happened, mimicking O'Brine's Irish accent.

The sergeant major shook his head sadly. "This is what I meant,
Lieutenant. Cruisers don't clean their tubes more'n once in ten
accelerations. The commander is just thinking up dirty work for us
to do, like I said."

"Never mind," Rip told him. "Let's find our squad room and get settled,
then draw some protective clothing and equipment. We'll clean his tubes
for him. Our turn will come later."

He remembered the last thing Joe Barris had said, only a few hours
before. _Joe was right_, he thought. _To ourselves we're supermen, but to
the spacemen we're just simps._ Evidently O'Brine was the kind of space
officer who ate Planeteers for breakfast.

Rip thought of the way the commander had turned red with rage at that
crack about his face, and he resolved, _He may eat me for breakfast, but
I'll be a very tough mouthful!_




CHAPTER THREE

Capture and Drive!


Commander O'Brine had not exaggerated. The residue of carbon and thorium
on the blast tube walls was stubborn, dirty, and penetrating. It was