Rip turned to face the Planeteer, still worrying over the problem. He
nodded and said, "What is it, Dominico?"
"Sir, I think we can't worry too much about this radiation, eh? You will
think of some way to take care of it. What I want to ask, sir, is when do
we let go the bombs? I do not know much about radiation, but I can set
those bombs like you want them."
Rip was touched by the Planeteer's faith in his ability to solve the
radiation problem. That was why being an officer in the Special Order
Squadrons was so challenging. The men knew the kind of training their
officers had, and they expected them to come up with technical solutions
as the situation required.
"You'll have a chance to set the bombs in just a short while," he said
crisply. "Let's get busy. Koa, load all bombs but one ten KT on the
landing boat. Stake the rest of the equipment down. While you're doing
that, I'll find the spots where we plant the charges. I'll need two men
now and more later."
He went back to his instrument, putting the radiation problem out of his
mind--a rather hard thing to do with the colorimeter glowing pink next to
his shoulder. Koa detailed men to load the nuclear bombs into the landing
craft, left Pederson to supervise, and then brought Santos with him to
help Rip.
"The bombs are being put on the boat, sir," Koa reported.
"Fine. There isn't too much chance of the blasts setting them off, but
we'll take no chances at all. Koa, I'm going to shoot a line straight out
toward Alpha Centauri. You walk that way and turn on your belt light.
I'll tell you which way to move."
He adjusted his sighting rings while the sergeant major glided away.
Moving around on a no-weight world was more like skating than walking. A
regular walk would have lifted Koa into space with every step. Of course,
the asteroid had some gravity, but so little that it hardly mattered.
Rip centered the top of the instrument's vertical hairline on Alpha
Centauri, then waited until Koa was almost out of sight over the
asteroid's horizon, which was only a few hundred yards away.
He turned up the volume on his helmet communicator. "Koa, move about ten
feet to your left."
Koa did so. Rip sighted past the vertical hairline at the belt light.
"That's a little too far. Take a small step to the right. That's
good ... just a few inches more ... hold it. You're right in position.
Stand where you are."
"Yessir."
Rip turned to Santos. "Stand here, Corporal. Take a sight at Koa to get
your bearings, then hold position."
Santos did so. Now the two lights gave Rip one of the lines he needed. He
called for two more men, and Trudeau and Nunez joined him. "Follow me,"
he directed.
Rip picked up the instrument and carried it to a point ninety degrees
from the line represented by Koa and Santos. He put the instrument down
and zeroed it on Messier 44, the Beehive star cluster in the
constellation Cancer. For the second sighting star he chose Beta Pyxis
as being closest to the line he wanted, made the slight adjustments
necessary to set the line of sight, since Pyxis wasn't exactly on it,
then directed Trudeau into position as he had Koa. Nunez took position
behind the instrument, and Rip had his cross fix.
He called for Dowst, then carried the instrument to the center of the
cross formed by the four men. Using the instrument, he rechecked the
lines from the center out. They were within a hair or two of being
exactly on, and a slight error wouldn't hurt, anyway. He knew he would
have to correct with rocket blasts once the asteroid was in the new
orbit.
"X marks the spot," he told Dowst. He put his toe on the place where the
crosslines met.
Dowst used a spike to make an X in the metal ground.
"All set," Rip announced. "You four men can move now. Let's have the
cutting equipment over here, Koa."
The Planeteers were all waiting for instructions now. In a few moments
the equipment was ready, fuel and oxygen bottles attached.
"Who's the champion torchman?" Rip asked.