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Updated: May 19, 2025
He watched his chronometer, planning the next move. When the minute ended, he asked, "Commander, how do we know you will spare our lives if we surrender?" Through the transparent shell of the snapper-boat he saw lights moving toward the horizon and knew Koa was following orders. "You don't know," the cruiser answered. "You must take our word for it.
He had to say something that would immediately identify him beyond the shadow of a doubt. The snapper-boat was closing in slowly. Rip knew the pilot and gunner must be tense, frightened, ready to blast with their guns at the first wrong move on the asteroid. He groped with his good arm and turned up his helmet communicator to full volume.
"These Connies would be useful to us alive, if we could capture them." It was Dowst who caught his meaning first. "You mean as hostages, sir?" "That’s it. If we could capture them, the Connie cruiser would be helpless. We could use the snapper-boat radios to warn the ship that any false move would mean harm to their men." Koa shook his head doubtfully.
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!
Once we go into a braking ellipse, we can reach a hospital in less than an hour by snapper-boat." "Let him go," MacFife said. The doctor wasn’t happy about it, but he had run out of arguments. "All right, Commander. If you’ll assume responsibility for getting him off the asteroid and into a Terra or space platform hospital in time." "I’ll do that," MacFife assured him.
He ran for the ladder to the lower level, took the wrong one, and ended up in a snapper-boat port. He had trained in the deadly little fighting rockets, and they never failed to interest him. But there wasn't time to admire them now. He went back up the ladder with two strong heaves, found the right ladder, and dropped down without touching. His knees flexed to take up the shock.
The damaged snapper-boat instantly blasted from its nose tubes, decelerated, and went into reverse, flipping through space crabwise as it tried to regain the safety of the cruiser. The two boats that had crashed while trying to dodge were blasting in great spurts of flame, following the example of their damaged companion. "Seven left," Rip called, and another rocket flashed on its way.
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."
The two of them stepped away from the cave and stood in full view as the snapper-boat moved cautiously down toward the asteroid. Rip planned what he would say. "Commander O’Brine, this is Foster!" No, that wouldn’t do. Connies would know that Kevin O’Brine commanded the Scorpius, and if they had taken over the Planeteers on the asteroid, they would also have learned Rip’s name.
Once we go into a braking ellipse, we can reach a hospital in less than an hour by snapper-boat." "Let him go," MacFife said. The doctor wasn't happy about it, but he had run out of arguments. "All right, Commander if you'll assume responsibility for getting him off the asteroid and into a Terra or space platform hospital in time." "I'll do that," MacFife assured him.
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