Anti and Jordan came in almost simultaneously and joined the vigil. Minutes passed in silence and then the brief orange flower blossomed again.
"See," said Jeriann.
"Now why are they doing that?" growled Jordan. "They were doing fine without it."
"Maybe they need more speed," suggested Anti.
Jordan grunted. "Wouldn't add ten per cent."
"But if they needed ten per cent, if they were in trouble——"
"They are in trouble," said Jeriann. "It's a signal."
This was a version he could accept—if there weren't better explanations. Swiftly Docchi made mental approximations. "At the rate they're going they'll be here in half a day. They can't reach us with their telescreen until they're nearly here. Shall we go inside and see what's wrong with them?"
They looked at each other, and looked, until Anti answered. "What's a few minutes?" she said. "We've plenty of time to pick up our people. We can be gone before they get close."
Could they? That was what he didn't know. Taking an asteroid near the surface of a planet had never been tried and there were no rules. He'd have to feel it out as he went along, ready to turn away at the first indication of overload. Docchi looked at Jeriann, who nodded imperceptibly.