shoot a line straight out
toward Alpha Centauri. You walk that way and turn on your belt light. I'll
tell you which way to move."

He adjusted his sighting rings while the sergeant-major glided away.
Moving around on a no-weight world was more like skating than walking. A
regular walk would have lifted Koa into space with every step. Of course
the asteroid had some gravity, but it was so slight that it didn't count.

Rip centered the top of the instrument's vertical hair line on Alpha
Centauri, then waited until Koa was almost out of sight over the
asteroid's horizon, which was only a few hundred yards away.

He turned up the volume on his helmet communicator. "Koa, move about ten
feet to your left."

Koa did so. Rip sighted past the vertical hairline at the belt light.
"That's a little too far. Take a small step to the right. Good ... just a
few inches more ... hold it. You're right in position. Stand where you
are."

"Yessir."

Rip turned to Santos. "Stand here, Corporal. Take a sight at Koa through
the instrument to get your bearings, then hold position."

Santos did so. Now the two lights gave Rip one of the lines he needed. He
called for two more men, and Trudeau and Nunez joined him. "Follow me," he
directed.

Rip picked up the instrument and carried it to a point 90 degrees from the
line represented by Koa and Santos. He put the instrument down and zeroed
it on Messier 44, the Beehive star cluster in the constellation Cancer.
For the second sighting star he chose Beta Pyxis as being closest to the
line he wanted, made the slight adjustments necessary to set the line of
sight since Pyxis wasn't exactly on it, then directed Trudeau into
position as he had Koa. Nunez took position behind the instrument and Rip
had the cross-fix he wanted.

He called for Dowst, then carried the instrument to the center of the
cross formed by the four men. Using the instrument, he rechecked the lines
from the center out. They were within a hair or two of being exactly on,
and a slight error wouldn't hurt anyway. He knew he would have to correct
with rocket blasts once the asteroid was in the new orbit.

"X marks the spot," he told Dowst. 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. I