Part 14 (1/2)
Rip made a quick decision. With only one launcher they couldn't guard the whole asteroid. ”We'll stay under cover, except for Santos and Pederson.
You two sneak out. Take advantage of every bit of cover you can find. I don't want you spotted. When a boat lands, report its position. The Connies operate on different communicator frequencies, so they won't overhear. We'll let them think they've burned the asteroid clean.”
He paused. ”They'll search for a while. Then, when they're pretty well satisfied that all is quiet, we'll show up.” Rip grinned at his Planeteers. ”We can have a real, old-fas.h.i.+oned surprise party.”
Koa slid the safety catch from his pistol. ”With fireworks,” he added.
CHAPTER NINE
Repel Invaders!
The snapper-boats came out of the darkness of s.p.a.ce, leaving a glowing trail of fire. They were not graceful. Rip could see no beauty in their lines, but to his professional eye there was plenty of deadly efficiency.
The Connie fighting craft looked like three globes strung evenly on a steel tube. The middle globe was larger than the end ones, and it was transparent. From it projected the barrels of two kinds of weapons--explosive and ultrasonic. Five men usually rode in the middle ball. One piloted. The other four were gunners.
The end globes were pierced by five large holes. They were blast tubes for the rocket exhaust. Unlike the landing boats, each tube did not have its own fuel supply. One fuel tank served each globe. The pilot could direct the exhaust through any tube or combination of tubes he wished, by operating valves that either sealed or opened the vents. The system gave high maneuverability to the boats. By playing on the controls with the skill of an organist, the pilot could s.h.i.+ft direction with dazzling speed.
Snapper-boats used by the Federation operated on the same principle, but they were of American design, and they showed the Americans' love of clean lines. Federation fighter craft were slim and streamlined, even though the streamlining was of no use whatever in s.p.a.ce. With blast holes at each end, they looked like double-ended needles. The pilot's canopy in the center controlled guns that fired through the front only. Rear guns were handled by a gunner, who sat with back to the pilot.
Where Connie snapper-boats carried five men, the Federation boats carried two. The Connies could fire in any direction. The Federation pilots aimed by pointing the snapper-boat itself, as fighter pilots of conventional aircraft had once aimed their guns.
Rip watched the boats approach. He was ready to duck inside if they decided to look the asteroid over before landing. He hoped they wouldn't catch sight of his two scouts. He also hoped his nervousness would vanish when the fight started. He knew what to do, at least in theory. He had gone through combat problems on the moon during training. But this was different. This was real. The lives of his men depended on his being right, and he was afraid of making a wrong decision.
Sergeant Major Koa, an experienced Planeteer with true understanding, came and stood beside him. He said, ”Guess I'll never get over being jittery while waiting for the fight to start. I'm sweating so hard my dehumidifier is humming like a Callistan honey lizard. But it doesn't last long once the shooting begins. I get so busy I forget to be jittery.”
Before Rip could reply, the snapper-boats flashed over the cave, circled the asteroid once, and landed on the dark side, close to the bomb craters.
The first scout reported. ”Santos, sir. I'm fifty yards beyond the stakes where we had the first base. The snapper-boats landed between the first two craters. Men coming out of one boat. I count six. Now they're coming out of the other boat, but I can't see very well.”
The other scout picked up the report, his voice thick with excitement. ”I can see them, sir! By Cosmos! There are seven in this boat on my side. I am behind a rock forty yards to sunward of the second crater.”
Rip turned up the volume of his communicator. ”How are they armed?
Santos, report.”
”One has a chatter gun. The rest have nothing.”
”Pederson, report.”
”No weapons I can see, sir.”
Koa looked at Rip. ”They must think the asteroid is clean. Otherwise they'd have more than a chatter gun in sight. You can bet they have knives and pistols, too.”
Rip had been playing with an idea. He tried it on his men. ”These Connies would be useful to us alive, if we could capture them.”
Dowst caught his meaning first. ”As hostages, sir?”
”That's it. If we could capture them, the Connie cruiser would be helpless. We could use the snapper-boat radios to warn the s.h.i.+p that any false move would mean harm to their men.”
Koa shook his head doubtfully. ”I'm not sure the Connies worry about their men, but it's worth the try. We can capture some of them if they split up to search the asteroid. But we won't be able to sneak up on them all.”