steroid into the sun
at an even faster rate.

The enemy assault boat was no longer a menace. Its occupants would be
lucky if they succeeded in saving their own lives.

[Illustration: Rip and Santos Fell Through Space]

Rip and Santos Fell Through Space

Rip wondered what the Connie cruiser commander would try now. Only one
thing remained, and that was to set the cruiser down on the asteroid. If
the Connie tried, he would arrive at just about the time set for releasing
the nuclear charge. And that would be the end of the cruiser--and probably
of the Planeteers as well.

Santos asked coolly, "Lieutenant, wouldn't you say we're in sort of a bad
spot?"

Rip had been so busy sizing up the situation that he hadn't thought about
his own predicament. Now he looked down and suddenly realized that he was
floating free in space, a considerable distance above the asteroid, and
with only small propulsion tubes for power.

He gasped, "Great space! We're in a mess, Santos."

The Filipino corporal asked, still in a calm voice, "How long before we're
dragged into the sun, sir?"

Rip stared. Santos had used the same tone he might have used in asking for
a piece of Venusian _chru_. An officer couldn't be less calm, so Rip
replied in a voice he hoped was casual, "I wouldn't worry, Santos. We
won't know it. The heat will get through our suits long before then."

In fact, the heat should be overloading their ventilating systems right
now. In a few minutes the cooling elements would break down and that would
be the end. He listened for the accelerated whine as the ventilating
system struggled under the increased heat load, and heard nothing.

Funny. Had it overloaded and given out already? No, that was impossible.
He would be feeling the heat on his body if that were the case.

He looked for an explanation and realized for the first time that they
weren't in the sunlight at all. They were in darkness. His searching
glance told him they were in the cone of shadow stretching out from behind
the asteroid. The thorium rock was between them and the sun!

His lips moved soundlessly. Major Joe Barris had been right! _In a jam,
trust your hunch._ He had acted instinctively, not even thinking what he
was doing as he used the last full power of the stern tubes to throw them
into the shadow cone.

And he knew in the same moment that it could save their lives. The sun's
pull would only accelerate their fa