Part 29 (1/2)

The tube reached brennschluss and Rip called orders. ”Same process. Get ready to repeat. Dominico, bring one of your tubes.”

While Koa was connecting another exploder to the wire, Rip took a tube from Dominico. ”Take your s.p.a.ce knife and saw through the tube you have left. We'll need about three-fifths of it. Keep both pieces.”

Dominico pulled his knife, pressed the release, and the gas capsule shot the blade out. He got to work.

Koa called that he was ready. Rip took the wired exploder from him and thrust it into the tube Dominico had given him.

As the crystal came around again, the process was repeated. The hole was undamaged.

There was more time to get clear because of the asteroid's slower speed.

The second tube slowed the rock even more, so that they had to wait long minutes while the crystal came around again.

Rip did some estimating. He wanted to be sure the next charge would do nothing more than slow the asteroid to a stop. If the charge were too heavy, it would reverse the spin. He didn't want to make a career of running on the asteroid. He was tired and he knew his men were getting weary, too. He could see it in their strides-they were less sure o foot.

He decided it would be best to use a little less fuel rather than a little more. If the asteroid failed to stop its spin completely, they could always set off a small charge or two.

”Hold it,” he ordered. ”We'll use the small end of Dominico's tube and save the big one.”

The fuel was a solid ma.s.s, so cutting the tube in two sections caused no difficulty. Rip pushed the exploder into the small section, seated it in the hole, and hurried to cover. As he watched the fuel burn, he wondered why the last nuclear charge had started the spin. He had made a mistake somewhere. The earlier blasts had been set so they wouldn't cause a spin.

He made a mental note to look at the place where the charge had exploded when things were more quiet.

The rocket fuel slowed the asteroid down to a point where it was barely turning, and Rip was glad he had been cautious. The heavier charge would have reversed it a little. He directed the placing of a very small charge and was moving away from it so Koa could set it off when Santos suddenly yelled, ”Sir! The Connie is coming!”

Rip called, ”Fire the charge, Koa,” then looked up. The Consops cruiser was moving slowly toward them. The canny Connie had been waiting for something to happen on the asteroid, Rip guessed. When the spinning slowed and then stopped, the Connie probably had decided that now was the time for a final try.

”Where is the communicator?” Rip asked Koa.

”One of the Connies has it.”

”Get it. I'll notify Terra base of what happened.”

Koa found the Connie with the communicator, tested it to be sure the prisoner hadn't sabotaged it, and brought it to Rip.

”This is Foster to Terra base. Over.”

”Come in, Foster.”

Rip explained briefly what had happened and asked, ”How is our orbit? I haven't had time to take sightings.”

”You're free of the sun,” Terra base answered. ”Your orbit will have to be corrected sometime within the next few hours. The last blast pushed you off course.”

”That's a small matter,” Rip stated. ”Unless we can think of something fast, this will be a Connie asteroid by then. The Consops cruiser is moving in on us. He's careful, because he isn't sure of the situation. But even at his present speed he'll be here in ten minutes.”

”Stand by.” Terra base was silent for a few moments, then the voice replied. ”I think we have an answer for you, Foster. Terra base off. Go ahead, MacFife.”

A Scottish burr thick enough to saw boards came out of the communicator.

”Foster, this is MacFife, commander of the _Aquila_. Y'can't see me on account of I'm on yer sunny side. But, lad, I'm closer to ye than the Connie. We did it this way to keep the asteroid between us and him. Also, lad, if ye'll take a look up at Gemini, ye'll see somethin' ye'll like.