Part 33 (1/2)

A new voice said, ”Now that's real wisdom!”

Rip turned quickly and looked through a helmet at the grinning face of Major Joe Barris.

Barris spoke as though to himself, but Rip turned red as his hair. ”Funny how fast a man ages in s.p.a.ce,” the Planeteer major remarked. ”Take Foster.

A few weeks ago he was just a cadet, a raw recruit who had never met high vack. Now he's talking like the grandfather of all s.p.a.ce. I don't know how the Special Order Squadrons ever got along before he became an officer.”

Rip had been feeling a little too proud of himself.

”It's good to get back,” Rip said.

CHAPTER TWENTY - ON THE PLATFORM

There were two things Rip could see from his hospital bed on the s.p.a.ce platform. One was the great curve of earth. He was anxious to get out of the hospital and back to Terra.

The second thing was the asteroid. s.p.a.cemen were at work on it, slowly cutting it to pieces. The pieces were small enough to be carried back to earth in supply rockets. It would be a long time before the asteroid was completely cut up and transported to Terra base.

Sergeant-major Koa came into the hospital ward and sat on Rip's bed. The plastifoam mattress compressed under his weight. ”How are you feeling, sir?”

”Pretty good,” Rip replied. The worst of the radiation sickness was over and he was mending fast. Here and there were little blood stains just below the surface of his skin, and he had no more hair than a plastic ball. Otherwise he looked normal. The stains would go away and his hair would grow back within a matter of weeks.

Santos, now officially a sergeant, was in the same condition. The rest of Rip's Planeteers had resumed duties on the s.p.a.ce platform. He saw them frequently because they made a point of dropping in whenever they were near the hospital area.

Koa looked out at the asteroid. ”I sort of hate to see that rock cut up.

There isn't much about a chunk of thorium to get sentimental over, but after fighting for it the way we did, it doesn't seem right to cut it into blocks.”

”I know how you feel,” Rip admitted, ”but after all, that's what we brought it back for.”

He studied Koa's brown face. The big Hawaiian had something on his mind.

”Got vack worms chewing at you?” he asked. Vack worms were a s.p.a.ceman's equivalent of ”the blues.”

”Not exactly, sir. I happened to overhear the doctor talking today. You're due for a leave in a week.”

”That's good news!” Rip exclaimed. ”You're not unhappy about it, are you?”

Koa shrugged. ”We were all hoping we'd be together on our next a.s.signment.

The gang liked serving under you. But we're overdue for s.h.i.+pment to somewhere, and if you take eight weeks' leave, we'll be gone by the time you come back to the platform.”

”I liked serving with all of you, too.” Rip replied. ”I watched the way you all behaved when the s.p.a.ce-flap was getting tough and it made me proud to be a Planeteer.”

Major Joe Barris came in. He was carrying an envelope in his hand.

”h.e.l.lo, Rip. How are you, Koa? Am I interrupting a private talk?”

”No, Major,” Koa replied. ”We're just pa.s.sing the time. Want me to leave?”