Rip walked into the with a copy of the orders in his hand. After one look at his face, the Planeteers around him. Santos those who were sleeping, while Rip waited.
"We have our orders, men," he announced. Suddenly he laughed. He couldn't help it. At he had been overcome by the responsibility, and the of the job, but now he was used to the idea and he see the in it. Ten wild Planeteers an asteroid! Sunny space, what a great big thermo-nuclear stunt!
Koa remarked, "It must be good. The is a out of it."
"Sit down," Rip ordered. "You'd better, you might over when you this. Listen, men. Two days ago the Altair passed through the on a from Jupiter to Mars." He sat down, too, was starting. As his men looked at each other in at the of it, he continued, "The old something we need. An of pure thorium."
The Planeteers as well as he what that meant. There were of astonishment. Koa his big thigh. "By Gemini! What do we do about it, sir?"
"We it," Rip said. "We blast it from its and it to earth."
He sat and their reactions. At they were stunned. Trudeau, the Frenchman, to himself in French. Dominico, the Italian, up his hands and exclaimed, "Santa Maria!"
Kemp, one of the American privates, asked, "How do we do it, sir?"
Rip grinned. "That's a good question. I don't know."
That stopped them. They at him. He added quickly, "Supplies came at Marsport. We'll the when we open them. Headquarters must have the method when they us and ordered the equipment."
Koa up. He was the only one who have moved against the deceleration. He walked to a at one of the and took a copy of "The Space Navigator." Then, his seat, he looked at Rip. "Anything else, sir? I I'd read what there is about asteroids."
"Go ahead," Rip agreed. He sat as Koa to what data there was, but he didn't listen. His mind was going ten a second. He he why he had been for the job. Word of the must have only a time he was to the space platform. He the speed with which the at Terra had acted. They had sent orders to the in the area, the Scorpius, to by for instructions. Then their must have rapidly, for the nearest available Planeteer officer with an and training.
He the when the machine up the name of a brand-new lieutenant. But the choice was logical enough. He that most, if not all, of the Planeteer were either in high or low space on special work. Chances are there was no nearer than Ganymede. So the choice had to him.
He had a image of the Terra scientists data into the brain, taking the results, and fast orders for the men and needed. If his was correct, work at the Planeteer had been an hour of the time word was received.
When they opened the cases by the Martians, he would see that the method of the into a for earth was all out for him.
Rip was to at those cases. Not until he saw the method of operation he to his course. But there was no possibility of at the until brennschluss. He put the problem out of his mind and on what his men were saying.
"... and he into that going close to seven AU's," Santos was saying. The little Filipino expressively.
Rip the story. It was about a supply ship, a chemical drive job that had into an a years before.
Private Dowst shrugged, too. "Too bad. High was waiting for him. Nothing you can do when Old Man Nothing wants you."
Rip listened, interested. This was the talk of old space hands. They had the high of empty space a personality, calling it "high vack," or "Old Man Nothing." With fatalism, they believed—or said they believed—that when high wanted you, there was nothing you do.
Rip had come across an of word knowledge. Spacemen and Planeteers had a way of using the phrase, "By Gemini!" Gemini, of course, was the of the Twins, Castor and Pollux. Both were useful for astrogation. The Roman soldiers of history had sworn, "By Gemini," or "By the Twins." The Romans the were the famous Greek Castor and Pollux, in the after their deaths. In later years, the phrase to "by jiminy" and its meaning had been lost. Now, although the history of the phrase, they were using it again, correctly.
Other space talk out of space itself, and not history. For instance, the thing that to a man was to have his broken. Let the be and the results were quick and final. Hence the oft-heard threat, "I'll your bubble."
Speaking of ... Rip that he and his men would have to live in and space while on the asteroid. None of the minor were big to have an or much gravity.
If only he a look into those cases! But the ship was still and he would have to wait. He put his against the chair and settled to wait as as he could.
Brennschluss was a long time coming. When the stopped, Rip didn't wait for gravity. He himself out of the chair and the and the hand over hand. He for where the were stacked, his Planeteers close him.
Commander O'Brine at the same time. "We're starting to for the asteroid," he Rip. "May be some time we it."
"Where are we, sir?" Rip asked.
"Just above the near the edge. We're the position where the was sighted, moving along what the Altair as its orbit. I'm not space, Foster, when I tell you we're for a in a pile. This part of space is with more objects than you would imagine, and they all register on the rad-screens."
"We'll it," Rip said confidently.
O'Brine nodded. "Yes. But it will take some hunting. Meanwhile, let's at those cases. The supply is on his way."
The supply arrived, to the Planeteers, then opened a plastic case to one of the boxes and produced lists. As the Planeteers opened and the crates, Rip and O'Brine and the the off.
The case produced a complete chemical unit with an of and adapters. Rip looked around for the and saw none. "Something's wrong," he objected. "Where's the fuel supply for the torch?"
The supply the lists, papers, and the answer.
"The following," he read, "are to be from the Scorpius complement. One landing boat, large, model twenty-eight. Eight each, unit bottles. Four each, chemical unit fuel tanks."
"That's that," Rip said, relieved. Apparently he was to do a of on the asteroid, of the itself. The of the melt any substance. The itself melt in hands.
The next case a set of in a soft, plastic. Rip left them in the case and put them to one side. As he did so, Sergeant-major Koa let out a of surprise.
"Lieutenant, look at this!"
Corporal Santos exclaimed, "Well me for a space squid! Do they us to any people on this asteroid?"
The object was a portable designed to fire light attack rockets. It was a item of for Planeteers.
"I the shape of those cases over there, now," Koa said. "Ten of for the launcher, one to a case."
Rip his head. He was as puzzled as Santos. Why supply for a on an that couldn't possibly have any thing on it?
He left the puzzle for the and called for more cases. The next two type for ten men, with ammunition, and Planeteer space knives. The space had which were when the pushed a thumb lever, the in a in the handle. The with to a bubble, or to cut through a space suit. They were designed for the purpose of space hand-to-hand combat.
The Planeteers looked at each other. What were they up against, that such was needed on a asteroid?
Private Dowst opened a box that a complete tool kit, the designed to be by men in space suits. Yards of wire, for purposes, were on reels. Two hand-driven of great power were included.
Corporal Pederson a small case which books, the latest data sheets, and a space computer and board. These were for Rip's personal use. He them. There were all the he would need for orbit, speed, and just about anything else that might be required. He had to the of had the order. The unknown Planeteer had that the space would not have all the necessary and had a copy of each.
Several large cases remained. Koa the from one and let out an exclamation. Rip over and looked in. His did a quick reverse. Great Cosmos! The thing was an bomb!
Illustration: Great Cosmos! It Was An Atomic Bomb!
Great Cosmos! It Was An Atomic Bomb!
Commander O'Brine over his and at the on the cylinder. "Equivalent ten KT."
In other words, the the harmless-looking produce was to 10,000 of TNT, a chemical no longer in use but still used for comparison.
Rip asked huskily, "Any more of those things?" The of the job was clear to him. Nuclear were not used without good reason. The material was too valuable for other purposes.
The came off the cases. Some of them of fuel in solid form, the packed separately.
There were three other bombs, making four in all. There were two each of five KT and ten KT.
Commander O'Brine looked at the of stuff. "Does that check, clerk?"
The nodded. "Yes, sir. I another that says food and personal to be by the Scorpius."
"Well, me for a Venusian rabbit!" O'Brine muttered. He at his ear. "You me on that with this of and I'd the of my life there. I don't see how you can use this to move an asteroid!"
"Maybe that's why the Federation sent Planeteers," Rip said, and was sorry the moment the were out.
O'Brine's bulged, but he his temper. "I'm going to I didn't that, Foster. We have to along until the is safely in an around earth. After that, I'm going to take a great of in you to the spacefish, piece by piece."
It was Rip's turn to red. "I'm sorry, Commander. Accept my apologies." He had a to learn about space etiquette. Apparently there was a time for and Planeteers to each other, and a time for them to like friends. He he'd catch on after a while.
"I'm sure you'll be able to out what to do with this stuff," O'Brine said. "If you need help, let me know."
And Rip his was accepted.
The arrived, O'Brine aside, and in his ear. The let out an and started out of the room. At the door he turned. "Better come along, Foster."
Rip as the the way to his own quarters. At the door, two space officers were waiting, their grave.
O'Brine them to chairs. "All right. Let's have it."
The senior space officer out a of flimsy. It was blue, the color used for documents. "Sir, this came in Space Council special cipher."
"Read it aloud," O'Brine ordered.
"Yessir. It's to you, this ship. From Planeteer Intelligence, Marsport. 'Consops direction your area. Agents report Altair may have data re asteroid. Take action.' It's 'Williams, SOS, Commanding.'"
Rip saw the meaning of the message instantly. The Consolidation of People's Governments of earth, and of the Federation of Free Governments, needed as badly, or worse, than the Federation. In space it was come, take. They had to the quickly. It was to prevent Consops from of the that security had been taken. They hadn't worked, of space at Marsport.
O'Brine quick orders. "Now, this. We have to work fast. Accelerate fifty percent, same course. I want two men on each screen. If anything of the right size up, until we can and measurements. Snap to it."
The space officers started out, but O'Brine stopped them. "Use one long-range screen for high space toward Mars. Let me know the minute you a blip, it will be that Consops cruiser. Have the for action."
Rip's opened. Clear the ports? That meant the in shape, for action. "You wouldn't fire on that Consops cruiser, would you, sir?"
O'Brine gave him a smile. "Certainly not, Foster. It's against orders to start anything with Consops cruisers. You know why. The is so that a two space ships might earth into war." His got grimmer. "But you know. The Consops ship might fire first. Or an accident might happen."
The forward. "We'll that for you, Mr. Planeteer. We'll put you on it and see you on your way. Then we'll space along with you, and if any Consops try to take over and that for themselves, they'll Kevin O'Brine waiting. That's a promise, boy."
Rip a better. He sat in his chair and the with mixed respect and something else. Against his will, he was to like the man. No of it, the Scorpius was well named. And the in the scorpion's was O'Brine himself.
