Rip nodded.
"Surely sending boats is too much of a nuisance," the French commander
said winningly. "We will come alongside."
"It’s a trick," the Connie growled. "You want me to open my valves, then
your men will board us and try to take over my ship!"
"My friend, you have a suspicious mind," Galliene replied smoothly. "If
you wish, arm your men. Ours will have no weapons. Train launchers on the
valves so our men will be annihilated before they can board, if you see a
single weapon."
This was going a little far, Rip thought, but it was not his affair and he
didn’t know exactly what MacFife and Galliene had in mind.
The _Aquila’s_ boat arrived with astonishing speed. Rip saw it flash in
the sunlight and knew he had never seen one like it before. It was a
perfect globe, about 20 feet in diameter. Blast holes covered the globe at
intervals of six feet.
The boat settled to the asteroid and a new voice called over the helmet
circuit, "Where’s Foster? Show an exhaust! We’re in a rush."