Part 6 (1/2)

Commander O'Brine arrived at the same time. ”We're starting to scan for the asteroid,” he greeted Rip. ”May be some time before we find it.”

”Where are we, sir?” Rip asked.

”Just above the asteroid belt near the outer edge. We're beyond the position where the asteroid was sighted, moving along what the _Altair_ figured as its...o...b..t. I'm not stretching s.p.a.ce, Foster, when I tell you we're hunting for a needle in a junk pile. This part of s.p.a.ce is filled with more objects than you would imagine, and they all register on the rad-screens.”

”We'll find it,” Rip said confidently.

O'Brine nodded. ”Yes. But it probably will take some hunting. Meanwhile, let's get at those cases. The supply clerk is on his way.”

The supply clerk arrived, issued tools to the Planeteers, then opened a plastic case attached to one of the boxes and produced lists. As the Planeteers opened and unpacked the crates, Rip and O'Brine inspected and the clerk checked the items off.

The first case produced a complete chemical cutting unit with an a.s.sortment of cutting tips and adapters. Rip looked around for the gas cylinders and saw none. ”Something's wrong,” he objected. ”Where's the fuel supply for the torch?”

The supply clerk inspected the lists, shuffled papers, and found the answer.

”The following,” he read, ”are to be supplied from the _Scorpius_ complement. One landing boat, large, model twenty-eight. Eight each, oxygen cutting unit gas bottles. Four each, chemical cutting unit fuel tanks.”

”That's that,” Rip said, relieved. Apparently he was supposed to do a lot of cutting on the asteroid, probably of the thorium itself. The hot flame of the torch could melt any known substance. The torch itself could melt in unskilled hands.

The next case yielded a set of astrogation instruments carefully cradled in a soft, rubbery plastic. Rip left them in the case and put them to one side. As he did so, Sergeant-major Koa let out a whistle of surprise.

”Lieutenant, look at this!”

Corporal Santos exclaimed, ”Well stonker me for a stupid s.p.a.ce squid! Do they expect us to find any people on this asteroid?”

The object was a portable rocket launcher designed to fire light attack rockets. It was a standard item of fighting equipment for Planeteers.

”I recognize the shape of those cases over there, now,” Koa said. ”Ten racks of rockets for the launcher, one rack to a case.”

Rip scratched his head. He was as puzzled as Santos. Why supply fighting equipment for a crew on an asteroid that couldn't possibly have any living thing on it?

He left the puzzle for the future and called for more cases. The next two yielded projectile type handguns for ten men, with ammunition, and standard Planeteer s.p.a.ce knives. The s.p.a.ce knives had hidden blades which were driven forth violently when the operator pushed a thumb lever, releasing the gas in a cartridge contained in the handle. The blades snapped forth with enough force to break a bubble, or to cut through a s.p.a.ce suit. They were designed for the sole purpose of s.p.a.ce hand-to-hand combat.

The Planeteers looked at each other. What were they up against, that such equipment was needed on a barren asteroid?

Private Dowst opened a box that contained a complete tool kit, the tools designed to be handled by men in s.p.a.ce suits. Yards of wire, for several purposes, were wound on reels. Two hand-driven dynamos capable of developing great power were included.

Corporal Pederson found a small case which contained books, the latest astronomical data sheets, and a s.p.a.ce computer and scratch board. These were obviously for Rip's personal use. He examined them. There were all the references he would need for computing orbit, speed, and just about anything else that might be required. He had to admire the thoroughness of whoever had written the order. The unknown Planeteer had a.s.sumed that the s.p.a.ce cruiser would not have all the astrophysics references necessary and had included a copy of each.

Several large cases remained. Koa ripped the side from one and let out an exclamation. Rip hurried over and looked in. His stomach did a quick orbital reverse. Great Cosmos! The thing was an atomic bomb!

[Ill.u.s.tration: Great Cosmos! It Was An Atomic Bomb!]

Great Cosmos! It Was An Atomic Bomb!

Commander O'Brine leaned over his shoulder and peered at the lettering on the cylinder. ”Equivalent ten KT.”

In other words, the explosion the harmless-looking cylinder could produce was equivalent to 10,000 tons of TNT, a chemical explosive no longer in actual use but still used for comparison.

Rip asked huskily, ”Any more of those things?” The importance of the job was becoming increasingly clear to him. Nuclear explosives were not used without good reason. The fissionable material was too valuable for other purposes.

The sides came off the remaining cases. Some of them held fat tubes of conventional rocket fuel in solid form, the detonators carefully packed separately.