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Updated: June 5, 2025
He put his toe on the place where the cross lines met. Dowst took a spike from his belt and made an X in the metal ground. "All set," Rip announced. "You four men can move now. Let’s have the cutting equipment over here, Koa." The Planeteers were all waiting for instructions now. In a few moments the equipment was ready, fuel and oxygen bottles attached. "Who’s the champion torchman?" Rip asked.
He wondered how they would explode the second charge, since they had only the one timer left, then forgot about it. Time enough to worry when faced with the problem. "I'll take the snapper-boat," he stated. "Santos in the gunner's seat. Koa in charge in the landing boat. Dowst pilot. Let's show an exhaust."
He wondered how they would explode the second charge, since they had only the one timer left, then forgot about it. Time enough to worry when faced with the problem. "I’ll take the snapper-boat," he stated. "Santos in the gunner’s seat. Koa in charge in the landing boat. Dowst pilot. Let’s show an exhaust."
"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!
"Sir, this is Santos. Only three men are at the snapper-boats. If you can get here without being seen, maybe we could knock them off. The rest wouldn’t be much good if we had their boats." "You’re right, Santos," Rip replied instantly. Why hadn’t he seen that for himself? He knew how he and Dowst could approach the craters without being spotted, now that they had removed two teams of Connies.
They could move to the dark side as they approached the orbit of Earth. By then the radioactivity from the blasts would have died down considerably. He was selecting the location for a base when Dowst suddenly called, "Lieutenant Foster!" There was urgency in the Planeteer's voice. "What is it, Dowst?" "Sir, take a look, about two degrees south of Rigel!"
The cruiser would make about two more runs, just enough to allow for hitting every bit of the asteroid. Then it would assume that anything on it was finished and send a landing party. "He’ll be back," he stated. "About twice more. Three at most." He suddenly remembered the landing boat radio. "Dowst, where is the radio connection?" The pilot handed him a wire with a jack plug on the end of it.
"Dowst," he called urgently. "All okay?" "No," Dowst said grimly. "We got the Connie, but he got Dominico. Cut his leg with a space knife. I'm putting a patch on it. You okay?" "Yes. When you can, pull me down." "Right you are." Dominico spoke up. "Don't worry about me, sir. Nothing bad. I don't lose much air." "Fine, Dominico. Glad it wasn't worse." But Rip knew it wasn't good, either.
Dowst merely said, "Yes, sir." The extra radiation might put both of them well over the safety limits long before earth was reached, and they both knew it. Rip didn’t hesitate. He reached the crater’s edge and walked right down into it. They were out of sight of the Connies now. Rip walked up the other side of the crater until his bubble was just below ground level.
Or, if they had noticed it, the astronomers probably decided it was just a very tiny sunspot. The Planeteers worked with increased speed. Kemp welded the final plug into place, then hurried to the crater from which they would set off the charge. Dominico and Dowst connected wires from the rocket head to a reel of wire and rolled it toward the crater.
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