Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet by Harold L. Goodwin (free reads .TXT) π
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- Author: Harold L. Goodwin
Read book online Β«Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet by Harold L. Goodwin (free reads .TXT) πΒ». Author - Harold L. Goodwin
As the crystal came around again, the process was repeated. The hole was undamaged.
There was more time to get clear because of the asteroid's slower speed. The second tube slowed the rock even more, so that they had to wait long minutes[pg 221] while the crystal came around again.
Rip did some estimating. He wanted to be sure the next charge would do nothing more than slow the asteroid to a stop. If the charge were too heavy, it would reverse the spin. He didn't want to make a career of running on the asteroid. He was tired and he knew his men were getting weary, too. He could see it in their stridesβthey were less sure oΒ£ foot.
He decided it would be best to use a little less fuel rather than a little more. If the asteroid failed to stop its spin completely, they could always set off a small charge or two.
"Hold it," he ordered. "We'll use the small end of Dominico's tube and save the big one."
The fuel was a solid mass, so cutting the tube in two sections caused no difficulty. Rip pushed the exploder into the small section, seated it in the hole, and hurried to cover. As he watched the fuel burn, he wondered why the last nuclear charge had started the spin. He had made a mistake somewhere. The earlier blasts had been set so they wouldn't cause a spin. He made a mental note to look at the place where the charge had exploded when things were more quiet.
The rocket fuel slowed the asteroid down to a point where it was barely turning, and Rip was glad he had been cautious. The heavier charge would have reversed it a little. He directed the placing of[pg 222] a very small charge and was moving away from it so Koa could set it off when Santos suddenly yelled, "Sir! The Connie is coming!"
Rip called, "Fire the charge, Koa," then looked up. The Consops cruiser was moving slowly toward them. The canny Connie had been waiting for something to happen on the asteroid, Rip guessed. When the spinning slowed and then stopped, the Connie probably had decided that now was the time for a final try.
"Where is the communicator?" Rip asked Koa.
"One of the Connies has it."
"Get it. I'll notify Terra base of what happened."
Koa found the Connie with the communicator, tested it to be sure the prisoner hadn't sabotaged it, and brought it to Rip.
"This is Foster to Terra base. Over."
"Come in, Foster."
Rip explained briefly what had happened and asked, "How is our orbit? I haven't had time to take sightings."
"You're free of the sun," Terra base answered. "Your orbit will have to be corrected sometime within the next few hours. The last blast pushed you off course."
"That's a small matter," Rip stated. "Unless we can think of something fast, this will be a Connie asteroid by then. The Consops cruiser is moving in on us. He's careful, because he isn't sure of the situation.[pg 223] But even at his present speed he'll be here in ten minutes."
"Stand by." Terra base was silent for a few moments, then the voice replied. "I think we have an answer for you, Foster. Terra base off. Go ahead, MacFife."
A Scottish burr thick enough to saw boards came out of the communicator. "Foster, this is MacFife, commander of the Aquila. Y'can't see me on account of I'm on yer sunny side. But, lad, I'm closer to ye than the Connie. We did it this way to keep the asteroid between us and him. Also, lad, if ye'll take a look up at Gemini, ye'll see somethin' ye'll like. Look at Alhena, in the Twins' feet. Then, lad, if ye'll be patient the while, ye'll have a grandstand seat for a real big show."
Rip tilted his bubble back and stared upward at the constellation of the twins. He said softly, "By Gemini!" For there, a half degree south of the star Alhena, was the clean line of a nuclear cruiser's exhaust. The Sagittarius, out of Mercury, had arrived.
He cut the communicator off for a moment and spoke exultantly to his men. "Stand easy, you hairy Planeteers. Forget the Connie. He doesn't know it, but he's caught. He's caught between the Archer and the Eagle!"
Sagittarius, constellation of the Archer, and Aquila, constellation of the Eagle, had given the two Federation patrol cruisers their names. The Eagle was commanded by a tough Scotsman, and the Archer by a Frenchman.
Commander MacFife spoke through the communicator. "Switch bands to universal, lad. Me'n Galliene are goin' to talk this Connie into a braw mess. MacFife off."
Rip guessed that the two cruiser commanders had been in communication while enroute to the asteroid and had cooked up some kind of plan. He turned the band switch to the universal frequency with which all long-range communicators were equipped. Each of the earth groups had its own frequency, and so did the Martians and Jovians. But all could meet and talk on the universal band.
Special scrambling devices prevented eavesdropping on regular frequencies, so there was no danger that the Connie had overheard the plan. Rip wondered what it was. He knew the cruisers had to be careful not to cross the thin line that might lead to war.
[pg 225]The Sagittarius loomed closer, decelerating with a tremendous exhaust. The Connie couldn't have failed to see it, Rip knew. He was right. The Consops cruiser suddenly blasted more heavily, rushing in the direction away from the Federation ship. The direction was toward the asteroid.
And at the same moment, the Aquila flashed above the horizon, also decelerating. The Connie was caught squarely.
A suave voice spoke on the universal band. "This is Federation SCN Sagittarius, calling the Consolidation cruiser near the asteroid. Please reply."
Rip waited anxiously. The Connie would hear, because every control room monitored the universal band.
A heavy, reluctant voice replied after a pause of over a minute.
"This is Consolidation cruiser Sixteen. You are breaking the law, Sagittarius. Your missile ports are open and they are pointing at me. Close them at once or I will report this."
The suave voice with its hint of French accent replied, "Ah, my friend! Do not be alarmed. We have had a slight accident to our control circuit and the ports are jammed open. We are trying to repair the situation. But I assure you, we have only the friendliest of intentions."
Rip grinned. This was about the same as a man holding a cocked pistol at another man's head and[pg 226] assuring him it was nothing but a nervous arm that kept the gun so steady.
The Connie demanded, "What do you want?"
The two friendly cruisers were within a few miles of the Connie now and their blasts were just strong enough to keep them edging closer, while counteracting the sun's pull.
The French spaceman spoke reassuringly. "My friend, we want only the courtesy of space to which the law entitles us. We have had an unfortunate accident to our astrogation instruments, and we wish to come aboard to compare them with yours."
Rip laughed outright. Every cruiser carried at least four full sets of instruments. There was as much chance of all of them being knocked off scale at once as there was of his biting a cruiser in half with bare teeth.
MacFife's voice came on the air. "Foster. Switch to Federation frequency."
Rip did so. "This is Foster, Commander."
"Lad, it's a pity for ye to miss the show. I'm sending a boat for ye."
"The sun will get it!" Rip exclaimed.
"Never fear, lad. It won't get this one. Now switch back to universal and listen in."
Rip did so in time to catch the Connie commander's voice. "... and I refuse to believe such a story! Great Cosmos, do you think I am a fool?"
"Of course not," the Frenchman replied. "You[pg 227] are not such a fool as to refuse a simple request to check our instruments."
The Sagittarius commander was right. Rip understood the strategy. Equipment sometimes did go out of operation in space, and Connies had no hesitation in asking Federation cruisers for help, or the other way around. Such help was always given, because no commander could be sure when he might need help himself.
"I agree," the Connie commander said with obvious reluctance. "You may send a boat."
MacFife's Scotch burr broke in. "Federation SCN Aquila to Consolidation Sixteen. Mister, my instruments are off scale, too. I'll just send them along to ye and ye can check them while ye're doing the Sagittarius!"
"I object!" the Connie bellowed.
"Come now," MacFife burred soothingly. "Checking a few instruments won't hurt ye."
A small rocket exhaust appeared, leaving the Aquila. The exhaust grew rapidly, more rapidly than that of any snapper-boat. Rip watched it, while keeping his ears tuned to the space conversation.
Koa tugged his arm. "See that, sir?"
Rip nodded.
"Surely sending boats is too much of a nuisance," the French commander said winningly. "We will come alongside."
"It's a trick," the Connie growled. "You want me[pg 228] to open my valves, then your men will board us and try to take over my ship!"
"My friend, you have a suspicious mind," Galliene replied smoothly. "If you wish, arm your men. Ours will have no weapons. Train launchers on the valves so our men will be annihilated before they can board, if you see a single weapon."
This was going a little far, Rip thought, but it was not his affair and he didn't know exactly what MacFife and Galliene had in mind.
The Aquila's boat arrived with astonishing speed. Rip saw it flash in the sunlight and knew he had never seen one like it before. It was a perfect globe, about 20 feet in diameter. Blast holes covered the globe at intervals of six feet.
The boat settled to the asteroid and a new voice called over the helmet circuit, "Where's Foster? Show an exhaust! We're in a rush."
Rip ordered, "Take over, Koa. I'll be back."
"Yessir."
He hurried to the boat and stood there, bewildered. He didn't know how to get in.
"Up here," the voice called. He looked up and saw a hatch. He jumped and a space-clad figure pulled him inside. The door shut and the boat blasted off. Acceleration shoved him backward, but the spaceman snapped a line to his belt, then motioned him to a seat. Rip pulled himself up the line and got into the seat, snapping the harness in place.
[pg 229]"I'm Hawkins, senior space officer," the spaceman said. "Welcome, Foster. We've been losing weight wondering if we'd get here in time."
"I was never
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