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Not many months later Dr. Mackay again went down the eastern coast. This time he took three of his closest friends, all preacher students, Tan be, Sun-a, and Koa Kau. With a coolie to carry provisions, their Bibles, their forceps, and some malaria medicine, they started off fully equipped.
Koa had half turned to shake hands. Suddenly he spun on around, banging his head against the deck. Rip felt a surge of relaxing muscles that had been braced against acceleration. At the same time, silence flooded in on them. Rip murmured "Brennschluss," and the murmur was like a trumpet blast. The Scorpius had reached velocity, and the nuclear drive had cut out.
He tackled the problem logically, considering the design of a nuclear bomb and the reasons for it. Atomic bombs had to be carried. That meant an outer casing was necessary. Probably the casing had a lot to do with the design. Suppose no casing were required? What would be needed? He took the stylus and computation board from Koa and jotted down the parts required.
Rip ran for the snapper-boat, feet moving as rapidly as lack of gravity would permit. He called instructions. "Santos! Turn the launcher over to Pederson and come with me. Koa, take over. Start throwing rockets at that boat and don’t stop until you run out of ammunition." He reached the snapper-boat and squeezed in, Santos close behind him. As he strapped himself into the seat he called, "Koa!
We can see a pair of rocket exhausts, but no boats. Is that you?" "Yes. We’re coming in on propulsion tubes." Koa waited for a long moment, then: "Sir, what if you’re not with us by twenty-three-oh-five?" "You know the answer," Rip retorted crisply. Of course Koa knew. The nuclear blast would send Rip and Santos spinning into outer space, perhaps crippled, burned, or completely irradiated.
He went headlong, shooting like a rocket three feet above the ground. His board flew away at a tangent. His stylus sped out of his glove like a miniature projectile, and the slide rule clanged against his bubble. It happened so fast neither Koa nor Santos had time to grab him. The action had given him extra speed and he saw with horror that he was going to crash into Trudeau. He yelled, "Frenchy!
The snapper-boat changed direction, and for a fraction of a second stern and side tubes "fought" each other, making the boat yaw wildly, then it straightened out on a new course. "They’re Using Fire Bombs," Muttered Koa. Koa exclaimed, "That’s a drone!" Rip got it then. A pilotless snapper-boat! That’s why its actions were a little uneven. Only one thing could explain its deliberate slowness.
For the second sighting star he chose Beta Pyxis as being closest to the line he wanted, made the slight adjustments necessary to set the line of sight, since Pyxis wasn't exactly on it, then directed Trudeau into position as he had Koa. Nunez took position behind the instrument, and Rip had his cross fix.
"Are their belt lights on?" "Yes." "Then keep out of the beams. Don't let them walk into you. Keep low, and keep moving. Stay on the dark side." "We'd better get to the dark side ourselves," Koa warned. He was right, Rip knew. The Connies didn't have far to search before reaching the sun side. "Koa, you take Trudeau and Kemp. I'll take Dowst and Dominico.
Rip had to lean against the acceleration. Fighting for balance, he picked up his spack and made his way to the nine enlisted Planeteers. They had braced against the ship's drive by sitting with backs against bulkheads or by lying flat on the magnesium deck. Sergeant Major Koa was seated against a vertical brace, his brown face wreathed in a grin. Rip looked him over carefully.
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