Read the following passage and questions, then choose the right answer from options, the answer should be one of A, B, C, D.

<passage>:
RETIEF OF THE RED-TAPE MOUNTAIN Retief knew the importance of sealed in to handle the situation, Retief—under sealed orders." He picked "Hold on," said Retief. "I've got to get down. They won't shoot at you." The pilot plunged against the restraint, swung a punch that Retief "Okay! You're so dead set on gettin' killed, you take the skiff. I'll tell 'em to pick up the remains next trip." "You're a pal. I'll take your offer." The pilot jumped to the lifeboat hatch and cycled it open. "Get in. We're closin' fast. Them birds might take it into their heads to lob one this way...." Retief crawled into the narrow cockpit of the skiff, glanced over the controls. The pilot ducked out of sight, came back, handed Retief a "I'll see they pick you up when the shootin's over—one way or another." The hatch clanked shut. A moment later there was a jar as the skiff dropped away, followed by heavy buffeting in the backwash from the Retief felt sweat pop out on his forehead. The red blip meant heavy high trajectory and had no connection with the skiff.... Retief altered course to the south. The blip followed. was going to be tricky. The missile bored closer. At five miles Retief threw the light skiff into maximum acceleration, straight toward the oncoming bomb. Crushed back in the padded seat, he watched the screen, correcting course minutely. The proximity fuse should be set for no more than 1000 yards. At a combined speed of two miles per second, the skiff flashed past the missile, and Retief was slammed violently against the restraining harness in the concussion of the explosion ... a mile astern, and harmless. Then the planetary surface was rushing up with frightening speed. Retief shook his head, kicked in the emergency retro-drive. Points ping of hot metal contracting. Coughing, Retief disengaged himself from the shock-webbing. He beat out sparks in his lap, groped underfoot for the hatch and wrenched it open. A wave of hot jungle air struck him. He lowered himself to a bed of shattered foliage, got to his feet ... and dropped flat as a bullet whined past his ear. He lay listening. Stealthy movements were audible from the left. Retief edged back around the trunk, eased down behind a fallen log. cautiously, a pistol in his hand. As he passed, Retief rose, leaped the log and tackled him. They went down together. The stranger gave one short yell, then struggled in silence. Retief flipped him onto his back, raised a fist— "Hey!" the settler yelled. "You're as human as I am!" lay. "I'm glad you're a poor shot. That missile was too close for comfort." "Missile, eh? Must be Flap-jack artillery. We got nothing like that." "I heard there was a full-fledged war brewing," said Retief. "I didn't Retief looked down at the charred, torn and sweat-soaked powder-blue Potter was on his way, loping off up a gentle slope. Retief pulled off Retief. "We put out the word back home. We all got relatives on Ivory Retief got to his feet. "I think I should explain—" Retief's left fist shot out, smacked Lemuel's face dead center. He stumbled back, blood starting from his nose the pistol fired into the dirt as he dropped it. He caught himself, jumped for Retief ... and met a straight right that snapped him onto his back: out cold. peered past the fire— With a swift lunge he seized up the bucket of drinking water, dashed it over the fire, threw himself flat. He heard the others hit the dirt a split second behind him. "You move fast for a city man," breathed Swazey beside him. "You see "No," said Retief. "You wait here. I'm going out alone." "Later. Sit tight and keep your eyes open." Retief took a bearing on a With infinite caution he raised himself, risking a glance over an out-cropping of rock. right this time.... There was a sudden rasp, like leather against concrete, and a flurry of sand as the Flap-jack charged. Retief rolled aside, then lunged, threw his weight on the flopping It scrabbled with prehensile fringe-tentacles for a grip on Retief's The Flap-jack reversed its tactics, went limp. Retief grabbed, felt a thumb slip into an orifice— The alien went wild. Retief hung on, dug the thumb in deeper. The Flap-jack fell still, only its fringes rippling slowly. Retief relaxed the pressure of his thumb the alien gave a tentative jerk was correct, a Flap-jack picket should be along before too long.... A penetrating beam of red light struck Retief in the face, blinked off. "That's fine," Retief said. "I'm here to arrange a prisoner exchange." "The word of a gentleman is sufficient." Retief released the alien. It "Avoid it?" Retief heard a low humming coming from the speaker in the "I'm Retief." Hoshick waited expectantly, "... of the Mountain of Red "Take place, Retief," said Hoshick. "I hope you won't find our rude With a rush Hoshick threw himself at Retief, who ducked, whirled, and leaped on the Flap-jack's back ... and felt himself flipped clear by a mighty ripple of the alien's slab-like body. Retief rolled aside as Hoshick turned on him he jumped to his feet and threw a right hay-maker to Hoshick's mid-section. The alien whipped his left fringe around in an arc that connected with Retief's jaw, sent him spinning onto his back ... and Hoshick's weight struck him. Retief twisted, tried to roll. The flat body of the alien blanketed him. He worked an arm free, drumming blows on the leathery back. Retief's air was running out. He heaved up against the smothering and probed. The Flap-jack recoiled. Retief held fast, probed deeper, groping with the other hand. If the alien were bilaterally symmetrical there would be a set of ready made hand-holds.... There were. Retief dug in and the Flap-jack writhed, pulled away. Retief held on, scrambled to his feet, threw his weight against the alien and fell on top of him, still gouging. Hoshick rippled his fringe wildly, flopped in terror, then went limp. Retief relaxed, released his hold and got to his feet, breathing hard. gougerforms—" "May hide-ticks devour the gougerforms!" Hoshick bellowed. "You've given me such a sprong-ache as I'll remember each spawning-time for a year." me, Retief," he cried. "This time, in generosity."

<question>:
How did Retief narrowly escape having his skiff destroyed on the way down to the planet?

<options>:
A Retief encountered a nuclear missile fired by the Jax. The skiff was well-armed, and he took it down with a lucky shot.
B The mail pilot of the main ship was in such a hurry to get rid of him that he did not fully seal the skiff's airlock, and Retief worried all the way to the planet's surface that he would run out of air. He didn't, though.
C He escaped being blown up by a nuclear weapon by heading straight at it at such a high rate of speed that by the time its sensors detected him and triggered the firing sequence, he was on his way past, while the blast was focused in the other direction.
D As he took evasive action to get away from an atomic missile fired by the colonists, he almost ran into some space junk from a destroyed ship, but he avoided that, too.

<answer>:

C