Rip his Planeteers in the supply room and for them to around him. "I know why Terra sent us the equipment," he announced. "They were word of this would out to Consops—and it has. A Connie off from Marsport and this way."
He the of his men carefully, to see how they would take the news. They looked at each other and shrugged. Conflict with Consops was nothing new to them.
"The that the at Marsport, didn't it?" Koa asked. Getting a from Rip, he on, "Then I know what happened. The two can't do are breathe high and keep their mouths shut. Some of the about the asteroid, at the Space Club. That's where they out. The Connies out there, too. Result, we a Connie after the asteroid."
"You it," Rip acknowledged.
Corporal Santos shrugged. "If the Connies try to take the away, they'll have a warm time. We have ten of rockets, twenty-four to a rack. That's a of snapper-boats we can off if they try to make a landing."
The Planeteers stopped talking as the voice sounded. "Get it! We are going into no-weight. Prepare to in no-weight indefinitely. Rotation stops in two minutes."
Rip why the order was given. The Scorpius not while in a and O'Brine wanted to be free to take action if necessary.
The voice came on again. "Now it again. The ship may suddenly. Prepare for or without warning. One minute to no-weight."
Rip gave quick orders. "Get lines around the and prepare to it. I'll landing and we can load. Then prepare space packs. Lay out and bubbles. We want to be the moment we the word."
Lines were taken from a and to the equipment. As the Planeteers worked, the ship's and stopped. They were in no-weight. Rip for a hand that from the and himself out into the engine room. The was at his post, waiting for orders. Rip against a with one and to his side. "I need two landing boats, sir," he requested. "One on the with us."
"Take numbers five and six. I'll a pilot to number five to the ship after you've landed."
"Thank you." Rip would have been at the deputy's quick if Commander O'Brine hadn't him that the were to do anything possible to the Planeteers. He to the supply room and told Koa which were to be used, him to the aboard, then his way to Commander O'Brine's office.
O'Brine was not in. Rip and him in the astro-plot room, a 'scope. Green called "blips" marked the panel, each one an asteroid.
"All too small," O'Brine said. "We've only two large ones, and they were too large."
"Space is full of junk," Rip commented. "At least this of it is full."
A junior space officer him. "This is nothing. We're on the of the belt. Closer to the middle, there's so much a ship has to through it."
Rip over to the main desk. A senior space officer was seated a on which there were only a dozen small levers, a visiphone, and a screen. The screen was circular, with numbers around the like those on an earth-clock. In the center of the screen was a circle. The circle the Scorpius. The of the screen was the area ahead. Rip and saw on it that asteroids. They were all small. He watched, interested, as the them. Once, according to the screen, the passed under an with a of only a hundred feet.
"You didn't miss that one by much," Rip told the space officer.
"Don't have to miss by much," he retorted. "A are as good as a mile in space. Our blast might them around a little, and maybe there's a little attraction, but we don't worry about it."
He pointed to a that was just into view, a green point against the screen. "We do have to worry about that one." He a and it toward him.
Rip weight against his feet. The green point on the screen moved center. The of weight ceased. He what had happened, of course. Around the of the ship, set in lines, were a series of blast through which steam was fired. The steam was produced by water through the of the engine. By using groups or of steam tubes, the officer move the ship in any direction or set it rolling, it end over end or it in an pattern.
"How do you decide which to use?" Rip asked.
"Depends on what's happening. If we were from an enemy, I'd orders from the commander. But to asteroids, there's no problem. I go over them by the steam along the of the ship. That way, you the on your feet. If I the top the ship would out from under those who were standing. They'd all end up on the ceiling."
Rip for a while longer, then to Commander O'Brine. He was anxious. At first, the of an and moving it to earth had been unreal, like some of the problems he had out while on the space platform. Now he was no longer about it. He had in the Terra Planeteer specialists, but they couldn't out for him. Most of the problems of the to earth would have to be solved by Lieutenant Richard Ingalls Peter Foster.
A junior space officer called, "Sir, I have a reading at two seventy degrees, twenty-three eight minutes high."
Commander O'Brine jumped up so fast that the action him to the ceiling. He again and over the officer's 'scope. Rip got there by himself right across the top of the table.
The green point of light on the 'scope was than any other he had seen.
"It's about the right size," O'Brine said. There was in his voice. "Correct course. Let's take a look at it."
All hands something with which to themselves as the onto the new course. The officer called, "I have it centered, sir. We'll it in about an hour at this speed."
"Jack it up," O'Brine ordered. "Heave some into it. Double speed, then to it in thirty minutes."
The officer orders to the engine room. In a moment at them. O'Brine to Rip. "Come on, Foster. Let's see what Analysis makes of this rock."
Rip the to the where the were located. His was a little than usual, and not from acceleration, either. He himself his and thought, "Get of it, boy. You got nothing to worry about but high vacuum."
He didn't it. There would be to worry about. Like and trying to their blast reaction. Like out the that would take them to the sun without them into it. Like a thousand things—all of them up to him.
The them. "We got the orders to course, Commander. That gave us the of the asteroid. We're already on it."
"Anything yet?"
"No, sir. We'll have the in a minutes. It will take longer to the mass."
The asteroid's in was its albedo. The on the material of which it was made. The of pure was known. If the asteroid's matched it, that would be one piece of evidence.
In the same way, the of was known. The of the were being taken. They would be with a of of the same size. If it out, that would be enough.
Commander O'Brine to chairs. "Might as well while we're waiting, Foster." He took one of the chairs and looked closely at Rip. Suddenly he grinned. "I Planeteers got nervous."
"Who's nervous?" Rip retorted, then answered his own question truthfully. "I am. You're right, sir. The closer we get, the more I get."
"That's a good sign," O'Brine replied. "It means you'll be careful. Got any about the job?"
Rip it over and didn't think so. "Not any ones. I think we can do it. But I'm just the same. Great Cosmos, Commander! This is my assignment, and they give me a whole world to myself and tell me to it home. Maybe it isn't a very big world, but that doesn't much."
O'Brine chuckled. "I to an like that from a Planeteer."
"And I," Rip retorted, "never to make one like that to a spaceman."
The returned, a of in his hand. "Report, sir. The is correct. Looks like this may be the one."
"How long we the and comparisons?"
"Ten minutes, perhaps."
Rip spoke up. "Sir, there's some data I'll need."
"What, Lieutenant?" The a notebook from his pocket.
"I'll need all possible data on the asteroid's speed, orbit, and physical measurements. I have to a new and what it will take to blast the into it."
"We'll those. The will not be exact, of course. We have only two points. But I think we'll come close."
O'Brine nodded. "Do what you can, Chief. And when Foster to doing his calculations, have your men them through the computer for him."
Rip thanked them both, then up. "Sir, I'm going to my men. I want to be sure is ready. If there's a Connie this way, we don't want to any time."
"Good idea. I think we'll you on the asteroid, Foster, and then blast off. Not too far, of course. Just to lead the Connie away from you if its screen us up."
That good to Rip. "We'll be when you are, sir."
The took less than the ten minutes for his next set of figures. Commander O'Brine called personally while Rip was still for the right landing ports. The voice bellowed, "Get it! Lieutenant Foster. The are correct. This is your asteroid. Estimated twelve minutes we it. Your data will be by the time you here. Show an exhaust!"
Rip Koa and the men and asked the sergeant-major for a report.
"We're ready, sir," Koa told him. "We can out in three minutes. It will take us that long to into space gear. Your is out, sir."
"Get me the books and from the supplies," Rip directed. "Have Santos them to the analyst. I'm going and our course. No use doing it the hard way on the when I can do it in a minutes here with the ship's computer."
He and back, himself along by handholds. The ship had stopped and was at no-weight again. As he the analysis it into deceleration, but the pressure was not too bad. He his way against it easily.
The was waiting for him. "We have you need, Lieutenant, the stuff. We'll do the best we can on that and have a good in a minutes. Meanwhile, you can mark up your figures. Incidentally, what power are you going to use to move the asteroid?"
"Nuclear explosions," Rip said, and saw the chief's pop. He added, "With chemical fuel for corrections."
He excitement. The whole ship to have come to life. There was in the computer room when he in with the chief. Spacemen, all mathematicians, were waiting for him. As the him to a table, they around him.
Rip took command. "Here's what we're after. I need to plot an that will us out of the without any collisions, take us as close to the sun as possible without having it us, and land us in space about ten thousand miles from earth. From then on I'll the into a around the earth and I'll be able to make any small necessary."
He spread out a and marked in the positions of the as of that moment, using the daily almanac. Then he put the position of the asteroid, taking it from the paper the him.
"Will you make assignments, Chief?"
The his head. "Make them yourself, Lieutenant. We're at your service."
Rip a little of some of the he had said about spacemen. "Thank you." He pointed to a spaceman. "Will you the of the asteroid, please?" The off.
"First thing to do is plot the as though there were no other in the system," Rip said. "Where's Santos?"
"Here, sir." The had come in with Rip's books.
Rip had plotted before, but one for use. His were wet as he it out, using prepared tables. When he had he pointed to a spaceman. "That's it. Will you it into for the computer, please?" He to others the of out the Mercury, the sun, and earth would have on the orbit, using an speed for the asteroid.
To the he gave the job of all the data together in proper for to the brain.
It would have taken all present about ten days to complete the job by regular methods, but the computer produced the answer in three minutes.
"Thanks a million, Chief," Rip said. "I'll be calling on you again this is over." He the into his pocket.
"Any time, Lieutenant. We'll keep the as we go along. If there are any corrections, we'll send them to you. That will give you a check on your own figures."
"Don't worry," Rip him. "We'll have of corrections."
Deceleration had been steadily. It altogether, them weightless. O'Brine's voice came over the speaker. "Get it! Valve take at landing five and six. The Planeteers will in five minutes. Lieutenant Foster will report to if he cannot be in that time."
Santos at Rip. "Here we go, Lieutenant."
Rip's would have into his shoes if there had been any gravity. Only a little on his face, though. He his thanks at the and at Santos.
"Show an exhaust, Corporal. High is waiting!"
