“There are fifteen of us left; you will separate into groups of three, according to alphabetical order. Each group will tie themselves together with their emergency lines. When you are ready, arrange yourselves in jump order by the forward escape hatch and the main lock. Three groups to the locks, two to the hatch. You will stand by for degrav and jump signals. Any questions?”
“Yes, sir,” the junior navigator said. “Do we have to turn our degravitators on right away? Can’t we fall a while and then switch them on just before we land? That way we’ll be surer of narrowing our landing area, and of staying together.”
“I see you’ve never used escape gear before,” the first said a little impatiently. “Those suit degravitators work in inverse proportion to the height of the fall. The further you fall, the slower you go. The unit needs distance to build up its field. These suit jobs are uncontrollable. They have only one setting and that’s ‘on.’ You’ll need all the height you can get if you hope to build up any weightlessness with these ‘One-lungers.’ If you’re not careful, you’ll wind up spread out like a quart of jam in a 10-G pull out. Any other questions?”
“N-No, sir,” the young officer stammered.
“All right then, hop to, you birds,” the first ordered. “Be ready to shove off at count-off signal from the captain. The captain, the chief navigator, and myself will leave last through the escape hatch. Remember, rendezvous as quickly as possible. We will maintain the rendezvous point for ten time-cycles; about forty light-periods on this planet. If you can’t get back by then, you’re on your own. Stand by for count off!”
The groups were quickly formed and tied together. They waited t ensely by the hatches for the signal that would send them out and down to the unknown world below. The captain’s voice clicked on again.
“Ready now men, we will enter atmosphere in ten centiunits. Stand by for count-off from five centiunits after entrance.”
They waited in their little groups, arms about each other resembling small football huddles, the better to keep them in one tight mass when they left ship. The first faint whistle of the upper atmosphere through the hole in the stern alerted them for the count off.
“Ready! Degravs on!” the captain’s voice tinned through their earphones. “Five… four… three… two… one… NOW!”
Like spilled fruit the groups tumbled out of the hatches. In a few seconds they were all out and caught in the grip of the upper air currents. The winds snatched them up, tumbled them about like multi-legged bowling balls, and whipped them away into the blue distance even before their degravitator fields had reached full effect. By the time they had reached five thousand feet they had decelerated to a gentle fall. By then, however, they had been so widely scattered by the winds that no one group was in sight of another.