That would give the Planeteers a minute's leeway. Not much of a safety
margin, especially when he wasn't sure how much power the atomic charge
would produce.
He plugged into the snapper-boat's communicator and called, "Ready,
Santos?"
"Ready, Lieutenant."
He braced himself against acceleration and flipped the speed control to
full power. The fighting rocket rammed out from the asteroid, snapping
him back against the seat. He made a quick check. Gunsight on, fuel tanks
almost full, propulsion tubes racked handy to his hand.
They drove toward the enemy cruiser at top speed, swerving in a great arc
as the sun pulled at them. The enemy's big boat was out of the ship, its
jets firing.
Rip leaned over his illuminated gunsight. The boat showed up clearly, the
rings of the sight framing it. He estimated distance and the pull of the
sun, then squeezed the trigger on the speed control handle. The cannon up
in the nose spat fire. He watched tensely and saw the charge explode on
the hull of the Connie cruiser. He had underestimated the sun's drag. He
compensated and tried again.
He missed. Now that he was closer and the charge had less distance to
travel, he had overestimated the sun's effect. He gritted his teeth.
The next shot would be at close range.
The fighting rocket closed space, and the landing boat loomed large in
the sight. He fired again, and the shot blew metal loose from the top of
the boat's hull. A hit, but not good enough. He leaned over the sight to
fire again, but before he had sighted, an explosion blew the assault boat
completely around.
Koa and Pederson had scored a hit from the asteroid!
The big boat fired its side jets and spun around on course again. Flame
bloomed from its side as Connie gunners tried to get the range on the
snapper-boat.
Rip was within reach now. He fired at point-blank range and flashed over
the boat as its front end exploded. Santos, firing from the rear, hit it
again.
Rip threw the rocket into a turn that rammed him against the top of his
harness. He steadied on a line with the crippled Connie craft. It was
hard hit. The bow jets flickered fitfully, and the stern tubes were dead.
He sighted, fired. A charge hit the boat aft and blew its stern tubes off
completely.
And at the same moment, a Connie gunner got a perfect bead on the
snapper-boat.
Space blew up in Rip's face. The snapper-boat slewed wildly as the Connie
shot took effect. Rip worked his controls frantically, trying to
straighten the rocket out more by instinct than anything else.
His eyes recovered from the blinding flash, and he gulped as he saw the
raw, twisted metal where the boat's nose had been. He managed to correct
the boat's twisting by using the stern tubes, but he lost full control of
the ship.
For a moment panic gripped him. Without full control he couldn't get back
to the asteroid! Then he forced himself to calm down. He sized up the
situation. They were still underway, the stern tubes pushing, but their
trajectory would take them right under the crippled Connie boat.
There was nothing he could do but pass close to the Connie. The enemy
gunners would fire, but he had to take his chances. He looked down at the
asteroid and saw an orange trail as Koa launched another rocket.
The shot from the asteroid ticked the bottom of the Connie boat and
exploded. The Connie rolled violently. Tubes flared as the pilot fought
to correct the roll. He slowed the spinning as Rip and Santos passed,
just long enough for a Connie gunner to get in a final shot.
The shell struck directly under Rip. He felt himself pushed violently
upward, and, at the same moment, he reacted--by hunch and not by reason.
He rammed the controls full ahead, and the dying rocket cut space,
curving slowly as flaming fuel spurted from the ruptured tanks.