crawled along
with Rip's body for his guide, passed over him, and reached cover. Rip
followed.

The belt lights of the two Connies were almost abreast of them. Far to
their left, Rip saw another pair of lights. That was a pair he hadn't seen
before.

"We'll wait until they pass," he told his men. "Then we'll get up and rush
them from behind. They can't hear us coming. Dowst, you take the near one.
I'll take the far one. Dominico, you help as needed, but concentrate on
cutting off their equipment. The first thing we must do is cut their
communicators. Otherwise they'll warn the rest. Then turn off their air
supplies and collapse their suits."

One thing was in their favor. The space suits worn by the Connies were
almost the same as theirs. The controls were of the same kind. The only
way to know a Connie was by his bubble, which was a little more tubular
than the round bubbles of the Federation.

Rip suddenly realized that he wasn't nervous anymore. He grinned, licking
his lips. After all, this was what he had been trained for.

The Connies came abreast and passed. "Let's go," Rip said, and as he rose
he heard Koa's voice.

The sergeant-major said, "Kemp, kneel on their right side. Trudeau and I
will hit them from the left and tumble them over you. Get their
communicators first."

Koa had methods of his own, apparently, and they sounded good.

Rip started slowly. He wanted to get directly behind the Connies. He
stayed down low until he was sure they couldn't see him, unless they
turned.

Dowst and Dominico were right with him. "Come on," he said, and started
gliding after the helmeted figures. He kept his eyes on the one he had
selected, and he called on all the myriad stars of space to give him luck.
If the men turned, his plan for quick victory would fail.

He sensed his Planeteers beside him as the figures loomed ahead. He gave a
final spring that sent him through space with knees bent and outthrust,
his hands reaching.

His knees connected solidly with the Connie's thighs and his hands groped
around the bulky space suit. He felt a rheostat control and twisted
savagely, then groped for the distinctive star-shaped button of the air
supply.

[Illustration: Rip Used a Flying Tackle on the Connie]

Rip Used a Flying Tackle on the Connie

The Connie wrenched violently and threw them both upward. Rip felt the
star shape and twisted. If he could only deflate the Connie's suit!