"Get it. I’ll notify Terra base of what happened." Koa found the Connie with the communicator, tested it to be sure the prisoner hadn’t sabotaged it, and brought it to Rip. "This is Foster to Terra base. Over." "Come in, Foster." Rip explained briefly what had happened and asked, "How is our orbit? I haven’t had time to take sightings." "You’re free of the sun," Terra base answered. "Your orbit will have to be corrected sometime within the next few hours. The last blast pushed you off course." "That’s a small matter," Rip stated. "Unless we can think of something fast, this will be a Connie asteroid by then. The Consops cruiser is moving in on us. He’s careful, because he isn’t sure of the situation. But even at his present speed he’ll be here in ten minutes." "Stand by." Terra base was silent for a few moments, then the voice replied. "I think we have an answer for you, Foster. Terra base off. Go ahead, MacFife." A Scottish burr thick enough to saw boards came out of the communicator. "Foster, this is MacFife, commander of the _Aquila_. Y’can’t see me on account of I’m on yer sunny side. But, lad, I’m closer to ye than the Connie. We did it this way to keep the asteroid between us and him. Also, lad, if ye’ll take a look up at Gemini, ye’ll see somethin’ ye’ll like. Look at Alhena, in the Twins’ feet. Then, lad, if ye’ll be patient the while, ye’ll have a grandstand seat for a real big show." Rip tilted his bubble back and stared upward at the constellation of the twins. He said softly, "By Gemini!" For there, a half degree south of the star Alhena, was the clean line of a nuclear cruiser’s exhaust. The _Sagittarius_, out of Mercury, had arrived. He cut the communicator off for a moment and spoke exultantly to his men. "Stand easy, you hairy Planeteers. Forget the Connie. He doesn’t know it, but he’s caught. He’s caught between the Archer and the Eagle!" CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - COURTESY - WITH CLAWS _Sagittarius_, constellation of the Archer, and _Aquila_, constellation of the Eagle, had given the two Federation patrol cruisers their names. The Eagle was commanded by a tough Scotsman, and the Archer by a Frenchman. Commander MacFife spoke through the communicator. "Switch bands to universal, lad. Me’n Galliene are goin’ to talk this Connie into a braw mess. MacFife off." Rip guessed that the two cruiser commanders had been in communication while enroute to the asteroid and had cooked up some kind of plan. He turned the band switch to the universal frequency with which all long-range communicators were equipped. Each of the earth groups had its own frequency, and so did the Martians and Jovians. But all could meet and talk on the universal band. Special scrambling devices prevented eavesdropping on regular frequencies, so there was no danger that the Connie had overheard the plan. Rip wondered what it was. He knew the cruisers had to be careful not to cross the thin line that might lead to war.