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diff --git a/19709.txt b/19709.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..588484e --- /dev/null +++ b/19709.txt @@ -0,0 +1,7320 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Danger in Deep Space, by Carey Rockwell + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Danger in Deep Space + +Author: Carey Rockwell + +Illustrator: Louis Glanzman + +Release Date: November 4, 2006 [EBook #19709] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DANGER IN DEEP SPACE *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Patricia A Benoy and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + ++--------------------------------------------------------------+ +| | +| Transcriber's Note | +| | +| There is no evidence that the U.S. copyright on this | +| publication was renewed. | +| | +| Several obvious typographical errors were corrected, one | +| possible typographical error was left as is, and hyphenation | +| was standardized. A list of these items may be found at the | +| end of the text. Words and phrases surrounded by _'s _like | +| this_ are in italics in the original text. | +| | +| Although the cover page includes the title "STAND BY FOR | +| MARS!" that book is not included in this e-text. | +| | +| Enjoy! | +| | ++--------------------------------------------------------------+ + + + + + DANGER IN DEEP SPACE + + + + + THE TOM CORBETT + SPACE CADET STORIES + + By Carey Rockwell + + STAND BY FOR MARS! + DANGER IN DEEP SPACE + + [Illustration] + + + A TOM CORBETT Space Cadet Adventure + + DANGER IN + DEEP SPACE + + By CAREY ROCKWELL + + WILLY LEY Technical Adviser + +GROSSET & DUNLAP _Publishers_ New York + + COPYRIGHT, 1953, BY + ROCKHILL RADIO + + + ALL RIGHTS RESERVED + + _Illustrations by_ + LOUIS GLANZMAN + + PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + + _Frontispiece_ + +The three weary cadets assembled on the control deck 13 + +The junior spaceman maneuvered the great rocket ship +toward the air lock 36 + +The jet cab raced along the highway to Venusport 54 + +Tom could see two space-suited figures floating effortlessly 76 + +Mason was frozen into a rigid statue, unable to move 133 + +"Remember," Astro cautioned, "set the fuse for two hours" 161 + +Landing, they would tumble out of the jet boat and begin +their frantic digging 180 + +"I know we're going to be sent to the prison asteroid and +we deserve it," said Loring 206 + + + + +DANGER IN DEEP SPACE + + + + +CHAPTER 1 + + +"Stand by to reduce thrust on main drive rockets!" The tall, +broad-shouldered officer in the uniform of the Solar Guard snapped out +the order as he watched the telescanner screen and saw the Western +Hemisphere of Earth looming larger and larger. + +"Aye, aye, Captain Strong," replied a handsome curly-haired Space Cadet. +He turned to the ship's intercom and spoke quickly into the microphone. + +"Control deck to power deck. Check in!" + +"Power deck, aye," a bull-throated voice bellowed over the loud-speaker. + +"Stand by rockets, Astro! We're coming in for a landing." + +"Standing by!" + +The Solar Guard officer turned away from the telescanner and glanced +quickly over the illuminated banks of indicators on the control panel. +"Is our orbit to Space Academy clear?" he asked the cadet. "Have we been +assigned a landing ramp?" + +"I'll check topside, sir," answered the cadet, turning back to the +intercom. "Control deck to radar deck. Check in!" + +"Radar bridge, aye," drawled a lazy voice over the speaker. + +"Are we cleared for landing, Roger?" + +"Everything clear as glass ahead, Tom," was the calm reply. + +"We're steady on orbit and we touch down on ramp seven. Then"--the voice +began to quicken with excitement--"three weeks' liberty coming up!" + +The rumbling voice of the power-deck cadet suddenly broke in over the +intercom. "Lay off that space gas, Manning. Just see that this space +wagon gets on the ground in one piece. Then you can dream about your +leave!" + +"Plug your jets, you big Venusian ape man," was the reply, "or I'll turn +you inside out!" + +"Yeah? You and what fleet of spaceships?" + +"Just me, buster, with my bare hands!" + +The Solar Guard officer on the control deck smiled at the young cadet +beside him as the good-natured argument crackled over the intercom +speaker overhead. "Looks like those two will never stop battling, +Corbett," he commented dryly. + +"Guess they'll never learn, sir," sighed the cadet. + +"That's all right. It's when they stop battling that I'll start getting +worried," answered the officer. He turned back to the controls. "One +hundred thousand feet from Earth's surface! Begin landing procedure!" + +As Cadet Tom Corbett snapped orders into the intercom and his unit-mates +responded by smooth co-ordinated action, the giant rocket cruiser +_Polaris_ slowly arched through Earth's atmosphere, first nosing up to +lose speed and then settling tailfirst toward its destination--the +spaceport at Space Academy, U.S.A. + +Far below, on the grounds of the Academy, cadets wearing the green +uniforms of first-year Earthworms and the blue of the upper-classmen +stopped all activity as they heard the blasting of the braking rockets +high in the heavens. They stared enviously into the sky, watching the +smooth steel-hulled spaceship drop toward the concrete ramp area of the +spaceport, three miles away. + +[Illustration: SPACE ACADEMY U.S.A.] + +In his office at the top of the gleaming Tower of Galileo, Commander +Walters, commandant of Space Academy, paused for a moment from his +duties and turned from his desk to watch the touchdown of the great +spaceship. And on the grassy quadrangle, Warrant Officer Mike McKenny, +short and stubby in his scarlet uniform of the enlisted Solar Guard, +stopped his frustrating task of drilling newly arrived cadets to watch +the mighty ship come to Earth. + +Young and old, the feeling of belonging to the great fleet that +patrolled the space lanes across the millions of miles of the solar +system was something that never died in a true spaceman. The green-clad +cadets dreamed of the future when they would feel the bucking rockets in +their backs. And the older men smiled faintly as memories of their own +first space flight came to mind. + +Aboard the _Polaris_, the young cadet crew worked swiftly and smoothly +to bring their ship to a safe landing. There was Tom Corbett, an average +young man in this age of science, who had been selected as the +control-deck and command cadet of the _Polaris_ unit after rigid +examinations and tests. Topside, on the radar bridge, was Roger Manning, +cocky and brash, but a specialist in radar and communications. Below, on +the power deck, was Astro, a colonial from Venus, who had been accused +of cutting his teeth on an atomic rocket motor, so great was his skill +with the mighty "thrust buckets," as he lovingly called the atomic +rockets. + +Now, returning from a routine training flight that had taken them to the +moons of Jupiter, the three cadets, Corbett, Manning, and Astro, and +their unit skipper, Captain Steve Strong, completed the delicate task of +setting the great ship down on the Academy spaceport. + +"Closing in fast, sir," announced Tom, his attention focused on the +meters and dials in front of him. "Five hundred feet to touchdown." + +"Full braking thrust!" snapped Strong crisply. + +Deep inside the _Polaris_, braking rockets roared with unceasing power, +and the mighty spaceship eased itself to the concrete surface of the +Academy spaceport. + +"Touchdown!" yelled Tom. He quickly closed the master control lever, +cutting all power, and sudden silence filled the ship. He stood up and +faced Strong, saluting smartly. + +"Rocket cruiser _Polaris_ completes mission"--he glanced at the astral +chronometer on the panel board--"at fifteen thirty-three, sir." + +"Very well, Corbett," replied Strong, returning the salute. "Check the +_Polaris_ from radar mast to exhaust ports right away." + +"Yes, sir," was Tom's automatic answer, and then he caught himself. "But +I thought--" + +Strong interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "I know, Corbett, you +thought the _Polaris_ would be pulled in for a general overhaul and you +three would get liberty." + +"Yes, sir," replied Tom. + +"I'm not sure you won't get it," said Strong, "but I received a message +last night from Commander Walters. I think the _Polaris_ unit might have +another assignment coming up!" + +"By the rings of Saturn," drawled Roger from the open hatch to the radar +bridge, "you might know the old man would have another mission for us! +We haven't had a liberty since we were Earthworms!" + +"I'm sorry, Manning," said Strong, "but you know if I had my way, you'd +certainly get the liberty. If anyone deserves it, you three do." + +By this time Astro had joined the group on the control deck. + +"But, sir," ventured Tom, "we've all made plans, I mean--well, my folks +are expecting me." + +"_Us_, you mean," interrupted Roger. "Astro and I are your guests, +remember?" + +"Sure, I remember," said Tom, smiling. He turned back to Captain Strong. +"We'd appreciate it if you could do something for us, sir. I +mean--well, have another unit assigned." + +Strong stepped forward and put his arms around the shoulders of Tom and +Roger and faced Astro. "I'm afraid you three made a big mistake in +becoming the best unit in the Academy. Now every time there's an +important assignment to be handed out the name of the _Polaris_ unit +sticks out like a hot rocket!" + +"Some consolation," said Roger dourly. + +Strong smiled. "All right, check this wagon and then report to me in my +quarters in the morning. You'll have tonight off at least. Unit +_dis_-missed!" + +The three cadets snapped their backs straight, stood rigid, and saluted +as their superior officer strode toward the hatch. His foot on the +ladder, he turned and faced them again. + +"It's been a fine mission. I want to compliment you on the way you've +handled yourselves these past few months. You boys are real spacemen!" +He saluted and disappeared down the ladder leading to the exit port. + +"And that," said Roger, turning to his unit-mates, "is known as the +royal come-on for a dirty detail!" + +"Ahhh, stop your gassing, Manning," growled Astro. "Just be sure your +radar bridge is O.K. If we do have to blast out of here in a hurry, I +want to get where we're supposed to be going!" + +"You just worry about the power deck, spaceboy, and let little Roger +take care of his own department," replied Roger. + +Astro eyed him speculatively. "You know the only reason they allowed +this space creep in the Academy, Tom?" asked Astro. + +"No, why?" asked Tom, playing along with the game. + +"Because they knew any time the _Polaris_ ran out of reactant fuel we +could just stick Manning in the rocket tubes and have him blow out some +of his special brand of space gas!" + +"Listen, you Venusian throwback! One more word out of you and--" + +"All right, you two!" broke in Tom good-naturedly. "Enough's enough! +Come on. We've got just enough time to run up to the mess hall and grab +a good meal before we check the ship." + +"That's for me," said Astro. "I've been eating those concentrates so +long my stomach thinks I've turned into a test tube." + +Astro referred to the food taken along on space missions. It was +dehydrated and packed in plastic containers to save weight and space. +The concentrates never made a satisfactory meal, even though they +supplied everything necessary for a healthful diet. + +A few moments later the three members of the _Polaris_ stood on the main +slidewalk, an endless belt of plastic, powered by giant subsurface +rollers, being carried from the spaceport to the main academy +administration building, the great gleaming Tower of Galileo. + +Space Academy, the university of the planets, was set among the low +hills of the western part of the North American continent. Here, in the +nest of fledgling spacemen, boys from Earth and the colonies of Venus +and Mars learned the complex science that would enable them to reach +unlimited heights; to rocket through the endless void of space and visit +new worlds on distant planets millions of miles from Earth. + +This was the year 2353--the age of space! A time when boys dreamed only +of becoming Space Cadets at Space Academy, to learn their trade and +later enter the mighty Solar Guard, or join the rapidly expanding +merchant space service that sent out great fleets of rocket ships daily +to every corner of the solar system. + +As the slidewalk carried the three cadets between the buildings that +surrounded the grassy quadrangle of the Academy, Tom looked up at the +Tower of Galileo dominating the entire area. + +"You know," he began haltingly, "every time I go near this place I get a +lump in my throat!" + +"Yeah," breathed Astro, "me too." + +Roger made no comment. His eyes were following the path of the giant +telescope reflector that moved in a slow arc, getting into position for +the coming night's observations. Tom followed his gaze to the massive +domed building, housing the giant one-thousand-inch reflector. + +"You think we'll ever go as far into the deep with a rocket ship as we +can see with the big eye?" he asked. + +"I dunno," replied Roger. "That thing can penetrate other star systems +in our galaxy. And that's a long way off!" + +"Nearest thing to us is Alpha Centauri in our own galaxy, and that's +twenty-three and a half million million miles away," commented Astro. + +"That's not so far," argued Tom. "Only a few months ago the Solar +Alliance sent out a scientific exploration to take a look at that baby." + +"Musta been some hop," commented Roger. + +"Hey!" cried Tom suddenly. "There's Alfie Higgins!" He pointed in the +direction of another slidewalk moving at right angles to their own. The +cadet that he singled out on the slidewalk was so thin and small he +looked emaciated. He wore glasses and at the moment was absorbed in a +paper he held in his hand. + +"Well, what do you know!" cried Astro. "The Brain!" + +Roger punched Astro in the mid-section. "If you were as smart as he is, +you big grease monkey, you'd be O.K." + +"Nah!" replied Astro. "If I was as smart as Alfie, I'd be scared. And +besides, what do I need to be smart for? I've got you, haven't I?" + +When they drew near the other slidewalk, the three members of the +_Polaris_ unit skipped lightly over and jostled their way past other +riders to the slightly built cadet. + +"Alfie!" Tom yelled and slapped the cadet on the back. Alfie turned, his +glasses knocked askew by Tom's blow, and eyed the three _Polaris_ +members calmly. + +"It gives me great pleasure to view your countenances again, Cadets +Corbett, Manning, and Astro," he said solemnly, nodding to each one. + +Astro twisted his face into a grimace. "What'd he say, Roger?" + +"He's happy to see you," Roger translated. + +"Well, in that case," beamed Astro, "I'm happy to see you too, Alfie!" + +"What's the latest space dope around the Academy, Alfie?" asked Tom. +"What's this?" he indicated the paper in Alfie's hand. + +"By the sheerest of coincidences I happen to have a copy of your new +assignment!" replied Alfie. + +Tom, Roger, and Astro looked at each other in surprise. + +"Well, come on, spaceman," urged Roger. "Give us the inside info. Where +are we going?" + +Alfie tucked the paper in his inside pocket and faced Roger. He cleared +his throat and spoke in measured tones. "Manning, I have high regard for +your personality, your capabilities, and your knowledge, all of which +makes you an outstanding cadet. But even you know that I occupy a +position of trust as cadet courier for Commander Walters and the +administrative staff. I am not at liberty to mention anything that I +would have occasion to observe while in the presence of Commander +Walters or the staff. Therefore, you will please refrain from +questioning me any further regarding the contents of these papers!" + +Roger's jaw dropped. "Why, you human calculator, you were the one who +brought it up in the first place! I oughta knock off that big head of +yours!" + +Tom and Astro laughed. + +"Lay off, Roger," said Tom. "You ought to know Alfie couldn't talk if he +wanted to! We'll just have to wait until Captain Strong is ready to tell +us what our next assignment will be!" + +By this time the slidewalk had carried them to the front of the main +dormitory, and the wide doors were crowded with members of the Space +Academy Corps heading in for the evening meal. From all corners of the +quadrangle, the slidewalks carried Earthworms in their green uniforms, +upper-class cadets in deep blue, enlisted spacemen in scarlet red, and +Solar Guard officers in their striking uniforms of black and gold. +Chatting and laughing, they all were entering the great building. + +The _Polaris_ unit was well known among other cadet units, and they were +greeted heartily from all sides. As Astro and Roger joked with various +cadet units, forming up in front of the slidestairs leading down to the +mess halls, Alfie turned to take a slidestairs going up. Suddenly he +stopped, grabbed Tom by the shoulders, and whispered in his ear. Just as +abruptly he turned and raced up the ascending slidestairs. + +"What was that about?" asked Roger, as Tom stood staring after the +little cadet. + +"Roger--he--he said our next assignment would be one of the great +experiments in space history. Something to be done that--that hasn't +ever been done before!" + +"Well, blast my jets!" said Astro. "What do you suppose it is?" + +"Ahhh," sneered Roger, "I'll bet it's nothing more than taking some +guinea pigs to see how they react to Jovian gravity. That's never been +done before either! Why can't we get something exciting for a change?" + +Tom laughed. "Come on, you bloodthirsty adventurer, I'm starved!" + +But Tom knew that Alfie Higgins didn't get excited easily, and his eyes +were wide and his voice trembled when he had whispered his secret to +Tom. + +The _Polaris_ unit was due to embark on a great new adventure! + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 2 + + +"All O.K. here on the relay circuit," yelled Astro through the intercom +from the power deck. + +"O.K.," answered Tom. "Now try out the automatic blowers for the main +tubes!" + +"Wanta give me a little juice for the radar antenna, Astro?" called +Roger from the radar deck. + +"In a minute, Manning, in a minute," growled Astro. "Only got two hands, +you know." + +"You should learn to use your feet," quipped Roger. "Any normal Venusian +can do just as much with his toes as he can with his fingers!" + +Back and forth the bantering had gone for twelve hours, while the three +members of the _Polaris_ unit tested, checked, adjusted, and rechecked +the many different circuits, relays, junction boxes, and terminals in +the miles of delicate wiring woven through the ship. Now, as dawn began +to creep pink and gray over the eastern horizon, they made their +last-minute search through the cavernous spaceship for any doubtful +connections. Satisfied there were none, the three weary cadets assembled +on the control deck and sipped the hot tea that Manning had thoughtfully +prepared. + +[Illustration: _The three weary cadets assembled on the control deck_] + +"You know, by the time we get out of the Academy I don't think there'll +be a single _inch_ of this space wagon that I haven't inspected with my +nose," commented Roger in a tired voice. + +"You know you love it, Manning," said Astro, who, though as tired as Tom +and Roger, could still continue to work if necessary. His love for the +mighty atomic rocket motors, and his ability to repair anything +mechanical, was already a legend around the Academy. He cared for the +power deck of the _Polaris_ as if it were a baby. + +"Might as well pack in and grab some sleep before we report to Captain +Strong," said Tom. "He might have us blasting off right away, and I, for +one, would like to sleep and sleep and then sleep some more!" + +"I've been thinking about what Alfie had to say," said Roger. "You know, +about this being a great adventure." + +"What about it?" asked Astro. + +"Well, you don't give this kind of overhaul for just a plain, short hop +upstairs." + +"You think it might be something deeper?" asked Astro softly. + +"Whatever it is," said Tom, getting up, "we'll need sleep." He rose, +stretched, and walked wearily to the exit port. Astro and Roger followed +him out, and once again they boarded the slidewalk for the trip back to +the main dormitory and their quarters on the forty-second floor. A half +hour later the three members of the _Polaris_ were sound asleep. + + +Early morning found Captain Steve Strong in his quarters, standing at +the window and staring blankly out over the quadrangle. In his left hand +he clutched a sheaf of papers. He had just reread, for the fifth time, a +petition for reinstatement of space papers for Al Mason and Bill Loring. +It wasn't easy, as Strong well knew, to deprive a man of his right to +blast off and rocket through space, and the papers in question, issued +only by the Solar Guard, comprised the only legal license to blast off. + +Originally issued as a means of preventing overzealous Earthmen from +blasting off without the proper training or necessary physical +condition, which resulted in many deaths, space papers had gradually +become the only effective means of controlling the vast expanding force +of men who made space flight their life's work. With the establishment +of the Spaceman's Code a hundred years before, firm rules and +regulations for space flight had been instituted. Disobedience to any +part of the code was punishable by suspension of papers and forfeiture +of the right to blast off. + +One of these rules stated that a spaceman was forbidden to blast off +without authorization or clearance for a free orbit from a central +traffic control. Bill Loring and Al Mason were guilty of having broken +the regulation. Members of the crew of the recent expedition to Tara, a +planet in orbit around the sun star Alpha Centauri, they had taken a +rocket scout and blasted off without permission from Major Connel, the +commander of the mission, who, in this case, was authorized +traffic-control officer. Connel had recommended immediate suspension of +their space papers. Mason and Loring had petitioned for a review, and, +to assure impartial judgment, Commander Walters had sent the petition to +one of his other officers to make a decision. The petition had landed on +Strong's desk. + +Strong read the petition again and shook his head. The facts were too +clear. There had been flagrant disregard for the rules and there was no +evidence to support the suspended spacemen's charge that they had been +unjustly accused by Connel. Strong's duty was clear. He had to uphold +Major Connel's action and suspend the men for a year. + +Once the decision was made, Strong put the problem out of his mind. He +walked to his huge circular desk and began sorting through the day's +orders and reports. On the top of the pile of papers was a sealed +envelope, bordered in red and marked "classified." It was from +Commander Walters' office. Thoughtfully he opened it and read: + + To: CAPTAIN STEVE STRONG: Cadet Supervisor, + _Polaris_ Unit + Upon receipt of this communication, you are ordered to + transfer the supervisory authority of the cadet unit + designated as _POLARIS_ unit; i.e., Cadets Tom Corbett, Roger + Manning, and Astro, and the command of the rocket cruiser + _Polaris_, to the command and supervisory authority of Major + Connel for execution of mission as outlined herein: + + 1. To test range, life, and general performance of audio + communications transmitter, type X21. + + 2. To test the above-mentioned transmitter under conditions of + deep space flight. + + 3. This test to take place on the planet Tara, Alpha Centauri. + + This communication and all subsequent information relative to + above-mentioned mission shall be classified as _topmost + secret_. + + Signed: WALTERS, + _Commandant_, Space Academy + +"So that's it," he thought. "A hop into deep space for the _Polaris_ +unit!" He smiled. "The cadets of the _Polaris_ unit are in for a little +surprise in two ways," he thought. "One from the mission and one from +Major Connel!" + +He almost laughed out loud as he turned to the small desk teleceiver at +his elbow. He pressed a button immediately below the screen and it +glowed into life to reveal a young man in the uniform of the enlisted +guard. + +"Yes, Captain Strong?" he asked. + +"Call the cadets of the _Polaris_ unit," Strong ordered. "Have them +report to me here on the double!" + +"Aye, aye, sir." + +Strong started to turn the set off, but the enlisted man added, "By the +way, sir, Al Mason and Bill Loring are here to see you." + +"Oh--well--" Strong hesitated. + +"They're quite anxious to know if you've reached any decision regarding +their petition for reinstatement." + +"Mmm--yes, of course. Very well, send them in." + +"Aye, aye, sir." + +The teleceiver screen blackened. In a moment the door opposite Strong's +desk slid back, and Loring and Mason stepped into the office. They +shambled forward and stopped in front of the huge desk, obviously ill at +ease. + +Strong stood up, holding their petition in his hand, and glanced over it +briefly even though he knew its contents by heart. He motioned to +near-by chairs. "Sit down, please," he said. + +The two spacemen settled themselves uncomfortably on the edge of their +chairs and waited expectantly as Strong continued to look at the paper. + +Loring finally broke the heavy silence. + +"Well, Captain Strong, have you made a decision?" he asked. Loring was a +heavy-set man, in his middle forties. He needed a shave, and when he +talked, his mouth twisted into an ugly grimace. + +"Hope it's in our favor, sir," suggested Mason. He was shorter than +Loring and, seated, his feet hardly reached the floor. His eyes darted +nervously about the huge room, and he kept rolling a dirty black +spaceman's cap in his hands. + +"Yes, I've reached a decision," said Strong slowly. He faced the two men +and looked at both of them with a steady cold stare. "I've decided to +sustain Major Connel's action. You are both grounded for the next twelve +months. Earth months!" + +"What?" shouted Loring, jumping to his feet. He banged his fist down on +the desk and leaned over, his face close to Strong's. "You can't do that +to us!" + +Captain Strong didn't move. "I can," he said coldly. "And I have." + +"But--but--" Mason began to whine. "But space flight is all we know! How +will we live?" + +Strong sat down and leaned back in his chair to get away from the foul +odor of Loring's breath. He stared at the two men. + +"You should have thought of that before you stole a rocket scout from +the expedition and made an unauthorized flight while on Tara," Strong +replied. "You're lucky you're not accused, tried, and convicted of theft +of a Solar Guard spaceship!" + +"We had permission to take that flight," snarled Loring. "That Major +Connel is so blasted space happy he forgot he gave us permission. Then +when we came back, he slapped us in the brig!" + +"Do you have any proof of that?" asked Strong. + +"No! But it's our word against his!" He slammed his hat down on the desk +and shook his finger in Strong's face. "You haven't any right to take +away our papers just on the say-so of a lousy Solar Guard officer who +thinks he's king of the universe!" + +"Take your filthy hat off my desk, Loring!" barked Strong. "And watch +your language!" + +Loring realized he had made a mistake and tried to backtrack. "Well, I +apologize for that. But I _don't_ apologize for saying he thinks he's--" + +"Major Connel has been in the Solar Guard for thirty years," said Strong +emphatically. "He's been awarded the Solar Medal three times. No other +living spaceman has achieved that! Not even Commander Walters! He rose +through the ranks of the enlisted Solar Guard and was commissioned as an +officer of the Solar Guard in space during an emergency. He qualifies +higher than any other spaceman, and he has never been found to be +unjust! He's one of the finest spacemen ever to hit the wide, deep, and +high!" Strong stopped, choked for breath, and turned away. It wasn't +often he lost his temper, but something had to be said in defense of his +fellow officer, and particularly since that officer was Connel. He +turned back to face the two spacemen, and his voice was hard and cold +again. + +"You are hereby suspended from space flight for twelve Earth months. Any +further petition for appeal of this decision will be denied!" + +"All right! All right, Mr. Big!" snapped Loring. "Does this mean we +can't even ride as passengers?" + +"No rights under the Universal Bill of Rights of the Solar Alliance have +been denied you, except that of actively participating in the flight of +a spaceship!" + +The signal bell of the teleceiver began to chime softly, and on the desk +the teleceiver screen glowed again. "Cadets Corbett, Manning, and Astro +are here for their assignments, sir," announced the enlisted man +outside. + +Loring glared at Strong. "I suppose you're going to send some punk kids +out on the next trip to Tara and leave us experienced spacemen to rot on +the ground, huh?" + +Strong didn't see the door slide open to admit the three cadets who +entered quietly. His whole attention was focused on the ugly glaring +faces of Bill Loring and Al Mason. + +"Get this, Loring!" snapped Strong hotly. "The assignments of the +_Polaris_ unit, whether it be to Tara or the Moon, has nothing to do +with your own breech of conduct. In any case, if they were to be +assigned, they'd do a better job than you 'experienced' spacemen who are +disrespectful of your superior officers and break regulations! If either +of you makes one more crack about the Solar Guard or Space Cadets, or +_anything_ at all, I'll take you out on the quadrangle and pound some +common courtesy into your heads! Now get out!" + +"All right, all right--" muttered Loring retreating, but with a sneer on +his lips. "We'll meet again, Mr. Bigshot Spaceman!" + +"I hope so, Loring. And if we do, I hope you've taken a bath. You even +smell bad!" + +From the rear of the room came a burst of laughter. Tom, Roger, and +Astro, unobserved, had been listening and watching their skipper in +action. When Loring and Mason had left the room, they advanced to the +desk, came to attention, and saluted. + +"_Polaris_ unit reporting for duty, sir!" snapped Tom crisply. + +"At ease," said Strong. "Did you hear all of that?" + +"Yes, sir, skipper!" Roger smiled. "And believe me, you really gave it +to those two space bums!" + +"Yeah," agreed Astro, "but I don't think even _you_ could do much for +Loring. He's just born to smell bad!" + +"Never mind that," said Strong. "I suppose you heard the part about the +assignments?" + +The three cadets assumed looks of pure innocence. + +"We didn't hear a thing, sir," said Tom. + +"You'll make a fine diplomat, Corbett," Strong laughed. "All right, sit +down and I'll give it to you straight." + +They hastily took seats and waited for their skipper to begin. + +"You've been assigned as cadet observers on a mission to test the range +of a new long-range audio transmitter." Strong paused, then added +significantly, "The test is to take place in deep space." + +The three cadets only beamed their enthusiastic approval. + +"Tara," continued Strong, "is your destination--a planet like Earth in +many respects, in orbit around the sun star Alpha Centauri. You'll take +the _Polaris_ directly to the Venus space station, where the transmitter +has been given primary tests, outfit the _Polaris_ for hyperdrive, and +blast off!" + +"Excuse me, sir," interrupted Tom, "but you say 'you'?" + +"I mean," replied Strong, "_you_, in the sense that I won't be going +along with you. Oh, don't worry!" said Strong, holding up his hand as a +sudden look of anticipation spread over the faces of the three boys. +"You're not going alone! You'll have a commanding officer, all right. In +fact, you'll have the nearest thing to the perfect commanding officer in +the Solar Guard!" He waited just long enough for each boy to search his +mind for a suitable candidate and then added, "Your skipper will be +Major Connel!" + +"Major Connel!" the three cadets cried in unison. + +"You mean Major 'Blast-off' Connel?" uttered Roger unbelievingly. + +"That's who I mean," said Strong. "It's the best thing in the universe +that could happen to you!" + +Roger stood up and saluted smartly. "I request permission to be +dismissed from this mission on the grounds of incompatibility, sir," he +said. + +"Incompatible to what?" asked Strong, amused. + +"To Major Connel, sir," replied Roger. + +"Permission denied," said Strong with a smile. "Buck up! It isn't so +bad." Strong paused and stood up. "Well, that's it. It's close to eleven +A.M. and you're to report to the major at eleven on the nose. I +hope you've got the _Polaris_ in good shape." + +"We were up all night, sir," said Tom. "She's ready to go." + +"She's in better shape than we are," said Astro. + +"Very well, then. Report to Major Connel immediately. Your papers have +been transferred, so all you have to do is report." + +Strong rounded the desk and shook hands with each cadet. "This is an +important mission, boys," he said soberly. "See that you give Major +Connel all the support I know you're capable of giving. He'll need it. I +doubt if I'll see you before you blast off, so this is it. Spaceman's +luck to each of you!" + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 3 + + +"Well, looks like we're big boys now," said Tom, as the three cadets +strolled down the corridor away from Captain Strong's office. "They +don't hand out secret and important missions to cadet units unless +they're really on the ball!" + +"But we've got Major 'Blast-off' Connel to educate," grumbled Roger. + +"What do you mean 'educate'?" asked Astro. + +"You know he's the roughest officer in the Academy," replied the +blond-haired cadet. "He eats cadets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. +And then has an extra one for dessert. He isn't just tough--his hide's +made of armor plate. But I've got a hunch that if we play dumb at first, +then smarten up slowly, we can make him feel that he's done it for us. +So he'll be easier on us." + +"Say, it's after eleven!" exclaimed Tom. "We'd better hurry!" + +Suddenly, as if a rocket cruiser were blasting off in the corridors, a +roar, deafening and powerful, filled their ears. And beneath its +ferocity there were four unmistakable words: + +"_Polaris unit--staaaaaaaannnnnndddddd toooooo!_" + +Every muscle, every bone in their three bodies snapped to rigid +attention simultaneously. Eyes straight, chins in, the cadets waited for +whatever calamity had befallen them. From behind came quick, heavy +footsteps. They drew closer until they passed alongside and then +abruptly stopped. There, in front of them, stood the one and only Major +"Blast-off" Connel! + +Though a few inches shorter than Astro, he was what Astro might become +in thirty years, heavily muscular, with a barrel chest that filled the +gold-and-black uniform tightly. He stood balanced on the balls of his +small feet like a boxer, hands hanging loosely at his sides. A bulldog +chin jutted out of his rough-hewn face as if it were going to snap off +the head of the nearest cadet. He towered over Tom and Roger, and though +shorter than Astro, he made up for this by sheer force of personality. +When he spoke, his voice was like a deep foghorn that had suddenly +learned the use of vowels. + +"So this is the great _Polaris_ unit, eh?" he bellowed. "You're two +minutes late!" + +Tom suddenly felt that he and his unit-mates were all alone in the +corridor with the major. He glanced to one side, then the other, +cautiously, and saw it was empty. And for good reason! No one wanted to +be around when "Blast-off" Connel was blasting. Cadets, enlisted men, +and even officers were not safe from his sudden outbursts. He drove +himself so hard that he became impatient with others who were not able +to match his drive. It was not because of ego but rather to get the job +at hand finished. More than once he had dressed down a captain of the +Solar Guard in the same tone he used on a green Earthworm. It was legend +around the Academy that once, believing he was right, he had broken into +the Council Chamber itself to argue his point. He won by a unanimous +decision. Nothing, but nothing, had been devised or thought of that +could stop "Blast-off" Connel. Every waking moment of his adult life had +been spent in the pursuit of more and more knowledge about space, space +travel, and life on the other planets. + +Now, his wrath at fever pitch at their being tardy, he stood in front of +the cadets, turning his anger on Roger first. + +"Your name's Manning, isn't it?" he growled. + +"Yes, sir!" replied Roger. + +"Father got a medal--used to be a Solar Guard officer?" + +"That's right, sir. He was killed in space." + +"I know. He was a good man. _You'll_ never be the man he was, if you +live ten thousand years. But if you don't _try_ to be a better man than +he was, you won't live five minutes with me! Is that clear, Cadet +Manning?" + +"Very clear, sir!" gulped Roger. + +Connel turned to Astro. + +"And you're the home-grown atomic-rocket genius, Venusian style, eh?" + +"Yes, sir," choked Astro. "I'm from Venus." + +"Bucked rockets on the old chemical burners as a kid before entering the +Academy, eh?" asked Connel. There was less than an inch and a half +between Astro's face and Major Connel's jaw. + +"Yes, sir," answered Astro, "I was an enlisted man before coming to the +Academy." + +"Well, get this, you rocket buster," roared Connel. "I want a power deck +that will give me what I want, when I want it, or you'll be back in the +ranks again. Is that clear, Cadet Astro?" + +"Yes, sir! Everything she's got, when you want it, sir." + +"And I like to have a power deck clean enough to eat off the deck +plates!" + +"Yes, sir," stuttered Astro, growing more and more confused. "You like +to eat off the deck plates, sir!" + +"_By the craters of Luna, no!_ I don't like to eat off the deck plates, +_but I want them clean enough to eat there if I want to!_" + +"Yes, sir!" Astro's voice was hardly above a whisper. + +"And you're the tactical wizard that won the space maneuvers recently, +singlehanded, eh?" asked Connel, bending down to face Tom. + +"Our side won, sir. If that answers your question," replied Tom. He was +as nervous as Roger and Astro, but he fought for control. He was +determined not to be bullied. + +"I didn't ask you who won!" snapped Connel. "But you're the one just the +same. Control-deck cadet, eh? Well, you work with me. On the control +deck there's only room for one brain, one decision, one answer. And when +I'm on the control deck, that decision, answer, and brain will be mine!" + +"I understand perfectly, sir," said Tom tonelessly. + +Connel stepped back, fists on his hips, eying the three cadets. He had +heard about their difficulty in fitting personalities together when they +had first arrived at Space Academy (as described in _Stand By for +Mars!_). And he had heard about their triumph over the Martian desert. +He was impressed with everything he had learned about them, but he knew +that he had a reputation for being tough and that this reputation +usually brought out the best in cadets. Early in his long and brilliant +career he had learned that his life depended on the courage and +ingenuity of his fellow spacemen. When he became an instructor at the +Academy, he had determined that no cadet would ever be anything but the +best, and that, when they blasted off in later years, they could be +depended on. + +He looked at the three cadets and felt a tinge of excitement that did +not show on his scowling face. "Yes," he thought, "they'll make +spacemen. It'll take a little time--but they're good material." + +"_Now listen to this!_" he bawled. "We blast off for the Venus space +station in exactly thirty minutes. Get your gear aboard the _Polaris_ +and stand by to raise ship." He dropped his voice and pushed out his jaw +a little farther. "This will be the toughest journey you'll ever make. +You'll either come back spacemen, or you'll come back nothing. I'm going +to try my best to make it"--he paused and added coldly--"_nothing!_ +Because if you can't take it from me, then you don't belong in space! +Unit _dis_-missed!" + +He turned on his heel and disappeared up the slidestairs without another +look at the three rigid cadets. + +"Yeah--we'll educate him, all right," said Astro softly, with a wink at +Tom. "Make him think he's done everything for us." + +"Ah, go blast your jets!" snarled Roger after he had found his voice. + +"Come on," said Tom. "Let's get the _Polaris_ ready. And, fellows, I +mean _ready_!" + + +Bill Loring and Al Mason stood near the entrance to the control tower of +the Academy spaceport and watched the three cadets of the _Polaris_ +scramble into the giant rocket cruiser. + +"Every time I think about that Connel kicking us out of space for twelve +months I wanta pound his head in with a wrench!" snarled Loring. + +Mason snorted. "Well, what's the use of hanging around here?" he asked. +"That Connel wouldn't have us aboard the _Polaris_, even if we were +cleared and had our papers. There ain't a thing we can do!" + +"Don't give up so easy. There's a fortune setting up there in +space--just waiting for me and you to come and take it. And no big-shot +Solar Guard officer is going to keep me from getting it!" + +"Yeah--yeah," grumbled Mason, "but what are you going to do about it?" + +"I'll show you what I'm going to do!" said Loring. "We're heading for +Venusport." + +"Venusport? By the moons of Jupiter, what are we going to do there?" + +"Get a free ride to Tara!" + +"But how? I only got a few hundred credits and you ain't got much more. +There ain't nobody going to go fifty billion miles on nothing!" + +Loring's eyes followed the massive figure of Major Connel on the +slidewalk as it swept across the spaceport field toward the _Polaris_. +"You just buy us a coupla seats on the next rocket to Venusport and stop +asking stupid questions. When we see Major 'Blast-off' Connel again, +we'll be giving the orders with a paralo-ray!" + +The two disgruntled spacemen turned quickly and walked to the nearest +slidewalk, disappearing around a building. + +Aboard the _Polaris_, Tom confronted his two unit-mates. + +"Now look, fellows. After the hard time Major Connel just gave us, let's +see if we can't really stay on the ball from now on." + +"All right by me, Tom," Astro said, nodding his head. + +"You're having space dreams, Corbett!" drawled Roger. "No matter what we +do for old 'Blast-off' we'll wind up behind the eight ball." + +"But if we really try," urged Tom, "if we all do our jobs, there can't +be anything for him to fuss about." + +"We'll make it tough for him to give us any demerits," Astro chimed in. + +"Right," said Tom. + +"It won't work," grumbled Roger. "You saw the way he chewed us up, and +for what? I ask you--for what?" + +"He was just trying to live up to his reputation, Roger," replied Tom. +"But common sense will tell you that if you're on the ball you won't get +demerits." + +"What's the matter, hot-shot?" growled Astro. "Afraid of a little work?" + +"Listen, you Venusian clunk," sneered Roger, "I'll work the pants off +you any day in the week, and that includes Titan days, too!" + +"O.K." Tom smiled. "Save half of that energy for the _Polaris_, Roger." + +"Yeah, use some of that Manning hot air to shine brass!" suggested +Astro. + +"Come on. Let's get this wagon in shape," said Tom. He turned to the +instrument panel and the great control board. + +A moment later the three cadets were busy shining the few bits of brass +and rechecking the many controls and levers. Suddenly there was the +sound of a hatch slamming below and then Astro's voice came whispering +over the intercom, "... watch it, fellows. Here he comes!" + +The airtight hatch leading to the control deck slid back, and Major +Connel stepped inside. With one sweeping glance he took in the control +deck and the evidence of their work. + +"Unit--_staaaaand to!_" he roared. + +Astro climbed into the control deck and snapped to attention with his +unit-mates as Connel began a quick but thorough check of the many dials +and switches and relays on the control panel. + +"Ummmmh," he mused. "Been doing a little work, I see." + +"Oh, nothing special, sir," said Roger. + +"Well, from now on it's going to be special!" roared Connel. + +"Yes, sir," acknowledged Roger quickly. + +"All right, at ease," ordered Connel. As the three boys relaxed, Connel +stepped over to the astrogation board and snapped a switch. Immediately +a solar chart filled the huge chart screen. It was a black-and-white +view of the planet Venus. + +"This is where we're going first," he said, placing a finger on a +ball-shaped satellite in orbit around the misty planet. "This is the +Venus space station. As you know, Venus has no natural satellite of its +own, so we built one. We'll blast off from here and go directly to the +space station where the _Polaris_ will be fitted with hyperdrive for +deep-space operations. While at the station you will acquaint yourselves +with the operation of the new audio communications transmitter. When I'm +satisfied that you can handle it under the prevailing conditions of an +extended space flight, we'll blast off for a test of its range and +performance." + +Major Connel paused and faced the cadets squarely. Then he continued: +"This is an important mission--one which I hope will enable the Solar +Guard to establish the first base outside of our solar system. Our +destination is Tara, in the star system of Alpha Centauri. Tara is a +planet in a stage of development similar to that of Earth several +million years ago. Its climate is tropical, and lush vegetation--jungles +really--covers the land surface. Two great oceans separate the land +masses. One is called Alpha, the other Omega. I was on the first +expedition, when Tara was discovered, and have just returned from the +second, during which we explored it and ran tests to learn if it could +sustain human life. All tests show that Tara can be transformed into a +paradise." + +Connel paused, took a deep breath, and continued: "I shall expect more +than just hard work from you. I want everything you have to offer. Not +just good performance, but _excellence_! I will not tolerate anything +less, and if I'm forced to resort to extreme disciplinary action to get +what I demand, then you can expect to receive every demerit in the +book!" He stepped closer to the three cadets. "Remember! Spacemen--or +_nothing!_ Now, stand by to blast off!" + +Without a word, the three cadets hurried to their stations and began +routine procedure to raise ship. + +"All departments ready to blast off, Major Connel," reported Tom, +saluting sharply. + +"Very well, Corbett, proceed," said Connel. + +Tom called into the intercom, "Stand by for blast-off!" He then opened +the circuit to the teleceiver screen overhead and spoke to the spaceport +control tower. + +"_Polaris_ to spaceport control. Request permission to blast off. +Request orbit." + +"Spaceport traffic to _Polaris_. Your orbit has been cleared 089--repeat +089--blast off in two minutes ..." + +"Orbit 089--blast off minus one fifty-nine fifty-eight." + +"You read me clear, _Polaris_ ..." + +Tom clicked off the switch and turned to the intercom. "Control deck to +radar bridge. Do we have a clear tangent forward and up?" + +"All clear forward and up, Tom," replied Roger. + +"Control deck to power deck. Energize the cooling pumps!" + +"Cooling pumps in operation," answered Astro briskly. + +The giant ship began to shudder as the mighty pumps on the power deck +started their slow, whining build-up. Tom sat in front of the control +panel, strapped himself into the acceleration chair, and began checking +the dials and gauges. Satisfied everything was in order, he fastened his +eyes to the sweeping red second hand on the solar clock. The teleceiver +screen brought a sharp picture of the surrounding base of the spaceship, +and he saw that it was all clear. The second hand reached the ten-second +mark. + +"Stand by to raise ship!" bawled Tom into the intercom. The red hand +moved steadily, surely, to the zero at the top of the clock face. Tom +reached for the master switch. + +"Blast off minus five--four--three--two--one--_zero!_" + +Tom threw the switch. + +Slowly the giant ship raised itself from the ground. Then faster and +faster, pushing the four spacemen deep into their acceleration cushions, +it hurtled spaceward. + +In a few seconds the _Polaris_ was gravity-free. Once again, Earthmen +had started another journey to the stars. + + + + +CHAPTER 4 + + +"Stand by to reduce speed three-quarters!" roared Major Connel. + +"Aye, aye, sir," replied Tom, and began the necessary adjustments on the +control panel. He spoke into the intercom. "Control deck to power deck. +Stand by to reduce thrust on main drive rockets by three-quarters. We're +coming onto the space station, Astro." + +"Power deck, aye," acknowledged Astro. + +Drifting in a steady orbit around its mother planet, the Venus space +station loomed ahead of the _Polaris_ like a huge metal ball set against +a backdrop of cold, black space. It was studded with gaping holes, air +locks which served as landing ports for spaceships. Inside the station +was a compact city. Living quarters, communications rooms, repair shops, +weather observations, meteor information, everything to serve the great +fleet of Solar Guard and merchant spaceships plying the space lanes +between Earth, Mars, Venus, and Titan. + +"I'm getting the identification request from the station, sir. Shall I +answer her?" asked Roger over the intercom. + +"Of course, you space-brained idiot, and make it fast!" exploded Connel. +"What do you want to do? Get us blasted out of space?" + +"Yes, sir!" replied Roger. "Right away, sir!" + +Tom kept his eyes on the teleceiver screen above his head. The image of +the space station loomed large and clear. + +"Approaching a little too fast, I think, sir," volunteered Tom. "Shall I +make the adjustment?" + +"What's the range?" asked Connel. + +Tom named a figure. + +"Ummmmh," mused Connel. He glanced quickly over the dials and then +nodded in assent. Tom turned once more to the intercom. "Control deck to +power deck," he called. "Stand by for maneuvering, Astro, and reduce +your main drive thrust to minimum space speed." + +"Space station traffic control to rocket cruiser _Polaris_. Come in, +_Polaris_. This is traffic control on space station to _Polaris_," the +audio teleceiver crackled. + +"Rocket cruiser _Polaris_ to space station and traffic control. Request +touchdown permission and landing-port number," replied Tom. + +"Permission to touch down granted, _Polaris_. You are to line up on +approach to landing-port seven--repeat--seven. Am now sending out +guiding radar beam. Can you read beam?" + +Tom turned to the intercom. "Have you got the station's guiding beam, +Roger?" + +"All lined up, Tom," replied Roger from the radar bridge. "Get that +Venusian on the power deck to give me a three-second shot on the +starboard rocket, if he can find the right handles!" + +"I heard that, Manning!" roared Astro's voice on the intercom. "Another +crack like that and I'll make you get out and push this baby around!" + +"_You execute that order and do it blasted quick!_" Major Connel's voice +exploded over the intercom. "And watch that loose talk on the ship's +intercom. From now on, all directions and orders will be given and +received in a crisp, clear manner without unnecessary familiarity!" + +Connel didn't expect them to acknowledge his order. The cadets had heard +him and that was enough. He knew it was enough. In the short time it had +taken them to traverse the immense gulf of space between the Academy and +the station Connel had handed out demerits by fives and tens! Each of +the cadets was now tagged with enough black marks to spend two months in +the galley working them off! + +Now, working together like the smooth team of junior spacemen they were, +Tom, Roger, and Astro maneuvered the great rocket ship toward the gaping +hole of the air lock in the side of the white ball-like satellite. + +"Drop your bow one half degree, _Polaris_, you're up too high," warned +the station control. + +"A short burst on the upper trim rocket, Astro," called Tom. + +The great ship bucked slightly under the force of sudden thrust, and +then its nose dropped the required half degree. + +"Cut all thrust and brake your speed to dead ship, _Polaris_," ordered +traffic control. + +Again Tom relayed the order to Astro, and a moment later the great ship +hung silently in the airless void of space, a scant half mile from the +station. + +[Illustration: _The junior spaceman maneuvered the great rocket ship +toward the air lock_] + +Through the teleceiver Tom could see the jet boats darting out from the +station carrying the magnetic cables. In a moment the lines were +attached to the steel skin of the ship, and gradually the lines +tightened, pulling the mighty spaceship into the waiting port. Once +inside, the outer air lock was closed and the _Polaris_ was slung in the +powerful magnetic cradles that held her in a rigid position. Elsewhere +on the satellite, quick calculations were made for the additional +weight, and the station was counterbalanced to assure an even orbit +around Venus. + +Tom flicked the many switches off on the great board, glanced at the +time of arrival on the solar clock, and reported to Major Connel. + +"Touchdown at one-nine-four-nine, sir." + +"Very well, Corbett," answered Connel. Then he added grudgingly, "That +was as fine a job of control-deck operations as I've seen. Keep up the +good work, spaceman." + +Tom gulped. The unexpected compliment caught him off guard. And he was +even more pleased that for the first time Connel had referred to him as +spaceman! + +"I'll be needed at the space station commander's quarters for a while, +Corbett," said Connel. "Meanwhile, you and Manning and Astro acquaint +yourselves with the station. Report to me back aboard the ship in +exactly two hours. Dismissed." + +Tom saluted, and Connel disappeared toward the exit port. + +"Well, _spaceman_," Roger drawled casually from behind, "it looks like +you've got yourself in solid with the old man!" + +Tom smiled. "With a guy like that, Roger, you're never in solid. Maybe I +did get a pat on the back, but you didn't hear him cancel any of those +demerits he gave me for not signing the logbook after that last watch, +did you?" + +"Let's get some chow," growled Astro, who came hustling through the +hatch. "I'm half starved. By the craters of Luna, how many times can you +change course in five minutes?" + +Astro referred to the countless times Tom had had to call for +fraction-degree course changes in their approach to the gaping entrance +port. + +Tom laughed. "With Connel on the bridge, you're lucky I didn't give you +twice as many," he replied. "Can you imagine what would have happened if +we had missed and hit the station?" + +"Brrrrrr!" shuddered Roger. "I hate to think about it. Come on. Let's +rustle up some grub for the Venusian. I could use some myself." + +The three boys quickly changed to their dress blue cadet uniforms and +left the ship. A moment later they were being whisked up an electric +elevator to the main--or "street"--level. The door opened, and they +stepped out into a large circular area about the size of a city block in +the rear of the station. The area had been broken into smaller sections. +One side of the "street" was devoted to shops, a small stereo house +which was playing the latest Liddy Tamal hit, "Children of Space" (a +sensational drama about the lives of men in the future), restaurants, +and even a curio shop. The Venus space station handled ninety per cent +of the traffic into and out of Venusport. It was a refueling stop for +the jet liners and space freighters bound for the outer planets, and for +those returning to Earth. Some ships went directly to Venusport for +heavy overhaul or supplies, but the station was established primarily +for quick turn arounds. Several ex-enlisted spacemen who had been +injured or retired were given special permission to open shops for the +convenience of the passengers and crews of the ships and the staff of +the station. In twenty years the station had become a place where summer +tourists from Earth and winter tourists from Titan made a point of +stopping. The first of its kind in the universe, it was as near a +perfect place to live as could be built by man. + +Tom, Roger, and Astro strolled down the short street, pushing through a +crowd of tourists admiring the shops. Finally they found a restaurant +that specialized in Venusian dishes. + +"Now you two spindly Earthmen are going to have the best meal of your +lives! Broiled dinosaur on real Venusian black bread!" + +"D-dinosaur!" stuttered Tom in amazement. "Why--why--that's a +prehistoric monster!" + +"Yeah, Astro," agreed Roger. "What are you trying to hand us?" + +Astro laughed. "You'll see, fellows," he replied. "I used to go hunting +for them when I was a kid. Brought the best price of any wild game. +Fifty credits for babies under three hundred pounds. Over that, you +can't eat 'em. Too tough!" + +Tom and Roger looked at each other, eyes bulging. + +"Ah, come on, Tom," drawled Roger. "He's just trying to pull our leg." + +Without a word, Astro grabbed them by the arms and rushed them into the +restaurant. They were no sooner seated when a recorded voice announced +the menu over a small loud-speaker on the table. Astro promptly ordered +dinosaur, and to his unit-mates' amazement, the voice politely inquired: + +"Would the spacemen prefer to have it broiled a la Venusian black bread, +baked, or raw?" + +A sharp look from Roger and Tom, and Astro ordered it broiled. + +One hour and fifteen minutes later the three members of the _Polaris_ +unit staggered out of the restaurant. + +"By the rings of Saturn," declared Tom, "that wasn't only the most I +ever ate--it was the best!" + +Roger nodded in silent agreement, leaning against the plastic window in +front of the restaurant. + +"You see," Astro beamed, "maybe you guys will listen to me from now on!" + +"Boy, I can't wait to see Mom's face when I tell her that her chicken +and dumplings have taken second place to broiled monster!" + +"By the jumping blazes of the stars!" yelled Roger suddenly. "Look at +the time! We're ten minutes late!" + +"Ohhhhh," moaned Tom. "I knew it was too good to be true!" + +"Step on it!" said Astro. "Maybe he won't notice." + +"Some chance," groaned Roger, running after Tom and Astro. "That old +rocket head wouldn't miss anything!" + +The three boys raced back to the electric elevator and were silently +whisked to the air-lock level. They hurried aboard the _Polaris_ and +into the control room. Major Connel was seated in a chair near the chart +screen, studying some papers. The cadets drew themselves to attention. + +"Unit reporting for duty, sir," Tom quavered. + +Connel spun around in the swivel chair, glanced at the clock, put the +papers to one side, and slowly advanced toward the cadets. + +"Thirteen and a half minutes late!" he said, dropping his voice to a +biting growl. "I'll give you five seconds to think up a good excuse. +Every man is entitled to an excuse. Some have good ones, some have +truthful ones, and some have excuses that sound as though they made them +up in five seconds!" + +He eyed the cadets speculatively. "Well?" he demanded. + +"I'm afraid we were carried away by our enthusiasm for a meal Astro +introduced us to, sir," said Tom honestly. + +"All right," snapped Connel, "then here's something else to carry you +all away!" He paused and rocked on the balls of his feet. "I had planned +to give you three liberty of the station while here, whenever you +weren't working on the new transmitter. But since you have shown +yourselves to be carried away so easily, I don't think I can depend on +your completing your regular duties. Therefore, I suggest that each of +you report to the officer in charge of your respective departments and +learn the operation and function of the station while we're here. This +work will be _in addition_ to your assigned duties on the new +transmitter operation!" + +The three cadets gulped but were silent. + +"Not only that," Connel's voice had risen to an angry bark, "but you +will be logged a demerit apiece for each minute you reported late. +Thirteen and a half minutes, thirteen and a half demerits!" + +The gold and black of the Solar Guard uniform never looked more ominous +as the three cadets watched the stern spaceman turn and stomp out the +exit port. + +Alone, their liberty taken away from them before they even knew they had +it, the boys sat around on the control deck of the silent ship and +listened to the distant throb of a pump, rising and falling, pumping +free air throughout the station. + +"Well," sighed Tom, "I always did want to know how a space station +worked. Now I guess I'll learn firsthand." + +"Me, too," said Astro. He propped his big feet up on a delicate +instrument panel of the control board. + +"Me, too!" sneered Roger, his voice filled with a bitterness that +surprised Tom and Astro. "But I didn't think I would find out like this! +How in the universe has that--that tyrant managed to stay alive this +long!" + + + + +CHAPTER 5 + + +"The space station's biggest headache," said Terry Scott, a young Solar +Guard officer assigned the job of showing the _Polaris_ crew around, "is +to maintain perfect balance at all times." + +"How do you achieve that, sir?" asked Tom. + +"We create our own gravity by means of a giant gyroscope in the heart of +the station. When more weight is taken aboard, or weight leaves the +station, we have to adjust the gyro's speed." + +They entered the power deck of the great ball-like satellite. Astro's +eyes glowed with pleasure as he glanced approvingly from one massive +machine to another. The fuel tanks were made of thin durable aluminite; +a huge cylinder, covered with heat-resistant paint, was the air +conditioner; power came from a bank of atomic dynamos and generators; +while those massive pumps kept the station's artificial air and water +supply circulating. + +Dials, gauges, meters, were arrayed in seemingly endless rows--but each +one of them actually played its part in keeping the station in balance. + +Astro's face was one big, delighted grin. + +"Well," said Roger with a sly wink at Tom, "you can't tell me that +Connel has made our Venusian unhappy. Even if he had given us liberty, +I'll bet Astro would have spent it down here with the grease monkeys!" + +Astro didn't rise to the bait. His attention was riveted on a huge +dynamo, which he watched with appreciative eyes. But then Terry Scott +introduced the _Polaris_ unit to an older Solar Guard officer. + +"Cadets, meet Captain Jenledge," said Scott. "And, sir, this is Cadet +Astro. Major Connel would like him to work with you while he's here." + +"Glad to know you, boys," said Jenledge, "and particularly you, Cadet +Astro. I've heard about your handiness with the thrust buckets on the +cruisers. What do you think of our layout?" + +The officer turned and waved his hand to indicate the power-deck +equipment. + +"This is just about the finest--the most terrif--" + +The officer smiled at Astro's inability to describe his feelings. +Jenledge was proud of his power deck, proud of the whole establishment, +for that matter. He had conceived it, had drawn the plans, and had +constructed this space station. + +Throughout the solar system it was considered his baby. And when he had +asked for permission to remain on as senior power-deck chief, the Solar +Alliance had jumped at the chance to keep such a good man on the job. +The station had become a sort of postgraduate course for power-deck +cadets and junior Solar Guard officers. + +Astro beamed. So, the great Jenledge had actually heard of him--of +humble Cadet Astro. He could hardly restrain himself from ripping off +his blue uniform and going right to work on a near-by machine that had +been torn apart for repairs. Finally he managed to gasp, "I think it's +great, sir--just wonderful!" + +"Very well, Cadet Astro," said the officer. "There's a pair of +coveralls in my locker. You can start right to work." He paused and his +eyes twinkled. "If you want to, that is!" + +"Want to!" roared Astro, and was off to the locker room. + +Jenledge turned to Scott. "Leave him with me, Scotty. I don't think +Cadet Astro's going to care much about the rest of the station!" + +Scott smiled, saluted, and walked away. Tom and Roger came to attention, +saluted, and followed the young officer off the power deck. + +"Astro's probably happier now than he'll ever be in his life, Tom," +whispered Roger. + +"Yeah," agreed Tom. "Did you see the way his eyes lit up when we walked +in there? Like a kid with a brand-new toy!" + +A moment later Scott, Tom, and Roger, in a vacuum elevator, were being +hurtled to the station's upper decks. They got out on the observation +deck, and Scott walked directly to a small door at the end of a +corridor. A light over the door flashed red and Scott stopped. + +"Here's the weather and meteor observation room," he said. "Also radar +communications. When the red light's on, it means photographs are being +taken. We'll have to wait for them to finish." + +As they waited, Tom and Roger talked to Scott. He had graduated from +Space Academy seven years before, they learned. He'd been assigned to +the Solar Alliance Chamber as liaison between the Chamber and the Solar +Guard. After four years, he had requested a transfer to active space +operations. + +Then, he told them, there'd been an accident. His ship exploded. He'd +been badly injured--in fact, both his legs were now artificial. + +The cadets, who had thought him a bit stuffy at first, were changing +their minds fast. Why hadn't he quit, they wanted to know? + +"Leave space?" said Scott. "I'd rather die. I can't blast off any more. +But here at the station I'm still a spaceman." + +The red light went out, and they opened the door. + +In sharp contrast to the bustle and noise on the power deck, the meteor, +weather, and radar observation room was filled with only a subdued +whisper. All around them huge screens displayed various views of the +surface of Venus as it slowly revolved beneath the station. Along one +side of the room was a solid bank of four-foot-square teleceiver screens +with an enlisted spaceman or junior officer seated in front of each one. +These men, at their microphones, were relaying meteor and weather +information to all parts of the solar system. Now it was Roger's turn to +get excited at seeing the wonderful radar scanners that swept space for +hundreds of thousands of miles. They were powerful enough to pick up a +spaceship's identifying outline while still two hundred thousand miles +away! Farther to one side, a single teleceiver screen, ten feet square, +dominated the room. Roger gasped. + +Scott smiled. "That's the largest teleceiver screen in the universe," he +said. "The most powerful. And it's showing you a picture of the +Andromeda Galaxy, thousands of light years away. Most of the lights you +see there are no more than that, just light, their stars, or suns, +having long ago exploded or burned. But the light continues to travel, +taking thousands of years to reach our solar system." + +"But--but--" gasped Tom. "How can you be so accurate with this screen? +It looks as though we were smack in the center of the galaxy itself!" + +"There's a fifty-inch telescope attached to the screen," Scott replied, +"which is equal to the big one-thousand-inch 'eye' back at the Academy." + +"Why is that, sir?" asked Roger. + +"You don't get any distortion from atmosphere up here," replied the +young officer. + +As Tom and Roger walked silently among the men at the teleceiver +screens, Scott continued to explain. "This is where you'll be, Manning," +he said, indicating a large radarscope scanner a little to one side and +partially hidden from the glow of the huge teleceiver screen. "We need a +man on watch here twenty-four hours a day, though there isn't much doing +between midnight and eight A.M. on radar watch. A little +traffic, but nothing compared to what we get during the regular working +day." + +"Any particular reason for that, sir?" asked Tom. + +"Oh, there just aren't many arrivals and departures during that period. +We have night crews to handle light traffic, but by midnight the station +is pretty much like any sleepy Middle Western town. Rolls up the +sidewalks and goes to bed." + +He motioned to Roger to follow him to the radar section and left Tom +watching the interesting spectacle on the giant teleceiver. A huge star +cluster flashed brilliantly, filling the screen with light, then faded +into the endless blackness of space. Tom caught his breath as he +remembered what Scott had told him about the light being thousands of +years old before reaching the solar system. + +"Manning's all set, Corbett," said Scott at Tom's elbow. "Come on. I'll +show you the traffic-control deck." + +Tom followed the young officer out of the room. As all true spacemen do +at one time or another in their lives, he thought about the pitifully +small part mankind had played so far in the conquest of the stars. Man +had come a long way, Tom was ready to admit, but there was still a lot +of work ahead for young, courageous spacemen. + +As Scott and Tom climbed the narrow stairs to the traffic-control deck, +the Solar Guard officer continued to speak of the man-made satellite. +"When the station was first built," he said, "it was expected to be just +a way station for refueling and celestial observations. But now we're +finding other uses for it, just as though it were a small community on +Earth, Mars, or Venus. In fact, they're now planning to build still +larger stations." Scott opened the door to the traffic-control room. He +motioned to Tom to follow him. + +[Illustration] + +This room, Tom was ready to admit, was the busiest place he had ever +seen in his life. All around the circular room enlisted Solar Guardsmen +sat at small desks, each with a monitoring board in front of him holding +three teleceiver screens. As he talked into a mike near by, each man, by +shifting from one screen to the next, was able to follow the progress of +a spaceship into or out of the landing ports. One thing puzzled Tom. He +turned to Scott. + +"Sir, how come some of those screens show the _station_ from the +_outside_?" he asked. Tom pointed to a screen in front of him that had a +picture of a huge jet liner just entering a landing port. + +"Two-way teleceivers, Corbett," said Scott with a smile. "When you +arrived on the _Polaris_, didn't you have a view of the station on your +teleceiver?" + +"Yes, sir," answered Tom, "of course." + +"Well, these monitors picked up your image on the _Polaris_ teleceiver. +So the traffic-control chief here could see exactly what you were +seeing." + +In the center of the circular room Tom noticed a round desk that was +raised about eight feet from the floor. This desk dominated all activity +in the busy room. Inside it stood a Solar Guard officer, watching the +monitoring teleceivers. He wore a throat microphone for sending out +messages, and for receiving calls had a thin silver wire running to the +vibrating bone in his ear. He moved constantly, turning in a circle, +watching the various landing ports on the many screens. +Three-thousand-ton rocket liners, Solar Guard cruisers, scout ships, and +destroyers all moved about the satellite lazily, waiting for permission +to enter or depart. This man was the master traffic-control officer who +had first contacted Tom on his approach to the station. He did that for +all approaching ships--contacted them, got the recognition signal, +found out the ship's destination, its weight, and its cargo or passenger +load. + +Then the connection was relayed to one of the secondary control officers +at the monitoring boards. + +"That's Captain Stefens," said Scott in a whisper. "Toughest officer on +the station. He has to be. From five hundred to a thousand ships arrive +and depart daily. It's his job to see that every arriving ship is +properly taken into the landing ports. Besides that, everything you've +seen, except the meteor and weather observation rooms, are under his +command. If he thinks a ship is overloaded, he won't allow it to enter +and disrupt the balance of the station. Instead, he'll order its skipper +to dump part of his cargo out in space to be picked up later. He makes +hundreds of decisions a day--some of them really hair-raising. Once, +when a rocket scout crew was threatened with exploding reactant mass, he +calmly told them to blast off into a desolate spot in space and blow up. +The crew could have abandoned ship, but they chose to remain with it and +were blown to atoms. It could have happened to the station. That night +he got a three-day pass from the station and went to Venusport." + +Scott shook his head. "I've heard Venusport will never be the same after +that three-day pass of Captain Stefens." + +The young officer looked at Corbett quizzically. "That's the man you're +going to work for." + +Scott walked over to the circular desk and spoke rapidly to the officer +inside. As Tom approached, Stefens gave him a quick, sharp glance. It +sent a shiver down the cadet's spine. Scott waved to him to come over. + +"Captain Stefens, this is Cadet Tom Corbett." + +Tom came to attention. + +"All right, Corbett," said Stefens, speaking like a man who had a lot +to do, knew how to do it, liked to do it, and was losing time. "Stand up +here with me and keep your mouth shut. Remember any questions you want +to ask, and when I have a spare moment, ask them. And by the rings of +Saturn, be sure I'm free to answer. Take my attention at the wrong +moment and we could have a bad accident." + +Stefens gave Scott a fleeting smile and turned back to his constant +keen-eyed inspection of the monitors. + +The radar watch was reporting the approach of a ship. Stefens began his +cold, precise orders. + +"Monitor seven, take freighter out of station on port sixty-six; monitor +twelve, stand by for identification signal of jet liner coming in from +Mars. Watch her closely. The Venusport Space Line is overloading again...." +On and on he went, with Tom standing to one side watching with +wide-eyed wonder as the many ships were maneuvered into and out of the +station. + +Suddenly Stefens turned to Tom. "Well, Corbett," he rasped, "what's the +first question?" + +Tom gulped. He had been so fascinated by the room's sheer magic and by +Stefens' sure control of the traffic that he hadn't had a chance to +think. + +"I--I--don't have one--yet, sir," he managed finally. + +"I want five questions within five minutes!" snapped Stefens, "and they +better be rocket-blasting _good questions_!" He turned back to the +monitors. + +Tom Corbett, while he had gained the respect of many elder spacemen, was +discovering that a cadet's life got no easier as time went on. He +wondered fleetingly how Roger and Astro were making out, and then he +began to think of some questions. + +Beside him, oblivious of his presence, Stefens continued to spout +directions. "Monitor three, take rocket scout out of landing-port +eight. One crew member is remaining aboard the station for medical +treatment. He weighs one hundred and fifty-eight pounds. Make balance +adjustments accordingly...." + +Tom's head was spinning. It was all too much for one young cadet to +absorb on such short notice. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 6 + + +"There goes the jet liner to Mars," said Al Mason wistfully. "Sure wish +we wuz on her." His eyes followed the beautiful slim passenger ship just +blasting off from Venus. + +"Why?" demanded Loring. + +"Anything to get away from Venusport. What a stinking hole!" snorted the +shorter of the two spacemen. + +"For what we want to do," said Loring, "there ain't another city in the +system that's got the advantages this place has!" + +"Don't talk to me about advantages," whined Mason. "Be darned if I can +see any. All we been doing is hang around the spaceport, talk to the +spacemen, and watch the ships blast off. Maybe you're up to something +but I'm blasted if I see what it can be." + +"I've been looking for the right break to come along." + +"What kind of break?" growled Mason. + +"That kind," said Loring. He pointed to a distant figure emerging from a +space freighter. "There's our answer!" said Loring, a note of triumph in +his voice. "Come on. Let's get outta here. I don't want to be +recognized." + +"But--but--what's up? What's that guy and the space freighter _Annie +Jones_ got to do with us?" + +Loring didn't answer but stepped quickly to the nearest jet cab and +hopped into the back seat. Mason tumbled in after him. + +"Spaceman's Row," Loring directed, "and make it quick!" + +The driver stepped on the accelerator and the red teardrop-shaped +vehicle shot away from the curb into the crowd of cars racing along +Premier Highway Number One. In the back seat of the jet cab, Loring +turned to his spacemate and slapped him on the back. + +"Soon's we get into the Row, you go and pack our gear, see! Then meet me +at the Cafe Cosmos in half an hour." + +"Pack our gear?" asked Mason with alarm. "Are we going some place?" + +Loring shot a glance at the driver. "Just do as I tell you!" he growled. +"In a few hours we'll be on our way to Tara, and then--" He dropped his +voice to a whisper. Mason listened and smiled. + +The jet cab slid along the arrow-straight highway toward the heart of +the city of Venusport. Soon it reached the outskirts. On both sides of +the highway rose low, flat-roofed dwellings, built on a revolving wheel +to follow the precious sun, and constructed of pure Titan crystal. +Farther ahead and looming magnificent in the late afternoon sun was the +first and largest of Venusian cities, Venusport. Like a fantastically +large diamond, the startling towers of the young city shot upward into +the misty atmosphere, catching the light and reflecting it in every +color of the spectrum. + +Loring and Mason did not appreciate the beauty of the city as they rode +swiftly through the busy streets. Loring, in particular, thought as he +had never thought before. He was busily putting a plot together in his +mind--a plot as dangerous as it was criminal. + +[Illustration: _The jet cab raced along the highway to Venusport_] + +The jet cab slammed to a stop at a busy intersection of the city. This +was Spaceman's Row, and it dated back to Venusport's first rough and +tough pioneering days. + +For two blocks on either side of the street, in building after building, +cafes, pawnshops, cheap restaurants above and below the street level, +supplied the needs of countless shadowy figures who came and went as +silently as ghosts. Spaceman's Row was where suspended spacemen and +space rats, prospectors of the asteroids for uranium and pitchblende, +gathered and found short-lived and rowdy fun. Here, skippers of rocket +ships, bound for destinations in deep space, could find hands willing to +sign on their dirty freighters despite low pay and poor working +conditions. No questions were asked here. Along Spaceman's Row, hard men +played a grim game of survival. + +Loring and Mason paid the driver, got out, and walked down the busy +street. Here and there, nuaniam signs began to flick on, their garish +blues, reds, and whites bathing the street in a glow of synthetic light. +It was early evening, but already Spaceman's Row was getting ready for +the coming night. + +Presently, Mason left Loring, climbing up a long narrow flight of stairs +leading to a dingy back hall bedroom to pack their few remaining bits of +gear. + +Loring walked on amid the noise and laughter that echoed from cheap +restaurants and saloons. Stopping before Cafe Cosmos, he surveyed the +street quickly before entering the wide doors. Many years before, the +Cosmos had been a sedate dining spot, a place where respectable family +parties came to enjoy good food and the gentle breezes of a near-by +lake. Now, with the lake polluted by industry and with the gradual +influx of shiftless spacemen, the Cosmos had been given over to the most +basic, simple need of its new patrons--rocket juice! + +The large room that Loring entered still retained some of the features +of its more genteel beginnings, but the huge blaring teleceiver screen +was filled with the pouting face of a popular singer. He advanced to the +bar that occupied one entire wall. + +"Rocket juice!" he said, slamming down his fist on the wooden bar. +"Double!" He was served a glass of the harsh bluish liquid, paid his +credits, and downed the drink. Then he turned slowly and glanced around +the half-filled room. Almost immediately he spotted a small wizened man +limping toward him. + +"Been waiting for you," said the man. + +"Well," demanded Loring, "did'ja get anything set up, Shinny?" + +"_Mr._ Shinny!" growled the little man, with surprising vigor. "I'm old +enough to be your father!" + +"Awright--awright--_Mr._ Shinny!" sneered Loring. "Did'ja get it?" + +The little man shook his head. "Nothing on the market, Billy boy." He +paused and aimed a stream of tobacco juice at a near-by cuspidor. + +Loring looked relieved. "Just as well. I've got something else lined up, +anyway." + +Shinny's eyes sharpened. "You must have a pretty big strike, Billy boy, +if you're so hot to buy a spaceship!" + +"Only want to take a little ride upstairs, _Mr._ Shinny," said Loring. + +"Don't hand me that space gas!" snapped Shinny. "A man who's lost his +space papers ain't going to take a chance at getting caught by the Solar +Guard, busting the void with a rocket ship and no papers." He stopped, +and his small gray eyes twinkled. "_Unless_," he added, "you've got +quite a strike lined up!" + +"Hey, Loring!" yelled Mason, entering the cafe. He carried two +spaceman's traveling bags, small black plastic containers with glass +zippers. + +"So you've got Al Mason in with you," mused Shinny. "Pretty good man, +Al. Let's see now, I saw you two just before you blasted off for Tara!" +He paused. "Couldn't be that you've got anything lined up in deep space, +now could it?" + +"You're an old fool!" snarled Loring. + +"Heh--heh--heh," chuckled Shinny. A toothless smile spread across his +wrinkled face. "Coming close, am I?" + +Al Mason looked at Shinny and back at Loring. "Say! What is this?" he +demanded. + +"O.K., O.K.," said Loring between clenched teeth. "So we've got a strike +out in the deep, but one word outta line from you and I'll blast you +with my heater!" + +"Not a word," said Shinny, "not a word. I'll only charge you a little to +keep your secret." + +Mason looked at Loring. "How much?" he demanded. + +"A twentieth of the take," said Shinny. "And that's dirt cheap." + +"It's robbery," said Loring, "but O.K. We've got no choice!" + +"Loring, wait a minute!" objected Mason. "One twentieth! Why, that could +add up to a million credits!" + +Shinny's eyes opened wide. "Twenty million! Hey, there hasn't been a +uranium strike that big since the old seventeenth moon of Jupiter back +in 2294!" + +Loring motioned to them to sit down at a table. He ordered a bottle of +rocket juice and filled three glasses. + +"This ain't uranium, _Mr._ Shinny!" he said. + +Shinny's eyes opened wider still. "What then?" + +"What's the most precious metal in the system today?" Loring asked. + +"Why--gold, I guess." + +"Next to gold?" + +Shinny thought for a moment. "Couldn't be silver any more, since +they're making the artificial stuff cheaper'n it costs to mine it." The +little man's jaw dropped and he stared at Loring. "You mean--?" + +"That's right," said Loring, "copper!" + +Shinny's mind raced. In this year of 2353, all major copper deposits had +long since been exhausted and only small new deposits were being found, +not nearly enough for the needs of the expanding system. In an age of +electronics, lack of copper had become a serious bottleneck in the +production of electrical and scientific equipment. Search parties were +out constantly, all over the solar system, trying to find more of the +precious stuff. So a deposit of the kind Loring and Mason were talking +about was a prize indeed. + +Shinny's greedy fingers twitched with anticipation. + +"So that's why you want to buy a spaceship, eh?" + +"Wanted," replied Loring. "I don't want to buy one now. The way things +look, we'll get what we want for nothing!" + +Mason, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly jumped up. "So that's your +angle! Well, I don't want any part of it," he shouted. + +Loring and Shinny looked up in surprise. + +"What're you talking about?" demanded Loring. + +"All of a sudden it's come to me. Now I know why you've been hanging +around the spaceport for the last two weeks. And what you meant when you +saw the spaceman get out of that freighter today!" + +"Sit down!" barked Loring. "If you weren't so dumb, you'd have caught on +long ago." He eyed the shorter man from between half-closed lids. "It's +the only way we can get out of here!" + +"Not me. I ain't pulling anything like that!" whined Mason. + +"What's going on here?" demanded Shinny. "What're you two space bums +talking about?" + +"I'll tell you what! He's going to try--" + +Loring suddenly stood up and slapped the shorter spaceman across the +mouth. Mason sat down, a dazed look on his face. + +"You space-crawling rat!" hissed Loring. "You'll do what I tell you to +do, see?" + +"Yeah--yeah, sure," bleated Mason. "O.K. Anything you say. Anything." + +"What is this?" demanded Shinny. + +"You shut up!" growled Loring. + +"I won't!" said Shinny, as he also rose from the table. "You may be +tough, Billy Loring, but not as tough as me!" + +The two men stared at each other for a moment. Finally Loring smiled and +patted Mason's shoulder. "Sorry, Al. I guess I got a little hot for a +moment." + +"Quit talking riddles," pleaded Shinny. "What's this all about?" + +"Sit down," said Loring. + +They sank back into their chairs. + +"It's simple," said Mason fearfully. "Loring wants to steal a +spaceship." + +"A pirate job!" said Shinny. He drew in his breath sharply. "You must be +outta your mind!" + +"You've called yourself in on this," Loring reminded him. "And you're +staying in." + +"Oh, no!" Shinny's voice dropped to a husky, frightened whisper. "Deal's +off. I ain't gonna spend the rest of my life on a prison asteroid!" + +"Shinny, you know too much!" Loring's hand darted toward the blaster he +wore at his belt. + +"Your secret's safe with me. I give you my spaceman's word on it," said +Shinny, pushing back his chair. Abruptly getting to his feet, he +scrambled rapidly out the door of the Cafe Cosmos. + +"Loring," said Mason, "get him. You can't let him ..." + +"Forget it," shot back the other. "He won't break his spaceman's oath. +Not Shinny." He got up. "Come on, Mason. We haven't got much time before +the _Annie Jones_ blasts off." + +"What are we gonna do?" the shorter man wanted to know. + +"Stow away on the cargo deck. Then, when we get out into space, we dump +the pilots and head for Tara, for our first load of copper." + +"But a job like this'll take money!" + +"We'll make enough to go ahead on the first load." + +Mason began to get up, hesitated, and then sat down again. + +"Come on," snapped Loring. His hand dropped toward his belt. "I'm going +to make you rich, Mason," he said quietly. "I'm going to make you one of +the richest men in the universe--even if I have to kill you first." + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 7 + + +"Space freighter _Antares_ from Venus space station. Your approach +course is one-nine-seven--corrected. Reduce speed to minimum thrust and +approach spaceport nine--landing-deck three. End transmission!" + +Tom stood on the dais of the traffic-control room and switched the +_Antares_ beam to one of his assistants at the monitors in the control +room. In less than two weeks he had mastered the difficult +traffic-control procedure to the point where Captain Stefens had allowed +him to handle the midnight shift. He checked the monitors and turned to +see Roger walk through the door. + +"Working hard, Junior?" asked Roger in his casual drawl. + +"Roger!" exclaimed Tom. "What are you fooling around down here for?" + +"Ah, there's nothing to do on the radar deck. Besides, I've got the +emergency alarm on." He wiped his forehead. "Brother! Of all the crummy +places to be stuck!" + +"Could be worse," said Tom, his eyes sweeping the monitors. + +"Nothing could be worse," groaned Roger. "But nothing. Think of that +lovely space doll Helen Ashton alone on earth--and me stuck here on a +space station." + +"Well, we're doing an important job, Roger," replied Tom. "And doing it +well, or Major Connel wouldn't leave us alone so much. How're you making +out with the new equipment?" + +"That toy?" sneered Roger. "I gave it a look, checked the circuits once, +and knew it inside out. It's so simple a child could have built one!" + +"Oh, sure," scoffed Tom. "That's why the top scientists worked for years +on something small, compact, powerful enough to reach through deep +space--and still be easy to repair." + +"Quit heckling me, Junior," retorted Roger, "I'm thinking. Trying to +figure out some way of getting to the teleceiver set on board the +_Polaris_." + +"Why can't you get on the _Polaris_?" asked Tom. + +"They're jazzing up the power deck with a new hyperdrive unit for the +big hop to Tara. So many guys buzzing around you can't get near it." + +"What do you need a teleceiver for?" asked Tom. + +"To give me company," replied Roger sourly. "Say!" He snapped his +fingers suddenly. "Maybe if I just changed the frequency--" + +"What frequency? What are you talking about?" + +"Spaceboy, I'm getting a real hot-rocket idea! See ya later!" And the +blond cadet ran for the door. + +Tom watched his unit-mate disappear and shook his head in amused +despair. Roger, he told himself, might be difficult, but he was +certainly never dull. + +Then his attention was brought back to the monitors by the warning of +another approaching spaceship. + +"... jet liner _San Francisco_ to Venus space-station traffic control +..." the metallic voice crackled over the speaker. + +"Jet liner _San Francisco_, this is Venus space-station traffic +control," replied Tom. "You are cleared for landing at port +eleven--repeat--eleven. Make standard check for approach orbit to +station landing. End transmission!" + +From one side of the circular dais, Tom saw Major Connel enter the room. +He snapped to attention and saluted smartly. + +"Morning, Corbett," said Connel, returning Tom's salute. "Getting into +the swing of the operation?" + +"Yes, sir," said Tom. "I've handled about twenty approaches since +Captain Stefens left me alone, and about fifty departures." Tom brought +his fist up, with the thumb extended and wiped it across his chest in +the traditional spaceman's signal that all was clear. "I didn't scratch +one of 'em, sir," he said, smiling. + +"Good enough," said Connel. "Keep it that way." He watched the monitor +screen as the liner _San Francisco_ settled into landing-port eleven. + +When she was cradled and secure, he grunted his satisfaction and turned +to leave. At the door he suddenly paused. "By the way, isn't Manning on +radar watch?" + +"Yes, sir," replied Tom. + +"Well, it's one forty-eight. How about his standard check-in with +traffic control?" + +Tom stammered, "He--uh--he may be plotting some space junk, sir." + +"He _still_ must report, regardless of what he's doing!" + +"I--uh--ah--yes, sir!" gulped Tom. Blast Roger anyway, he thought, +forgetting the all-important quarter-hour check-in. + +"I'd better go up and find out if anything's wrong," said Connel. + +"Gosh, sir," suggested Tom, desperately seeking an excuse for his +shipmate. "I'm sure Roger would have notified us if anything had +happened." + +"Knowing Manning as I do, I'm not so sure!" And the irascible officer +thundered through the door like a jet-propelled tank! + + +"Come on, Mason. Hurry and put on that space suit," barked Loring. + +"Take it easy," grumbled Mason. "I'm working as fast as I can!" + +"Of all the rotten luck," growled Loring. "Who'd ever figure the _Annie +Jones_ would blast off from Venus--and then stop at the space station!" + +"Shows you ain't so smart," retorted Mason. "Lots of ships do that. They +carry just enough fuel to get 'em off the surface, so they'll be light +while they're blasting out of Venus' gravity. Then they stop at the +space station to refuel for the long haul." + +"All right," barked Loring, "lay off the lecture! Just get that space +suit on in a hurry!" + +"Listen, wise guy," challenged Mason, "just tell me one thing. If we +bail out of this tub in space suits, who's going to pick us up?" + +"We're not bailing out!" said Loring. + +"We're not? Then what are we suiting up for?" + +"Just in case," said Loring. "Now listen to me. In a few minutes the +_Annie Jones_'ll make contact with traffic control. Only instead of +talking to the pilot--they'll be talking to us. Because we'll have taken +over." + +"But unless we land they'll be suspicious. And if we land ..." + +Loring interrupted. "Nobody's going to suspect a thing. I'll tell +traffic control we've got an extra-heavy load. Then they won't let us +land. We follow their orders and blast off into space--find an emergency +fuel station--head for Tara--and nobody suspects anything." + +Mason twisted his face into a scowl. "Sounds awful risky to me," he +muttered. + +"Sure it's risky," sneered Loring, "but you don't hit the jackpot +without ever taking a _chance_!" + +The two men, huddled against a jumble of packing cases in the cargo hold +of the _Annie Jones_, made careful preparations. Checking their weapons, +they opened their way toward the freighter's control deck. Just outside +the hatch they stopped, paralo-ray guns ready, and listened. + +Inside, Pilot James Jardine and Leland Bangs, his first officer, were +preparing for the landing at the space station. + +"Ought to be picking up the approach radar signal pretty soon," said +Bangs. "Better take her off automatic control, Jardine. Use the manual +for close maneuvering." + +"Right," answered his spacemate. "Send out a radar blip for them to pick +up. I'll check the cargo and make sure it's lashed down for landing. +Captain Stefens is tough when it comes to being shipshape." + +The freighter blasted evenly, smoothly onward through the darkness of +space in a straight line for the man-made satellite. Jardine got up from +the freighter's dual-control board, picked up a portable light, and +headed for the hatch leading to the cargo deck. + +"He's coming," hissed Loring. "We'll take him soon's he reaches us." +There was a sharp clank as the hatch opened, and Jardine's head came +into view. + +"Now!" yelled Loring. He swung the heavy paralo-ray gun at Jardine's +head. + +"What the--" exclaimed the startled spaceman. "Bangs, look out!" + +He tried to avoid the blow, but Loring's gun landed on the side of his +head. Jardine crumpled to the deck. + +Bangs was out of his seat in a moment, at his pilot's call. The burly +redheaded spaceman saw at a glance what was wrong and lunged for the +hatch. + +Loring stepped toward him, holding his paralo-ray. + +"All right, spaceboy!" he grated. "Hold it or I'll freeze you stiff!" + +Bangs stopped and stared at the gun and at Jardine who was slumped on +the deck. Mason rushed past him to the controls. + +"What is this?" demanded Bangs. + +"An old game," explained Loring with a sneer. "It's called 'You've got +it and I take it.' And if you don't like it, you get it." He gestured +with his gun. "You get it--with this." + +Bangs nodded. "O.K.," he said. "O.K. But how about letting me take care +of my buddy. He's hurt." + +[Illustration] + +"Just a bump on the head," said Loring. "He'll come out of it soon +enough." + +"Hey," shouted Mason, "I can't figure out these controls!" + +Loring growled angrily. "Here, lemme at them!" He forced Bangs to lie +down on the deck, and then, keeping the gun trained on the redheaded +spaceman, stepped quickly to the control board. He handed Mason the gun. + +"Keep an eye on them while I figure this baby out." + +"Least you coulda done is steal a decent ship," grumbled Mason. "This +tub is so old it creaks!" + +"Just shut your mouth and keep your eye on those guys," said the other. +He began to mutter to himself as he tried to figure out the complicated +controls. + +[Illustration] + +Jardine was now conscious but had the presence of mind not to move. His +head ached from the blow. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw his two +attackers bending over the board. He saw that Bangs was lying on the +deck facing him. Jardine winked at Bangs, who returned the signal. Then +he began, carefully, methodically to send a Morse-code message to his +companion via his winking eyes. + +"O-N-L-Y--one--gun--between--them. You--take--big--fellow. +I'll--charge--gun ..." + +"Can't you figure this thing out either?" asked Mason, leaning over +Loring's shoulder. + +"Ah, this wagon is an old converted chemical burner. These controls are +old as the sun. I've got to find the automatic pilot!" + +"Try that lever over there," suggested Mason. + +Loring reached over to grasp it, turning away from his prisoners. + +"Bangs, get 'em!" shouted Jardine. The two men jumped to their feet and +lunged at Loring and Mason. Loring dove to one side, losing the gun in +the scramble, but as he fell, he reached for the acceleration control +lever. He wrenched it out of its socket and brought it down on Bang's +head, and the officer slid to the floor. Jardine, meanwhile, had Mason +in a viselike grip, but again Loring used the lever, bringing it down +hard on the neck of the freighter pilot. Jardine dropped to the deck. + +"Thanks, Loring," gasped Mason. "That was close! Good thing we had on +these space suits, or we'd have been finished. They couldn't grab onto +the smooth plastic." + +"Finished is right!" snarled Loring. "I told you to keep an eye on them! +If they'd nabbed us we woulda wound up on the prison asteroid!" + +"Loring," shouted Mason, "look!" He pointed a trembling finger at the +thrust indicator. "We're blasting at full space speed--right for the +station!" + +"By the rings of Saturn," cried Loring, "I must've jammed the thrust +when I yanked the lever out of the control board!" + +"Put it back! Slow this ship down!" cried Mason, his face ashen with +fear. Loring jumped to the control board and with trembling fingers +tried to replace the lever in the socket. + +"I can't--can't--" he panted. "We gotta pile outta here! We're heading +for the station. We'll crash!" + +"Come on! This way! We left the space helmets back in the cargo hold!" +shouted Mason. He ran toward the open hatch leading to the companionway. +Suddenly he stopped. "Hey, what about those two guys?" + +"Never mind them!" shouted Loring. "Keep going. We can't do anything for +them now!" + +And as the two men raced toward the stern, the freighter, her powerful +rockets wide open, arrowed straight toward the gleaming white structure +of the space station. + + +"It was easy, honey," cooed Roger into the microphone on the main +control panel of the space-station radar bridge. + +"I switched the frequency on the station, beamed to a teleceiver trunk +line on Earth, and called you up, my little space pet! Smart, huh? Now +remember we have a date as soon as I get back from this important and +secret mission. I could've got out of it, but they needed me badly. As +much as I like you, baby, I had to go along to give the boys a break and +..." + +"_Cadet Manning!_" An infuriated roar echoed in the small chamber. + +"Yeah, whaddaya wan--" growled Roger, turning to see who had interrupted +him. He suddenly gulped and turned pale. "Ohhhhhhhhh--good-by, baby!" He +flipped the switch and stood up. + +"Uh--ah--good morning, Major Connel," he stammered. + +"What's going on here, Manning?" barked Connel. + +"I--was--talking, sir," replied Roger. + +"So I heard! But talking to whom?" + +"To whom, sir?" + +"That's what I said, Manning." Connel's voice dropped to a deep +sarcastic purr. "To whom?" + +"I was--ah--talking to Earth, sir." + +"Official business, I presume?" + +"You mean--official--like here on the station, sir?" + +"Official, like here on the station, Manning," replied Connel in almost +a kindly tone. + +"No, sir." + +"You failed to make your quarter-hour check to the traffic-control +center, I believe?" + +"Yes, sir," gulped Roger. The full realization of what he had done was +beginning to dawn on him. + +"And you've tampered with vital station equipment for your own personal +use," added Connel. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, +Roger noticed the major was strangely quiet in his interrogation. It +felt like the calm before the storm. + +"Yes, sir," admitted Roger, "I changed several circuits." + +"Are you aware of the seriousness of your negligence, Manning?" Connel's +voice began to harden. + +"Yes--yes--I guess so, sir," stumbled Roger. + +"Can you repair that radar so that it can be used as it was intended?" + +"Yes, sir." + +"Then do so immediately. There are ships in flight depending on your +information and signals." + +"Yes, sir," said Roger quietly. Then he added quickly, "I'd like the +major to know, sir, that this is the first time this has happened." + +"I have only your word for that, Manning!" Connel finally began blasting +in his all too familiar roar. "Since you've done it once, I see no +reason to think you couldn't have done it before or that you might not +do it again!" The officer's face was now almost purple with rage. "When +you've repaired that set, return to your quarters! You are confined +until I decide on disciplinary action!" + +Turning abruptly, Connel stormed out of the room, slamming the hatch +closed behind him. + +With a sigh Roger turned back to the set. With trembling fingers he +reconnected the terminals and made delicate adjustments on the many +dials. Finally, as power began to flow through the proper chain of +circuits, the radar scanner glowed into life and the hair-thin line of +light swept around the dull green surface of the scope. It had been left +on a setting covering two hundred miles around the space station, and +seeing the area was clear, Roger increased the range to five hundred +miles. The resulting scan sent a sudden chill down his spine. A +spaceship was roaring toward the station at full thrust! + +Cold sweat beaded Roger's forehead as he grabbed for the microphone and +called Tom. + +"Radar bridge to control deck!" The words tumbled out frantically. "Tom! +Tom! There's a ship heading right for the station! Bearing 098! Distance +450 miles! Coming in on full thrust! Tom, acknowledge! Quick!" + +Down on the control deck, Tom had been watching a space freighter easing +out of the station when Roger's voice came over the speaker in a thin +scream. + +"What?" he yelled. "Give me that again, Roger!" + +"Spaceship bearing 098--full thrust! Range now four twenty-five!" + +"By the craters of Luna," shouted Tom, "why didn't you pick her up +sooner, Roger?" + +"Never mind that. Contact that guy and tell him to change course! He +can't brake in time now!" + +"All right! Sign off!" Without waiting for a reply, Tom cut Roger off +and switched to a standard space band. His voice quivering, the young +cadet spoke quickly and urgently into the microphone. "Space station to +spaceship approaching on orbit 098. Change course! Emergency! Reduce +thrust and change course or you will crash into us!" + +As he spoke, Tom watched the master screen of his scanner and saw the +ship rocketing closer and closer with no change in speed or course. He +realized that any action, even now, would bring the craft dangerously +close to the station. Without hesitation, he flipped on the master +switch of the central station communicator, opening every loud-speaker +on the station to his voice. + +"Attention! Attention! This is traffic-control center! Emergency! +Repeat. Emergency! All personnel in and near landing ports five, six, +seven, eight, and nine--decks A, B, and C--evacuate immediately to +opposite side of the station. Emergency crews stand by for crash! +Spaceship heading for station! May crash! Emergency--emergency!" + +On the endangered decks, men began to move quickly, and in a moment the +great man-made satellite was prepared for disaster. On the control +deck, Tom stayed at his station, sounding the warning. + +"Emergency! Emergency! All personnel prepare for crash! All personnel +prepare for crash!" + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 8 + + +"There--there!" shouted Captain Stefens into the mike aboard the jet +boat circling around the station. "I think I see something bearing about +seventy degrees to my left and up about twenty on the ecliptic! Do you +see it, Scotty?" + +Tom, in the bucket seat of the jet boat, strained his eyes but was +unable to see over the control board. + +Terry Scott, in a second jet boat ten miles away, answered quickly, +"Yes, I think I see it, sir." + +"Good!" shouted Stefens. "Maybe we've found something." + +He spoke to Tom over his shoulder, keeping his eye on the floating +objects in the black void of space. "Come to the starboard about +one-quarter full turn, Corbett, and hold it. Then up, about twenty-five +degrees." + +"Aye, aye, sir," said Tom. He began to maneuver the small gnat-sized +space craft to the proper position. + +"That's good!" shouted Stefens. "Now hold that. Let me see. I think +we've hit pay dirt." + +From the right, Tom could see the red flash of the rockets of Terry +Scott's jet boat, which Astro had volunteered to pilot, coming into +view. As soon as order had been restored aboard the station, search +parties had been sent out to look for survivors. + +Carefully Tom slowed the space craft in response to Stefens' brief +commands and soon came to a dead halt in space. There, hovering right +above them, visible through the crystal dome of the jet boat, Tom could +see two space-suited figures floating effortlessly. A moment later +Scott's craft came alongside, and the two small ships were lashed +together with magnetic lines. Tom and Stefens hurriedly pulled on their +space helmets. They adjusted the valves regulating the oxygen supply in +their suits, and Stefens slipped back the sliding top of the jet boat. +Out on the hull he secured a line to a projecting ring, and ordering Tom +to stand by, he pushed himself off the ship into the bottomless void of +space. + +The line trailing behind him, Stefens drifted toward the two helpless +figures. He reached them in less than a minute, secured the line to +their belts, and signaled Tom to haul in. + +Near by, Terry Scott and Astro watched as the three figures were pulled +to safety. + +Quickly the top of the jet boat was closed, oxygen pressure in the craft +was restored, and the four men took off their helmets. + +"Whew!" said Loring. "I sure want to thank you for pulling us out of the +deep!" + +"We sure do, sir!" added Mason. Then, with a quick look at Loring, he +asked softly, "Were there any other survivors?" + +Stefens' face was grim. "Not one. After we untangled the mess, we found +bodies of two men. It was pretty bad. A little later something was +spotted on the radar, and we hoped there might be survivors. Luckily for +you, we came to look!" + +[Illustration: _Tom could see two space-suited figures floating +effortlessly_] + +"By the rings of Saturn," swore Loring softly, "Jardine and Bangs were +brave men. They practically forced us to pile out when they saw they +were going to crack up." He turned to Mason. "Didn't they, Al?" + +"Yeah, yeah, sure brave men," Al Mason agreed. + +"Nothing to be done for them now, of course," said Stefens. "What +happened?" He paused, and then added, "You don't have to tell me if you +don't want to before you make out your report, but I'd sure like to +know." + +"I don't really know what happened, sir," said Loring. "We had made a +deal for a ride back to Earth with Jardine and were sleeping back on the +cargo deck. All of a sudden, Jardine came running in. Told us we were +about to pile into the station and for us to suit up and get out. We +asked him about himself, but he said he was going to stay and try to +save the ship. We piled out, and--well, we saw the whole thing from out +here. Like a big splash of light. It must have been pretty bad on the +station, eh?" + +"Plenty bad, but thanks to Cadet Corbett here, there wasn't a single +injury. He warned everybody to get off that side of the station. A lot +of damage but no casualties." + +"Don't you have any idea what made the ship crash?" asked Tom quietly. + +Loring looked at Tom but spoke to Stefens. "I told you all I know, sir. +Can I expect to be questioned by everyone in the Solar Guard. Including +cadets?" + +Stefens bristled. "It was a civil question, Loring," he said stiffly, +"but you don't have to say anything if you don't want to!" + +Loring and Mason had not expected such a strong defense of the cadet, +and Loring was quick to make amends. "I'm sorry--I guess I'm still a +bit shaken up," he muttered. + +Stefens grunted. + +"It wasn't pretty, you know, watching that ship go up and not be able to +do anything about it," Loring continued plaintively. "Jardine and +Bangs--well, they're--they _were_ sorta friends of mine." + +They were silent all the way back to the station, each with his own +thoughts--Stefens puzzling over the cause of the crash, Loring and Mason +exchanging quick furtive glances and wondering how long their story +would hold up, and Tom wondering how much Roger's changing the power +circuits on the radar had to do with the crash of the ship. + + +"That's right," snapped Connel to the two enlisted spacemen. "I said I +wanted the radar section of the communications deck closed and sealed +off until further investigations. You can hook up and use one of the +monitors in the traffic control meantime." + +The two red-clad spacemen turned and walked away. Stefens stood to one +side. + +"Don't you think that's carrying things a little too far, sir?" he asked +Connel. + +"I'm doing this as much to protect Cadet Manning as I am to prosecute +him! I want to be sure there was no connection between the crash of the +_Annie Jones_ and his tampering with the radar circuits!" Connel +replied. + +"I guess you're right, sir," replied Stefens. "Those two survivors, +Loring and Mason, are having coffee in the mess if you want to talk to +them." + +"Did they change their story?" asked Connel. + +"None at all. They were hooking a ride back to Atom City, and they were +asleep in the cargo hold. Jardine, one of the pilots, came in and told +them to pile out. They did." + +"Ummmmh," mused Connel. "I know those two, Loring and Mason. Had a +little trouble with them recently on a trip to Tara. Suspended their +papers. So if they were just hooking a ride, it might be they're telling +the truth!" + +"I have a report here on the damage to the station, sir, if you'd like +to listen to it," said Stefens, handing his superior a spool of +audiotape. + +"Good! Did you make out the report yourself?" asked Connel. + +"Yes, sir. With the assistance of Terry Scott and Cadet Corbett." + +"Good lad, that Corbett," said Connel and paused. "The whole unit is +good! If it weren't for that hare-brained Manning, I'd say they had as +bright a future in the Solar Guard as any unit I've seen!" + +"I'll buy that, sir!" said Stefens with a smile. "That Corbett picked up +traffic-control operations like a duck takes to water. And it's been a +long time since Jenledge on the power deck raved about a cadet the way +he does about Astro." + +Connel smiled. He was reluctant to press for an investigation of the +radar deck, knowing that if he did, it would mean a damaging black mark +against Manning. But justice was justice, and Connel came closer to +worshiping justice than anything else in space! + +Connel placed the spool of tape in the audiograph and settled in a chair +to listen. He didn't like the entire affair. He didn't like to think of +losing a cadet of Manning's ability because of one stupid mistake. He +had recommended a thorough investigation. There was no other way. If +Manning was cleared of the responsibility for the crash, he was free, +and it would not show up against his record. If he wasn't, however, then +he'd have to pay. Yes, thought Connel to himself, as Stefens' voice +began to crackle harshly on the audiograph, if Manning was guilty, then +Manning would most certainly pay. Connel would see to that. + + +Deep in the heart of the space station, Loring and Mason were huddled +over steaming cups of coffee whispering to each other cautiously. + +"Want more coffee, Mason?" asked Loring. + +"Who wants coffee when there's going to be a Solar Guard investigation?" +whined Mason. "Suppose they find out something?" + +"Relax, will ya?" muttered Loring reassuringly. "Connel doesn't suspect +a thing. Besides, he has that cadet under arrest!" + +"Yeah," argued Mason, "but you don't know those guys at Space Academy. +All this honor stuff! It's not like a regular investigation. They don't +stop digging until they dig up _real facts_! They'll find out we stowed +away and ..." + +Loring calmly added cream and sugar to his coffee. "They can't prove a +thing. Jardine and Bangs are dead, and the ship's nothing but a pile of +junk." + +"They'll find out, I tell you, and now we've got murder on our hands!" + +A door behind Mason suddenly opened and Stefens appeared. + +"Shut up, you fool!" Loring hissed. He turned blandly to face Stefens. +"Well, Captain, glad you came. I wanted to talk to you about getting us +transportation back to Venusport." + +"You'll have to wait for the jet liner from Earth," said Stefens. "See +me in about two hours. Right now, I've got to make arrangements for the +investigation of the crash." + +"Sure, sir," said Loring. "Ah--say, Captain, what do you expect the +investigation to turn up?" + +"The true facts," replied Stefens. "Whether the crash was due to the +negligence of Cadet Manning or something that happened on the ship." + +"Then you really think the cadet may be responsible?" asked Loring +softly. + +"He admits to negligence, and the _Annie Jones_ is a lot of evidence," +said Stefens with a shrug, and walked out. + +"There's our answer!" said Loring triumphantly. "Come on!" + +"Where are we going?" asked Mason. + +"We're going to have a little talk with our fall guy!" + + +"Ahhh, sit down, Roger," said Astro. "Everything will be O.K." + +"Yeah," agreed Tom. "You're just wearing out the deck and your nerves +walking back and forth like that. Everything will be O.K." Tom tried +hard to keep any apprehension out of his voice. + +"Nothing will make those two guys on the spaceship O.K.," said Roger. He +kicked viciously at a stool and sat down on the side of his bunk. + +Since the crash, Roger had been confined to his quarters, with Tom and +Astro bringing him his meals. Tom had watched his unit-mate grow more +and more bitter over the turn of events and was afraid Roger would do +something rash. + +The central communicator over the door suddenly buzzed, and the three +cadets waited for the announcement. + +"... Cadets Corbett and Astro report to rocket cruiser _Polaris_ for +indoctrination on hyperdrive--on the double--by order of Major Connel." + +Tom and Astro got up. Astro found it hard to hide his eagerness to begin +indoctrination on hyperdrive, and it was only his deep concern for Roger +that kept him from letting out one of his bull-throated bellows. + +"Take it easy, Roger," said Tom. "The investigation will be over and +we'll be on our way to Tara before you know it." + +"Yeah, you space Romeo," growled Astro, "crawl in the sack and rest your +bones. You're lucky you can miss this." + +Roger managed a weak smile. "I'll be O.K. Go ahead and learn about that +hyperdrive before you explode." + +There was an awkward moment while the three cadets stared at one +another. The deep friendship between them didn't need to be expressed in +words. Abruptly, Tom and Astro turned and left the room. + +Roger stared at the closed door for a moment and then flopped on his +bunk. He closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. Whatever happened, he +thought, it wouldn't do any good to knock himself out. + +As he lay there thinking back to the first months at Space Academy when +he had met Tom and Astro, he heard a knock on the door and he turned to +see the steel hatch slide back stealthily. He jumped up. + +Loring stuck his head inside the door. "You alone, Manning?" he asked. + +"Yeah. Who're you?" asked Roger. + +"My name's Loring, and this is my space buddy, Al Mason. We were on the +_Annie Jones_." + +Roger's eyes lighted up. "Then you know I'm not responsible for the +crash!" said Roger. + +"I wouldn't say that, kid," said Loring grimly. "I wouldn't say that at +all." + +"What do you mean?" demanded Roger. + +"A shame"--Loring shook his head--"young fella like you winding up on +the prison asteroid." + +"Prison asteroid?" asked Roger stupidly. + +"Yeah," grunted Loring. "Have you ever seen one of them joints, Manning? +They work from noon to midnight. Then they give you synthetic food to +eat, because it costs too much to haul up solid grub. Once you've been +on the prison rock, you can't ever blast off again. You're washed up as +a spaceman. Think you'll like that?" + +"Why--why--what's that got to do with me?" asked Roger. + +"Just this, kid. After the investigation they'll find out your +radarscope wasn't working right. Then they'll come to me and ask me what +happened aboard the _Annie Jones_." + +"Well," demanded Roger, "what did happen?" + +Loring glanced at Mason. "Just this, kid. Jardine and Bangs were on the +teleceiver and the radar for fifteen minutes trying to pick up your +beam. But there wasn't any, because you had it fouled up!" + +Roger sat down on the side of the bunk and stared at the two men. If +what they said was true, Roger knew there could only be one outcome to +the investigation. + +"Why are you telling me this?" asked Roger quietly. + +"Very simple. I don't like to see _anyone_ go to the prison rock!" + +"Are you"--Roger hesitated--"are you suggesting that I escape?" + +Loring and Mason got up and walked to the door. Loring turned back to +face Roger. "I'm not suggesting anything, Manning," he said. "You're a +big boy and should know what's good for you. But"--he paused and +measured his words carefully--"if I were you, I wouldn't wait around for +Connel or anyone else to blast my life to pieces by sending me to a +prison for one little mistake!" + +The hatch slid closed behind the two spacemen. + +Roger stood up and began packing a small spaceman's bag. There was a jet +liner coming in from Atom City that would make a stop at Venusport. He +glanced at his watch. Thirty minutes. He didn't have much time. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 9 + + +"Attention! Attention! This is a general alert!" Tom Corbett's voice was +hollow as he spoke over a solar-wide audiocast. "Wanted! Space Cadet +Roger Manning. Five feet, eleven inches tall, one hundred sixty-five +pounds. Blue eyes. Blond hair. Last seen wearing dress blues. Cadet +Manning broke confinement to quarters on Venus space station and is +believed to be heading back to Earth. He is wanted in connection with +the crash of the space freighter _Annie Jones_ and the death of two +spacemen. All information regarding the whereabouts of Manning should be +forwarded to Captain Isaiah M. Patrick, Senior Security Officer, Solar +Guard, Space Academy, Earth. This alert is to be transmitted to all +local authorities." + +Tom snapped the switch off and silently watched the glowing audio tubes +darken. He turned to one side and saw Astro. The big Venusian was seated +on a desk, slumped over, his head held in his massive hands. + +"You know," said Astro slowly, "I could take that guy Manning and break +him in two for running out!" + +Tom didn't answer. When they had discovered that Roger was missing it +had been a terrific blow. Unaware that Roger, in his confused state of +mind, had been an easy victim to Loring and Mason's trickery and had +innocently walked into their trap, the two cadets felt that his escape +was a breach of trust. Roger had given his spaceman's word that he would +confine himself to his quarters. Roger had broken that trust, and now +the fact was being flashed around the entire solar system; Roger Manning +was an escaped criminal! + +"There's nothing we can do now," said Tom. "The whole universe knows it. +He's finished! Washed up! The only thing that could save him now would +be absolute clearance by the investigation. But since he's run out, I +guess it must be the other way around. He was afraid he was going to get +caught." Tom's voice was cold and bitter. "And we can't blame anyone +but--" + +"_But Manning!_" barked a voice behind them. Astro jumped up and snapped +to attention. Tom turned to see Major Connel stride into the room. It +was at Connel's insistence that Tom had been ordered to broadcast the +alert for Roger. + +"That's the last time I ever want to hear any sympathy for a man who +broke his word!" snarled Connel. + +"I have something I'd like to say to the major," said Astro in a +deliberate voice, "as man to man!" + +Even at attention, Tom jerked his head involuntarily to look at Astro. +Connel's eyes narrowed. "Here it comes," he thought. "Well, I've handled +rebellion of this sort before." He stepped close to Astro. So close in +fact that the black and gold of his uniform brushed the massive chest of +the cadet from Venus. + +"You have permission to speak, man to man!" snapped Connel. + +Astro paused for a moment. Then he relaxed and brought his eyes down to +the level of the major. + +"I am a human being, sir," said Astro in the deepest voice Tom had ever +heard. It was strong and full of emotion, yet controlled. "And as long +as I am a human being, I shall consider Roger Manning one of the finest +men I'll ever know." + +"Are you finished?" snapped Connel. + +"No, sir, I'm not," said Astro. "I speak in defense of the man, the +_spaceman_, not the uniform, or the trust he betrayed. And I +respectfully request of the major that if his feelings for Cadet Manning +are so violent that he finds it difficult to control them, that he make +a special effort to control them"--Astro paused and stuck out his +chin--"in my presence!" + +Connel stepped back. "And if I don't?" he shouted. + +"Then I shall ask for a transfer from your command, sir, and if that is +not granted, then I shall resign from the Academy." + +"And?" asked Connel. + +"And, sir--" Astro stumbled. + +"_And what_, Cadet Astro?" roared Connel. + +"I have nothing more to say, sir," said Astro. + +Tom, who had at first had to control an impulse to laugh at the strange +seriousness of Astro's manner and tone, now found it equally difficult +to hold back the tears that were welling up in his eyes. + +Connel was not going to let the incident stand there. He had secretly +hoped that such a situation would present itself, because he wanted to +see what material the _Polaris_ unit was made of. And he was secretly +satisfied. Any cadet who would offer to resign from the Academy in +defense of his unit-mate was a true spaceman. Connel wasn't going to +allow Astro or Tom to resign over some foolish trick of Roger's, but, at +the same time, he couldn't allow them to take too many liberties with +discipline. Connel turned to Tom. + +"I suppose you feel the same way, Corbett?" he asked. + +"I do, sir," said Tom. + +"Of course you know I could make your lives miserable now," he +threatened. + +"We are aware of that, sir," said Tom quietly. + +"Very well, Cadets Corbett and Astro. I shall comply with your request. +Not because of your request but out of respect for your feelings as +spacemen. I wouldn't have thought much of you if you hadn't come out in +defense of Manning. And just for your own sake, Astro," said Connel, +stepping back in front of the big cadet, "never ask to talk to a Solar +Guard officer man to man again. As long as you're still a member of the +Cadet Corps such disrespect will not be tolerated. Another man, who +might not have understood your feelings, could have used your desire for +fair play as a means of trapping you into one of the worst offenses in +the Spaceman's Code--striking a Solar Guard officer!" + +"Yes, sir," mumbled Astro. "Thank you, sir." + +"Report aboard the _Polaris_"--Connel glanced at his watch--"in fifteen +minutes. I'm going to put you through your paces on hyperdrive and the +operation of the transmitter." + +"Then we're still going to make the trip to Tara, sir?" asked Tom. + +"We certainly are, Corbett," replied Connel. "In two hours another cadet +is arriving from the Academy to replace Roger. His name's Alfie Higgins. +Perhaps you know him." + +Tom smiled. "Yes, sir, we know him," he replied. "Cadet Higgins is a +friend of mine. He carries the nickname of 'The Brain.' Has the highest +I.Q. in the Academy." + +"Good. I'm glad you know him, because this is going to be a rough trip. +We got off to a bad start, but it's all over now. So forget it. And +before I go, I want you to know this. In my personal opinion, Manning +had nothing to do with the crash. I think the whole trouble was caused +on the ship. I have nothing to back up my opinion, except my feelings. +But feelings can go a long way in making a man innocent until proved +guilty. Unit dis-missed!" + + +Alfie Higgins listened attentively to the story of the crash and Roger's +disappearance as Tom, and then Astro, described the situation in detail. + +"It is a pity, of course, but Manning was always the impulsive type. Not +very definite in his attitude and emotionally unstable," commented Alfie +when the story was finished. + +"Lay off that talk, you overstuffed brain!" growled Astro. "In this +outfit, Roger is just away on vacation!" + +"Yes--yes, of course!" said Alfie quickly. It wasn't wise to get off on +the wrong foot in a new unit, especially when one was trying to fill the +shoes of a cadet, who, Alfie had to admit, had everything. Alfie +Higgins' mother didn't raise any stupid children, he said to himself. He +was too happy being a member of the _Polaris_ unit, the hottest crew at +the Academy, to allow anything to interfere with his success. + +"I've heard a great deal about hyperdrive," he said quickly, changing +the subject. "I would appreciate it if you could describe the basis of +this new feature in space travel so that I may have at least a surface +familiarity with its operation and application." + +Astro gulped and looked at Tom. "Might as well get used to that kind of +chatter, Astro," said Tom, smiling. "Alfie can't talk any other way." + +"Is there something wrong with the way I speak?" asked Alfie, wrinkling +up his nose a little to see through the thick lenses of his glasses. + +"You wanta know about hyperdrive?" growled Astro. + +"To be sure, if you'd be so kind," said Alfie. + +"Well, if you'll close your trap long enough, I'll tell you about it!" + +Alfie sat back and waited, hands clasped around one knee. + +"In the first place," began Astro, "hyperdrive was developed by Joan +Dale back at the Academy. And it's so blasted simple, I get mad at +myself for not thinking of it first!" + +"Uhhh," snorted Alfie. "I respect your great talent on the power deck, +Astro, but I would hardly compare myself with Dale!" + +"Shut up!" barked Astro. "You'll see how simple it is! Hyperdrive is +based on the idea that the thrust of the rockets acts in the exact same +way on _all_ the atoms inside the spaceship. So you can have as much +thrust as you want and no one will feel a thing. Even if the ship were +to accelerate a million times faster than the gravity of the Earth you +wouldn't feel a thing, because all the atoms inside would be pushed +along at the same time!" Astro sat back triumphantly. + +"Ummmmh," commented Alfie. "That sounds all right as a principle, but +will it work out in space?" + +"Listen, you--you--" snorted Astro. + +"Sure it will, Alfie," said Tom. "It's been tested before." + +"Still room for improvement, though," commented Alfie. + +"I'll improve your head," barked Astro, "if you don't close that big +mouth! How do you like that, Tom? We get rid of one space-gassing Romeo +and now we get one even worse!" + +Astro's reference to Roger made Tom draw a quick breath. In the short +while since Alfie's arrival and the week since Roger's disappearance +there hadn't been time to forget their old unit-mate and get accustomed +to a new personality. Astro sensed Tom's feelings and irritably banged +one hamlike fist into the other. Alfie was O.K., thought the big +Venusian, but by the craters of Luna, he wasn't Roger. + +"Attention--attention!" The intercom crackled into life. "_Polaris_ +unit--by order of Major Connel--stand by to blast off immediately. This +is first warning! Pack your gear and stand by to blast off immediately." + +Tom, Astro, and Alfie got up, and with the image of Roger fresh in their +minds, made their way to the landing-port deck where the great gleaming +spaceship was slung on magnetic cradles. They were met at the hatch by +Major Connel. + +"All right," he said, "we leave all thoughts of Manning right here on +the station. I know it's tough, but we've got a still tougher job to do. +This is to be a scientific expedition and we'll need every ounce of +energy and intelligence we have--_collectively_--to make a success of +this mission. Cadet Corbett!" + +"Yes, sir," replied Tom. + +"Stand by to blast off in five minutes!" + + + + +CHAPTER 10 + + +"Can I speak with you a minute, spaceman?" + +Roger turned from the automatic food dispenser and stared at a wizened +little man standing beside him, grinning up at him toothlessly. + +"What do you want?" asked Roger. + +"Just talk. Let's sit down at this table, eh?" said the little man, +taking the cadet by the arm. "Gotta little deal I think you might be +interested in." + +Roger cast a quick appraising glance over the shabbily dressed man and +walked to the table. Unless someone knew Roger personally, it would have +been hard to recognize him. No longer wearing the vivid blue of the +senior Space Cadet, he was now dressed in black trousers fitting snugly +around the legs, a midnight blue pull-over jersey, and the black-billed +hat of the merchant spaceman. His once close-cropped blond hair was +beginning to grow shaggy around the edges, and with the hat pulled low +over his forehead, he might have been another person entirely. + +Leaving the space station on the jet liner had been easy for Roger, +since no one suspected he would violate his trust. But once his absence +was discovered and the warrant issued for his arrest, it had been +necessary for him to assume some sort of disguise to elude the Solar +Guard MP's. Roger had wound up on Spaceman's Row in Venusport as a +matter of course. Luckily, when he left the station, he had the +foresight to take all of his money with him, so he was not yet in need. + +On Spaceman's Row, Roger found the new freedom from discipline enjoyable +at first, but now the novelty had worn off. Having visited all of the +interesting places on the Row, existence there had become boring. His +one attempt to leave Spaceman's Row had nearly met with disaster. +Running into a squad of Solar Guard MP's, he had made a hurried escape +into a near-by jet taxi. Back on the Row, Roger had lounged around the +cafes, feeling the loneliness that haunts men wanted by the law. And +only because he was so lonely he had agreed to talk to the little man +who sat and stared at him from across the table. + +"You a rocket pusher, astrogator, or skipper?" asked the little man. + +"Who wants to know?" asked Roger cautiously. + +"Look, sonny boy," was the quick retort. "I'm Mr. Shinny! I'm the fixer +of Spaceman's Row. You want something, come to me and I'll get it for +you. I don't care why you're here. That ain't none of my business. But +the fact remains that you're here, and you don't come down here unless +you're in trouble space deep!" + +Roger looked at the little man more closely. "Suppose I am in something +deep? What could you do for me?" he asked. + +"What would you want done?" asked Shinny slyly. + +"Well," said Roger casually, "I could use a set of papers." + +"What happened to your own?" + +"Solar Guard picked them up," answered Roger simply. + +"For what?" asked Shinny. + +"Taking ice cream away from the skipper's pet monkey!" snapped Roger. + +Shinny threw back his head and laughed. "That's good--very good!" He +wiped his mouth after spitting at a near-by cuspidor. He reached over +and patted Roger on the arm. "You'll do, sonny! You'll do right well on +the Row. Join me in a little acceleration sport?" + +"What's that?" asked Roger. + +"Rocket juice!" said Shinny. "Ain't you never heard of rocket juice?" + +"I've heard about it," said Roger with a smile, "and I'm still here to +talk about it because I never drank any of it." Roger liked the little +man for some reason--he couldn't tell why. He had met several people on +the Row since his arrival, but they had all wanted to know how many +credits he had and where he was staying. + +"I took a jolt of that stuff once in Luna City," said Roger. "I was +ready to blast off without a rocket ship!" + +Shinny laughed again. "Good lad! Well, you won't mind if I have just a +little one?" He paused and wiped his lips. "On you, of course!" + +"One"--Roger held up his finger--"on me, of course!" + +"Hey, there!" yelled Shinny. "You, with the asteroid head! Gimme a short +bucket of that juice and bring a bottle of Martian fizz along with it!" +The bartender nodded, and Shinny turned back to Roger. "Martian fizz is +nothing more than a little water with sugar in it," he explained. + +"Yeah, I know," replied Roger. "What about those papers?" + +"I'll talk to you, spaceman to spaceman," said Shinny, "when you're +ready to talk to me, spaceman to spaceman!" + +They were silent while the bartender slopped a glass full of bluish +liquid in front of Shinny and the bottle of Martian fizz and a glass in +front of Roger. Roger paid for the drinks and poured a glass of the mild +sweet water. Sipping it silently, he suddenly put the glass down again +and looked Shinny in the eye. + +"You know who I am," he stated quietly. + +"Yep!" replied Shinny. "You're Roger Manning, Space Cadet! Breach of +honor and violation of the Spaceman's Oath. Escaped from the Venus space +station on a jet liner. But one of the best men on a radar scanner and +astrogation prism in the whole alliance!" Shinny related the information +rapidly. + +"He had known all the time," thought Roger. "He was testing me." Roger +wondered why. + +"What are you going to do about it?" questioned Roger, thinking about +the one-thousand-credit reward, standard price offered by the Solar +Guard for all wanted men. + +"If I had wanted to, I could have bought the finest jet liner in space +with money made on Solar Guard rewards," snapped Shinny. "We got our own +spaceman's code here on the Row. It goes something like this. What a man +wants to bring with him down here, he brings. What he don't bring, don't +exist!" + +Roger smiled and stuck out his hand. "All right, Mr. Shinny! I want a +set of papers--space papers! Made out in any name, so that I can get out +into space again. I don't care where I go or on what, or how long I'm +gone. I just gotta blast off!" + +"You want papers for the astrogation deck, or control, or as a power +pusher?" asked Shinny. + +Roger thought a moment. "Better make them for the control deck," he +said. + +"Credits," said Shinny. "You have any credits?" + +"How much?" asked Roger. + +"One hundred now," said Shinny, and then added, "and one hundred when I +deliver." + +"Guaranteed papers?" + +"Positively!" snorted Shinny. "I don't sell things that ain't good! I'm +an honest man!" + +Roger reached inside his jersey and pulled out a small roll of crumpled +credit notes. He counted off one hundred and handed them over to Shinny. + +"When do I get the papers?" asked Roger. + +"Tomorrow, same place, same time," answered Shinny. + +"What's the name of this place?" asked Roger. + +"Cafe Cosmos." + +Roger picked up his glass of sweet water, raising it in a toast to the +little man in front of him. "Until tomorrow, Mr. Shinny, when you come +here with the papers, or I come looking for you with bare knuckles!" + +"You don't scare me!" snapped Shinny. "I'll be here!" + +Roger tilted his chair back and smiled his casual smile. "I know you'll +be back, Mr. Shinny. You see, I really mean what I say. And more +important, _you_ know I mean what I say!" + +Shinny got up. "Tomorrow, same time, same place," he said, hurrying out +the door. + +Roger finished the bottle of Martian fizz, suddenly very depressed. He +didn't really want the false papers. He just wanted to get away from the +deadly humdrum existence on Spaceman's Row. He walked wearily back to +his scrubby little bedroom to wait for night to come. He hated to go +back to the room, because he knew he would think about Tom and Astro and +the Space Academy. Now he couldn't allow himself to think about it any +more. It was past. Finished. + + +"You got _who_?" asked Loring. + +"I said I got the best astrogator in the deep for ya!" snapped Shinny. + +Loring looked at Mason and then suddenly burst out laughing, dropping +his head on the table. + +"What's the matter with you?" demanded Shinny. "You got space fever or +something?" + +Mason, sitting quietly in the dirty hotel room, was grinning from ear to +ear. + +"So you got Manning for us, eh?" repeated Loring at last. "I wanta tell +you something, Shinny. I was the one that got that kid to break outta +that space station!" + +"You what?" asked Shinny. The little spaceman had come to like the +straightforwardness of Roger. + +"That's right," said Loring. "When Mason and me loused up taking over +the _Annie Jones_, that kid, Manning, was on the radar watch at the +station. At the same time we were gonna crash into the station he +crossed a coupla wires and was talking to his girl back on Earth! They +think _he_ fouled up the radar and caused the crash!" + +"Then he's your fall guy," commented Shinny thoughtfully. + +"Right," said Loring. "And now you come along and tell us that we can +get him to astrogate us out to Tara! I tell ya, Mason, this is the +greatest gag I've heard in years!" + +"Yeah," agreed Mason, his weak mouth still stretched in a stupid grin, +"but you have to be careful he never finds out it was us that got him +into all his trouble!" + +"Leave that to me," said Loring. "He'll never know a thing. In fact, +he'll thank us for getting him off the station and then giving him a +chance to get back in space." He turned to Shinny. "You got the ship?" + +"I told you before," said Shinny, "there ain't anything to be had." + +"Well, we gotta have a ship," said Loring. "A fortune waiting for us in +the deep and no space wagon to go get it!" + +"There _is_ a ship," said Shinny. "Not too good, but a spaceship." + +"Where?" asked Loring. + +"Near Venusport. Out in the jungles, to be exact. Needs a little fixing, +but it'll make a deep space hop well enough." + +"Who does it belong to?" demanded Loring. + +"Me," said Shinny, a strange twinkle in his eyes. + +"_You?_" gasped Loring. "By the craters of Luna, where did you get a +spaceship?" + +"Fifteen years ago a freighter was forced down in the jungles right near +Venusport," said Shinny. "I was prospecting near by for pitchblende, +back when everybody thought Venus was loaded with it. I saw the crew +leave in jet boats. Soon as they was out of sight I went over to take a +look. I wanted to see if there was any grub I could swipe and save +myself a trip back to Venusport for more supplies. Anyway, I went aboard +and found the grub all right, but I got nosy about why they had made an +emergency touchdown. I looked around the power deck and found they had +busted their reaction timer. I got the idea then of fixing it up and +bringing it back to Venusport to give them young jerks a surprise. I +lifted her off the ground and then figured why should I give it back? +Just move it someplace else and let the vines and creepers grow over it +for a few days." + +"Didn't the crew come back looking for it?" asked Loring. + +"Did they?" chortled Shinny. "I'll say they did! Almost drove them poor +fellers crazy. I guess they searched for that old wagon for three months +before giving up." + +"And--and you mean it's still there--and in good condition?" asked +Loring. + +"Needs a little fuel," said Shinny, "and probably a good overhaul, but I +don't think there's anything serious the matter with it." + +"By the craters of Luna," exclaimed Loring, "we'll blast off +immediately!" + +"Hold on," said Shinny. "I didn't say I'd give it to you." + +"Well, what do you want for it?" demanded Loring. + +"Now let me see," mused Shinny. "I figure that if _you_ figure to get as +much as twenty million credits out of the copper, a full quarter share +ought to be about right." + +"Five million credits for a--a ship that's been rotting in the jungle +for fifteen years!" exclaimed Loring. + +"She's in good shape," defended Shinny. "I go out there every six months +or so and turn over the reactors just to keep 'em from getting rusty." + +"Why didn't you try to do something with it before?" asked Loring. + +"Never had no occasion to," answered Shinny. "Well, is it a deal, or +isn't it?" + +"Too much," snapped Loring. + +"That's my price," said Shinny. + +"I could take the ship and not give you anything," sneered Loring. + +"If the Solar Guard looked for three months in that jungle, with a +hundred men and instruments, do you think you'll find it?" + +"I'll give you a fifth share," said Loring. + +"Nope," said Shinny, "I've named my price. You either take it or leave +it!" He glared at Loring. + +Mason finally spoke. "Take it, Loring," he said, "and let's get out of +here. I'm getting jittery over that investigation that's coming up on +the station." + +"All right," said Loring, "it's a deal. One quarter share for the ship." + +"Done!" said Shinny--"Now I guess we'd better go talk to that boy +Manning, eh?" + +"Don't you think it'll be a little dangerous taking him along?" whined +Mason. + +"Yeah, maybe you're right," said Loring. + +[Illustration] + +"If it was me," said Shinny, "I wouldn't give it a second thought. +You're going into _deep_ space. It ain't like a hop to Mars or Titan. +This is as deep as you can go. If I was you, I'd want the best there is +in my crew. And from what I've heard about that young feller, he's the +best there is on the radar bridge. You know who his father was?" + +"Who?" asked Mason. + +"Ken--" Shinny suddenly closed his mouth tight. "Just another spaceman," +he said, "but a good one!" He rose quickly. "Well, I'm supposed to meet +Manning in an hour at the Cosmos." + +[Illustration] + +The three men left the dingy hotel and walked out into the main street +of Spaceman's Row. In a few moments they arrived at the Cafe Cosmos. +Roger was already there, seated at the same table and watching the +door. When he saw Loring and Mason with Shinny, he eyed them warily. + +"Hiya, kid!" greeted Loring. "Glad to see you took my advice and got +away from 'Blast-off' Connel." Mason waved a salute, and the three men +sat down. + +Roger ignored Loring and Mason, speaking directly to Shinny. "Did you +complete our deal?" he asked softly. + +"Nope," answered Shinny. "I brought you another one instead." + +Roger held out his hand. "My one hundred credits--_now!_" + +"Never mind the credits, kid," said Loring, "we've got more important +things to talk about." + +Roger continued to look at Shinny, his palm outstretched on the top of +the table. "One hundred credits," he repeated coldly. + +Reluctantly, Shinny handed over the money. Slowly, carefully, Roger +counted the bills, and then, after putting them away, he turned to face +Loring for the first time. + +"You said you have something important to discuss with me?" he drawled. + +"I see you learned fast, kid!" said Loring with a crooked smile. "I +wouldn't trust Shinny as far as I could throw a comet!" + +Mason laughed loudly. The other three merely glared at him, and he +stopped abruptly. + +"Here's the proposition, Manning," said Loring, leaning across the +table. "I've gotta ship and I wanta make a hop into deep space. I want +you to do the astrogation!" + +"I'm interested," said Roger. "Keep talking." + +Briefly Loring described the copper satellite, its potential value, and +what they expected to get out of it. Roger listened without comment. +When Loring had finished, Shinny told him about the ship and its +condition. When Shinny finished, Loring turned to Roger. + +"Well, Manning," he asked, "how do you like the setup?" + +"How much do I get out of it?" asked Roger. + +"One twentieth of the take," said Loring. + +"There are four of us. One full quarter-share, nothing less," drawled +Roger. + +"One-fourth to Shinny and one-fourth to him," whined Mason. "That only +leaves us a fourth apiece!" + +"That's more than you've got now," snapped Loring. "All right, Manning, +you're in!" + +Roger smiled for the first time. "When do we blast off?" + +"As soon as we get that space wagon in shape we hit the deep!" said +Loring. + +"I think I need a drink on that," said Shinny. He yelled for the +bartender, who brought rocket juice and Martian fizz. + +Roger picked up the glass of the sweet water and glanced around the +table. + +"What's the name of that space wagon you've got buried in the jungles, +Mr. Shinny?" + +"Ain't got no name," said Shinny. + +Roger paused, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Then +I propose we name her after the hearts of each of us here at the table." + +"What's that?" asked Loring. + +"_Space Devil_," said Roger. + +Shinny grinned, his frail body trembling slightly from his silent +laughter. He held up the glass of rocket juice. + +"I propose a toast to the _Space Devil_!" + +"To the _Space Devil_," said the others together. + +"And whatever trouble she brings," added Roger softly. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 11 + + +"Cadet _Higgins_!" Major Connel's voice roared over the ship's intercom +as the giant rocket cruiser _Polaris_ blasted smoothly through space. + +"Yes, sir," squeaked Alfie in reply. + +"Cadet Higgins," said Connel, "I thought I had requested a sight on the +sun star Regulus at fifteen hundred hours!" + +"You did, sir," replied Alfie. + +"_Then why, by the craters of Luna, don't I have that position?_" + +"I was--busy, sir," came the meek reply. + +"Cadet Higgins," sighed Connel patiently, "would you be so kind as to +come down to the control deck?" + +In the short space of time since their departure from the space station +Major Connel had learned that to scold Cadet Higgins was not the way to +gain his attention. In fact, Major Connel had not been able to find a +way of getting the little cadet's attention in any manner, at any time, +on anything. + +"I can't right now, sir," replied Alfie. + +"What do you _mean_, you can't?" exploded Connel. + +"I mean, sir," explained Alfie, "that I've just sighted Tara and I have +to get a position check on her before we go any farther, to ensure that +we traverse the same trajectory on our return trip and thus avoid the +problem of finding a new and safe route back." + +"Cadet Alfie Higgins"--Connel's voice climbed to a frenzied shriek--"if +you are not on this control deck in ten seconds, I'll personally see +that you are fed to a dinosaur when we touch down on Tara and you'll +never return. _Now get down here!_" + +Tom and Astro, who could hear the conversation over the intercom, were +finding it very difficult to keep from laughing out loud at the +innocence of Alfie and the outraged wrath of Major Connel. + +Tom, particularly, had discovered that Alfie's innocent refusal to be +bullied by Connel had made the time pass more quickly on the long haul +through deep space. More than once he had seen Major Connel rage against +the underweight cadet and become even more frustrated at his childlike +resistance. It had helped Tom forget the empty feeling he experienced +every time he called the radar deck and heard Alfie's mild voice instead +of Roger's usual mocking answer. Astro, too, had managed to forget the +loneliness he felt aboard the great cruiser by watching the antics of +Alfie and Major Connel. More than once he had instigated situations +where Alfie would get caught red-handed in a harmless error, and then he +lay flat on the power deck, laughing until his sides ached, as he +listened to Alfie and Major Connel over the intercom. + +It had helped. Both Tom and Astro admitted it had helped, but it still +didn't take away the dull ache each felt when an occasional remark, +situation, or thought would bring Roger to mind. + +Tom flipped the teleceiver on and waited for the blank screen to show +him Tara. Connel stood to one side, also watching for the image of the +planet to take form on the gray-black screen. A hatch clanked behind +them, and Alfie stepped into the control deck to snap to his version of +attention. + +"Cadet Higgins reporting, sir," he said quietly. + +Connel stepped in front of him, placed his hands on his hips, and bent +slightly, pushing his face almost into Alfie's. + +"Cadet Higgins, I want you to know I have taken all the blasted +space-brained antics I'm going to take from you," said Connel quietly. + +"Yes, sir," replied Alfie blandly. + +"And," said Connel, shaking a finger in Alfie's face, "_and_ if there is +one more--just _one_ more brazen, flagrant disregard of my _specific_ +orders, then, Cadet Higgins, I promise you the most miserable trip back +to Earth you will ever know in your entire career! I promise you I'll +make you sweat! I'll--I'll--" Connel stopped short and shuddered. +Alfie's owl-eyed look of innocence seemed to unnerve him. He tried to +resume his tirade, but the words failed him. He finally turned away, +growling, "Higgins, get up on that radar deck and do as you're told, +_when_ you're told to do it and _not_ when you want to do it! Is that +clear?" + +"Yes, sir," said Alfie meekly. He saluted and returned to the radar +deck. + +"Corbett!" snapped Connel. "If I should appear to be losing control of +myself when addressing Cadet Higgins, you have my official permission to +restrain me. Use force if necessary!" + +Tom bit his lip to keep from laughing and managed to mumble "Yes, sir." +He turned quickly to the control board and began focusing on the planet +lying dead ahead of the decelerating spaceship. They had been slowing +down for several days, since their speed with the added hyperdrive had +been increased greatly. The young cadet adjusted the last dial and the +blue-green planet sprang into clear sharp focus on the screen. + +"Why," gasped Tom. "Sir, look! It's just like Earth!" + +"In more ways than one, Corbett," replied Connel. "What's our range?" + +"I'd say we're close enough to reduce thrust to a quarter regular space +speed, sir." + +"Very well," said Connel. "Now look to the right on the screen. See that +small dark patch over there in the middle of the planet?" + +"Yes, sir," replied Tom. + +"That's where we want to touch down," said Connel. "You stay here on the +control deck and maneuver the ship closer in while I go to the radar +deck and contact Space Academy on the transmitter. I've got to report +that we expect to land soon." + +"Very well, sir," said Tom. He turned and flipped the intercom switch. +"Control deck to power deck," he said. "Check in, Astro." + +"Power deck here," replied Astro. "What's up, Tom?" + +"We just got our first good look at Tara. She's dead ahead. Major +Connel's going to contact Space Academy, and I'm going to maneuver into +our preliminary glide. Stand by for course changes." + +"Make it an easy touchdown. I wanta get home, you know," replied Astro +good-naturedly. + +"O.K.," said Tom. "Better bring her down to one-quarter space speed." + +"Hyper or regular?" asked Astro. + +"Regular!" yelled Tom. "You give me a quarter on hyper and we'll go +right through that planet!" + +"One-quarter regular space speed," replied Astro. + +Tom adjusted his controls for the speed reduction, while keeping his +eyes on the teleceiver screen. He watched the planet grow larger before +his eyes, and the terrain become more distinct. He could see two large +oceans, the green-blue of the water reflecting the sunlight of Alpha +Centauri brilliantly. Nearer and nearer the _Polaris_ plummeted, and Tom +could begin to distinguish the rough outline of mountain ranges along +the horizon line. He switched to a larger view of the planet on the +magnascope that revealed a splendor rivaling the beauty of his own +cherished Earth. + +"We'll be entering the atmosphere in a minute, Alfie," yelled Tom into +the intercom. "Stand by to give range for touchdown." + +"Radar deck, aye," reported Alfie. "Range at present five hundred +miles." + +"Power deck, check in!" yelled Tom. + +"Power deck, aye," returned Astro. + +"All set below?" asked Tom. + +"All set," said Astro. + +"Reduce thrust to minimum!" shouted Tom. + +Deep inside the powerful ship, the roar of the mighty atomic rocket +motors began to fade to a deep growling purr. + +"Control deck to radar deck. Major Connel, sir?" + +"What is it, Corbett?" asked Connel. + +"We're ready for a touchdown. Do you want to take over the bridge?" + +"Can't you do it, Corbett?" asked Connel. + +"Yes, sir!" replied Tom. + +"Then carry on," replied Connel. "I'm having some trouble trying to get +through to the Academy on the transmitter. Can't understand it." There +was a pause. "I have them now, Corbett! You carry on!" he shouted. + +"Aye, aye, sir," said Tom. He turned his attention to the control panel, +checking the many dials and gauges with one sweeping glance, and then +concentrated on bringing the ship to a safe landing on the foreign +planet. His fingers tingled as he reached for the switches that would +bring the ship down on the first intergalactic world he had ever +visited. In a flash, the curly-haired cadet remembered childhood dreams +of doing just what he was doing at this moment, preparing to touch down +on a new world, millions of miles away from his home near New Chicago. + +"Range one hundred miles," reported Alfie over the intercom. + +"Power deck, reduce thrust to absolute minimum!" ordered Tom. "I want as +little sustaining power as you can give me without cutting out +altogether, Astro." + +"Can do!" said Astro. The ship slowed even more, then suddenly picked up +speed again as the gravity of Tara began to tug at the space traveler. + +"Stand by to fire braking rockets!" yelled Tom. He was all nerves now, +sensitive to the throbbing of the great ship's motors, eyes fastened to +the dials and meters on the control panel. There was no time to watch +the scanner view of the onrushing planet now. He had to touch down +blindly, using only his instruments. "Radar bridge, report!" snapped +Tom. + +"Range one thousand feet," reported Alfie, his calm voice in striking +contrast to the nervous excitement in Tom's. "Seven hundred fifty--six +hundred--five fifty--" + +"Fire braking rockets!" rasped Tom into the intercom. + +The great ship bucked under the sudden thrust of the huge braking +rockets. The _Polaris_ held steady for a moment, then gradually, as the +pull of Tara began again, she settled back toward the dark-green +jungles beneath her. + +"Two hundred and fifty feet," reported Alfie. "One hundred and +seventy-five--one fifty--" he droned. + +"Ease her up, Astro," shouted Tom. "Easy! Ease her up, you Venusian +clunk, we're dropping too fast!" + +Once again, from the heart of the _Polaris_, there came a roaring blast +of the powerful motors. The ship steadied once more and then slipped +back into her fall toward the new planet under more sure control. + +"Fifty feet," reported Alfie. "Forty--thirty--twenty--" + +There was a brief pause, as if everything had stopped and they were held +still by a giant hand, and then, suddenly, a rocking motion, a slight +bump and rumble. Tom knew they were down. + +"_Touchdown!_" he yelled at the top of his voice. "Touchdown! We made +it--we made it!" + +From the power deck, quiet except for the whining of the oxygen feed +pump, Astro's bellow could be heard vibrating through the passageways. + +"_Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooowwwwwww!_" + +Tom began shutting off the many circuits and switches and made a quick +last-minute check of the now dead ship. Satisfied, he glanced at the +great solar clock, noted the time in the log, and stepped to the ladder +leading to the radar bridge. + +"Cadet Corbett reporting, sir," said Tom, saluting smartly. "I wish to +report, sir, that the _Polaris_ made touchdown on the planet Tara at +exactly seventeen fifty-nine, solar time!" + +Connel, his great bulk bent over the tiny transmitter, was twirling the +dials, his head encased in a vacuum earphone helmet to ensure perfect +silence. He had acquired the knowledge of lip reading out of necessity +on the power decks of the old chemical burners thirty years before, and +while he couldn't hear what Tom had said, he knew what the report was. + +"Very well, Corbett," he shouted, not being able to judge the volume of +his voice. "Good job! Can't seem to pick them up at the Academy again. +Had them once, then lost them. Am placing you in command of an +expedition for a quick look outside. Arm yourselves with paralo-ray guns +and rifles. Take a jet boat and under no circumstances are you to land. +Dismissed! Oh, yes, one more thing. Take Alfie Higgins along with you +and keep _your eye on him_. Report back in one hour!" + +Tom felt a tingle of excitement run up his backbone as he heard the +tough skipper give him permission to explore the planet. + +He saluted and turned away, Alfie trailing him down the ladder. + +"Hey, Astrooooo!" yelled Tom. "Get number-one jet boat out of the hatch. +We're going for a look-see at this place!" + +Tom went to the gun locker and took out three paralo-ray guns and +rifles. He made sure each of them was fully loaded and then handed them +to Alfie. + +"Put these on the jet boat, Alfie. I'll be along in a minute." + +Alfie took the guns and walked toward the jet-boat catapult deck. Tom +returned to the radar bridge and stood before Connel. + +"Would you see if there is any news of Roger, sir, when you make contact +with the Academy?" + +Connel read the cadet's lips and nodded his head. Tom turned and went +directly to the jet-boat deck. Astro and Alfie waited for him inside. + +"Brought along three space suits, Tom," said Astro. "You can never tell +what we might run into." + +"Good idea," said Tom. + +The three cadets climbed into the jet boat, Tom taking the pilot's seat. +He pushed a release button, and a portion of the _Polaris'_ steel hull +slid back. Tom pressed another button, gripped the wheel of the small +space craft, and stepped on the acceleration pedal. The little red ship +shot out of the open hatch and zoomed over the giant trees. + +Traveling at a slow speed, Tom made a wide arc over the forest, checking +his position against that of the _Polaris_ before losing sight of it. He +pulled the tiny ship up to one thousand feet, leveled off, set the +automatic pilot, and took his first close look at Tara, four and a half +light years from Earth. + +From above, Tara seemed to be a quagmire of reptiles, dinosaurs, and +dense vegetation reaching as high as the gleaming towers of Venusport +and Atom City. Huge trees that spread their branches over an area of a +thousand feet soared skyward, limbs and trunks wrapped in jungle +creepers. Now and then Alfie would grasp Tom or Astro by the arm and +point a wavering finger at a moving animal below, then gasp and fall +back white-faced into his seat. While Tom was inclined to share Alfie's +reactions, Astro took it in stride, having been exposed to the dangers +of wild jungles on his own Venus. + +The tiny jet boat raced out across the blue-green sea that swept up in +giant swells along the snow-white sandy beaches. It was a temptation to +set the small craft down and enjoy the pleasure of a swim after the many +days of cramped, tortured living on the _Polaris_. But Tom remembered +Connel's orders and also had a lot of respect for some of the things he +had seen swimming in the water. + +"Better get back," said Tom. He flipped the audiophone switch in the jet +boat and spoke into a small mike. + +"Jet boat one to _Polaris_. Jet boat one to _Polaris_. Cadet Corbett to +Major Connel." + +There was a crackle of static and then Connel's voice, vibrant and +clear, filled the small cabin. + +"Corbett!" he roared. "By the craters of Luna, I couldn't contact you. +Return to the _Polaris_ on the double!" + +"Is there something wrong, sir?" asked Tom, apprehensive after seeing +the wildness of the jungle below him. + +"Wrong?" blared Connel. "News from Earth--from the Academy! Roger's been +cleared of all charges." + +"Cleared?" stammered Tom. + +"Absolutely! When I sealed the radar bridge after the crash, a security +officer examined the settings on the scanners and transmitting +equipment. They showed that Roger _had_ been on duty at the time--that +he had been tracking the ship as he claimed." + +"Then what was the reason for the crash?" + +"Security isn't sure yet. An acceleration control lever is missing from +the wreckage. And it wasn't broken off as a result of the crash. Now +Loring and Mason are wanted for further questioning." + +Tom looked at his unit-mate, Astro. The big Venusian had his head turned +to one side; he seemed to be staring out over the vast writhing jungle. + +"Astro, did you hear?" asked Tom softly. + +"Yeah," mumbled Astro in a small, choked voice. "Just don't ask me to +turn around." + + + + +CHAPTER 12 + + +"How much longer before we reach the atmosphere of Tara, Manning?" asked +Loring. + +Roger bent over the chart table and quickly measured the distance +between his present position and that of Tara. + +"About two hours," he said, straightening up. + +"Good!" said Loring. "Let me know soon as we get close." + +"O.K.," replied the cadet. + +"Hey, radar deck!" Mason's voice came over the intercom from the power +deck of the _Space Devil_. "Don't forget to let me know when I have to +cut down on thrust!" + +"Take it easy, spaceboy," snapped Roger. "You'll know in plenty of +time!" He turned back to the radar scanner and continued the +never-ending sweep of space ahead. + +After a week of checking and reconditioning the _Space Devil_ in the +wild Venusian jungles, Roger had become more and more disgusted with +himself. Being a wanted spaceman had had its disadvantages on Spaceman's +Row, but working in the steaming jungles, fighting deadly reptiles and +insects, with Loring and Mason on his neck every minute had soured his +appetite for adventure. Several times, when Roger had suggested a +certain part be replaced, Loring and he had argued violently, and Roger +had threatened to quit. Now, after the long tedious trip through space, +Roger's relationship with the others was more strained than ever. The +sure dependability of Tom on the control deck and Astro on the power +deck made the work of Loring and Mason sloppy by comparison. Once, when +Roger had been on radar watch, while the ship roared through the +asteroid belt, collision with a small asteroid had threatened. Roger +ordered a course change, but Mason, who had taken over the power deck, +had been asleep. Luckily, Shinny had been near by, had made the course +change, and saved the ship. Seething with anger, Roger had gone to the +power deck and given the shiftless spaceman a terrific beating. + +Over and over, conflicts had arisen among them as they blasted through +deep space, and always, it seemed to Roger, he was in the middle of it. +The only satisfaction he could find in the hazardous venture was the +prospect of the five million credits. And even this had lost its +excitement in the last few days, as his nerves stretched to the breaking +point. Only the sly humor of Shinny had saved Roger from the monotony of +the long haul through space. + +Roger absently flipped the scanner to its farthest range. He had been +observing the planet Tara for several hours and knew its shape fairly +well. But he suddenly jerked to attention. His hands trembled slightly +as he peered intently at the scope. Finally he slumped back. There was +no doubt about it. On the scanner was a jet boat in flight. + +"Hey, Loring! Shinny! Mason! Get up here on the double!" he yelled into +the intercom. + +"What's up?" demanded Loring. + +"Get up here!" shouted Roger. "We're in for trouble--plenty of trouble!" + +Presently the three spacemen were grouped around the scanner, staring at +the unmistakable outline of a jet boat. + +"By the rings of Saturn," declared Loring, "it must be Connel and his +crew!" + +"What're we going to do?" whined Mason. + +Loring's face darkened. "Only one thing we can do now," he growled. + +"What do you mean?" asked Roger. + +"I mean that we're going to blast them!" Loring snarled. "Connel and +whoever else is with him!" + +"But--but--" stammered Roger, "the _Polaris_ crew is down there!" + +"Listen, Manning!" Loring turned to the cadet. "Have you forgotten that +you're wanted by the Solar Guard? You give that bunch down there a +chance and they'll make you a space crawler on prison rock!" + +"Why--I--" stammered Roger. He knew what Loring had said was the truth. +If it was Connel, there would be no question what would happen to him. +He faced Loring. "What will you do to them?" + +"One well-placed reactant bomb, and they'll never know a thing!" sneered +Loring. + +"But you don't have any bombs aboard," said Roger. + +"A little of the fuel and I can build one easily enough," replied +Loring. He turned to Mason. "Go below and suit up to go into the +reaction chamber," he ordered. "Get an extra lead suit out. I'll go in +and help you. And find something we can use for a trigger and a fuse." +He smiled at Roger. "It might be a little crude, but it'll be fancy +enough for what we want. I'm going to blast the _Polaris_ from here back +to your sweet little Space Academy!" + +Mason and Loring left the radar bridge while Shinny and Roger watched +the white blip of the jet boat. + +"That could be Tom and Astro in that jet boat," said Roger softly to +himself. + +"I guess I'd better stand by the power deck while we maneuver," said +Shinny. "We wanta stay hidden until Loring and Mason get that thing +ready." + +Roger nodded, and Shinny disappeared. + +Maneuvering cautiously, Roger brought the _Space Devil_ around to the +night side of Tara opposite to the landing site of the _Polaris_. + +Four hours later Loring and Mason came out of the reactant chamber +carrying a small lead box. They placed it gently on the deck and began +taking off their lead suits. Roger and Shinny stared at the box. + +"There she is," said Loring. "Not much to look at, but there's enough +juice in there to blast the _Polaris_ into space junk!" + +"Wait a minute, Loring!" said Roger. "There'll be no killing! No one +gets hurt!" + +"Got a squeamish stomach, eh, kid?" Loring laughed. He slapped Mason on +the back. "Our little Space Cadet is suddenly worrying about his +friends. The same friends that wanted to send him away to the prison +asteroid." + +"Blast the ship if you want," said Roger coldly, "but don't hurt the +crew!" + +"Listen, Manning!" snarled Loring. "If the crew gets hurt it ain't my +fault. If they're in the ship, that's tough. If not, then that's O.K. +with me. I ain't sending them any letter telling them I'm going to +blast their ship and then have them come up after me with a space +torpedo!" + +Roger didn't answer. He turned away and climbed back to the radar +bridge. Loring followed him up the ladder. + +"Don't get any ideas about warning your buddies, Manning, 'cause if you +do, I'll blast you before I blast them!" + +"Don't worry," replied Roger. "It's daytime on the other side of Tara +now, where the _Polaris_ is. The crew might be out on a scouting mission +or making observations away from the ship. There's less chance of their +being on the ship. If we're going to do it, let's get it over with!" + +"O.K. with me," said Loring. "Take this wagon up toward Alpha Centauri a +little way. Coming out of the sun, they won't see us. We'll use one of +the jet boats to deliver our little present. I'll set the fuse, put the +jet boat on automatic, and aim it right for the _Polaris_." + +"All right," agreed Manning reluctantly. He turned to the chart table, +plotted a course, and issued orders to Shinny at the controls and to +Mason on the power deck. Soon the _Space Devil_ was blasting away from +the night side of the planet, heading toward the sun. When they reached +an altitude of a thousand miles above the surface of the planet, Loring +maneuvered the jet boat into position outside the ship and placed the +crude reactant bomb inside. Ready, he gave Roger the signal to make the +run out of the sun toward the _Polaris_. Roger relayed the orders to +Shinny and Mason, and the _Space Devil_ rocketed back toward the planet +again. + +Loring, sitting inside the jet boat, waited until they had reached an +altitude of five hundred miles. + +"All right, Manning," said Loring, "give me the course!" + +Roger calculated the rotational speed of the planet, the _Space Devil's_ +altitude, and the speed of the jet boat. He drew a line between the +_Space Devil_ and _Polaris_, checked it on the astro compass, and +reached for the intercom mike. He ran a dry tongue over his lips and +called out the course. + +"Course is one forty-three--" He caught himself and stared at the chart. +Suppose Tom or Astro or anyone was near the ship? Even if he missed by +several hundred yards, the bomb would certainly be fatal. If he only +changed the course one degree, at a range of five hundred miles, it +would miss the _Polaris_ by several miles. And Loring wouldn't be able +to see anything because of the dust cloud. + +"Course corrected," said Roger. "New course is one forty-two!" + +"One forty-two!" repeated Loring. + +Roger sat back and waited for the small space craft to blast off from +the ship. In his mind, he saw Loring setting the trigger on the bomb, +adjusting the controls, setting the automatic pilot, and then pressing +the acceleration button. Roger gripped the sides of the chart table and +stared at the radar scanner. A fast-moving blip was streaking across its +surface. Loring had started the jet boat. + +His eyes showing his great fear, Roger watched the blip as it sped down +like a maddened hornet toward the _Polaris_ resting on its directional +fins in the green jungle. He could hear the hatch slam closed below as +Loring re-entered the ship, but he continued to watch the rapidly moving +blip. + +Suddenly it disappeared, and Roger knew it had reached Tara. He slumped +back in his chair. His eyes were glassy, his ears deaf to the roar of +triumph from below as Loring and Mason, watching the flight of the jet +boat on the control deck teleceiver screen, saw it explode. Roger +couldn't move. He had fired a reactant bomb at Tom and Astro. + + +"By the craters of Luna," roared Connel, "we've been attacked!" + +The four Earthmen, exploring a valley several miles north of the +_Polaris_, had been thrown to the ground when the bomb landed. Connel's +reaction was immediate and decisive. + +"Get into the jet boat! All of you! We've got to get back to the +_Polaris_! If our ship is smashed, we'll spend the rest of our lives +fighting this jungle!" + +In a matter of seconds the four spacemen were rocketing over the jungle +toward the _Polaris_. Presently they came to an enormous dust cloud that +had mushroomed out over the trees. It was so thick Tom found it +difficult to pilot the small craft. + +"Any danger of radioactivity in this dust, sir?" asked Astro. + +"Always that possibility, Astro," answered Connel. "We'll know soon +enough!" He flipped on a built-in Geiger counter on the dashboard of the +jet boat, and immediately the cabin was filled with a loud ticking that +warned of danger. + +"The count is up to seven fifty, sir," said Astro. "Not enough to bother +you unless you're in it a long time." + +"There's the _Polaris_, sir," yelled Tom. "She's still on her +directional fins! They missed her! She's O.K.!" + +"By the blessed rings of Saturn, she is!" exclaimed Connel. "Go on, Tom, +give this baby the gun! If we have to die, let's die like spacemen, in +space, fighting with spaceman's weapons, not crawling around here in the +jungle like worms!" + +The three boys smiled at their skipper's rousing statement. "This is the +time," thought Tom, "when I'd rather have Major Connel in command than +anyone else in the Solar Guard." If there was to be a fight, then they +certainly had found the man who knew how to do just that! Fight! + +[Illustration] + +Tom swooped over the treetops recklessly, and fearing the blast had +damaged the jet-boat air lock, brought the small craft to rest in the +blinding dust a few yards away from the _Polaris_. + +Three minutes later the four spacemen had separated and were standing by +their respective posts. Hasty but thorough checks were made to determine +the damage, and finding none, they prepared to raise ship. + +"All clear forward and up," Alfie reported in a high squeaking voice. + +"Energize the cooling pumps," shouted Tom. + +Astro had already started the mighty pumps, their vibrations rocking the +ship, and Tom began counting the seconds. + +"Stand by to raise ship. Minus +five--four--three--two--one--_zeeroooooo!_" + +Paying scant attention to the crush of sudden acceleration, Tom gave the +ship all the power she could take for the climb out of Tara's +atmosphere, and soon they were rocketing through the airless void of +space. Alfie and Connel hurriedly swept the area with the radar scanner +for the attacking intruder. + +"There she is!" roared Connel. "There!" He placed a finger on a white +blip on the scanner. "By the craters of Luna, that's an Earth ship!" The +fear of an outer-space invasion by hostile people from another world had +been in the back of his mind, but he had been reluctant to voice his +fears in front of the cadets. "And she's an old one at that!" he +exclaimed. "Not even armed. I know that class vessel. Corbett!" he +shouted. + +"Aye, aye, sir," replied Tom. + +"Put the ship on automatic flight, attack-approach pattern number three. +Then stand by to send a message to whoever's manning that ship!" + +"Aye, aye, sir!" replied Tom. He hurriedly set the delicate device that +would fly the ship in a preplanned course of zigzag maneuvers and opened +the circuits of the teleceivers. + +"All set for the message, sir," reported Tom. + +"Tell them," said Connel heavily, his voice cold, "whoever they are, +that I'll give them two minutes to surrender. If they don't, I'll blast +them into protons!" + +"Very well, sir," said Tom. He turned to the teleceiver and began +twirling the dials. + +"Attention! Attention! Rocket cruiser _Polaris_ to spaceship X. +_Polaris_ to spaceship X. You are ordered to surrender within two +minutes or we will attack. By order of Major Connel, Senior Line +Officer, Solar Guard." + +He switched the teleceiver for reception and waited. In a moment the +screen blurred and then an image appeared. Tom gasped. It was Roger! + +"Tom, Tom," yelled Roger. "Tom, this is me--Roger!" + +"Roger! What're you doing out here? How'd you get here?" + +"I can't explain now," said Roger. "I--I--" + +Tom interrupted him. "Roger, you've been cleared! The investigation of +the crash on the station proved that Loring and Mason are guilty. +They're wanted for the crash and the deaths of Jardine and Bangs!" + +"What! You mean--" stammered Roger. + +"Yes. Loring and Mason did the whole thing!" supplied Tom. + +"Look, Tom," pleaded Roger, "give me ten minutes. Don't fire for ten +minutes! I'm going to try an idea. If I'm not successful, then open up +and blast us back to Mars!" + +"Roger, wait!" shouted Tom. "What's going on? What're you doing on that +ship?" + +"I can't talk now," answered Roger. "Loring and Mason are on the ship +with me. Remember--ten minutes--and if I don't contact you, then open +fire!" + + + + +CHAPTER 13 + + +Roger flipped off the teleceiver. He stared at the darkened screen and +began estimating the chances of success for a plan he had in mind. +Deciding that, regardless of what happened, he had to take over the +ship, he got up and turned toward the hatch and the gun locker. He +stopped cold. Loring stood framed in the doorway, a paralo-ray gun in +each hand. + +"Just stand right where you are, spaceboy!" snapped Loring. "You want +ten minutes, huh? Ten minutes for what? I thought there was something +funny going on when we missed the _Polaris_ with that bomb!" + +"You knew all along I didn't have anything to do with that crash back on +the station, didn't you?" shouted Roger. His eyes blazed angrily. + +"Yeah. So what?" growled Loring. "Hey, Mason," he yelled over his +shoulder, "get up here in a hurry! We gotta work fast!" + +"What are you going to do?" asked Roger. + +"You're still valuable to us, Manning," said Loring with a crooked grin. +"You're going to ensure our getting what we came after!" + +Mason stepped through the door. "Yeah, Loring?" + +Loring quickly told him of Roger's attempt to work with Connel. + +"Take our spaceboy down below and lock him in a storage compartment." He +handed over one of the paralo-ray guns, and Mason shoved the muzzle into +Roger's stomach. + +"Get moving, Manning!" he snarled. "I'd like nothing better than to let +you have it right now!" + +Roger smiled, knowing Mason still harbored a grudge for the beating he +had taken earlier on the trip. + +"When you have him locked up, get back on the control deck," said +Loring. "We're going to do some old-fashioned bargaining with +'Blast-off' Connel!" + +"Bargaining?" exclaimed Roger. + +"Yeah! One slightly used Space Cadet for what we came after--the copper +satellite!" + +"Connel won't bargain," said Roger. "Not for me, not for anything. You +don't know him!" + +"I know this, Manning!" said Loring. "I'm going to get on the teleceiver +and tell Connel that if he doesn't blast away from here _right now_, +you're a dead Space Cadet!" He jerked his head toward the door. "All +right, take him below and tell Shinny to stand by on the power deck. In +case Connel won't bargain, we'll have to make a run for it!" + +"Right," said Mason as he shoved the paralo-ray gun deeper into Roger's +stomach. "Move, Manning!" + +Roger climbed down the ladder and through the long passageway of the +_Space Devil_. He passed Shinny on the way down. + +"What's going on here?" demanded Shinny, seeing Mason with the +paralo-ray gun. + +"We missed with the bomb," said Mason, "and Connel raised ship. He's +ready to blast us if we don't surrender right away. Loring's trying to +make a deal with him." + +"What kind of a deal?" asked Shinny. + +"Hot-shot Manning for the satellite!" + +"He hasn't told you everything, Mr. Shinny," said Roger in his casual +drawl. "They are the ones who caused the crash of the _Annie Jones_ and +the deaths of Jardine and Bangs. They framed me!" + +"Then," mused Shinny, "you're cleared?" + +"Yeah," growled Mason, "he's cleared! Cleared for a long swim in space +if Connel doesn't do what Loring tells him! Get in there!" Mason shoved +Roger into the cramped storage compartment. He locked the door and +turned to Shinny. + +"Loring wants you to stand by the power deck in case Connel won't play +ball. We might have to make a run for it." + +"Yeah, yeah," said Shinny, "I'll stand by the power deck." + +Mason turned and walked away. Shinny followed him, a curious gleam in +his eyes. + +Up on the control deck, Loring was twisting the dials in front of the +teleceiver screen. + +"_Space Devil_ to _Polaris_--_Space Devil_ to _Polaris_--come in, +_Polaris_." He twisted another dial and watched the darkened screen +anxiously. After a moment the screen blurred, and Tom's face gradually +came into sharp focus. + +"Loring!" gasped Tom. "Where's Roger?" + +"Never mind him, you punk!" snarled Loring. "Tell that fatheaded Connel +I wanta talk to him! Make it fast!" + +Tom's face disappeared to be replaced by the raging features of Major +Connel. "You murdering space rat!" he roared. "I've given you two +minutes to surrender and, by the craters of Luna, you've only got thirty +seconds left!" + +"It'll only take ten seconds to tell you that if you don't get outta +here Cadet Manning gets blasted!" + +"What?" roared Connel. + +"That's right," snarled Loring. "You're the one that's got thirty +seconds to get out of here, or Manning takes a swim in space!" + +"Why, you--" Connel's face was twisted with rage. "You can't threaten +me!" + +"I ain't threatening you," said Loring, "_I'm telling you!_ If you don't +get started, you'll never see Manning again. Or if you do, you won't +recognize him! Now make up your mind, Connel!" + +The Solar Guard officer hesitated. "Give me two minutes," he said, "and +I'll call you back. Two minutes." + +"Two minutes," repeated Loring, "and if I don't hear from you by then, +or if you try any funny stuff, Manning gets it!" + +Aboard the _Polaris_, the screen darkened, and Connel, his fists +clenched, turned to Tom. + +"We're helpless, Tom," he said softly. "Now that we have proof of +Roger's innocence, I have to do everything in my power to save him." + +Tom didn't say anything. Suddenly Connel smashed one huge fist into +another. "But by the blessed rings of Saturn, when I _do_ get my hands +on that Loring, I'll--I'll--" He broke off suddenly and turned back to +the teleceiver. "I'm going to do what he wants, Tom. Roger's life is +worth a dozen like Loring, and we'll have to take a chance that Loring +will keep his word. After all," continued the big officer softly, "our +mission is complete. We've tested the transmitter and found it to be +more than we expected. No real reason why we should stay around here any +longer." + +"Yes, sir," stammered Tom. "Sir, I--I--" + +Connel waved him silent with his hand. "You don't need to say anything, +Tom. It's just one of those things. Still I can't help wondering what +they came out here for." He turned to the dials on the teleceiver and +began twisting them. "I'll call him, and you stand by to blast out of +here." + + +Nicholas Shinny sat on the power deck and listened to Loring issue +orders over the intercom. + +"I don't know if Connel will go for it, or not," said Loring, "but just +in case he doesn't, we gotta get outta here fast! You got that, Shinny?" + +"Yeah," answered Shinny, "I got it!" + +"Mason," yelled Loring, "you take over on the radar bridge!" + +"All ready up here," said Mason. + +"Well, be sure we've got a clear trajectory out. Better take us into the +sun Alpha Centauri. That way, maybe they'll miss us on their radar. The +sun will show all sorts of blips on their screen." + +"O.K.," said Mason. "You think he'll go for it?" + +"I don't know," answered Loring, "but if he doesn't, it's going to be +space dust for Manning." + +Shinny got up and walked around the deserted power deck. His legs felt +weak. The plan he had made was a desperate one. Over and over, he +checked the operation in his mind. It would have to be quick, sure, and +sudden. That was the only thing that would ensure success. "Yes, sir," +he thought, "if we can surprise 'em, we can get away with it." He dug +out a piece of chewing tobacco, took a bite, eyed the remaining piece, +and then shoved the whole thing in his mouth. His cheek bulged. + +He went to the intercom and flipped it on. "Hey, Loring," he yelled. +"I've got to check the timer on number-three rocket. She's not acting +just right. It'll take me about a minute." + +"O.K.," came Loring's reply, "but make it snappy." + +The timers were to the left of the control board, but Shinny turned to +the right and the ladder leading to the lower deck. He eased the hatch +open, glanced around, and then climbed down quickly. He stopped at a +locker, opened the doors quietly, and took out two paralo-ray guns and +two rifles. Then, closing the doors, he made his way to the opposite +side of the ship. + +"Hey, Manning!" he whispered through the closed storeroom hatch. "Can ya +hear me?" + +"Who is it?" asked Roger. + +"Me--Shinny," hissed the wizened spaceman. He opened the hatch and Roger +quickly stepped out. + +"What's the idea?" gasped Roger when Shinny shoved a rifle and pistol +into his hands. + +"I ain't got time to explain now," said Shinny. "We've got to hurry if +we're going to take over this tub." + +Roger's eyes glowed. "You mean--" + +"Never mind what I mean," said Shinny. "Just listen. Loring's on the +control deck and Mason's on the radar bridge. Loring's just talked to +Connel. He's trying to make him blast outta here. If Connel doesn't, +Loring's going to dump you in space!" + +"Yeah, I know. That murdering space crawler!" snarled Roger. He gripped +the rifle tightly. "I'll blast him--" + +"Now wait a minute," hissed Shinny. "You go up and get Loring, see? Make +it look like you got out by yourself. If you can handle him, O.K. I'll +stay in back, and if anything goes wrong, I'll back you up!" + +"Fine," said Roger. He patted the spaceman on the back and smiled. +"Don't worry, Mr. Shinny, nothing will go wrong!" + +"Watch your step. That Loring is a smart cookie!" + +Roger turned into the passageway and made his way silently to the +control-deck hatch. He peered around the edge of the hatch and saw +Loring sitting in front of the teleceiver screen, his back toward Roger. +The cadet quickly stepped into the control room, leveled the rifle, and +said quietly, "All right, Loring, keep your hands in view!" + +Loring spun around and stared openmouthed at Roger. "Mann--" he gasped. + +"Yeah, me!" said Roger. "Call Mason and tell him to come down here on +the double. But one wrong move, Loring, and I'll give you a quick freeze +with this ray gun!" + +Moving slowly, Loring turned to the intercom and flipped the switch. +"Hey, Mason," he yelled. "Come down here a minute, will ya?" + +"What do you want?" growled Mason. "I've got to figure out this course." + +Roger stepped close to Loring, raising the gun. + +Loring licked his lips and turned back to the intercom. "Don't gimme any +back talk! I said get down here!" + +Suddenly the teleceiver came to life. "_Polaris_ to _Space Devil_! Come +in, Loring! This is Major Connel on the _Polaris_ calling Loring on the +_Space Devil_!" + +The suddenness of the voice startled Roger, and for a split second he +took his eyes off Loring. In that instant Loring leaped for the boy, +grabbing at the rifle. The quickness of his lunge caught Roger off guard +and he was thrown back against the bulkhead, but he held onto the rifle +as Loring tried to twist it out of his grasp. + +"What th--" cried Mason from the ladder leading to the radar bridge. +When he saw Roger and Loring struggling, he grabbed for the paralo-ray +gun at his side. Just at that moment Shinny stepped through the hatch +and fired his rifle. Mason was frozen into a rigid statue, unable to +move. + +"All right, Loring," yelled Shinny, "step back or I'll blast you like I +did Mason!" + +Roger wrenched the rifle out of Loring's grasp and stepped back. "Good +work, Mr. Shinny!" he said to the little spaceman. "You sure figured it +right!" + +"Attention! Attention! This is Connel on the _Polaris_. Come in, +Loring ..." + +Shinny looked over at Roger and winked. "Better answer him, while I get +this joker locked up." He motioned to Loring who stood backed up against +the bulkhead, his hands high over his head. + +"You dirty double-crossing space rat!" he snarled at Shinny. + +"Now, now, none of that," said Shinny, leveling the rifle. "If you get +too noisy, I'll freeze you like I did Mason to keep your trap shut!" + +Loring cast a sidelong glance at Mason, who stood as if carved out of +marble. The effects of the ray blast were devastating, having paralyzed +his entire nervous system. While the victim was still able to breathe +and his heartbeat remained normal, he was unable to move so much as an +eyelid. The gun was developed after all lethal weapons had been outlawed +by the Solar Alliance. Though any victim could be released from its +paralyzing effect by a neutralizing charge from the same gun, while +under its power the victim was reduced to a state of mild hysteria. He +was able to hear, see, and think, but not to act. When released, it was +not unusual to see a man crumple to the floor from exhaustion. + +[Illustration: _Mason was frozen into a rigid statue, unable to move_] + +Loring marched meekly in front of Shinny to the storage room that had +held Roger. The cadet spaceman remained on the control deck. He twisted +the dials of the teleceiver and spoke into the mike. + +"_Space Devil_ to Major Connel. Come in! This is Manning on the _Space +Devil_ calling Major Connel ..." + +"Manning!" shouted Connel. "I thought you were a prisoner!" + +"Ah, it was nothing, skipper," said Roger blandly. "I just took over the +ship--with a little help, of course!" + +"A little help?" asked Connel. "From whom?" + +Roger then gave the officer a complete review of what had happened to +him since leaving the space station, finishing with Shinny's aid in his +escape. + +"Why would he want to help you?" asked Connel. + +"I don't know, sir," replied Roger. + +"Well, never mind," said Connel. "I suppose you two can handle that ship +all right between you. Land on Tara as soon as you can. I'll get the +details then!" + +"Aye, aye, sir," replied Roger. Then, just before breaking contact, he +yelled into the mike, "Hey, Astro--Tom! See ya in a few minutes!" + +As the teleceiver screen darkened, Shinny reappeared. He had released +Mason from the effects of the ray charge, and both Mason and Loring were +safe in the storage room. He walked over and slapped Roger on the back. + +"Well, it looks like we did it, sonny boy!" he said. + +Roger turned to look at the wizened spaceman who still was chewing on +the plug of tobacco. "What made you do this for me, Mr. Shinny?" asked +Roger quietly. + +"Tell ya a little secret," said Shinny, with a merry twinkle in his eye. +"I was in the Solar Guard for twenty years. Enlisted man. Got into an +accident and hurt my leg, but it wasn't in the line of duty, so I was +tossed out without a pension. Ever since then I been kinda bitter, you +might say. And, strangely enough, it was Major Connel that kicked me +out." + +"But you--you--" gasped Roger. + +"Let's just say," said Shinny with a smile, "that once you're a Solar +Guardsman, you're always a Guardsman. Now, how about getting this wagon +down to Tara?" + +"Yeah, yeah, sure," said Roger absently, his eyes trailing after the +small limping figure. Once a Solar Guardsman, always a Guardsman, he +thought. Smiling, he turned to the control board. He felt the same way. +He was a Guardsman, and it was good to be back home! + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 14 + + +Major Connel paced nervously in front of the group of spacemen. Tom, +Roger, Astro, Alfie, and Mr. Shinny were lounging around the small +clearing between the _Polaris_ and the _Space Devil_. A piece of thin +space cloth had been stretched between the two ships to shield the men +from the blazing sun. Connel stopped in front of Roger and Shinny. + +"And you say the satellite is three-quarters solid copper?" asked +Connel. + +"Yes, sir," replied Roger, "at least that's what Loring and Mason told +us." + +"Where is it?" asked Connel. "I mean, where exactly?" + +"I spotted her coming in, sir," replied Roger. "I'd say she was about +three hundred thousand miles outside of Tara in perfect orbit." + +"By the blessed rings of Saturn," exclaimed Connel, "it's almost too +good to be true! The whole Solar Alliance needs copper desperately. And +if what you say is true, that's enough to last for a hundred and fifty +years!" + +"Didn't you have any idea they discovered it, sir?" asked Tom. "I mean, +when they took that unauthorized flight on your first trip out here?" + +"Didn't suspect a thing, Tom," replied Connel. "I thought they had +gotten a little space rocky on some homemade rocket juice and just went +on a wingding. Imagine the colossal nerve of those two wanting to corner +the market with the largest deposit of copper ever found." + +"How do you plan to get it back, Major?" asked Shinny. + +"I don't know, Shinny--" + +"_Mr._ Shinny!" snapped the wizened spaceman. "_I'm_ not one of your +cadets!" + +"Still the hotheaded rocket buster, eh?" asked Connel, eying the +toothless spaceman. "It was the same thing that got you kicked out of +the Solar Guard twenty years ago!" + +"Wasn't either! And you know it!" snapped Shinny. "You retired me +because I busted my leg!" + +"That helped," said Connel, "but the main reason was because you were +too hotheaded. Couldn't take orders!" + +"Well," said Shinny doggedly, "I ain't in no Solar Guard now, and when +you talk to me, it's _Mr._ Shinny!" + +"Why, you old goat!" exploded Connel. "I ought to arrest you for aiding +criminals!" + +"You can't do a thing to me," barked Shinny. "Prospecting is +prospecting, whether it's in the asteroid belt or out here on Tara!" + +Unable to hold back any longer, the four space cadets suddenly roared +with laughter at the sight of the two old space foes jawing at each +other. Actually, Connel and Shinny were glad to see each other. And when +they saw the boys doubled up with laughter, they couldn't help laughing +also. Finally Connel turned to Roger. + +"Can you find that satellite again?" he asked. + +"Yes, sir!" Roger grinned. + +"All right, then," said Connel finally, "let's go take a look at it. I +still won't believe it until I see it!" + +"Who's hardheaded now?" snorted Shinny, climbing into the _Polaris_. + +Later, as the rocket cruiser blasted smoothly through space, Connel +joined Roger and Alfie on the radar deck. The two cadets were bent over +the radar scanner. + +"Pick her up yet?" asked Connel. + +"There she is, right there, sir," said Roger, placing a finger on a +circular white blip on the scanner. "But the magnascope shows pretty +rugged country. I think we'd better take a look on the opposite side. +Maybe we can find a better place to touch down." + +"Very well, Manning," replied Connel. "Do what you think best. Tell Tom +to land as soon as possible." + +"Aye, aye, sir," replied Roger. + +Leaving Alfie on watch at the scanner, Roger hurried down the ladder to +the control deck where Tom was seated in front of the great board. + +"Tom," called Roger, walking up behind his unit-mate, "we're going to +take a look at this baby on the other side. See if we can't find a +better place to touch down. Stand by to pick up the surface of the +satellite on the teleceiver as soon as we get close enough." + +"O.K., Roger," said Tom. "Where are you going?" + +"Down to Loring and Mason in the cooler! I want to see their faces when +I tell them they finally are getting where they wanted to go, but under +slightly different circumstances!" + +Tom laughed and turned back to the board. "Power deck, check in!" + +"Power deck, aye," replied Astro. "When do we set down on the precious +rock, Tom?" asked the Venusian. + +"Should be soon, Astro," said Tom. "Better stand by for maneuvering." + +"Right!" replied Astro. + +Tom turned his full attention to the control board and the teleceiver +screen above his head. He was happier than he had ever been in his life. +The report sent back to Space Academy by Major Connel had been answered +with a commendation to both Roger and Shinny for capturing Loring and +Mason. With Roger back in the unit, Tom was at peace. Even Alfie was +overjoyed at seeing Roger back aboard the _Polaris_. + +And Tom had noticed that Major Connel was beginning to call them by +their first names! + +"Radar deck to control deck!" said Alfie. "From casual observations, +Tom, the surface of the far side of the satellite is more suitable for a +touchdown. I would suggest you observe the planetoid yourself with the +magnascope and draw your own conclusions." + +"O.K.," replied Tom. He switched the teleceiver screen on to the more +powerful magnascope and studied the surface of the small celestial body. +He saw a deep valley with a flat hard surface set between two tall +cliffs. It would be a tricky spot for a landing, but it looked like the +best place available. Tom snapped open the intercom. + +"Attention! Attention! Stand by for touchdown. Power deck stand by for +deceleration. Radar bridge stand by for range and altitude checks!" +Sharply, crisply, Tom's orders crackled through the ship. + +Working together with the ease and thoroughness of men well acquainted +with their jobs, Astro and Shinny on the power deck, Roger and Alfie on +the radar bridge, and Tom on the control deck handling the delicate +maneuvering, combined to bring the great ship to a safe landing on the +dry valley floor of the satellite. + +"Touchdown!" yelled Tom and began securing the ship. Two minutes later +the entire crew faced Major Connel for briefing. + +"We'll all go out to different parts of the satellite and make +geological tests," announced Connel. "We'll pair off, two to a jet boat. +Astro and Roger, Alfie and Mr. Shinny, Tom and myself. This is a simple +test." He held up a delicate instrument and a vial full of colorless +liquid. "You simply pour a little of this liquid, about a spoonful, on +the ground, wait about five minutes, and then stick the end of this into +the spot where you poured the liquid." He held up a two-foot steel shaft +a quarter inch in diameter, fastened to a clock-face gauge with numbers +from one to a thousand. The other end of the shaft was needle sharp. +"When you stick this into the ground, there'll be a reading on the +meter. Relay it to me. This way well get an estimate of the amount of +copper in a three-mile area for a depth of a hundred feet. It must be +more than two hundred tons per square mile to make it worth while!" + +He held up the testing equipment for all to see and explained its use +once more. Then, giving each team a kit, he ordered them to the jet +boats. + +Just before the crew of Earthmen left the _Polaris_, Connel gave them +last-minute instructions. + +"Report back to the _Polaris_ in one hour. Make as many tests as you can +over as wide an area as possible. Don't forget to leave one man in the +jet boat while the other is making the test. Keep your audio +communicator in the jet boat on at all times. And be sure your belt +communicator is always open. Check your oxygen supply and space suits. +All clear?" + +One by one, the spacemen checked in through the audio communicators that +all was clear. The sliding hatch on the side of the _Polaris_ was +opened, and the jet boats blasted out into the brilliant sunlight of +Alpha Centauri, going in three different directions. + +Tom piloted his small craft over the rugged surface of the satellite, +circling the larger peaks and swooping into the small valleys. Connel +would indicate when it was time to stop, and Tom would set the craft +down. While Connel made the tests, Tom would talk to the others over the +audio communicators. The three small ships covered the satellite quickly +in evenly divided sections, reporting their readings on the needlelike +instrument to Connel, who kept recording the reports on a pad at his +knee. + +An hour later the boats returned to the _Polaris_ and the Earthmen +assembled in the control room. Connel, Tom, and Alfie were busy reducing +the readings of the tests into recognizable copper ton estimates per +square mile. + +Finally Connel turned around, wiped his brow, and faced the others. + +"This is one of the greatest discoveries for Earthmen since they learned +how to blast off!" The big officer paused and then held up the results +of the tests. "This satellite is _really_ three-quarters solid copper!" + +There was a loud mumble as everyone began talking at once. + +"How are we going to get it back home, sir?" asked Tom. "Wouldn't +hauling it back in spaceships cost too much?" + +"Yes, it would, Corbett," answered Connel, "but I've got an idea how we +can lick that problem." + +"Can't see how you can lick it," snorted Shinny, "unless you take the +whole blasted satellite back!" + +"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" answered Connel. + +"What?" exclaimed Roger, momentarily forgetting he was addressing a +senior officer. "How in blazes are you going to do that?" + +Connel turned to the chart-screen projector and switched it on. +Immediately an image of Earth and its Moon, and much farther away the +sun, was visible. Connel stepped to the screen and pointed to Moon. + +"The Moon is a captive satellite of Earth, revolving around Earth the +same way Earth revolves around the sun. It's the same situation we have +here. This satellite is a captive of Tara, and Tara is a captive of +Alpha Centauri. The difference is that the satellite is a peanut +compared in size to the Moon, being only about fifteen miles in +diameter. I'm not sure, but I think I can get enough reactant energy out +of the _Space Devil's_ fuel supply to blast the satellite out of Tara's +grip and send it back to our solar system in one piece!" + +"You mean, sir," asked Tom, perplexed, "you'll tear the satellite out of +Tara's gravitational pull?" + +"That's right, Tom," replied Connel, "using the same principle to clear +gravity that we use on the _Polaris_ or any spaceship. Enough power from +the rockets will blast the _Polaris_ off Tara. Well, if you can get +enough power, you can blast this satellite out of Tara's grip also, +since the only thing holding it here is the gravity of Tara--the same +thing that holds the Moon in orbit around Earth!" + +Astro's eyes bulged. He looked at Connel blankly. "Why, sir," he +stammered, "it'd take--take--a _ton_ of reactant fuel to pull something +that size away from Tara. The _Polaris_ is a kiddy car in comparison!" + +"You're right, Astro," said Connel, "but there's one thing you've +forgotten. The copper of the satellite itself. That's going to be the +main source of power. The reactant fuel from the _Space Devil_ will +serve only as a starter, a trigger, you might say, to make use of the +copper as fuel!" + +Once again Astro gasped. "Then--then--there isn't anything to stop you, +sir," he finished slowly. + +Connel smiled. "I know there isn't. I'm going to contact Space Academy +now for permission to pitch the biggest ball in the history of man!" + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 15 + + +"Well, I'll be a star-gazing lunatic!" exclaimed Roger a few minutes +later. "You really think that you can blast this satellite out of its +orbit?" + +"Not only that, Manning," said Connel with a smile, "but I might be able +to get it back to our sun faster than we could get back ourselves." + +"Why that would be the biggest project ever attempted by man, sir," said +Tom. "You'd be transporting an entire satellite from one star system to +another!" + +"That's right, Corbett," said Connel. "I've just finished talking to +Space Academy and they've given me permission to do anything I think +necessary to accomplish just that. Now pay close attention to me, all of +you. We haven't much time." + +Tom, Roger, Astro, Alfie, and Mr. Shinny gathered in a close circle +around the major on the control deck of the _Polaris_ and watched him as +he drew several rough diagrams on a piece of paper. + +"Getting the satellite back is the trickiest part of the whole +operation. Astro, are you sure you made a correct estimate on the amount +of reactant fuel in the _Space Devil_?" + +"Yes, sir," replied Astro. "I checked it four times, and Mr. Shinny +checked it, too!" + +"All right, then, listen," said Connel. "I've given the satellite a +name. From now on we call it Junior. And this will be known as Junior's +Pitch! I've explained how Junior is a captive satellite revolving around +Tara, the same way our Moon revolves around Earth. We have two problems. +One is to blast it out of Tara's grip. And the other is to take +advantage of Tara's orbital speed around its sun Alpha Centauri, _and_ +Junior's orbital speed around Tara. We've got to combine the velocities +of the orbits, so that when we do spring Junior loose, he'll gain in +speed!" + +"But how do we get the orbital speeds to help us, Major?" asked Alfie. +His glasses had slipped to the very end of his nose. + +"If you'd give the major a chance, he'd tell you, Big Brain," drawled +Roger. Alfie gave Roger a withering look and turned back to the major. + +"Do you remember when you were kids and tied a rock on the end of a rope +and then swung it around your head?" asked Connel. + +"Sure, sorta like a slingshot," said Astro. + +"That's right, Astro," said Connel, "and if you released the rope, the +rock would fly in the direction it was headed, _when you let go_!" + +"I get it," cried Tom excitedly. "The gravity of Tara is the rope +holding Junior--ah"--he fumbled--"making it swing around!" + +"And the reactant power of the _Space Devil_ placed in the right spot +would be the trigger to make it let go!" commented Roger. + +"It's as simple as that, boys!" said Connel with a smile. + +"But how in the blazing beams of the sun are you going to _stop_ that +blasted thing when you get it rolling?" asked Shinny. + +"The chances of Junior hitting anything on the way home are so small it +doesn't present a problem. So we just aim Junior for our solar system! +Later on, arrangements can be made to steer it into an orbit around our +sun." + +"You know," wheezed Shinny, his merry eyes twinkling, "that sounds +pretty neat!" + +"It is," replied Connel. He leaned against the control-board desk top +and folded his arms across his massive chest. He looked at each of the +cadets and Shinny a long time before speaking. Finally he stepped +forward and stood among them, turning now and then to speak directly to +each of them. + +"We have only four days, five hours, and some few minutes to pull Junior +out of Tara's grip, and later, the grip of Alpha Centauri. You boys will +have to work as you've never worked before. You'll do things you never +dreamed you could do. You'll work until your brains ache and your bodies +scream. But when you're finished, you will have accomplished one of +man's greatest challenges. You're going to do all this because I know +you can--and I'm going to see that you do! Is that clear?" + +There was a barely audible "Yes, sir" from the cadets. + +"The six of us, working together, are going to send a hunk of copper +fifteen miles in diameter hurtling through twenty-three million million +miles of space, so let's get that ball rolling. _Right now!_" + +With Major Connel roaring, pleading, and blasting, four young cadets and +a derelict spaceman began the monumental task of assembling the mass of +information necessary for the satellite's big push through space. During +the three days that their project had been under way, Tom, Roger, +Astro, Alfie, and Mr. Shinny worked, as Major Connel promised, as they +had never worked before. + +Late in the afternoon of the third day Connel stepped through the hatch +of the control deck where Tom was busy over a table of ratios for +balancing the amount of thrust from each of the reactant-power units. +The power units were to give Junior its initial thrust out of the +gravity of Tara. + +"Well, Corbett," asked Connel, "how're you making out with the ratios?" + +"I've finished them, sir," replied Tom, looking up at the major. His +face was drawn, his eyes red from lack of sleep. "But I just can't seem +to get a time for escaping the orbit on a true tangent." + +"Have you tried making an adjustment for the overall pull of both +components?" asked Connel. "That of Tara and of Alpha Centauri on +Junior?" He picked up the paper Tom had been working on and glanced over +the figures. + +"Yes, sir," replied Tom, "but I still can't seem to make it come out +right!" + +"You'll get it, Tom," said Connel. "Go over it again. But remember. +Time's running out. Just one day and about twenty hours left." Connel's +voice was friendly--more friendly than at any time Tom could remember. +He smiled, and taking a fresh sheet of paper, he began the complicated +calculations of escape time all over again. + +Connel slipped out of the control room and went below to the power deck, +where Astro and Mr. Shinny had been working without sleep for over fifty +hours. When Connel slipped into the room he found the two men puzzling +over a drawing board. + +"What seems to be the trouble, Astro?" asked Connel. + +Astro turned, startled. "We've tried building that lead baffle for the +reactant units five times now, sir," said Astro. "We're having a hard +time getting the correct amount of reactant power we need in a unit this +small." + +"Maybe you're trying to make it _too_ small, Astro," commented Connel, +looking over the drawing. "Remember, this unit has but one job. To +_start_ the reaction. When the reaction fuel gets hot enough, it'll +start a reaction of the copper on Junior and sustain itself. Try a +smaller amount of the reactant. But whatever you do, keep working. Only +a day and a few hours left." + +Connel looked at Shinny. "Keep him working, Mr. Shinny," he ordered. "I +know he can do it. Just keep him going." + +Shinny grinned and nodded. + +"I'll try, sir," said Astro, shaking his head, "but I won't guarantee +it--" + +Connel cut him off with a roar. "Cadet Astro, I don't want your +guarantee! _I want that unit. Now build it!_" + +Hour after hour the cadets racked their brains for what seemed like +impossible answers to an impossible task. Working until their eyes +closed fast shut, they would lie down right where they were--power deck, +control deck, or radar bridge--and sleep. They would awake, still +groggy, drink hot tea, eat cold sandwiches, and continue their struggle +with time and astrophysics. + +One by one, the problems were solved and set aside for newer ones that +arose on the way. Each cadet worked in his particular field, and all of +their information was assembled and co-ordinated by Major Connel. More +than once, Connel had found the clever minds of his cadets reaching for +answers to questions he knew would have troubled the professors back at +Space Academy. Connel, his eye on the clock, his sharp tongue lashing +out when he thought he detected unclear thinking, raced from one +department to another while the incessant work continued. On the morning +of the fourth day he walked into the radar bridge where Roger and Alfie +had been working steadily for seventy-two hours on an electronic fuse to +trigger the reactant units. + +"There you are, skipper," said Roger. "The fuse is all yours. Delivered +twelve hours ahead of time!" + +"Good work, Roger. You too, Alfie. Excellent!" said Connel, his eyes +appraising the fuse. + +"Ah, that's nothing, skipper," said Roger with a smile. "Anyone could +have done it with Alfie here to help. He's got a brain like a +calculator!" + +"Now, I want to see how smart you two really are!" said Connel. + +"Huh?" asked Roger stupidly. Alfie had slumped to the deck, holding his +head in his hands. + +"I want a communications unit," said Connel, "that can send out a +constant beam, a signal Space Academy can pick up to follow Junior in +transit back to Earth." + +"In twelve hours?" exploded Roger. "Impossible, skipper!" + +"_Cadet Manning_," roared Connel, "I don't want your _opinion_, I asked +for that _unit_!" + +"But one day, sir," said Roger. "Not even a day. Twelve hours. I can't, +sir. I'm sorry. I'm so tired I can't see straight." + +Alfie let out a low moan. + +Connel studied the two cadets. He was aware that he had already asked +them to do the impossible, and they had done it. And they deserved to be +let alone. But Major Connel wasn't himself unless he had given every +ounce of energy he had left, or the energy left in those around him. He +patted Roger on the shoulder and spoke softly. + +"Roger, did I ever tell you that I think you have one of the finest +brains for electronics I've ever seen? And that Alfie is sure to have a +brilliant future in astrophysics?" + +Roger stammered. "Why--ah--thank you, sir--" + +Alfie looked up at Connel and then struggled to his feet. + +"You know, Roger," he said haltingly, "if we took that unit we came out +here to test--you know, the transmitter unit--" + +[Illustration] + +Roger cut him off. "Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. We could +borrow some of the reaction mass that Astro got out of the _Space +Devil_ and use that as a power source." + +Connel backed away from the two cadets and tiptoed off the bridge. He +smiled to himself. He was going to win his race with time yet! And he +was going to do it because he had learned long before that you could +only push a man so far, then you had to sit down, pat him on the back, +tell him how smart he was, and he would push himself. Connel almost +laughed out loud. + +Six hours later Connel sat in his quarters puzzling over one of the many +minor problems of Junior's Pitch when he heard footsteps behind him. He +turned. Astro, Tom, Roger, Alfie, and Shinny walked silently into the +room. Connel stared. + +"Wha--what is it?" he demanded. + +[Illustration] + +"We're finished, sir," said Tom simply. + +"Finished?" exploded Connel. "You mean--" + +"That's what he means, skipper," said Shinny. His eyes were bloodshot +for want of sleep, but there was a merry twinkle left tugging at the +corners. + +"Everything?" asked Connel. + +"Everything, sir," said Roger. "The power units are built and the fuses +installed. All it needs is to be set. Tom's worked out the ratios and +the amount of reactant fuel needed in each unit for escape tangent. The +escape time, combining orbital speeds of Tara and Junior, are completed, +and we have six hours and fifty-five minutes before blast-off!" He +turned and rumpled Alfie's hair. "Alfie and I have completed the +communications unit and have tested it. Junior is ready to get his big +kick in the pants!" + +Connel stood up. He was speechless. It was almost too much to believe. + +"_Get below_," he roared, "and go to sleep! If I catch one of you awake +in five minutes, I'll log you fifty demerits!" + +The tired workers grinned back at their commander. + +"I'll get everything set," said Connel, "and wake you up an hour before +we have to get things ready. Now _hit the sack!_" + +Their grins spreading even wider on their haggard faces, they turned +away. Connel stepped to the desk on the control deck and wrote across +the face of the logbook page. + +"... October 2nd, 2353. Space Cadets Corbett, Manning, Astro, and +Higgins and ex-enlisted spaceman Nicholas Shinny completed this day all +preparation for operation Junior's Pitch. By authority vested in me as +Senior Officer, Solar Guard, I hereby recommend official commendation +of "_well done_" to the above-mentioned spacemen, and that all honors +pursuant to that commendation be officially bestowed on them. Signed, +Connel, Major, SO--SG ..." + +He closed the book and wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of +his hand. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 16 + + +"Well, fellows," said Tom, stifling a yawn, "it looks like we did it. +But I could use some more sleep. That five hours was just enough to get +started on!" + +"Yeah," agreed Roger sourly, "but where does this Venusian lummox get +off grabbing all the credit." He looked at Astro. "If I hadn't built the +fuses for your little firecrackers--" + +"_Firecrackers!_" yelped Astro. "Why, you skinny space fake! If I hadn't +built those nuclear reactors, _you_ wouldn't have anything to set off!" + +Connel appeared in the small messroom of the _Polaris_, his hands full +of papers and drawings. "When you've finished congratulating each other, +I'd like to say a few things!" he snapped. + +"Congratulate _him_?" exclaimed Roger. "Skipper, his head's so thick, +the noise on the power deck can't even reach his eardrums!" + +"Just one more word, Manning," growled Astro, "and I'll take a deep +breath and blow you away!" + +"_One more word out of either of you_," roared Connel, "and I'll throw +you both in the brig with Mason and Loring!" + +Suddenly he glared at the five spacemen. "Who's on prisoner watch +today?" he asked. + +The four cadets and Mr. Shinny looked at each other then at Roger. + +"Uhhh--I am, sir," Roger confessed. + +"I had a sneaking suspicion you would be!" said Connel. "Cadet Manning, +one of the first things an officer of the Solar Guard learns is to care +for the needs of his men and prisoners before himself. Did you know +that, Cadet Manning?" + +"Uhhh--yes, sir. I was just going to--" mumbled Roger. + +"Then go below and see that Mason and Loring get their rations!" + +"Yes, sir," said Roger. He got up and collected a tray of food. + +"All of you report to the control deck in five minutes for briefing," +said Connel and followed Roger out of the door. + +"How do you like that?" said Astro. "We break our backs for the guy and +we're no sooner finished then he starts the old routine again!" + +"That has nothing to do with it, Astro," said Tom. "Put yourself in his +position. We've only got one or two things to think about. He's +responsible for it all." + +"Just like he was when I sailed with him twenty-five years ago," said +Shinny. He swallowed the remains of his tea and reached for a plug of +tobacco. "He's all spaceman from the top of his head to the bottom of +his space boots." + +"I'm rather inclined to agree with you, Tom," said Alfie mildly. +"Leadership carries with it the greatest of all burdens--responsibility +for other peoples' lives. You, Corbett, as a control-deck cadet, would +do well to mark Major Connel's pattern of behavior." + +"Listen," growled Astro, "if Tom ever turned out to be a rocket buster +like Connel--I'd--I'd--" + +"Don't worry, Astro," Tom said, laughing. "I don't think there'll be +another Major Connel in a million light years!" + +Shinny laughed silently, his small frame shaking slightly. "Say it +again, Tommy. Not in the whole universe will there ever be another like +old 'Blast-off' Connel!" + +On the deck below the messroom, Roger, balancing a tray carefully on one +hand, opened the electronic lock of the brig and then stepped back +quickly, leveling a paralo-ray gun. + +"All right, Mason, Loring," he yelled, "come and get it!" The door slid +open, and Loring stuck his head out. "Any funny business," Roger warned, +"and I'll stiffen you so fast, you won't know what hit you!" + +"It's about time you showed up!" growled Loring. "Whaddaya trying to do, +starve us to death?" + +"That's not a bad idea!" said Roger. Loring took the tray. Roger +motioned him back inside the brig and slammed the door shut. He locked +it and leaned against the grille. + +"Better eat it while you can," he said. "They don't serve it so fancy on +a prison asteroid." + +"You'll never get us on a prison asteroid," whined Mason. + +"Don't kid yourself," said Roger. "As soon as we get the reactor units +set, we're going to send this hunk of copper back to Earth and then take +you back. They'll bury you!" + +"Who's going to do all that?" snapped Loring. "A bunch of punk kids and +a loudmouthed Solar Guard officer?" + +"Yeah," retorted Roger. + +"_Cadet Manning!_" Connel's voice roared over the intercom. "You were +ordered to report to the control deck in five minutes! You are already +one minute late! Report to the control deck on the double and _I mean +double!_" + +Loring and Mason laughed. "Old 'Blast-off' Connel's really got your +number, eh, kid?" + +"Ah, rocket off, you pinheaded piece of space junk! It didn't take him +long to dampen _your_ tubes!" + +Connel roared again. "_Blast your hide, Manning, report!_" + +"Better raise ship, Manning," said Loring, "you might get another nasty +demerit!" + +Roger turned away and raced to the control deck. He entered breathlessly +and stood beside his unit-mates while Connel eyed him coldly. + +"Thank you, Cadet Manning," said Connel. "We appreciate your being +here!" + +"Yes, sir," mumbled Roger. + +"All right," barked Connel, "you know your assignments. We'll take the +jet boats as before and go out in pairs. Tom and myself, Astro and +Roger, and Shinny and Alfie. We'll set up the reaction charges on Junior +at the points marked on the chart screen here." He indicated the chart +on the projection. "Copy them down on your own charts. Each team will +take three of the reaction units. My team will set up at points one, +two, and three. Astro and Roger at four, five, and six. Alfie and Shinny +at seven, eight, and nine. After you've set up the charges, attach the +triggers for the fuses and return to the ship. Watch your timing! If we +fail, it'll be more than a year before Junior will be in the same +orbital position again. How much time do we have left, Corbett?" + +Tom glanced at the clock. "Exactly two hours, sir," he said. + +"Not much," said Connel, "but enough. It shouldn't take more than an +hour and a half to set up the units and get back to the ship to blast +off. All clear? Any questions?" + +There were no questions. + +"All right," said the officer, "put on your space gear and move out!" + +Handling the lead-encased charges carefully, the six spacemen loaded the +jet boats and, one by one, blasted off from the _Polaris_ to positions +marked on the map. + +Working rapidly, each of the teams of two moved from one position to +another on the surface of the desolate satellite. Connel, referring +constantly to his watch, counted the minutes as one by one the teams +reported the installation of a reactor unit. + +"This is Shinny. Just finished installing reaction charge one at point +seven ..." + +"This is Manning. Just finished installing reaction charge at point four +..." + +One after the other, the teams reported. Connel, with Tom piloting the +jet boat, finished setting up their units at points one, two, and three +and headed back to the _Polaris_. + +"How much time, sir?" asked Tom as he slowed the small craft for a +landing. + +"Less than a half hour, Corbett," said Connel nervously. "I'd better +check on Shinny and Alfie." He called into the audiophone. "Major Connel +to Shinny and Higgins, come in Shinny--Higgins!" + +"Shinny here!" came the reply. "We're just finishing up the last unit. +Should be back in five minutes." + +"Make it snappy!" said Connel. "Less than a half hour left!" + +"We'll make it," snorted Shinny. + +"Coming in for a touchdown," said Tom. "Better strap in, sir!" + +Connel nodded. He laced several straps across his lap and chest, +gripping the sides of the seat. Tom sent the jet boat in a swooping +dive, cut the acceleration, and brought the small ship smoothly inside +the huge air lock in the side of the _Polaris_. + +"I'd better get right up on the control deck and start warming up the +circuits, sir," said Tom. + +"Good idea, Tom," said Connel. "I'll try and pick up Manning and Astro." + +Tom left the officer huddling over the communicator in the jet boat. + +"Major Connel to Manning and Astro, come in!" called Connel. He waited +for a moment and then repeated. "Manning--Astro, come in! By the rings +of Saturn, come in!" There was the loud roar of an approaching jet boat. +Shinny guided the ship into the _Polaris_ with a quick violent blast of +the braking rockets. The noise was deafening. + +"Belay that noise, you blasted space-brained idiot!" roared Connel. "Cut +that acceleration!" + +Shinny grinned and cut the rockets. The jet-boat catapult deck was +quiet, and Connel turned back to the communicator. + +"Come in, Manning--Astro! This is Major Connel. Come in!" + +On the opposite side of the airless satellite, Roger and Astro were busy +digging a hole in the hard surface. Near by lay the last of the +explosive units to be installed. Connel's voice thundered through their +headset phones. + +"Boy, is he blasting his jets!" commented Roger. + +"Yeah," grunted Astro. "He should have to dig this blasted hole!" + +"Well, this is where it's got to go. If the ground is hard, then it's +our tough luck," said Roger. "If we stick it anywhere else, it might +mess up the whole operation." + +Astro nodded and continued to dig. He held a small spade and jabbed at +the ground. "How much--time--have we got left?" he gasped. + +"Twenty minutes," replied Roger. "You'd better hurry." + +"Finished now," said Astro. "Get the reactor unit over here and set the +fuse." + +Roger picked up the heavy lead box and placed it gently inside the hole. + +"Remember," Astro cautioned, "set the fuse for two hours." + +"No, you're wrong," replied Roger. "I've set the fuses each time, +subtracting the amount of time since we left the _Polaris_. I set this +one for twenty minutes." + +"You're wrong, Roger," said Astro. "It's maximum time is two hours." + +"Listen, you Venusian clunk," exploded Roger, "_I_ built this thing, so +I know what I'm doing!" + +"But, Roger--" protested Astro. + +"Twenty minutes!" said Roger, and twisted the set-screw in the fuse. +"O.K., it's all set. Let's get out of here!" + +The two cadets raced back to the jet boat and blasted off immediately. +Once in space, Astro turned to Roger. + +"Better check in with Major Connel before he tears himself to pieces!" + +"Yeah," agreed Roger. "I guess you're right." He flipped on the audio +communicator. "Attention! Attention! Manning to Major Connel. Am making +flight back to _Polaris_. All installations complete." + +[Illustration: "_Remember," Astro cautioned, "set the fuse for two +hours._"] + +"What took you so long, Manning?" barked Connel in reply. "And why +didn't you answer me?" + +"Couldn't, sir," said Roger. "We had a tough time digging a hole for the +last unit." + +"Come back to the _Polaris_ immediately," said Connel. "We're blasting +off in fifteen minutes." + +"Very well, sir," said Roger. + +Presently the jet boat circled the _Polaris_ and made a landing run for +the open port. Roger braked the small craft and brought it to rest +alongside the others. + +"That's it, spaceboy," he said to Astro. "All out for the _Polaris_ +express back home!" + +"Just be sure you give me a good course, Manning," grunted Astro, +heaving his huge frame out of the small cabin of the jet boat, "and I'll +give you all the thrust you want!" + +Astro secured the jet boats while Roger closed the air-lock hatch, +shutting out the last view of the rugged little planetoid. Roger threw +the landscape a mocking kiss. + +"So long, Junior! See you back home!" The two cadets climbed the ladder +leading to the control deck. + +Seated in front of the control panel, Tom watched the sweeping hand of +the solar clock. Connel paced nervously up and down behind him. Shinny +and Alfie stood to one side also watching the great clock. + +"How much time, Corbett?" asked Connel for the dozenth time. + +"Junior gets his kick in the pants in ten minutes, sir," replied Tom. + +"Fine," said Connel. "That gives me just enough time to notify Space +Academy to get ready to receive Junior's signal. You know what to do?" + +"I don't have to do anything, sir," answered Tom, nodding to the solar +clock over his head. "In nine minutes and twenty seconds, the reactor +units go off automatically at one-second intervals." + +Roger and Astro entered the control deck and came to attention. Connel +returned their salute and put them at ease. + +"All right, our work here is done," said Connel. "No point in hanging +around any longer. Tom, you can blast off immediately." + +"Yes, sir," replied Tom. + +Connel climbed the ladder to the radar bridge to contact Space Academy. +Astro, Roger, Shinny, and Alfie went to their posts and began quick +preparations for the blast-off. One by one, they checked in to Tom on +the control deck. + +"Power deck, ready to blast off!" reported Astro. + +"Radar bridge, all set. Clear trajectory forward and up," said Roger. + +"Energize the cooling pumps!" bawled Tom into the intercom. + +The great pumps began to wheeze under the strain of Astro's sudden +switch to full load without the usual slow build-up. Tom watched the +pressure needle rise slowly in front of him and finally reached out and +gripped the master switch. + +"Stand by to raise ship!" he yelled. "Blast off minus +five--four--three--two--one--_zeroooooo!_" + +He threw the switch. The great ship shivered, vibrated, and then +suddenly shot away from the precious satellite. Tom quickly adjusted for +free fall by switching on the synthetic-gravity gyro generators and then +announced over the intercom, + +"Major Connel! Cadet Corbett reporting. Ship space-borne at exactly +thirty-one, sir!" + +"Very well, Corbett," replied Connel. "Space Academy sends the crew a +'_well done!_' Everything's set back home to take over the beam as soon +as Junior starts on his way back. How much time until zero blast-off on +the satellite?" + +Tom glanced at the clock. "Less than two minutes, sir!" + +"All right," said Connel over the intercom, "everybody to the control +deck if you want to see Junior do his stuff!" + +In a moment the six spacemen were gathered around the magnascope waiting +for the final act of their great effort. Breathlessly, their eyes +flicking back and forth from the solar clock to the magnascope, they +waited for the red hand to sweep around. + +"Here it comes," said Tom excitedly. "One second--two +seconds--three--four--_five!_" + +On the surface of the planetoid, giant mushrooming clouds appeared +climbing into the airless void. One by one the reactor units exploded. +Connel counted them as they blew up. + +"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight--" he paused. Junior +began moving away from them. "Nine!" shouted Connel. "What happened to +nine?" + +"Roger," shouted Astro, "you made a mistake on the timer!" + +"But I couldn't. I--I--" + +Connel spun around, his eyes blazing, breathing hard. "What time did you +set the last one for, Roger?" he demanded. + +"Why, twenty minutes to blast-off time, sir," answered the blond-headed +cadet. + +"Then it won't go off for another forty minutes," said Connel. + +"But, sir--" began Roger, and then fell silent. The room was quiet. +Everyone looked at Roger and then at Connel. "Honestly, sir, I didn't +mean to make a mistake. I--" pleaded Roger. + +Connel turned around. His face suddenly looked very tired. "That's all +right, Roger," he said quietly. "We've all been working pretty hard. One +little mistake is bound to show up in an operation like this." He +paused. "It's my fault. I should have checked those fuses myself." + +"Does it make so much difference, sir?" asked Astro. + +"A lot of difference, Astro," said Connel. He sat down heavily. + +"But how, sir?" asked Tom. + +"It's very simple, Tom," answered Connel. His voice was strangely quiet. +"Junior spins on its axis in two hours, just as Earth spins in +twenty-four hours. I thought we had the explosions timed so at the +proper moment we'd push Junior out of his orbit around Tara, and the +greater orbit around Alpha Centauri, by utilizing both speeds, plus the +initial thrust. But by being one blast short, forty minutes late, the +explosion will take place when Junior is forty minutes out of +position"--he paused and calculated rapidly in his mind--"that's about +forty-eight thousand miles out of position. When it goes off, instead of +sending Junior out into space, it'll blast it right into its own sun!" + +"Isn't there something we can do, sir?" asked Tom. + +"Nothing, Corbett," answered Connel wearily. "Instead of supplying the +Solar Alliance with copper, in another week Junior will be hardly more +than a molten piece of space junk." He looked at the teleceiver screen. +All ready, Junior was falling away. + +"Stand by for full acceleration, hyperdrive," said the big officer in a +hoarse whisper. "We're heading home!" + + + + +CHAPTER 17 + + +The subdued whine of the hyperdrive filled the power deck and made Roger +wince as he stepped through the hatch and waved at Astro. He climbed +down the ladder and stopped beside the big Venusian who stood stripped +to the waist, watching the pressure gauges on the power-deck control +board. + +"Hiya, Roger," said Astro with a big grin. + +"Hello, Astro," replied Roger and sat down on a stool near by. + +"Excuse me a minute, hot-shot," said Astro. "Gotta check the baffling +around reaction tube three." The big cadet hurriedly donned a lead-lined +protective suit and entered the reaction chamber. After a moment he +reappeared and took off the suit. He poured a glass of water, handed it +to Roger, and poured another for himself. + +"Gets pretty hot down here," he said. "I don't like to use the air +conditioner when I'm on hyperdrive. Sucks my power output and reduces +pressure on the oxygen pumps." + +Roger nodded absently at the needlessly detailed explanation. Astro +looked at him sharply. "Say, what's eating you?" + +"Honestly, Astro," said Roger, "I've never felt more miserable in my +life." + +"Don't let it get you down, Roger," said Astro. "The major said it was a +mistake anyone could make." + +"Yeah," flared Roger, "but have you seen the way he just--_talks_?" + +"Talks?" asked Astro blankly. + +"Yeah, talks," said Roger. "No yelling, or blasting off, or handing out +demerits like they were candy. Nothing! Why he hasn't even chewed Alfie +out since we left Junior. He just sits in his quarters." + +Astro understood now and nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, you're +right. I'd rather have him fusing his tubes than the way he is now." + +"Tom must feel pretty rotten, too," said Roger. "I haven't seen much of +him either." + +"Or Alfie," put in Astro. "Neither of them have done anything but work. +I don't think either of them has slept since we left Tara." + +"It's all my fault!" said Roger. "I'm nothing but a loudmouthed bag of +space gas--with an asteroid for a head!" He got up and lurched toward the +ladder. + +"Hey, where you going?" yelled Astro. + +"Almost forgot," yelled Roger from the top of the ladder. "I've got to +feed our prisoners a meal. And the way I feel, I'd like to shove it down +their throats!" + +Roger went directly to the galley off the control deck and prepared a +hasty meal for Loring and Mason. He piled it on a tray and went below to +the brig. + +"All right, Loring," he growled, "come and get it!" + +"Well, well, well," sneered Loring. "Where's the big Manning spirit? You +boys are kinda down since you blew that little operation, huh?" + +"Listen, you space crawler," said Manning coldly, "one more word out of +you and I'll bring you out in the passageway and pound that head of +yours into space junk!" + +"I wish you'd try that, you little squirt!" snarled Loring. "I'd break +you in two!" + +"O.K., pal," said Roger, "I'm going to give you that chance!" He opened +the door to the cell and Loring stepped out. Holding the paralo-ray gun +on him, Roger relocked the door. Left inside, Mason stuck his face close +to the grille. + +"Give it to him, Loring," he hissed. "Take him apart!" + +Roger threw the paralo-ray gun in the corner of the passageway and faced +the heavier spaceman. He held his arms loosely at his side, and he +balanced on the balls of his feet. A slight smile played at the corners +of his mouth. + +"Start breaking, Loring," he said quietly. + +"Why, you--" snarled Loring and rushed in. He swung wildly for Roger's +head, but the cadet slipped inside the punch and drove a hard right to +Loring's mid-section. The prisoner doubled over, staggered back, and +slowly straightened up. Roger's lips were drawn tightly in a grimace of +cold anger. His eyes were shining hard and bright. He stepped in quickly +and chopped two straight lefts to Loring's jaw, then doubled the +spaceman up again with a hard right to the heart. Loring gasped and +tried to clinch. But Roger threw a straight jolting right to his jaw. +The prisoner slumped to the floor, out cold. The fight was finished. + +Roger went over, picked up the paralo-ray gun, and opened the cell door +again. + +"All right, Mason," he said coldly, "drag him inside. And if you want to +try me for size, just say so." + +Mason didn't answer. He merely hurried out, and grabbing Loring by the +feet, dragged him inside. Roger slammed the door and locked it. + +[Illustration] + +Rubbing his knuckles and feeling better than he had felt for days, he +started back to the radar bridge. As he neared Major Connel's quarters, +he heard Connel's voice. He stopped and listened outside the door. + +"It's a beautiful job of calculation, Tom," Connel was saying. "I don't +see how you and Higgins could have done it in so short a time. And +without an electronic computer to aid you. Beautiful job--really +excellent--but I'm afraid it's too risky." + +"I've already talked to Astro and Mr. Shinny, sir," said Tom, "and +they've volunteered. I haven't spoken to Roger yet, but I'm sure he'd +be willing to try." + +Roger stepped through the door. + +"Whatever it is," said Roger, "I'm ready." + +"Eavesdropping on your commanding officer," said Connel, eying the +blond-headed cadet speculatively, "is a very serious offense." + +"I just happened to hear my name mentioned, sir," replied Roger with a +smile. + +Connel turned back to Tom. "Go over that again, Tom." + +"Well, sir," said Tom, "Junior's falling into the sun at a speed of +twenty-two miles a second right now. But we could still land a jet boat +on Junior, set up more nuclear explosions to blast him out of the sun's +grip, and send him on his way to our solar system. We wouldn't get as +much speed as before, but we'd still save the copper." + +By this time, Astro and Shinny had joined the group and were standing +outside the door in the passageway, listening silently. + +Connel tugged at his chin. "Let's see," he said, "if we could get back +to Tara in three days ..." He looked up at Astro. "Do you think you +could get us back in three days, Astro?" + +"Major Connel, for another crack at Junior," roared the big Venusian, +"I'd get you back in a day and a half!" + +"All right," said Connel. "That's one problem. But there are others." + +"What, sir?" asked Tom. + +"We have to prepare reactant fuses and we have to build new reactor +units. If we could do that--" + +"If Astro can get us back," said Shinny, "and Roger and this smart young +feller here, Alfie, can make up some fuses, I'll build them there +units. After all, Astro showed me how once. I guess I can follow his +orders!" + +"Good!" said Connel. "Now there is the element of time. How much time +would we need on Junior?" He looked at Tom. + +"Let me answer this way, sir," said Tom. "We'd only have two hours to +plant the reaction charges and trigger them, but that should be enough." + +"Why so close, Tom?" asked Roger. + +"It has to be," answered Tom. "We know what the pull of the sun is, and +the power of the jet boat. When the sun's pull becomes greater than the +escape speed of the jet boat, the boat would never clear. It would keep +falling into the sun. I've based this figure on reaching Junior at the +last possible moment." + +"It'd take at least five men to set up the five explosions we need," +mused Connel. "That means one of us will have to stay on the _Polaris_." + +There was an immediate and loud chorus of "Not me!" from everyone. + +"All right," said Connel, "we'll draw numbers. One, two, three, four, +five, and six. The man who draws number six will stay with the +_Polaris_. All right?" + +"Yes, sir," said Tom, glancing around. "We agree to that." + +Connel went to his desk and wrote quickly on six slips of paper. He +folded each one, dumped them in his cap, and offered it to Astro. + +"All right, Astro," said Connel, "draw!" + +Astro licked his lips and stuck in his big paw. The Venusian fingered +several, then pulled out a slip of paper. He opened it and read aloud. +"Number two! I go!" He turned and grinned at the others. + +Connel offered his cap to Alfie. Alfie dipped in two fingers and pulled +out a slip. "Number four! I go!" he squealed. + +Roger and Shinny drew numbers one and three. Tom looked at the major. +"Go ahead, Corbett," said Connel. + +"After you, sir," said Tom. + +"I said draw one!" roared Connel. + +"Yes, sir," said Tom. He reached in and quickly pulled out one of the +two remaining slips. + +"Number six," he said quietly. "I stay." + +Connel, not bothering to open the last one, slapped the hat on his head +and turned away. + +"But, sir," said Tom, "I--ah--" + +Connel cut him off with a wave of his hands. "No _buts_!" He turned to +the others. "Manning, Higgins! Get me a course back to Junior and make +it clean and straight. Astro, Shinny, stand by on the power deck for +course change. Tom, get on the control deck. We're going back to snatch +a hot copper filling right out of a sun's teeth!" + + +Once again the energy of the six spacemen was burned in twenty-four hour +stretches of improvisation and detailed calculations. Roger and Alfie +redesigned the fuse to ensure perfect co-ordination of the explosions. +Astro and Shinny surpassed their previous efforts by putting enough +power in the five small reaction units to more than do the job required. +Tom, standing long watches on the control deck, devoted his spare time +to the torturous equations that would mean failure or success to the +whole project. And Major Connel, alert and alive once more, drove his +crew toward greater goals than it had achieved before. + +Nearly three days later, the _Polaris_ appeared over the twin oceans of +Tara and glided into an orbit just beyond the pull of the planet's +gravity. Aboard the spaceship, last-minute preparations were made by the +red-eyed spacemen. + +In constant contact with Space Academy, using the resources of the +Academy's scientific staff to check the more difficult calculations, the +six men on the _Polaris_ worked on. + +Connel appeared on the radar bridge and flipped on the long-range +scanner. + +"Have to find out where Junior is," he said to Roger and Alfie. + +"That doesn't work, sir," said Roger. + +"What do you mean it doesn't work?" exploded Connel. + +"Junior's falling into the sun, sir. The radiations are blocking it out +from our present position." + +"Couldn't we move to another position?" asked the officer. + +"Yes, sir," said Roger, "we could. But to do that would take extra time, +and we haven't got it." + +"Then how are you going to find Junior?" asked Connel. + +"Alfie's busy with a special scanner, sir, one that's especially +sensitive to copper. Since the sun is composed mostly of gas, with this +filter only Junior will show up on the screen." + +"By the rings of Saturn," exclaimed Connel, "you mean to tell me that +Alfie Higgins is building a new radar scanner, just like that?" + +"Why, yes, sir," answered Roger innocently. "Is there something wrong +with that?" + +"No--no--" said Connel, backing off the bridge. "Just--just go right on. +You're doing fine! Yessirree, fine!" He literally ran from the bridge. + +"Most humorous of you, Manning," said Alfie, smiling. + +"I'll tell you something funnier than that," said Roger. "I feel the +same way he does. Is there anything you _can't_ do, Alfie?" + +Alfie thought a moment. "Yes, there is," he said at last. + +"What?" demanded Roger. + +"I can't--shall I say?--make as much progress as you do with--er--space +dolls." + +Roger's jaw dropped. "Space dolls! You mean--girls?" + +Alfie nodded his head. + +"Listen," said Roger, "when we get Junior on his way home, and we get +back to the Academy, I promise you I'll show you how to really blast +your jets with the space lovelies in Atom City!" + +Alfie put out his hand seriously. "And if you do that for me, Roger, +I'll show you how to use the new electronic brain they recently acquired +at the Academy. Only one other person can operate it. But you definitely +have the potential." + +Roger stared at him stupidly. "Huh? Yeah. Oh, sure!" + +Gradually the mass of data was brought together and co-ordinated, and +finally, as Tom stood beside him, Major Connel checked over his +calculations. + +"I can't see a thing wrong with it, Tom," Connel said at last. "I guess +that's it. Figuring we land on Junior at exactly seventeen hundred +hours, we'd reach the point of no return exactly two hours later." + +"Shall I alert stations to blast off for Junior?" asked Tom. + +"Yes," said Connel, "bring the _Polaris_ to dead ship in space about +three hundred miles above Junior. That's when we'll blast off in jet +boats." + +"Yes, sir," said Tom. His eyes bright, he turned to the intercom. "All +right, you space babies," he announced, "this is it. Stand by to blast +Junior. Here we come!" + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 18 + + +Dawn broke over the tangled jungles of Tara, followed by the bright sun +of Alpha Centauri rising out of the eastern sea and slowly climbing +higher and higher. In the dense unexplored wilderness, living things, +terrible things, opened their eyes and resumed their never-ending quest +for food. Once again Alpha Centauri had summoned one hemisphere of its +satellite planet to life. + +Meanwhile, high in the heavens above Tara, six Earthmen blasted into the +flaming brilliance of the sun star. Using delicate instruments instead +of claws, and their intelligence instead of blind hunger, they prepared +to do battle with the sun star and force it to release the precious +copper satellite from its deadly, consuming grasp. + +The crew of the _Polaris_ assembled on the control deck of the great +spaceship, and facing their commanding officer, waited patiently for the +word that would send them hurtling out to their target. + +"The jet boats are all ready, sir," reported Tom. "We're dead ship in +orbit around Junior at an altitude of about three hundred miles." + +"Does that mean we're falling into the sun too?" gasped Shinny. + +"It sure does, Mr. Shinny," said Alfie, "at more than twenty miles per +second." + +"The jet boats have enough power to get back from Junior to the +_Polaris_, Mr. Shinny," reassured Tom. "And then the _Polaris_ can blast +off from here. The jet boats wouldn't go much higher off Junior this +close to the sun." + +"But if we go beyond the two-hour limit, the _Polaris_ can't blast off +either," commented Roger dryly. + +"All right. Is everything set?" asked Connel. "Astro, is the reactant +loaded?" + +"No, sir," said Astro, "but it's all ready to go in." + +"Good!" said Connel. "Now we all know how important--and how +dangerous--this operation is. I don't have to tell you again. You stay +here on the control deck, Tom, and keep in touch with us on Junior at +all times. You know what to do?" + +"Yes, sir," replied Tom. "I'm to stand by and give you a +minute-by-minute warning check until final blast-off time." + +"Right," said Connel. "And remember, we're counting on you to tell us +when to blast off. We'll be too busy down there to pay any attention." + +"I understand, sir," replied Tom. His face was passive. He was well +aware of the responsibility. + +"Very well," said Connel finally, "the rest of you board your jet boats! +This is going to be the hottest ride we'll ever take, and I don't want +it to get any hotter!" + +Silently, their faces grim masks, the five spacemen filed out of the +control room, leaving Tom alone. Presently he heard the cough of the +rockets in the jet boats as one by one the small space craft blasted out +of the _Polaris_. Suddenly Tom began to shake as he realized the +importance of his task--the responsibility of counting time for five +men, time that could cost them their lives. If he made a single mistake, +miscounted by a minute, the expedition to Junior would end not only in +failure, but in tragedy. + +As quickly as the thought came, Tom pushed it aside and turned to the +control board. No time now for fear. Now, more than any other time in +his life, he had to keep himself alert and ready for every emergency. As +a child he had often dreamed of the day when, as a spaceman, he would be +faced with an emergency only he could handle. And in the dreams he had +come through with flying colors. But now that it was a reality, Tom felt +nothing but cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. + +He turned his whole attention to the great solar clock overhead. Time +had already begun slipping away. Ten minutes of the two hours had swept +past. They must be on Junior by now, he thought, and flipped on the +teleceiver. He focused on the satellite's surface. There in front of him +were the three jet boats. Major Connel, Roger, Astro, Alfie, and Mr. +Shinny were so close that Tom felt as though he could touch them. They +were unloading the first reactor unit, with Astro and Shinny digging the +hole. Tom glanced at the clock, turned to the microphone, and announced +clearly: + +"Attention! Attention! Corbett to Connel. One hour and forty-eight +minutes until blast-off time--one hour and forty-eight minutes to +blast-off." + +He flipped the switch and watched the screen with rising excitement. The +crew on the satellite had completed the installation of the first +reactor unit. He saw them blasting off in their jet boats for the second +spot. He adjusted the teleceiver and tried to follow them, but they +disappeared. He glanced at the clock. + +"Attention! Attention! Corbett to Connel. One hour and forty-seven +minutes to blast-off--one hour and forty-seven minutes to blast-off." + +On the satellite, in the deep shadow of a protecting cliff, each of the +five Earthmen paused involuntarily when they heard Tom's warning. + +"Forget about the time!" snapped Connel. "By the blessed rings of +Saturn, we'll finish this job if it's the last thing we do!" + +Connel went to each of the working figures and adjusted the valve, +regulating the air-cooling humidity control on their space suits. +"Getting pretty hot, eh, boys?" he joked, as he stopped one and then the +other to make the delicate adjustment counteracting the heat that was +increasing each second they remained on the satellite. + +"How hot do you think it is, sir?" asked Roger. + +"Never mind the heat," said Connel. "These suits were designed to +withstand the temperature of the light side of Mercury! It gets boiling +there, so I guess we can stand it here for a while." + +One by one, Alfie, Shinny, Roger, and Astro completed their assigned +roles, digging the holes, placing the reactors inside, setting the fuse, +covering it up, then quickly gathering the equipment, piling back into +the three jet boats, and heading for the next point. Landing, they would +tumble out of the small space craft almost before the rocket had stopped +firing and begin their frantic digging in the hard surface. + +[Illustration: _Landing, they would tumble out of the jet boat and begin +their frantic digging_] + +Over and over, they heard Tom's crisp clear count of time. Five minutes +passed, then ten, and before they knew it, a full half-hour of the +precious time had vanished. They completed the installation of the +second unit and climbed back into the jet boats. The first two units +had been buried at points protected from the sun by cliffs, and they had +been sheltered from the burning rays. + +But, approaching the position for the third reactor unit, Connel +searched in vain for some shade. He wasted five precious minutes, +scouting an area of several miles, but he could find nothing to protect +them on the flat plain. + +"Better put in the ultraviolet glass shields in our helmets, boys," he +called into the jet-boat communicator. "It's going to be mighty hot, and +dangerous." + +"Aye, aye, sir," came the replies from the other two jet boats soaring +close by. + +Roger began refitting their space helmets with the dark glass that would +shield them from the strong rays of the enlarging sun. + +"Ever been outside in the direct path of the sun with no protection, +Roger?" asked Astro. + +"No," replied Roger. "Have you?" + +"Once," said Astro softly. "On the second moon of Mars, Phobos. I was +bucking rockets on the old chemical burners. I was on a freighter called +the _Happy Spaceman_. A tube blew on us. Luckily we were close enough to +Phobos to make a touchdown, or the leak would have reached the main fuel +tanks and blown us clean out to another galaxy." + +"What happened?" asked Roger. + +"I had to go outside," said Astro. "I was junior rocketman in the crew, +so naturally I had to do all the dirty work." + +Tom's warning call from the _Polaris_ control deck, tuned to the open +communicators of all the jet boats, broke through the loud-speaker. + +"Attention! Attention! Corbett to Connel. One hour and twenty minutes to +blast-off time. One hour and twenty minutes to blast-off time." + +The two cadets looked at each other as they heard Tom's voice, but +neither spoke. Finally Roger asked, "What happened on Phobos?" + +"No one bothered to tell me," continued Astro, "that I had to protect +myself from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, since Phobos didn't have an +atmosphere. It was one of my first hops into space and I didn't know too +much. I went outside and began working on the tube. I did the job all +right, but for three weeks after, my face was swollen and I couldn't +open my eyes. I almost went blind." + +Roger grunted and continued to line the clear plastic fish-bowl helmets +with the darker protective shields. + +Connel's voice rang through the cabin over the communicator: "I guess +we'd better go down and get it over with. I don't see anything that will +give us any protection down there. Be sure your humidity control is +turned up all the way. As soon as you step outside the jet boat, you're +going to be hit by a temperature of four hundred degrees!" + +"Aye, aye, sir," came Shinny's reply over the intercom. Roger flipped +the communicator on and acknowledged the order. + +Astro and Shinny followed Connel's jet boat in a long sweeping dive to +the surface of the satellite. Stepping out of the air-cooled jet boat +onto the torrid unprotected surface of the flat plain was like stepping +into a furnace. Even with space suits as protection, the five Earthmen +were forced to work in relays in the digging of the hole for the reactor +unit. + +"Attention! Attention! Corbett to Connel. One hour exactly to blast-off +time! One hour--sixty minutes--to blast-off time." + +Tom flicked the teleceiver microphone off, and on the teleceiver screen, +watched his spacemates work under the broiling sun. They were ahead of +time. One hour to complete two more units. Tom allowed himself a sigh of +hope and relief. They could still snatch the copper satellite from the +powerful pull of the sun. + +Suddenly Tom heard a sound behind him and whirled around. His eyes +bulged in horror. + +"Loring!" he gasped. + +"Take your hand off that microphone, Corbett," snarled Loring, "or I'll +freeze you!" + +"How--how did you get out?" Tom stammered. + +"Your buddy, Manning," sneered Loring with a short laugh, "decided he +wanted to paste my ears back. So I let him. He was so anxious to make me +lose a few teeth that he didn't notice the spoon I kept!" + +"Spoon?" asked Tom incredulously. + +"Yeah," said Mason, stepping through the door, a paralo-ray gun leveled +at Tom. "A few teeth for a spoon. A good trade. We waited for your pals +to leave the ship, and then I short-circuited the electronic lock on the +brig." + +Tom stared at the two men unbelievingly. + +"All right, Corbett, get over there to that control board," growled +Loring, waving the paralo-ray gun at Tom. "We're going back to Tara." + +"Tara?" exclaimed Tom. "But Major Connel and the +others--they're--they're down on the satellite. If I don't pick them up, +they'll fall into the sun!" + +"Well, ain't that too bad," sneered Loring. "Listen to that, Mason. If +we don't hang around and pick them up, they'll fall into the sun!" + +Mason laughed harshly and advanced toward Tom. "I only got one regret, +Corbett. That I can't stay around to see Connel and the Manning punk +fry! Now get this wagon outta here, and get it out quick!" + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 19 + + +"Major!" shouted Astro. "Look! The _Polaris_! The _Polaris_ is blasting +off!" + +The five Earthmen stared up at the silvery spaceship that was rapidly +disappearing into the clear blue void of space. Without hesitation, +Connel raced for the nearest jet boat and roared into the communicator. + +"Corbett! Corbett! Come in, Tom!" + +He waited, the silence of the loud-speaker more menacing than anything +the spaceman had ever encountered before. Again and again, the Solar +Guard officer tried to raise the cadet on the _Polaris_. Finally he +turned back to the four crewmen who hovered around the jet boat, hoping +against hope. + +"Whatever it is," he said, "I'm sure Tom is doing the right thing. We +came down here to do a job and we're going to do it! Get moving! We +still have to set up the rest of these reactor units." + +Without a word, the five men returned to their small ships and followed +their commanding officer. + +The sun grew larger and the heat more intense with each minute, since +each minute brought them almost thirteen hundred miles closer to the +sun's blazing surface. With the humidity-control and air-cooling +mechanisms in the space suits working at top capacity but affording +little relief, Alfie, Roger, Shinny, and Astro buried the fourth reactor +unit and headed for the fifth and last emplacement. Occasionally one of +them would turn and cast a swift glance at the clear blue space +overhead, secretly hoping to find the rocket cruiser had returned. Or, +they would strain their ears for Tom's voice counting off the minutes so +carefully for them. But they saw nothing and they heard nothing. They +concentrated on their jobs, working like demons to complete the +installations as planned. They could not stop now and wonder what had +happened to the _Polaris_, or even hope for its speedy return. They had +a job to do, and they went about it silently, efficiently, and surely. + +Astro stood up, the small spade in his hand hanging loosely at his side. +He watched Roger and Alfie bring the last of the reactor units from +Major Connel's jet boat. They gently lowered it into the hole and +stepped back while Shinny, under the watchful eyes of Major Connel, set +the fuse. Shinny stepped back, and Astro began covering up the lead box. + +"That's it," said Connel. "We're finished!" + +What Connel meant was that they were finished with the placement of the +reactor units, but he knew immediately that his words had been taken to +mean something each felt but had not dared to put into words. + +Connel started to correct this misunderstanding but caught himself in +time. It would not do, he thought, for him to make excuses for what they +knew to be the truth. + +"All right, everyone in my jet boat," he snapped. "Astro, you and Roger +take all the fuel out of the other boats and pour it into mine. It'll be +a tight squeeze, but we can all fit into one craft. No use expending +fuel wastefully." + +Astro and Roger bent to the task of draining the fuel from their jet +boats and loading it into Connel's. + +Alfie came over to join them, while Shinny and Connel scanned the sky +overhead for some sign of the _Polaris_. + +"This is really a desperate situation to be in, isn't it, Roger?" asked +Alfie. + +"Offhand, I'd say yes," drawled Roger, "but since we've got two big +huskies like Astro and Major Connel along, I don't think we'll have much +trouble." + +"Why not?" asked Alfie. + +"We'll just let them get out and help push!" + +"And if that doesn't work," snorted Astro, "we'll stick Manning outside +and let him talk about himself. That oughta give us enough gas to get us +away from this hunk of copper." + +"I believe," said Alfie emphatically, "that you're joshing me, Manning." + +"Now, whatever gave you that idea?" asked Roger in a hurt tone. + +"This _is_ a serious situation, isn't it?" asked Alfie, looking at +Astro. + +"It sure is, Alfie," said Astro soberly, "and I'm the first one to say +I'm a little scared!" + +Alfie smiled. "I'm very glad you said that, Astro," he said, "because I +feel exactly the same way!" He turned and walked back to Major Connel. + +"What was the idea of telling him that?" hissed Roger at Astro. "What +are you trying to do? Get the little guy space happy, or something?" + +"Look at him!" said Astro. "I'm twice his size. He figures if a big guy +like me is scared, then he's got a right to be scared too!" + +Roger grunted in appreciation of the way Astro had treated Alfie's +fears and turned back to the loading of the fuel. + +Major Connel walked over and watched them transfer the last of the fuel +into the tanks. + +"How much have you got there, Astro?" he asked. + +"I'd say enough to sustain flight for about three hours, sir. +Considering we'll have such a big load." + +"Ummmmh," mused Connel. "You know we're up against big odds, don't you?" + +Roger and Astro nodded. + +"If Tom doesn't come back soon, we'll be so far into the pull of the +sun, even a ship the size of the _Polaris_ wouldn't be able to break +out." + +"How much time have we got, sir?" asked Roger. + +"Not too much, Manning," said Connel. "Of course we can blast off in the +jet boat and get up a few hundred miles, in case Tom does come back. +Then he won't have to bring the _Polaris_ down here. But if time runs +out on us up there, we'll have to come back and take our chance on +Junior being blasted out of the sun's grip." + +There was a pause while Astro and Roger considered this. + +"That would mean," asked Roger, "that we'd be here when the reactor +units go off, wouldn't it, sir?" + +"That's right, Manning," said Connel, admitting to the danger. "Even if +Junior were blasted out of the pull of the sun, we couldn't survive the +explosions." + +"Couldn't we blast off in the jet boat and then land after the +explosions, sir?" asked Astro. + +"Yes," admitted Connel, "we could do that. But the radioactivity would +be so powerful we couldn't last more than a few days. We have no +antiradiation gear. Not even food or water." He paused and scanned the +sky. "No," he said in a surprisingly casual voice, "the only way we can +get out of this is for Tom to come back and get us." + +Shinny and Alfie came over and joined the group around the jet boat. No +one said anything. There wasn't anything to say. Each of them felt the +heat burning through his space suit. Each felt the same fear tugging at +his throat. There was nothing to say. The _Polaris_ was not to be seen; +the sky was empty of everything except Alpha Centauri, the great burning +mass of gases that once they had all seen only as a quiet twinkling star +in the heavens, never dreaming that someday it would be pulling them +relentlessly into its molten self. + + +Tom Corbett had a plan. + +He sat at the control board of the great rocket cruiser, apparently +watching the needles and gauges on the panel, but his mind was racing +desperately. The two-hour deadline had just passed. The great solar +clock had swung its red hand past the last second. Only a miracle could +save the five men on Junior now. But Tom was not counting on miracles. +He was counting on his plan. + +"Keep this space wagon driving, Corbett!" ordered Loring from behind +him. "Keep them rockets wide open!" + +"Listen, Loring," pleaded Tom. "How about giving those fellows a break? +If I don't pick them up, they'll all be killed." + +"Ain't that too bad," snarled Mason. + +"Look," said Tom desperately, "I'll promise you nothing will happen to +you. We'll let you go free. We'll--" + +Loring cut him off. "Shut your trap and concentrate on them controls! +You and Major Connel and them other punks are the only guys between me +staying free or going back to a prison asteroid. So you don't think I'm +going to let them stay alive, do you?" He grinned crookedly. + +"You dirty space crawler!" growled Tom and suddenly leaped up from the +control seat. + +Loring raised the paralo-ray gun threateningly. "One more move outta you +and I'll freeze you so solid you'll think you're a chunk of ice!" he +yelled. + +Mason stepped to the other side of the control deck. They had Tom +blocked on either side. + +"Now get back to them controls, Corbett," snarled Loring, "or I'll give +it to you right now." + +"O.K., Loring, you win," said Tom. He sat down and faced the control +panel. He tried hard not to smile. They had fallen for it. Now they were +separated. Mason remained on the opposite side of the room. Tom took a +deep breath, crossed his fingers, and put the next step of his plan into +action. He reached out and pulled the master acceleration switch all the +way back. The _Polaris_ jumped ahead as if shot out of a cannon. + +"Hey," growled Mason, "what're you doing?" + +"You want more speed, don't you?" demanded Tom. + +"O.K.," said Mason, "but don't try any funny stuff!" + +"I don't see how I can. You've got me nailed with that paralo-ray," Tom +replied. + +He got up leisurely, so as not to excite the nervous trigger finger of +Loring, and turned slowly. + +"What is it this time?" demanded Loring. + +"I just gave you an extra burst of speed. All the _Polaris_ will take. +Now I've got to adjust the mixture of the fuel, otherwise she'll kick +out on you and we'll have to clean out the tubes." + +"Yeah," sneered Loring. "Well, I happen to know you do that right on the +control board." He motioned with the paralo-ray gun. "Get back down!" + +"On regular space drive, you do," agreed Tom. "But we're on hyperdrive +now. It has to be done there"--he pointed to a cluster of valves and +wheels at one side of the control deck--"one of those valve wheels." + +"Stay where you are," said Mason. "I'll do it!" He moved to the corner. +"Which one is it?" he asked. + +Tom gulped and struggled hard to keep the terrible nervousness out of +his voice. He had to sound as casual as possible. "The red one. Turn it +to the right, hard!" he said. + +Loring sat down and Mason bent over the valve wheel. He gave the wheel a +vicious twist. Suddenly there was the sound of a motor slowing down +somewhere inside the great ship. Tom gripped the edge of the control +board and waited. Slowly at first, but surely, Tom felt himself +beginning to float off his chair. + +"Hey!" yelled Mason. "I'm--I'm floating!" + +"It's the gravity generators," yelled Loring. "Corbett's pulled a fast +one. We're in free fall!" + +Tom lifted his feet and pushed as hard as he could against the control +panel. He shot out of the chair and across the control room just as +Loring fired his ray gun. There was a loud hiss as the gun was fired, +and then the thud of a body against the wall, as Loring was suddenly +shoved by the recoil of the charge. + +Tom huddled in the upper corner of the control deck like a spider, his +legs drawn up underneath him waiting for Mason to fire. But the smaller +spaceman was tumbling head over heels in the center of the room. The +more he exerted himself, the more helpless he became. His arms and legs +splayed out in an effort to level himself, as he kept trying to fire the +ray gun. + +Tom saw his chance and lunged through the air again, straight at the +floating spaceman. He passed him in mid-air. Mason made an attempt to +grab him, but Tom wrenched his body to one side and pulled the ray gun +out of the other's hand. + +He flipped over and turned his attention to Loring who was more +dangerous, since he was now backed up against a bulkhead waiting for Tom +to present a steady target. Loring started to fire, but Tom saw him in +time and shot away from the wall toward the hatch. He twisted his body +completely around, and with his shoulder hunched over, fired at Loring +with his ray gun. The charge hit the target and Loring became rigid, his +body slowly floating above the deck. His back to the wall, braced for +the recoil, Tom brought his arm around slowly and aimed at Mason. He +fired, and the spaceman stiffened. + +Tom smiled. Neither of the spacemen would give him any more trouble now. +He pushed slightly to the left and shot over to the valve that Mason had +unwittingly turned off. Tom turned it on and clung to an overhead pipe +until he felt the reassuring grip of the synthetic gravity pull him to +the deck. Loring and Mason, in the same positions they had been in when +Tom fired, settled slowly to the deck. Tom walked over and looked at +both of them. He knew they could hear him. + +"For smart spacemen like you two," said Tom, "you sure forgot your basic +physics. Newton's laws of motion, remember? Everything in motion tends +to keep going at the same speed, unless influenced by an outside force. +Firing the ray gun was the outside force that will land you right on a +prison asteroid! And you'd better start praying that I can pull those +fellows off that satellite, because if I don't, you'll wind up frying in +the sun with us!" + +He started to drag them to a locker and release them from the effects of +the ray blast, but, remembering their cold-blooded condemnation of +Connel and the others to death on the satellite, he decided to let them +remain where they were. + +He turned to the control board and flipped on the microphone. He was too +far away to pick up an image on the teleceiver, but the others could +hear him on the audio, if, thought Tom, they were still alive. + +"Attention! Attention! _Polaris_ to Major Connel! Major Connel, can you +hear me? Come in, Major Connel--Astro--Roger--somebody--come in!" + +He turned away from the mike and fired the starboard jets full blast, +making a sweeping curve in space and heading the _Polaris_ back to +Junior. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 20 + + +"There's only one answer, boys," said Connel. "Loring and Mason have +escaped and taken over the ship. I can't think of any other reason Tom +would abandon us like this." + +The jet boat was crowded. Alfie, the smallest, was sitting on Astro's +lap. For more than an hour they had circled above the copper satellite, +searching the surrounding skies in vain for some sign of the _Polaris_. + +"Major," said Roger, who was hunched over the steering wheel of the +small space craft, "we're almost out of fuel. We'd better drop down on +the night side of Junior, the side away from the sun. At least there +we'd be out of the direct heat." + +"Very well, Roger," said Connel. "In fact, we could keep shifting into +the night side every hour." Then he added quietly, thoughtfully, "But +we're out of fuel, you said?" + +"Yes, sir," said Roger. "There's just enough to get down." Roger sent +the craft in a shallow dive. Suddenly the rockets cut out. The last of +the fuel was gone. Roger glided the jet boat to a smooth stop on the +night side of the planetoid. + +"How much longer before the reactor units go up?" asked Shinny. + +Connel turned, thinking he had heard something on the communicators, +then answered Shinny's question. "Only four hours," he said. + +The crew of spacemen climbed out of the jet boat into the still +blackness of the night side of the planet. There wasn't anything left to +do. + +They sat around on the hard surface of the planet, staring at the +strange stars overhead. + +"You know," said Astro, "I might be able to set up something to convert +some of the U235 in the reactors to fuel the jet boat." + +"Impossible, Astro," said Alfie. "You'd need a reduction gear. And not +only that, but you haven't any tools to handle the mass. If you opened +one of those boxes, you'd be fried immediately by the radiation!" + +"Alfie's right," said Connel. "There's nothing to do but wait." + +Major Connel turned his face up as far as he could in the huge fish-bowl +helmet to stare at the sky. His eyes wandered from star cluster to star +cluster, from glowing Regulus, to bright and powerful Sirius. He stifled +a sigh. How much he had wanted to see more--and more--and more of the +great wide, high, and deep! He remembered his early days as a youth on +his first trip to Luna City; his first sensation at touching an alien +world; his skipper, old, wise, and patient, who had given him his creed +as a spaceman: "Travel wide, deep, and high," the skipper had said to +the young Connel, "but never so far, so wide, or so deep as to forget +that you're an Earthman, or how to act like an Earthman!" Even now, +years later, the gruff voice rang in his ears. It wasn't long after that +that he had met Shinny. Connel smiled behind the protection of his +helmet, as he looked at the wizened spaceman, who was now old and +toothless, but who still had the same merry twinkle in his eye that +Connel had noticed the first time he saw him. Connel had signed on as +first officer on a deep spacer bound for Titan. Shinny had come aboard +and reported to Connel as rocketman. Shinny had promptly started roaring +through the passageways of the huge freighter in his nightshirt singing +snatches of old songs at the top of his voice. It had taken Connel four +hours to find where Shinny had hidden the bottle of rocket juice! Connel +laughed. He looked over at the old man fondly. + +[Illustration] + +"Say, Nick," said Connel, addressing the man by his given name for the +first time, "you remember the time it took me four hours to find that +bottle of rocket juice you hid on that old Titan freighter?" + +Shinny cackled, his thin voice coming over the headphones of the others +as well as Connel's. + +"I sure do, Lou!" replied Shinny, using Connel's first name. They were +just old spacemen now, reliving old times together. "Funny thing, +though, you never knew I had two more bottles hidden in the tube +chamber!" + +"Why, you old space crawler!" roared Connel. "You put one over on me!" + +[Illustration] + +Roger and Astro and Alfie had never known Connel's first name. They +rolled the name over in their minds, fitting the name to the man. +Unknown to each other, they decided that the name fitted the man. Lou +Connel! + +"Say, Lou," asked Shinny, "where in the blessed universe did you come +from? You never told me." + +There was a long pause. "A place called Telfair Estates, in the deep +South on the North American continent. I was raised on a farm close by. +I used to go fishing late at night and stare up at the stars." He paused +again. "I ran away from home. I don't know if--if--anyone's still there +or not. I never went back!" + +There was a long silence as each man saw a small boy fishing late at +night, barefoot, his toes dangling in the water, a worm wiggling on the +end of a string, more interested in the stars that twinkled overhead +than in any fish that might swim past and seize the hook. + +"Where are you from, Nick?" asked Connel. + +"Born in space," cackled Shinny, "on a passenger freighter carrying +colonists out to Titan. Never had a breath of natural fresh air until I +was almost a grown man. Nothing but synthetic stuff under the atmosphere +screens. My father was a mining engineer. I was the only kid. One night +a screen busted and nearly everybody suffocated or froze to death. My pa +and ma was among 'em. I blasted off after that. Been in the deep ever +since. And you know, by the blessed rings of Saturn, I'd be on a nice +farm near Venusport, living on a pension, if you hadn't kicked me out of +the Solar Guard!" + +"Why, you broken down old piece of space junk," roared Connel, "I +oughta--" Connel never finished what he was going to say. + +"Attention! Attention! Roger--Astro--Major Connel--come in, please! This +is Tom on the _Polaris_!" + +As if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning, the five spacemen sat +up and then raced to the jet boat. + +"Connel to Corbett!" roared the major. "Where are you? What happened?" + +"I haven't got time to explain now, sir," said Tom. "Loring and Mason +escaped and forced me to take them to Tara. I managed to overcome them +and blast back here. Meet me up about fifty miles above Junior, sir. I'm +bringing the _Polaris_ in!" + +"No!" yelled Connel. "It's no use, Tom. We're out of fuel. We've used up +all our power." + +"Then stand by," said Tom grimly. "I'm coming in for a landing!" + +"No, Tom!" roared Connel. "There's nothing you can do. We're too far +into the sun's pull. You'll never blast off again!" + +"I don't care if we all wind up as cinders," said Tom, "I'm coming in!" + +The communicator went dead and from the left, over the close horizon of +the small satellite, the _Polaris_ swept into view like a red-tailed +fire dragon. It shot up in a pretouchdown maneuver, and then began to +drop slowly to the surface of the planetoid. + +No sooner had the _Polaris_ touched the dry airless ground than the +air-lock hatch was opened. From the crystal port on the control deck, +Tom waved to the men below him. + +Shinny climbed into the lock first, followed by Astro, Alfie, Roger, and +Connel. While Roger and Alfie closed the hatch, Astro and Connel +adjusted the oxygen pressure and waited for the supply to build to +normal. At last the hissing stopped, and the hatch to the inner part of +the ship opened. Tom greeted them with a smile and an outstretched hand. + +"Glad to have you aboard!" he joked. + +After the back slapping between Roger, Astro, and Tom was over, Connel +questioned Tom on his strange departure from the satellite. + +"It was just like I told you, sir," explained Tom. "They got out of the +brig," he paused, not mentioning the spoon that Loring had used or how +he had gotten it. "They forced me to take them to Tara. I managed to get +the gravity turned off and gave them a lesson in free-fall fighting. +They're still frozen stiff up on the control deck." + +"Good boy!" said Connel. "I'll go and have a talk with them. Meantime, +Astro, you and Shinny and Alfie get below and see how much fuel we have +in emergency supply. We're going to need every ounce we have." + +"Aye, aye, sir," said Astro. The three hurried to the power deck. + +Connel followed Roger and Tom to the control deck. Loring and Mason were +still in the positions they were in when Tom had fired his paralo-ray. +Connel took Tom's gun and switched to the neutralizer. He fired twice +and the two men rose shakily to their feet. Connel faced them, his eyes +burning. + +"I'm going to say very little to you two space-crawling rats!" snapped +Connel. "I'm not going to lock you in the brig; I'm not going to confine +you in any manner. But if you make one false move, I'll court-martial +you right here and now! You've caused enough trouble with your +selfishness, jeopardizing the lives of six men. If we fail to get off +this satellite, it'll be because _you_ put us in this position. Now get +below and see what aid you can give Astro. And if either of you so much +as raises your voice, I'm going to let _him_ take care of you! Is that +clear?" + +"Yes, sir!" mumbled Loring. "We understand, sir. And we'll do everything +we can to--to--make up for what we've done." + +"The only thing you can do is to stay out of my sight!" said Connel +coldly. + +Loring and Mason scuttled past Connel and climbed down to the power +deck. + +"Attention! Attention! Control deck--Major Connel! Sir, this is Roger on +the radar bridge. I just checked over Tom's figures on thrust, sir, and +I'm not sure, but I think we've passed the point of safety." + +"Thanks, Roger," said Connel. He turned to the intercom. "Power deck, +check in!" + +"Power deck, aye," said Astro. + +"Loring and Mason there?" asked Connel. + +"Yes, sir. I'm putting them right to work in the radiation chamber, sir. +I'm piling all emergency fuel into the reaction chambers to try for one +big push!" + +"Why?" asked Connel. + +"I heard what Roger said, sir," replied Astro. "This'll give us enough +thrust to clear the sun's gravity, but there's something else that might +not take it." + +"What?" asked Connel. + +"The cooling pumps, sir," said Astro. "They may not be able to handle a +load as hot as this. We might blow up." + +Connel considered this a moment. "Do what you can, Astro. I have +absolute faith in you." + +"Aye, aye, sir," said Astro. "And thank you. If this wagon holds +together, I'll get her off." + +Connel turned to Tom who stood ready at the control panel. + +"All set, sir," said Tom. "Roger's given me a clear trajectory forward +and up. All we need is Astro's push!" + +"Unless Astro can build enough pressure in those cooling pumps to handle +the overload of reactant fuel, we're done for. We'll get off this moon +in pieces!" + +"Power deck to control deck." + +"Come in, Astro," said Tom. + +"Almost ready, Tom," said Astro. "Maximum pressure is eight hundred and +we're up to seven seventy now." + +"Very well, Astro," replied Connel. "Let her build all the way to an +even eight hundred and blast at my command." + +"Aye, aye, sir," said Astro. + +The mighty pumps on the power deck began their piercing shriek. Higher +and higher they built up the pressure, until the ship began to rock +under the strain. + +"Stand by, Tom," ordered Connel, "and if you've ever twisted those +dials, twist them now!" + +"Yes, sir," replied Tom. + +"Pressure up to seven ninety-one, sir," reported Astro. + +"Attention! All members strap into acceleration cushions!" + +One by one, Shinny and Alfie, Loring and Mason, Astro and Roger strapped +themselves into the acceleration cushions. Roger set the radar scanner +and strapped himself in on the radar bridge. Connel slumped into the +second pilot's chair and took over the controls of the ship, strapping +himself in, while Tom beside him did the same. The whine of the pumps +was now a shrill whistle that drowned out all other sounds, and the +great ship bucked under the force of the thrust building in her heart. + +In front of the power-deck control panel Astro watched the pressure +gauge mount steadily. + +"Pressure up to seven ninety-six, sir," he called. + +"Stand by to fire all rockets!" roared Connel. + +"Make it good, you Venusian clunk," yelled Roger. + +"Seven ninety-nine, sir!" bellowed Astro. + +Astro watched the gauge of the pressure creep slowly toward the +eight-hundred mark. In all his experience he had never seen it above +seven hundred. Shinny, too, his merry eyes shining bright, watched the +needle jerk back and forth and finally reach the eight-hundred mark. + +"Eight hundred, sir," bellowed Astro. + +"Fire all stern rockets!" roared Connel. + +Astro threw the switch. On the control board, Connel saw a red light +flash on. He jammed the master switch down hard. + +It was the last thing he remembered. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER 21 + + +Tom stirred. He rolled his head from side to side. His mouth was dry and +there was a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He opened his eyes +and stared at the control panel in front of him. Instinctively he began +to check the dials and gauges. He settled on one and waited for his +pounding heart to return to normal. His eyes cleared, and the gauge swam +into view. He read the figures aloud: + +"Distance in miles since departure--fourteen thousand, five hundred ..." + +Something clicked. He let out a yell. + +"We made it! We made it!" He turned and began to pound Connel on the +back. "Major Connel! Major, wake up, sir! We made it. We're in free +fall! Junior's far behind us!" + +"Uh--ah--what--Tom? What?" Connel said, rolling his eyes. In all his +experience he had never felt such acceleration. He glanced at the gauge. + +"Distance," he read, "fifteen thousand miles." The gauge ticked on. + +"We made it, sir!" said Tom. "Astro gave us a kick in the pants we'll +never forget!" + +Connel grinned at Tom's excitement. There was reason to be excited. They +were free. He turned to the intercom, but before he could speak, Astro's +voice roared into his ears. + +"Report from the power deck, sir," said Astro. "Acceleration normal. +Request permission to open up on hyperdrive." + +"Permission granted!" said Connel. + +"Look, sir," said Tom, "on the teleceiver screen. Junior is getting his +bumps!" + +Connel glanced up at the screen. One by one the white puffs of dust from +the reactor units were exploding on the surface of the planetoid. Soon +the whole satellite was covered with the radioactive cloud. + +"I'm sure glad we're not on that baby now," whispered Tom. + +"Same here, spaceman!" said Connel. + + +It was evening of the first full day after leaving Junior before the +routine of the long haul back to Space Academy had begun. The _Polaris_ +was on automatic control, and everyone was assembled in the messroom. + +"Well, boys," said Connel, "our mission is a complete success. I've +finished making out a report to Space Academy, and everything's fine. +Incidentally, Manning," he continued, "if you're worried about having +broken your word when you escaped from the space station, forget it. You +more than made up for it by your work in helping us get Loring and +Mason." + +Roger smiled gratefully and gulped, "Thank you, sir." + +Loring and Mason, who had eaten their meal separately from the others, +listened silently. Loring got up and faced them. The room became silent. + +Loring flushed. + +[Illustration: _"I know we're going to be sent to the prison asteroid +and we deserve it," said Loring._] + +"I'd like to say something," he began haltingly, "if I can?" + +"Go ahead," said Connel. + +"Well," said Loring, "it's hard to say this, but Mason and myself, +well--" He paused. "I don't know what happened to us on the first trip +out here, Major, but when we saw that satellite, and the copper, +something just went wrong inside. One thing led to another, and before +we knew it, we were in so deep we couldn't get out." + +The faces around the table were stony, expressionless. + +"Nobody deserves less consideration than me and Mason. And--well, you +know yourself, sir, that we were pretty good spacemen at one time. You +picked us for the first trip out to Tara with you." + +Connel nodded. + +"And well, sir, the main thing is about Jardine and Bangs. I know we're +going to be sent to the prison asteroid and we deserve it. But we been +thinking, sir, about Jardine's and Bang's wives and kids. They musta +lost everything in that crash of the _Annie Jones_, so if the major +would recommend that Mason and me be sent to the Titan mines, instead of +the rock, we could send our credits back to help take care of the kids +and all." + +No one spoke. + +"That's all," said Loring. He and Mason left the room. + +Connel glanced around the table. "Well?" he asked. "This is your first +struggle with justice. Each of you, Tom, Roger, Astro, Alfie, will be +faced with this sort of thing during your careers as spacemen. What +would you do?" + +The four cadets looked at each other, each wondering what the other +would say. Finally Connel turned to Alfie. + +"You're first, Alfie," said Connel. + +"I'd send them to the mines, sir," said Alfie. + +Connel's face was impressive. "Roger?" + +"Same here, sir," replied Roger. + +"Astro?" asked Connel. + +"I'd do anything to help the kids, sir," said Astro, an orphan himself. + +"Tom?" + +Tom hesitated. "They deserve the rock, sir. I don't have any feeling for +them. But if they go to the rock, that doesn't do any more than punish +them. If they go to the mines, they'll be punished and help someone else +too. I'd send them to Titan and exile them from Earth forever." + +Connel studied the cadets a moment. He turned to Shinny. + +"Think they made a good decision, Nick?" + +"I like what young Tommy, here, had to say, Lou," answered Shinny. "Best +part about justice is when the man himself suffers from his own guilty +feelings, rather than what you do to him as punishment. I think they did +all right!" + +"All right," said Connel. "I'll make the recommendation as you have +suggested." Suddenly he turned to Shinny. "What about you in all this, +Nick? I don't mean that you were hooked up with Loring and Mason. I know +you were just prospecting and you've proved yourself to be a true +spaceman. But what will happen to you now?" + +"I'll tell you what's going to happen to me," snapped Shinny. "You're +going to re-enlist me in the Solar Guard, right here! Right now!" + +"What?" exploded Connel. + +"And then you're going to retire me, right here, right now, with a full +pension!" + +"Why you old space-crawling--" Suddenly he looked around the table and +saw the laughing faces of Tom, Roger, Astro, and Alfie. + +"All right," he said, "but between your enlistment and your retirement, +I'm going to make you polish every bit of brass on this space wagon, +from the radar mast to the exhaust tubes!" + +Shinny smiled his toothless smile and looked at Tom. + +"Get the logbook, Tommy," he said. "This is official. I'm going to do +something no other man in the entire history of the Solar Guard ever did +before!" + +"What's that, Mr. Shinny?" asked Tom with a smile. + +"Enlist, serve time, and retire with a full pension, all on the same +blasted spaceship, the _Polaris_!" + +[Illustration] + + ++--------------------------------------------------------------+ +| Transcriber's Note | +| | +| Typographical errors corrected: | +| | +| 1) familarity changed to familiarity | +| 2) but's changed to buts | +| 3) word changed to work | +| | +| Possible typographical error left as is: | +| | +| All ready possibly should read Already | +| | +| Standardized hyphenation: | +| | +| 1) paralo ray changed to paralo-ray | +| 2) upperclassmen changed to upper-classmen | +| | +| In addition, the nickname Blast-off occurs in two forms | +| throughout the text: "Blast-off" and 'Blast-off'. One is | +| used consistently in descriptive text ("Blast-off") the | +| other is used consistently in dialog ('Blast-off'), | +| as such both forms have been retained. | +| | ++--------------------------------------------------------------+ + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Danger in Deep Space, by Carey Rockwell + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DANGER IN DEEP SPACE *** + +***** This file should be named 19709.txt or 19709.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/9/7/0/19709/ + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Patricia A Benoy and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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