Connel roared again. "Blast your hide, Manning, report!"
"Better raise ship, Manning," said Loring, "you might get another nasty demerit!"
Roger turned away and raced to the control deck. He entered breathlessly and stood beside his unit-mates while Connel eyed him coldly.
"Thank you, Cadet Manning," said Connel. "We appreciate your being here!"
"Yes, sir," mumbled Roger.
"All right," barked Connel, "you know your assignments. We'll take the jet boats as before and go out in pairs. Tom and myself, Astro and Roger, and Shinny and Alfie. We'll set up the reaction charges on Junior at the points marked on the chart screen here." He indicated the chart on the projection. "Copy them down on your own charts. Each team will take three of the reaction units. My team will set up at points one, two, and three. Astro and Roger at four, five, and six. Alfie and Shinny at seven, eight, and nine. After you've set up the charges, attach the triggers for the fuses and return to the ship. Watch your timing! If we fail, it'll be more than a year before Junior will be in the same orbital position again. How much time do we have left, Corbett?"
Tom glanced at the clock. "Exactly two hours, sir," he said.
"Not much," said Connel, "but enough. It shouldn't take more than an hour and a half to set up the units and get back to the ship to blast off. All clear? Any questions?"
There were no questions.
"All right," said the officer, "put on your space gear and move out!"