There was no noise, only a slight flush where the charges were planted. The planetoid trembled violently beneath their feet. The Space Pup quivered and tugged at its magnetic moorings as the rock beneath it shook to the charge of the explosive. About a half mile away, where the charge had been set, a shower of small rock fragments sailed upward, but they did not drop. Out and out they sailed until they were lost to view, each becoming a separate unit in the mass of debris which formed the asteroid belt.
“Now into the Pup” exclaimed Vince, “for some eats and a good long sleep. We’ve done a lot this shift.”
“The thing I look forward to is getting out of this suit.” declared Vernon.
He turned toward the door and as he did so he cast a glance upward. He stopped short in astonishment
“Vince, look!” he cried.
Looming out of the void, blotting out a portion of the sky, a huge, black ship hung almost directly above them. There had been nothing to apprise them of its coming. It had simply slipped out of the blackness of space and suddenly was there, hanging above the tiny world. They had seen no rocket blasts.
Their earphones rang as an imperative tone cut in upon their receiving sets.
“Stay where you are. Don’t move. We are going to land and we have guns on you.”
The ship was speaking to them.
“Who the hell are you?” demanded Vernon.