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Rip's voice surprised him. It was as full and strong as ever. "I feel wonderful. Can I get up?" "When we get enough blood into you, and your arm is fully restored." Commander O'Brine appeared in the door frame. "Can he talk?" "Yes. He's fine, sir." O'Brine glared down at Rip.
So he took his disappointment out on the nearest Planeteer, who happened to be Rip. "The gases go through tubes," O'Brine went on. "A little nuclear material also leaks into the tubes. The tubes get coated with carbon, Foster. They also get coated with nuclear fuel. We use thorium. Thorium is radioactive. I won't give you a lecture on radioactivity, Foster.
Space isn't very big." A short time later Rip stood in front of his asteroid base and watched the great cruiser drive into space. A short distance away a snapper-boat was lashed to the landing boat. O'Brine had left it, with a word of warning. "These Connies are plenty smart. I don't like leaving you unprotected, even within reach of Mercury and Terra, but orders are orders.
The cruiser's glow was plain above the horizon now. It was so close that they could make out its form against the background of stars. O'Brine was decelerating, and Rip was certain he was watching his screens for a sign of the enemy. He would see nothing, because the enemy was in the shadow of the asteroid.
The heavy air of the ship hit him with physical force. O'Brine grated, "You're under arrest, Foster, for firing on the Scorpius, for insubordination, and for conduct unbecoming an officer. Get out of that suit and get flaming. It's the space pot for you." Rip had to grin. He couldn't help it.
"You monitor Dowst when he finishes. I want to see what's happening." He hurried from the chamber and made his way down the corridors toward the engine control room. There was a good possibility he might get a call from O'Brine, with instructions to take his men off the ship. He might finally learn what he was assigned to do!
Against his will, he was beginning to like the man. No doubt of it, the Scorpius was well named. And the sting in the scorpion's tail was O'Brine himself. The Gray World Rip rejoined his Planeteers in the supply room and motioned for them to gather around him. "I know why Terra base sent us the fighting equipment," he announced.
With that length of acceleration they must be high-vacking for Jupiter! He waited until the ship went into the gravity spin, then got out of his chair and stretched. He was hungry. Koa was still sleeping. He decided not to wake him. The sergeant major would see that the men ate when they wanted to. In the messroom only one table was occupied by Commander O'Brine.
But sharp anger was rising inside of him. O'Brine went on. "Instructions say I'm to hand you your orders en route. They don't say when. I'll decide that. Until I do decide, I have a job for you and your men. Do you know anything about nuclear physics?" Rip's eyes narrowed. He said cautiously, "A little, sir." "I'll assume you know nothing. Foster, the designation SCN means Space Cruiser, Nuclear.
"I thought Planeteers never got nervous." "Who's nervous?" Rip retorted, then answered his own question truthfully. "I am. You're right, sir. The closer we get, the more scared I get." "That's a good sign," O'Brine replied. "It means you'll be careful. Got any real doubts about the job?" Rip thought it over and didn't think so. "Not any real ones. I think we can do it.
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