etween them and the sun!

His lips moved soundlessly. Maj. Joe Barris had been right. _In a jam,
trust your hunch._ He had acted instinctively, not even thinking 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 fall toward the asteroid. He said
exultantly, "We're staying out of high vac, Santos. Light off a
propulsion tube. Let's get back to the asteroid."

He pulled a tube from his belt, held it above his head, and thumbed the
striker mechanism. The tube flared, pushing downward on his hand.

He held steady and plummeted feet first toward the rock.

Santos was only a few seconds behind him. Rip saw the corporal's tube
flare and knew that everything was all right, at least for the moment,
even though the asteroid was still a long way down.

He looked upward at the Connie cruiser and saw that it was moving. Its
exhaust increased in length and deepened slightly in color as Rip
watched.

Then he saw side jets flare out from the projecting control tubes and
knew the ship was maneuvering. Rip realized suddenly that the cruiser was
going to pick up the crippled assault boat.

He hadn't expected such a humane move, after his first meeting with the
Connie cruiser when the commander had been willing to sacrifice his own
men. This time, however, there was a difference, he saw. The commander
would lose nothing by picking up the assault boat, and he would save a
few men. Rip supposed that manpower meant something, even to Consops.

His propulsion tube reached _Brennschluss_, and for a few moments he
watched, checking his speed and direction. Then, before he lit off
another tube, he checked his chronometer. The illuminated dial registered
23:01. They had just four minutes to get to the asteroid!

He spoke swiftly. "Waste no time in lighting off, Santos. That nuclear
charge goes in four minutes!"

Rip pulled a tube from his belt, held it overhead, and triggered it. His
flight through space speeded up, but he wasn't at all sure they would
make it. He turned up his helmet communicator to full power and called,
"Koa, can you hear me?"

The sergeant major's reply was faint in his helmet. "I hear you weakly.
Do you hear me?"

"Same way," Rip replied. "Get this, Koa. Don't fail to explode that
charge at twenty-three-oh-five. Can you see us?"

The reply was very slightly stronger. "