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Updated: June 6, 2025
Rip kept his helmet against the Connie's, but the man spoke in another language, which Rip identified as the main Consops tongue. When he had finished, Rip told his Planeteers to have weapons ready and to keep lights off. Time enough for light when the Connies were all disarmed. It didn't take five minutes.
Rip stared at the Connie spacemen in their red tunics and gray trousers. One, an officer with two pistols in his belt, stepped forward. Rip noted that the other Connies were heavy with weapons, too. None of his group had any. "I'm the commander," the scowling Connie said. "Bring your instruments in. We'll check them; then you get out."
Fortunately, the Connies were going away from the cave. A Connie from the nearby team swung his beam back and forth, and it cut space over their heads. Rip saw a few low pyramids of thorium a few rods away. Quickly he ordered, "Dowst, hang on to my boots. Dominico, hang on to Dowst's boots." He lay face down on the metal ground until he felt hands grip his boots, then he asked, "All set?"
Santos threw rockets among them and scored hits, but the boats kept coming. The Connies were too far away from the cruiser to return, and they knew it. Getting to the asteroid was their only chance. Rip called, "Santos! Cease fire. Set the launcher for ground level. Let them land, but don't fire until I give the word." He put his helmet against his prisoner's for direct communication.
Rip found the constellation Orion and looked at bright Rigel. For a moment he saw nothing; then, south of the star, he saw a thin, orange line. Nuclear drive cruisers didn't have exhausts of that color, and there was only one rocket-drive ship around, so far as they knew. Rip said softly, "Let's get our house in order, gang. Looks as if we're going to get a visit from the Connies!" Duck or Die!
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. The chunks of thorium he had ordered thrown in to block some of the radiation made walking a little difficult. "Santos," he said, "we're in the second crater."
"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.
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.
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.
And it was not a bluff. He knew instinctively that the Connie commander meant it. Instantly he unplugged the radio connection from his belt and spoke urgently. "Koa, get everyone under cover in the cave. Hurry! Collect all the Connies and take them with you." Then he plugged in again. "Commander, I must have time to think this over." "You have one minute."
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