al turned into the
sunlight again. Rip told him to keep the torch going. There might be some
last minute cutting to do. Then the lieutenant hurried off at an angle to
where Dominico was plodding along with the fuel tubes.

Koa had turned the tube he carried over to a Connie. Rip got it and told
Dominico to follow him. Then he angled back across the asteroid to where
Kemp was holding position.

The asteroid turned twice before Koa arrived. He had a coil of wire slung
over his arm, and he carried the dynamo in one hand and an igniter in the
other, the two connected by the wire.

Rip took the igniter. "Uncoil the wire," he directed. "Go to its full
length at right angles to the hole. We have to time this exactly right.
When the crystal comes around again, I'll shove the tube into the hole,
then scurry for cover. When I'm clear I'll yell, and you pump the dynamo.
Dominico and Kemp stay with Koa. Make sure no one is in the way of the
blast."

Koa unreeled the wire, moving away from Rip. The lieutenant pushed the
igniter into one end of the fuel tube and crimped it tightly with his
gloved hand.

Koa and the others were as far away as they could get now, the wire
stretching between them and Rip. Kemp had made sure no one was running
near the line of blast.

Rip watched for the crystal. It would be coming around any second now. He
held the tube with the igniter projecting behind him, ready for the hole
to appear.

Koa's voice echoed in his helmet. "All set, Lieutenant."

The crystal appeared across the sun line and moved toward him. He met it,
slowed his speed, put the end of the tube into the hole, and shoved. Kemp
had allowed enough clearance. The tube slid into place. Rip turned and
angled off as fast as he could glide. When he was far enough away from
the blast line he called, "Fire!"

Koa squeezed the dynamo handle. The machine whined, and current shot
through the wire. A column of orange fire spurted from the crystal.

Rip watched the stars instead of the exhaust. He kept running as it
burned soundlessly. In air, the noise would have deafened him. In airless
space, there was nothing to carry the sound.

The apparent motion of the stars was definitely slowing. The spinning
wouldn't cease entirely, but it would slow down enough to give them more
time to work.

The tube reached _Brennschluss_, and Rip called orders. "Same process.
Get ready to repeat."

While Koa was connecting another igniter to the wire, R