If they
could get under cover, there might be a chance. At least it would take
the Connies a while to find them.
For a moment he thought of hurrying into the landing boat and sending out
a call for help to the _Scorpius_, but he thought better of it. They
weren't certain that Connie had spotted them. He would wait until there
was no doubt. Meanwhile, they had to find cover.
His searching eyes fell on the cutting torch. If they could use that to
cut themselves right into the asteroid.... Suddenly he knew how it could
be done. On the sun side he remembered a series of high-piled, giant
crystals of thorium. They could cut into the side of one of those. And
with Kemp's skill, they might be able to do it in time.
He called, "Kemp, Koa, bring the torch and fuel and follow me."
In his haste he took a misstep and flew headlong a few feet above the
metal surface. Koa, gliding along behind him, turned him upright again.
He saw that the sergeant major was grinning. Rip grinned back. It was the
second time he had lost his footing.
They reached the peaks of thorium, and Rip looked them over. The tallest
was perhaps forty feet high. It was roughly pyramidal, with a base about
sixty feet thick. It would do.
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