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Updated: May 28, 2025
We use that heat to turn a chemical called methane into its component parts. Methane is known as marsh gas, Foster. I wouldn’t expect a Planeteer to know that. It is composed of carbon and hydrogen. When we pump it into the heat coils of the reactor, it breaks down and creates a gas that burns and drives us through space. But that isn’t all it does." "You’re a Planeteer. I Don’t Like Planeteers."
But I'm nervous just the same. Great Cosmos, Commander! This is my first assignment, and they give me a whole world to myself and tell me to bring it home. Maybe it isn't a very big world, but that doesn't change things much." O'Brine chuckled. "I never expected to get an admission like that from a Planeteer." "And I," Rip retorted, "never expected to make one like that to a spaceman."
Bradshaw, the English Planeteer, said mildly, "Don't worry, Lieutenant. If it isn't the solar frying pan, it's Connie fire." A chorus of agreement came from the other Planeteers. "What a crew!" Rip thought. "What a great gang of space pirates!" He finished his calculations and found the exact place where Kemp would cut. A few feet away from the spot was a thick pyramid of thorium.
And so it happened that the spacemen of the SCN Scorpius turned their valves, threw their controls and disengaged their boron control rods, and the great cruiser flashed into space while the deputy commander and the safety officer were completely tangled with a very flustered and unhappy new Planeteer lieutenant. Sergeant Major Koa and his men had made it before the valve closed.
Our first assignment is to explore Callisto from pole to pole." Rip didn’t know what to say. To serve under Barris, to have his own men in a regular squadron platoon, to have Flip Villa in the same outfit, and to be assigned to exploration duty—dirtiest but most exciting of all Planeteer jobs—it was just too much. He couldn’t say anything. He could only grin.
It was roughly pyramidal, with a base about 60 feet thick. It would do. "Kemp." The private hurried to his side. "Take the torch and make us a cave. Make it big enough for all hands and the equipment." Kemp was a good Planeteer. He didn’t stop to ask questions. He said, "I’ll make a small entrance and open the cave out inside." He picked up the torch and got busy. Rip smiled.
He came out of the crouch facing a black-clad Planeteer sergeant who snapped to rigid attention. "Koa," Rip barked. "Where can I find him?" "He's not here, sir. He and eight men left fifteen minutes ago. I don't know where they went, sir." Rip shot a worried glance at his wrist chronometer. He had two minutes left before the cruiser departed. No more time now to search for his men.
Corporal Pederson produced hardened steel spikes with ring tops. Private Trudeau had a sledge. Driving the first spike would be the hardest, because the action of swinging the hammer would propel the Planeteer like a rocket exhaust. In space, the law that every action has an equal and opposite reaction had to be remembered every moment.
And Rip, his eyes on the great curve of Earth, answered casually, "There's one thing every space chick has to learn if he's going to be a Planeteer. There's always a way to do anything. To be a Planeteer, you have to be able to figure out the way." A new voice said, "Now, that's real wisdom!" Rip turned quickly and looked through a helmet at the grinning face of Maj. Joe Barris.
He saluted Commander O’Brine and reported, "This is all, sir. We filled the order exactly as Terra sent it. Is there anything else you need?" O’Brine turned to his deputy. "Find out," he ordered. "This is our last chance. We have plenty of basic supplies, but we may be short of audio-mags and other things for the men." He turned his back on the Planeteer captain and walked away.
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