job, can't you see that, sir?"

The doctor shook his head. "You're a fool, even for a Planeteer. Before
you get over this you'll be sicker than you've ever been. You have a month
in bed waiting for you. If I let you go back to the asteroid, I'll only be
delaying the time when you start full treatment."

"But the delay won't hurt if you inject us with suppressives, will it?"
Rip asked quickly. "Don't they keep the sickness checked?"

"Yes, for a maximum of about ten days. Then they no longer have sufficient
effect and you come down with it."

"But it won't take ten days," Rip pointed out. "It will only take a
couple, and it won't hurt us."

MacFife had arrived to hear the last exchange. He nodded sympathetically.
"Doctor, I can appreciate how the lad feels. He started something and he
wants to finish it. If y'can let him, safely, I think ye should."

The doctor shrugged. "I can let him. There's a nine to one chance it will
do him no harm. But the one chance is what I don't like."

"I'll know it if the suppressives start to wear off, won't I?" Rip asked.

"You certainly will. You'll get weaker rapidly."

"How rapidly?"

"Perhaps six hours. Perhaps more."

Rip nodded. "That's what I thought. Doctor, we're less than six hours from
Terra by ship. If the stuff wears off, we can be in the hospital within a
couple of hours. Once we go into a braking ellipse, we can reach a
hospital in less than an hour by snapper-boat."

"Let him go," MacFife said.

The doctor wasn't happy about it, but he had run out of arguments. "All
right, Commander. If you'll assume responsibility for getting him off the
asteroid and into a Terra or space platform hospital in time."

"I'll do that," MacFife assured him. "Now get your hyposprays and fill him
full of that stuff you use. The corporal, too."

"Sergeant," Rip corrected. His first action on getting back to the
asteroid would be to recommend Santos's promotion to Terra base. He
intended to recommend Kemp for corporal, too. He was sure the Planeteers
at Terra would make the promotions.

The two Federation cruisers were still holding course along with the
asteroid, the Connie cruiser between them.

Within an hour, Rip and Santos, both in false good health thanks to
medical magic, were on their way back to the asteroid in a ball-bat boat.

[Illustration: "Let Him Go Back to the Asteroid, Doctor."]

"Let Him Go Back to the Asteroid, Doctor."

The remai