CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - COURTESY - WITH CLAWS
_Sagittarius_, constellation of the Archer, and _Aquila_, constellation ofthe Eagle, had given the two Federation patrol cruisers their names. TheEagle was commanded by a tough Scotsman, and the Archer by a Frenchman.
Commander MacFife spoke through the communicator. "Switch bands touniversal, lad. Me'n Galliene are goin' to talk this Connie into a brawmess. MacFife off."
Rip guessed that the two cruiser commanders had been in communicationwhile enroute to the asteroid and had cooked up some kind of plan. Heturned the band switch to the universal frequency with which alllong-range communicators were equipped. Each of the earth groups had itsown frequency, and so did the Martians and Jovians. But all could meet andtalk on the universal band.
Special scrambling devices prevented eavesdropping on regular frequencies,so there was no danger that the Connie had overheard the plan. Ripwondered what it was. He knew the cruisers had to be careful not to crossthe thin line that might lead to war.
The _Sagittarius_ loomed closer, decelerating with a tremendous exhaust.The Connie couldn't have failed to see it, Rip knew. He was right. TheConsops cruiser suddenly blasted more heavily, rushing in the directionaway from the Federation ship. The direction was toward the asteroid.
And at the same moment, the _Aquila_ flashed above the horizon, alsodecelerating. The Connie was caught squarely.
A suave voice spoke on the universal band. "This is Federation _SCNSagittarius_, calling the Consolidation cruiser near the asteroid. Pleasereply."
Rip waited anxiously. The Connie would hear, because every control roommonitored the universal band.
A heavy, reluctant voice replied after a pause of over a minute.
"This is Consolidation cruiser Sixteen. You are breaking the law,_Sagittarius_. Your missile ports are open and they are pointing at me.Close them at once or I will report this."
The suave voice with its hint of French accent replied, "Ah, my friend! Donot be alarmed. We have had a slight accident to our control circuit andthe ports are jammed open. We are trying to repair the situation. But Iassure you, we have only the friendliest of intentions."
Rip grinned. This was about the same as a man holding a cocked pistol atanother man's head and assuring him it was nothing but a nervous arm thatkept the gun so steady.
The Connie demanded, "What do you want?"
The two friendly cruisers were within a few miles of the Connie now andtheir blasts were just strong enough to keep them edging closer, whilecounteracting the sun's pull.
The French spaceman spoke reassuringly. "My friend, we want only thecourtesy of space to which the law entitles us. We have had an unfortunateaccident to our astrogation instruments, and we wish to come aboard tocompare them with yours."
Rip laughed outright. Every cruiser carried at least four full sets ofinstruments. There was as much chance of all of them being knocked offscale at once as there was of his biting a cruiser in half with bareteeth.
MacFife's voice came on the air. "Foster. Switch to Federation frequency."
Rip did so. "This is Foster, Commander."
"Lad, it's a pity for ye to miss the show. I'm sending a boat for ye."
"The sun will get it!" Rip exclaimed.
"Never fear, lad. It won't get this one. Now switch back to universal andlisten in."
Rip did so in time to catch the Connie commander's voice. "... and Irefuse to believe such a story! Great Cosmos, do you think I am a fool?"
"Of course not," the Frenchman replied. "You are not such a fool as torefuse a simple request to check our instruments."
The _Sagittarius_ commander was right. Rip understood the strategy.Equipment sometimes did go out of operation in space, and Connies had nohesitation in asking Federation cruisers for help, or the other wayaround. Such help was always given, because no commander could be surewhen he might need help himself.
"I agree," the Connie commander said with obvious reluctance. "You maysend a boat."
MacFife's Scotch burr broke in. "Federation _SCN Aquila_ to ConsolidationSixteen. Mister, my instruments are off scale, too. I'll just send themalong to ye and ye can check them while ye're doing the _Sagittarius_!"
"I object!" the Connie bellowed.
"Come now," MacFife burred soothingly. "Checking a few instruments won'thurt ye."
A small rocket exhaust appeared, leaving the _Aquila_. The exhaust grewrapidly, more rapidly than that of any snapper-boat. Rip watched it, whilekeeping his ears tuned to the space conversation.
Koa tugged his arm. "See that, sir?"
Rip nodded.
"Surely sending boats is too much of a nuisance," the French commandersaid winningly. "We will come alongside."
"It's a trick," the Connie growled. "You want me to open my valves, thenyour men will board us and try to take over my ship!"
"My friend, you have a suspicious mind," Galliene replied smoothly. "Ifyou wish, arm your men. Ours will have no weapons. Train launchers on thevalves so our men will be annihilated before they can board, if you see asingle weapon."
This was going a little far, Rip thought, but it was not his affair and hedidn't know exactly what MacFife and Galliene had in mind.
The _Aquila's_ boat arrived with astonishing speed. Rip saw it flash inthe sunlight and knew he had never seen one like it before. It was aperfect globe, about 20 feet in diameter. Blast holes covered the globe atintervals of six feet.
The boat settled to the asteroid and a new voice called over the helmetcircuit, "Where's Foster? Show an exhaust! We're in a rush."
Rip ordered, "Take over, Koa. I'll be back."
"Yessir."
He hurried to the boat and stood there, bewildered. He didn't know how toget in.
"Up here," the voice called. He looked up and saw a hatch. He jumped and aspace-clad figure pulled him inside. The door shut and the boat blastedoff. Acceleration shoved him backward, but the spaceman snapped a line tohis belt, then motioned him to a seat. Rip pulled himself up the line andgot into the seat, snapping the harness in place.
"I'm Hawkins, senior space officer," the spaceman said. "Welcome, Foster.We've been losing weight wondering if we'd get here in time."
"I was never so glad to see spacemen in my life," Rip said truthfully."What kind of craft is this, sir?"
"Experimental," the space officer answered. "It has a number, but we callit the ball-bat because it's shaped like a ball and goes like a bat. Wewere about to take off for some test runs around the space platform whenwe got a hurry call to come here. The _Aquila_ has two of these. If theyprove out, they'll replace the snapper-boats. More power, greatermaneuverability, heavier weapons, and they carry more men."
There was only the officer and a pilot, but Rip saw positions for severalothers.
He looked out through the port and saw the two Federation cruisers closingin on the Connie. Apparently the Connie commander had agreed to let thecruisers come alongside.
The ball-bat blasted to the _Aquila_, paused at an open port, then slidinside. The valve was shut before Rip could unbuckle his harness. Airflooded into the chamber and the lights flicked on. The space officer gaveRip a hand out of the harness, and the young Planeteer went through thehatch to the deck.
The inner valve opened and a lean, sandy-haired officer in space blue withthe insignia of a commander stepped through. Grinning, he hurried to Rip'sside and twisted his bubble, lifting it off.
"Hurry, lad," he greeted Rip. "I'm MacFife. Get out of that suit quick,because ye don't want to miss what's aboot to happen." With his own handshe unlocked the complicated belt with its gadgets and equipment,disconnected the communicator and ventilator, and then unfastened the lockclips that held top and bottom of the suit together.
Rip slipped the upper part over his head and stepped out of the bottom."Thanks, Commander. I'm one grateful Planeteer, believe me!"
"Come on. We'll hurry right across ship to the opposite valve. Lad, I've ason in the Planeteers and he's just abo
ut your own age. He's on Ganymede.He and the others will be proud of what ye've done."
MacFife was pulling himself along rapidly by the convenient handholds. Ripfollowed, his breathing a little rapid in the heavier air of the ship. Hefollowed the Scottish commander through the maze of passages that crossedthe ship and stopped at a valve where spacemen were waiting. With them wasan officer who carried a big case.
"The instruments," MacFife said, pointing. "We've tinkered with them a bitjust to make it look real."
"But why do you want to board the Connie?" Rip asked curiously.
MacFife's eye closed in a wink. "Ye'll see."
There was a slight bump as the cruiser touched the Connie. The waitinggroup recovered balance and faced the valve. Rip knew that spacemen in theinner lock were making fast to the Connie cruiser, setting up the airtightseal.
It wasn't long before a bell sounded and a spaceman opened the innervalve. Two men in space suits were waiting, and beyond them the outervalve was joined by a tube to the outer valve of the Connie ship. Ripstared at the Connie spacemen in their red tunics and gray trousers. One,a scowling officer with two pistols in his belt, stepped forward.
Rip noted that the other Connies were heavy with weapons, too. None of hisgroup had any.
"I'm the commander," the scowling Connie said. "Bring your instruments inquickly. We will check them, then you get out."
"Ye're no verra friendly," MacFife said, his burr even more pronounced. Heled Rip and the officer with the instruments into the Connie ship.
A handsome Federation spaceman with a mustache, the first Rip had everseen, stepped into the room from a passageway on the opposite side. Thespaceman bowed with exquisite grace. "I have the honor of making myselfknown," he proclaimed. "Commander Remy Galliene of the _Sagittarius_."
The Connie commander grunted. He was afraid, Rip realized. The Conniesuspected a trick, and he had no idea of what it might be.
Rip looked him over with interest. This was the man who had been willingto burn his own spacemen back at the asteroid belt.
Galliene saw Rip's black uniform and hurried to shake his hand. "So thisis the young lieutenant who is responsible! Lieutenant, today the spacemenhonor the Planeteers because of you. Most days we fight each other, buttoday we fight together, eh? I am glad to meet you!"
"And I'm glad to meet you, sir," Rip returned. He liked the twinkle in theFrenchman's eye. He would have given a lot to know what scheme Gallieneand MacFife had cooked up.
The Connie had overheard Galliene's greeting. He glared at Rip. TheFrenchman saw the look and smiled happily. "Ah, you do not know eachother? Commander, I have the honor to make known Lieutenant Foster of theFederation Special Order Squadrons. He is in command on the asteroid."
The Connie blurted, "So! I send boats to help you and you fire on them!"
So that was to be the Consops story! Rip thought quickly, then held up hishand in a shocked gesture that would have done credit to the Frenchman."Oh, no, Commander! You misunderstand. We had no way of communicating byradio, so I did the only thing we could do. I fired rockets as a warning.We didn't want your boats to get caught in a nuclear explosion." Heshrugged. "It was very unlucky for us that the sun threw my gunner's aimoff and he hit your boats, quite by accident."
MacFife coughed to cover up a chuckle. Galliene hid a smile by strokinghis mustache.
The Connie commander growled, "And I suppose it was accident that you tookmy men prisoner?"
"Prisoner?" Rip looked bewildered. "We took no prisoners. When your boatsarrived, the men asked if they might not join us. They claimed refuge,which we had to give them under interplanetary law."
"I will take them back," the Connie stated.
"You will not," Galliene replied with equal positiveness. "The law is veryclear, my friend. Your men may return willingly, but you cannot forcethem. When we reach Terra we will give them a choice. Those who wish toreturn to the Consolidation will be given transportation to the nearestborder."
The Connie commander motioned to a heavily armed officer. "Take theirinstruments. Check them quickly." He put his lips together in a straightline and stared at the Federation men. They stared back with equalcoldness. Around them, Connie spacemen with wooden, expressionless faceswaited without moving.
The minutes ticked by. Rip wondered again what kind of plan MacFife andGalliene had. When would the excitement start?
Additional minutes passed and the officer returned with the cases.Wordlessly he handed them to Galliene and MacFife. The Connie commandersnapped, "There. Now get out of my ship."
Galliene bowed. "You have been a most courteous and gracious host," hesaid. "Your conversation has been stimulating, inspiring, and informative.Our profound thanks."
He shook hands with Rip and MacFife, bowed to the Connie commander again,and went out the way he had come. There wasn't anything to say after theFrenchman's sarcastic farewell speech. MacFife, Rip, and the officer withthe instruments went back through the valves into their own ship.
Once inside, MacFife called, "Come with me. Hurry." He led the way throughpassages and up ladders to the very top of the ship, to the hatch wherethe astrogators took their star sights. The protective shield of nuclitehad been rolled back and they could see into space through the clearvision port.
Rip and MacFife hurried to the side where they were connected to theConnie. Rip looked down along the length of the ship. The valve connectionwas in the middle of each ship, at the point of greatest diameter. Fromthat point each ship grew more slender.
MacFife pointed to the Connie's nose. Projecting from it like great hornswere the ship's steering tubes. Unlike the Federation cruiser whichblasted steam through internal tubes that did not project, the Connie usedchemical fuel.
"Watch," MacFife said.
There were similar tubes on the Connie's stern, Rip knew. He wondered whatthey had to do with the plan.
MacFife walked to a wall communicator. "Follow instructions."
He turned to Rip. "Remember, lad. The _Sagittarius_ is on the other sideof the Connie, about to do the same thing."
Rip waited in silence, wondering.
Then the voice horn called, "Valve closed!"
A second voice yelled, "Blast!"
A tremor jarred its way through the entire ship, making the deck throbunder Rip's feet. He saw that the ship's nose had swung away from theConnie. What in space--
"Blast!"
The nose swung into the Connie again with a jar that sent Rip sliding intothe clear plastic of the astrodome. His nose jammed into the plastic buthe didn't even wince, because he saw the Connie's steering tubes buckleunder the _Aquila_'s sudden shove.
And suddenly the picture was clear. The two Federation cruisers hadn'tcared about getting into the Connie ship. They had only wanted an excuseto tie up to it so they could do what had just been done.
They had sheared off the enemy's steering tubes, first at the stern, thenat the bow, leaving him helpless, able to go only forward or back in thedirection in which he happened to be pointing!
MacFife had a broad grin on his face. As Rip started to speak, he held uphis hand and pointed at a wall speaker.
The Connie commander came on the circuit. He screamed, "You planned that!You--you--" He subsided into his own language.
Galliene's voice spoke soothingly. "But my dear commander! How can Iapologize enough? Believe me, the man responsible will be reward--I mean,the man responsible will be disciplined. You may rest assured of it. Howunfortunate! I am overcome with shame. A terrible accident! Terrible."
MacFife picked up a microphone. "Same here, Connie. A terrible accident.Aye, the man who did it will hear from me."
"It was no accident," the Connie screamed.
"Ah," Galliene replied, "but you cannot prove otherwise. Commander, do yourealize what this means? You are helpless. Interplanetary law says that ahelpless spaceship must be salvaged and taken in tow by the nearestcruiser, no matter what its nationality. We will do this jointly, the_Aquil
a_ and the _Sagittarius_. We will take turns towing you, my friend.We will haul you to Terra like any other piece of space junk."
MacFife could remain quiet no longer. "Yes, mister. And that's no' the endo' it. We will collect the salvage fee. One half the value of the salvagedvessel. Aye! My men will like that, since we share and share alike onsalvage. Now put out a cable from your nose tube. I'll take ye in towfirst."
He cut the communicator off, and met Rip's grin.
The two spacemen had figured out the one way to repay the Connie for hisattempts on the asteroid. They couldn't fire on him, but they could fakean "accident" that would cripple him and cost Consops millions of dollarsin salvage fees.
Nor would Consops refuse to pay. Salvage law was clear. Whoever performedthe salvage was not required to turn the ship back to its owners until thefee had been paid, in whatever currency he cared to specify.
And there was another angle. The cruisers would tow the Connie into theFederation spaceport in New Mexico. If past experience was any indication,the Connie would lose about half its crew--perhaps more. They would claimsanctuary in the Federation.
Rip shook hands solemnly with the grinning Scotchman. It would be a longtime before Consops tried space piracy again.
"We'll be back at our family fight again tomorrow," MacFife said, "buttoday we celebrate together. Ah, lad, this is pure joy to me. I've had ascore to settle with yon Connies for years. Now I've done it."
He put an arm around Rip's shoulders. "While I'm in a givin' mood, whichis not the way of us Scots, is there anything ye'd like?"
Rip could think of only one thing. "A hot shower. For me and my men. Andwill you take the prisoners off our hands?"
"Yes to both. Anything else?"
"We'll need some rocket fuel. Terra says we have to correct course. Also,we'll need a nuclear charge to throw us into a braking ellipse. And weneed a new landing boat. The sun baked the equipment out of ours."
MacFife nodded. "So be it. I'll send men to the asteroid to bring back theprisoners and your Planeteers." He smiled. "We'll let yon rock go byitself while hot showers and a good meal are had by all. It's the least ofwhat ye've earned."
Rip started to thank the Scot, but his stomach suddenly turned over andblack dizziness flooded in on him. He heard MacFife's sudden exclamation,felt hands on him.
White light blinded him. He shook his head and tried to keep his stomachfrom acting up. A voice asked, "Were you shielded from those nuclearblasts?"
"No," he said past a constricted throat. "Not from the last. We got someprompt radiation. I don't know how much."
"When was that? The exact time?"
Rip tried to remember. He felt horrible. "It was twenty-three-oh-five."
"Bad," the voice said. "He must have taken enough roentgens of gamma andneutrons to reach or exceed the median-lethal dose."
Rip found his voice again. "Santos," he said urgently. "On the asteroid.He got it, too. The rest were shielded. Get him. Quick!"
MacFife snapped orders. The ball-bat would have Santos in the ship withinminutes. Being sick in a space suit was about the most unpleasant thingthat could happen to anyone.
A hypospray tingled against Rip's arm. The drug penetrated, caught a quicklift to all parts of his body through his bloodstream. Consciousness slidaway.