as they could get now, the wire
stretching between them and Rip. Kemp had made sure no one was running
near the line of blast.

Rip watched for the crystal. It would be coming around any second now. He
held the tube with the exploder projecting behind him, ready for the hole
to appear.

Koa's voice echoed in his helmet. "All set, Lieutenant."

"So am I," Rip answered. "Stand by."

The crystal appeared across the sun line and moved toward him. He met it,
slowed his speed, put the end of the tube into the hole and shoved. Kemp
had allowed enough clearance. The tube slid into place. Rip turned and
angled off as fast as he could glide. When he was far enough away from the
blast line he called, "Fire!"

[Illustration: "Fire!" Called Rip]

"Fire!" Called Rip

Koa squeezed the dynamo handle. The machine whined and current shot
through the wire. A column of orange fire spurted from the crystal.

Rip watched the stars instead of the exhaust. He kept running as it burned
soundlessly. In air, the noise would have deafened him. In airless space,
there was nothing to carry the sound.

The apparent motion of the stars was definitely slowing. The spinning
wouldn't cease entirely, but it would slow down enough to give them more
time to work.

The tube reached brennschluss and Rip called orders. "Same process. Get
ready to repeat. Dominico, bring one of your tubes."

While Koa was connecting another exploder to the wire, Rip took a tube
from Dominico. "Take your space knife and saw through the tube you have
left. We'll need about three-fifths of it. Keep both pieces."

Dominico pulled his knife, pressed the release, and the gas capsule shot
the blade out. He got to work.

Koa called that he was ready. Rip took the wired exploder from him and
thrust it into the tube Dominico had given him.

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 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