Rip put his space knife against the man’s stomach. "Then we’ll get them
with rockets. But you won’t care because you won’t know it."
The truth was, Santos couldn’t hope to get them all with his rockets. They
might overcome the Connies in hand-to-hand fighting, but there would be a
cost to pay in Planeteer casualties. Rip hoped the Connie wouldn’t call
his bluff, because that’s all it was. He couldn’t use a space knife on an
unarmed prisoner.
The Connie didn’t know that. In Rip’s place he would have no compunctions
about using the knife, so instead of calling Rip’s bluff he agreed.
The snapper-boats blew their front tubes, decelerating, and squashed down
to the asteroid in a roar of exhaust flames, sending the Planeteers
running out of the way. Rip thrust harder with his space knife and yelled,
"Tell them!"