t puffed out. When it was fully inflated he watched
the pressure gauge. It was steady. No leaks in suit or helmet. He let the
pressure go down to normal.

Koa's voice buzzed in his ears. "Hear me, sir?"

Rip turned the volume of his communicator down a little and spoke in a
normal voice. "I hear you. Am I clear?"

"Yessir. All men dressed and ready."

Rip made a final check. He counted his men, then personally inspected
their suits. The boats were next. They were typical landing craft, shaped
like rectangular boxes. There was no need for streamlining in the vacuum
of space. They were not pressurized. Only men in space suits rode in the
ungainly boxes.

He checked all blast tubes to make sure they were clear. There were small
single tubes on each side of the craft. A clogged one could explode and
blow the boat up.

Koa, he knew, had checked everything, but the final responsibility was
his. In space, no officer or sergeant took anyone's word for anything that
might mean lives. Each checked every detail personally.

Rip looked around and saw the Planeteers watching him. There was approval
on the faces behind the clear helmets, and he knew they were satisfied
with his thoroughness.

At last, certain that everything was in good order, he said quietly,
"Pilots, man your boats."

Dowst got into one and a spaceman into the other. Dowst's boat would stay
with them on the asteroid. The spaceman would bring the other to the ship.

Commander O'Brine stepped through the valve into the boat lock. A spaceman
handed him a hand communicator. He spoke into it. Rip couldn't have heard
him through the helmet otherwise. "All set, Foster?"

"Ready, sir."

"Good. The long-range screen picked up a blip a few minutes ago. It's
probably that Connie cruiser."

Rip swallowed. The Planeteers froze, waiting for the commander's next
words.

"Our screens are a little better than theirs, so there's a slim chance
they haven't picked us up yet. We'll drop you and get out of here. But
don't worry. We have your orbit fixed and we'll find you when the screens
are clear."

"Suppose they find us while you're gone?" Rip asked.

"It's a chance," O'Brine admitted. "You'll have to take spaceman's luck on
that one. But we won't be far away. We'll duck behind Vesta or another of
the big asteroids and hide so their screens won't pick up our motion.
Every now and then we'll sneak out for a look, if the screen seems clear.
If those high-vack vermi