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 that 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!"