There was something else that Rip didn't add, although he the Planeteers would it in a minutes. Probably some of them already had of it.
To move the into a new orbit, they were going to fire bombs. Most of the would be into space, but some would be by the asteroid's gravity. The would be and some would be around, too. Every particle would add to the problem.
"Is there anything we can do, sir?" Koa asked.
Rip his the bubble. "If you have a good luck in your pocket, you might talk to it. That's about all."
Nuclear had been part of his training. He read the again and did some quick calculations. They would be to for the entire trip, at a daily of—
Koa his train of thought. Evidently the sergeant-major had been doing some calculations of his own. "How long will we be on this rock, sir? You've told us how long the will take."
Rip said quietly, "With luck, it will take us a little more than three weeks."
He see their in the sunlight. They were shocked. Space ships through space the in a of hours. The drive cruisers, which approach almost the speed of light, had Pluto easy reach. The be in a of minutes on a speed run, although to take off from one and land on the other meant time used in and deceleration.
The Planeteers were used to such speed. Hearing that it would take over three to earth had them.
"This piece of metal isn't a space ship," Rip them. "At the moment, our speed around the sun is just more than ten miles a second. If we just and the same speed, it would take us months to Terra. But we'll use two to the into the orbit, then fire one to speed. The is that we'll push up to about miles a second."
Koa spoke up. "That's not when you think that Mercury is the and it only makes about thirty miles a second."
"Right," Rip agreed. "And when we have the sun's us, we'll speed. We'll a little after we pass the sun, but by then we'll be almost home."
It was just space luck that Terra was on the other of the sun from the asteroid's present position. By the time they approached, it would be in a good place, just from the line to the sun to avoid course. Of Rip's planned was not the at earth, but at where earth would be at the end of the trip.
"That means more than three of radiation, then," Corporal Santos observed. "Can we take it, sir?"
Rip shrugged, but the couldn't be his space suit. "At the we're now, plus what I we'll from the explosions, we'll the maximum safety limit in just three weeks. That us no margin, if we sickness. So we have to soon. If we do, we can last the trip."
Private Dominico saluted, in his space suit. "Sir, I ask permission to speak."
Rip a at the little Italian's manner. In space, was forgotten. "What is it, Dominico?"
"Sir, I think we not worry so much about this radiation, eh? You will think of some to take of it, sir. What I want to ask, sir, is when do we let go the bombs? Radiation I do not know much about, but I can set those like you want them."
Rip was touched by the Italian Planeteer's in his ability to solve the problem. That was why being an officer in the Special Order Squadrons was so challenging. The men the of their officers had and they them to come up with as the required.
"You'll have a to set the in just a while," he said crisply. "Let's busy. Koa, all but one ten KT on the landing boat. Stake the of the down. While you're doing that, I'll the where we plant the charges. I'll need two men now and more later."
He to his instrument, the problem out of his mind—a hard thing to do with the pink next to his shoulder. Koa men to the into the landing craft, left Pederson to supervise, and then Santos with him to help Rip.
"The are being put on the boat, sir," Koa reported.
"Fine. There isn't too much of the setting them off, but we'll take no at all. Koa, I'm going to shoot a line out toward Alpha Centauri. You walk that way and turn on your light. I'll tell you which way to move."
He his while the sergeant-major away. Moving around on a no-weight world was more like than walking. A regular walk would have Koa into space with every step. Of the had some gravity, but it was so that it didn't count.
Rip the top of the instrument's line on Alpha Centauri, then waited until Koa was almost out of over the asteroid's horizon, which was only a hundred yards away.
He up the on his communicator. "Koa, move about ten to your left."
Koa did so. Rip past the at the light. "That's a little too far. Take a small step to the right. Good ... just a more ... it. You're right in position. Stand where you are."
"Yessir."
Rip to Santos. "Stand here, Corporal. Take a at Koa through the to your bearings, then position."
Santos did so. Now the two lights gave Rip one of the lines he needed. He called for two more men, and Trudeau and Nunez joined him. "Follow me," he directed.
Rip up the and it to a point 90 from the line by Koa and Santos. He put the and it on Messier 44, the Beehive star in the Cancer. For the second star he Beta Pyxis as being to the line he wanted, the necessary to set the line of since Pyxis wasn't on it, then Trudeau into position as he had Koa. Nunez took position the and Rip had the cross-fix he wanted.
He called for Dowst, then the to the center of the by the four men. Using the instrument, he the lines from the center out. They were a or two of being on, and a error wouldn't anyway. He he would have to with once the was in the new orbit.
"X marks the spot," he told Dowst. He put his toe on the place where the lines met.
Dowst took a from his and an X in the metal ground.
"All set," Rip announced. "You four men can move now. Let's have the over here, Koa."
The Planeteers were all waiting for now. In a moments the was ready, fuel and bottles attached.
"Who's the torchman?" Rip asked.
Koa replied, "Kemp is, sir."
Kemp, one of the two American privates, took the and waited for orders. "We need a six across and twenty deep," Rip told him. "Go to it."
"How about direction, sir?" Kemp asked.
"Straight down. We'll take a on an overhead star when you're in a feet."
Dowst a circle around the X he had and back. Kemp pushed the and the flared. "Watch your eyes," he warned. The Planeteers for and the that the clear electronically. Kemp his until it was blue-white, a knife of fire by than the sun.
Koa Kemp and against his back, the of the was like an exhaust, Kemp backward. Kemp and the into the metal of the like a knife into ice. The metal a little as the it from almost zero to many thousands of degrees.
When the circle was completed, Kemp his again and the lengthened. He moved the circle and cut at an toward the perimeter. His was quick and certain. In a moment he and Koa out a perfect ring of thorium. It from a knife on the to 18 thick on the edge.
In the middle of the circle there was now a of metal. Kemp cut around it, the toward the center. A piece like two set to came free. Since the metal in the of space almost as fast as Kemp cut it, there was no to worry about.
Alternately from the and the center of the hole, Kemp his way until his was ground level. Rip called a halt. Kemp gave a little jump and upward. Koa him and him to one side. Rip into the and Santos gave him a push to send him to the bottom. Rip and upward. Kemp had done a good job. The star Rip had as an overhead was up.
He out of the and as Koa him he told Kemp to go ahead. "Dominico, here's your chance. Get and wire. Find a and up the ten bomb. Nunez, it here while Dominico what he needs."
Kemp was his way into the at a good rate. Every moments he pushed another circle or of out of the hole. Rip some of the men to them away, to the other of the asteroid. He didn't want of around from the blast.
The sergeant-major had a thought. He cut off his communicator, to Rip to do the same, then put his against Rip's for direct communication. He didn't want the others to what he had to say. His voice came like a from, the of a well. "Lieutenant, do you there's any the blast might up the asteroid? Maybe it in two?"
The same had to Rip on the Scorpius. His calculations had that the metal would do little more than compress, where it melted from the of the bomb. That would be only in and around the shaft. He was sure the men at Terra had it out they that A-bombs would be necessary to the into a new orbit. He wasn't worried. Cracks in the would be dangerous, but he hadn't any.
"This will take more than we have," he Koa. He his on and to the of the for a look at Kemp's progress. He was down, now. Pederson was one end of a tape. The other end was to Kemp's strap.
The Swedish Rip that he had only about eight of tape left. Kemp was almost down. Rip called, "Kemp. When you bottom, cut toward the center. Leave an cone."
"Got it, sir. Be up in two more cuts."
Dominico had to the bomb and was attaching a to the other end. Without the case, the bomb was like a fat, can. It had been without a casing.
"Koa, make a final check. You can the landing boat, for one line. We'll be taking off in a minutes."
"Right, sir." Koa toward the landing boat, which was out of over the horizon.
It was nearly time. Rip had a moment's misgiving. Had his or his been off? His red at the thought. But the ship's computer had done the work, and it was not of making a mistake.
Kemp up the last of and then came out of the himself, his torch.
Rip the hole, saw with it was in almost perfect alignment, and ordered the bomb placed. He over the of the and Trudeau pay out wire while Dominico pushed the bomb to the bottom. The Italian a last minute check, then called to Rip. "Ready, sir."
He into the and the himself, then personally the safety lever. The bomb was armed. When the acted, it would go off.
Back at ground level, he up his communicator. "Koa, is at the boat?"
"Ready, sir."
The Planeteers had already away the and its fuel and supplies. The area was clear of pieces of thorium.
Rip announced, "We're setting the for ten minutes." He over the timer, which rested near the lip of the hole, took the in his and it to position ten. He it long to at his and say, "Starting now!" Then he let it go.
Wasting no time, but not hurrying, he and Dominico returned to the landing boat. The Planeteers were already aboard, for Koa, who by to off the tie line. Rip and the men. All present. He ordered, "Cast off." As Koa did so and aboard, he added, "Pilot, take off. Straight up."
The landing rose from the asteroid. Rip the men again, just to be sure. The a little crowded, but that was the took up a of room.
Rip his chronometer. They had of time. When the a point about ten miles above the asteroid, he ordered, "Stern tube." The moved at an angle. He let it go until a at the they were about in the right position, 90 from the line of blast and where they would be the as it moved toward the new course.
He looked at his again. "Two minutes. Line up at the if you want to watch, but your to full protection. This thing will light up like nothing you've before."
It was a good thing space on their and not on sight, he thought. Usually opened up only when landing or taking a star for an astro-plot. The clear plastic of the had to be from meteors. Besides, screens were more than eyes, though they up only solid objects. If the Consops to be visually, it would see the blast. But the had to be taken. It wasn't much of a chance.
"One minute," he said. He the asteroid, then his helmet, to himself.
The minute off slowly, though his count was a little fast. When he five, brilliant, light up the of the boat. Rip saw it though his was dark. The light slowly, and he put his on full transparent.
A of fire now out from the into space. Rip his until he saw that the little was off its under the great blast. Then he with relief. All was well so far.
Someone muttered, "By Gemini! I'm we're out here of there!"
The of fire lengthened, out, until there was only a the asteroid. Rip took his and a number of sights. They looked good. The blast had about as predicted, although he wouldn't be able to tell how much was needed until he had taken star over a period of five or six days.
"Let's go home," he ordered.
Back on the asteroid, a that with marked the site of the blast. Rip ordered it as much as possible with the that had been taken from the hole. While the men worked, he plotted the lines for the second blast, the spot, and put Kemp to work on a new hole.
Two hours later the second blast fire into space. In another three hours, with the now on its new course, Rip set off the that and gave speed.
Three marked the asteroid. Rip the level and didn't like it a bit. He to set up the landing and their as away from the as possible, which was on the sun side. They move to the dark as they approached the of earth. By then the from the would have died considerably.
He was the for a when Dowst called. "Lieutenant! Lieutenant Foster!"
There was in the Planeteer's voice. "What is it, Dowst?"
"Sir, take a look, about two south of Rigel!"
Rip the Orion and looked at Rigel. For a moment he saw nothing; then, south of the star, he saw a thin, orange line.
Nuclear drive didn't have of that color, and there was only one rocket-drive ship around, so as they knew.
Rip said softly, "Let's our house in order, gang. Looks like we're going to a visit from our friends the Connies!"
