stal properly placed
and big enough. There were plenty of crystals, so that was no problem.
The next step was for Kemp to cut holes with his torch, so that the
thrust of the rocket fuel would be counter to the direction in which the
asteroid was spinning.

Rip explained to all hands what had to be done. The burden would fall on
Kemp, who would need a helper. Rip took that job himself. He took one
oxygen tank from Kemp. Koa took the other, leaving the torchman with only
his torch.

Then Rip took a container of chemical fuel from Bradshaw. Working while
running, he lashed the two containers together with his safety line. Then
he improvised a rope sling so they could hang on his back.

Kemp, meanwhile, assembled his torch and put the proper cutting nozzle in
place. When he was ready, he moved over to Rip's side and connected the
torch hoses to the tanks the lieutenant carried. Kemp had the torch
mechanism strapped to his own back. It was essentially a high-pressure
pump that drew oxygen and fuel from the tanks and forced them through
the nozzle, under terrific pressure.

When he had finished, he pressed the trigger that started the cutting
torch going. The fuel ignited about a half inch in front of the nozzle.
The nozzle had two holes in it, one for oxygen and the other for fuel.
The holes were placed and angled to keep the flame always a half inch
away, otherwise the nozzle itself would melt.

"How do we work this?" Kemp asked.

"We'll get ahead of the others," Rip explained. "Keep up speed until
we're running at the forward sun line. Then, when the crystal we want
comes around into the shadow, we stop running and work until it spins
back into the sunshine again."

Rip estimated the axis on which the asteroid was spinning and selected
a crystal in the right position. He had to be careful, otherwise their
counterblast might do nothing more than start the gray planet wobbling.

He and Kemp ran ahead of the others. The Planeteers and their prisoners
were running at a speed that kept them right in the middle of the dark
area.

It was like running on a treadmill. The Planeteers were making good
speed, but were actually staying in the same place relative to the sun's
position, keeping the turning asteroid between them and the sun.

Rip and Kemp ran forward until they were right at the sun line. Then they
slowed down, holding position and waiting for the crystal they had chosen
to reach them. As it came across the su