"Yes, Carse?"
"See the asteroid anywhere?"
"Nowhere, by Betelgeuse! I've looked till my eyes—"
The Hawk cut him short. "All right. Stand by. Friday?"
"Yes, suh?"
"Can you see anything special?"
"No, suh—only that the three platform guards keep lookin' down towards the center of the ranch."
"Good. That means Ku Sui's being received," said Carse; and then he considered swiftly for a minute. Decided, he continued:
"Ban and Friday, you both wait where you are, keeping a steady lookout. None of us can see the asteroid, but it must be somewhere comparatively near, for Dr. Ku has no reason to bother with a long journey in a space-suit. I think the asteroid's close down, hidden by that distant ridge in the direction from which they came. I'm going to find it. When I do, I'll tell you where to come meet me. Inform me at once if Ku Sui leaves or if anything unusual happens. Understood?"
The assenting voices rang back to him simultaneously.