But from the ship's actions, I'd say we were for the of the belt. Anyway, we'll of Jupiter."
There was a of respect in O'Brine's glance. "That's right. Know anything about asteroids, Foster?"
Rip considered. He what he had been in and astrogation. Between Mars and Jupiter a in which the swung. They from Ceres, a world only 480 miles in diameter, to of the size of a house. No count of asteroids—or minor planets, as they were called—had been made, but the on Mars had the of over 100,000. Most of them were only a mile or two in diameter. Others, much smaller, had been by anyone. One leading had that as many as 50,000 the belt.
"I know the about them," he told O'Brine. "I haven't any special knowledge."
O'Brine blinked. "Then why did they you? What's your specialty?"
"Astrophysics."
"That might it. Second specialty?"
"Astrogation." He couldn't adding, "That's what scientists call space navigation, Commander."
O'Brine started to retort, then of it. "I you'll be able to out your orders, Lieutenant," he said stiffly. "I hope, but not much. I don't think you can."
Rip asked, "What are my orders, sir?"
O'Brine in the direction of the wall. "Out there, in the belt, Foster, there is a little of about one thousand yards in diameter. A very minor planet. We know its as of two days ago, but we don't know much else. It to be a very minor planet."
Rip waited, on the commander's words.
"It's important," O'Brine continued, "because it to be pure thorium."
Rip gasped. Thorium! The rare, just in the table of the elements, the used to power this very ship! "What a find!" he said in a voice. No wonder the job was Federation A, with Space Council security! "What do I do about it?" he asked.
O'Brine grinned. "Ride it," he said. "Your orders say you're to this asteroid, blast it out of its orbit, and drive it to earth!"
