The commander turned purple with rage. He bellowed, "Foster!"
A junior space officer hid a grin and murmured, "Looks like the Planeteers still have the asteroid."
O'Brine bent over the communicator and yelled, "Deputy commander! Launch landing boats. Get those Planeteers and bring them here, under armed guard. Ram it!"
The snapper-boat pilot through whose circuit Rip had yelled turned to look wide-eyed at his gunner. "Did you hear that? Throw a light down on the asteroid. It must have come from there."
The gunner threw a switch and a searchlight port opened in the boat's belly. Its beam searched downward, swept past, then steadied on two space-clad figures.
"It worked," Rip said tiredly. He closed his eyes to guard them against the brilliant glare, then waved his good arm.
Santos called from the cave entrance. "Sir, landing boats are being launched!"
"Bring out the prisoners," Rip ordered. "Line them up. Planeteers fall in behind them."
The landing boats, with snapper-boats in watchful attendance, blasted down to the surface of the asteroid. Spacemen jumped out, awkward at first on the no-weight surface. An officer glided to meet Rip, and he had a pistol in his hand.
"It's all right," Rip told him. "The Connies are[pg 156] our prisoners. You won't need guns."