ON THE TRAIL OF THE SPACE PIRATES

 A TOM CORBETT Space Cadet Adventure

 By CAREY ROCKWELL

 WILLY LEY _Technical Adviser_

 ILLUSTRATIONS BY LOUIS GLANZMAN

GROSSET & DUNLAP _Publishers_ New York

COPYRIGHT, 1953, BYROCKHILL RADIOALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

[Transcriber's note: This is a rule 6 clearance. PG has not been ableto find a copyright renewal for this book. ]

ILLUSTRATIONS

Hawks stood up and eyed the two men coldly

Tom saw three pretty girls board the ship

The hatch opened again and the two spacemen entered the air lock

The scar-faced man obviously wanted something from Tom

The young cadet timed his move perfectly

All Solar Guard defense measures seemed to be futile

Astro and Coxine were locked in mortal combat

ON THE TRAIL OF THE SPACE PIRATES

CHAPTER 1

"ALL ABOARD!"

A metallic voice rasped over the loud-speakers and echoed through thelofty marble and aluminum concourse of the New Chicago MonorailTerminal. "Atom City express on Track Seven! Space Academy first stop!Passengers for Space Academy will please take seats in the first sixcars!"

As the crowd of people waiting in the concourse surged through the gateleading to Track Seven, three boys in the royal-blue uniforms of theSpace Cadet Corps slowly picked up their plastic space bags and joinedthe mass of travelers. 

Wearily, they drifted with the crowd and stepped on the slidestairsleading down to the monorail platform. In the lead, Tom Corbett, thecommand cadet of the unit, a tall, curly-haired boy of eighteen, slouched against the handrail and looked back at his two unit-mates, Roger Manning and Astro. Manning, a slender cadet, with close-croppedblond hair, was yawning and blinking his eyes sleepily, while Astro, thethird member of the unit, a head taller than either of his unit-matesand fifty pounds heavier, stood flat-footed on the step, eyes closed, his giant bulk swaying slightly with the motion of the slidestairs. 

"Huh! A real snappy unit!" Tom muttered to himself. 

"Hmmm? What?" Roger blinked and stared bleary-eyed at Tom. 

"Nothing, Roger, " Tom replied. "I only hope you guys can stay awake longenough to get on the monorail. "

"It's your own fault, Tom, " rumbled Astro in his bull-like voice. "Ifyour family hadn't thrown so many parties for us while we were on leave, we'd have had more sleep. "

"I didn't hear any complaints then, " snorted Tom. "Just get into the carbefore you cork off, will you? I'm in no shape to carry you. "

Seconds later, the slidestairs deposited the three boys on the platformand they slowly made their way through the crowd toward the forward carsof the monorail. Entering the third car, they found three seats togetherand collapsed into their luxurious softness. 

"Oh, brother!" Tom groaned as he curled himself into the cushions, "I'mgoing to sleep all the way to the Academy. "

"I'm asleep already, " mumbled Roger, his voice muffled by his cap pulledlow over his face. 

Suddenly Astro sat bolt upright. "I'm hungry!" he announced. 

"Oh, no!" moaned Tom. 

"Why, you overgrown Venusian ape, Mrs. Corbett gave you dinner less thanan hour ago!" Roger complained. "Steak, French fries, beans, corn, pie, ice cream. .. . "

"Two helpings, " chimed in Tom. 

"And now you're hungry!" Roger was incredulous. 

"Can't help it, " calmly answered Astro. "I'm a big guy, that's all. " Hebegan digging through his space bag for an apple Mrs. Corbett hadthoughtfully provided. 

Tom finally stirred and sat up. He had learned a long time ago thefutility of trying to deny Astro's Gargantuan appetite. "There's adining car on this section of the monorail, Astro, " he said, slapping acrumpled mass of credits into the Venusian's hamlike hand. "Here. Haveyourself a good time. " He slumped back in his seat and closed his eyes. 

"Yeah, " growled Roger, "and when you come back, don't make any noise!"

Astro smiled. He got up carefully and climbed over his two sleepingmates. Standing in the aisle, he counted the credits Tom had given himand turned to the front of the car. Suddenly a heavy voice growledbehind him. 

"One side, spaceboy!"

A hand grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him to one side. Caughtoff balance, Astro fell back on his sleeping unit-mates. 

"Hey! What th--" stuttered Astro as he sprawled on top of his friends. The two sleepy cadets came up howling. 

"Astro! What in blazes do you think you're doing?" roared Tom. 

"Why, you space-brained idiot, " yelled Roger, "I ought to lay one onyour chin!"

There was a tangle of arms and legs and finally the three cadetsstruggled to their feet. Astro turned to see who had pushed him. 

Two men standing at the end of the car grinned back at him. 

"It was those two guys at the end of the car, " explained Astro. "Theypushed me!" He lumbered toward them, followed by Tom and Roger. 

Stopping squarely in front of them, he demanded, "What's the big idea?"

"Go back to your beauty rest, spaceboy!" jeered the heavier of the twomen and turned to his companion, adding with a snarl, "How do you likehis nerve? We not only have to pay taxes to support these lazy kids andteach them how to be spacemen, but they're loud-mouthed and sassy on topof it!"

The other man, smaller and rat-faced, laughed. "Yeah, we oughta reportthem to their little soldier bosses at Space Academy. "

Astro suddenly balled his fists and stepped forward, but Tom grabbed hisarm and pulled him back while Roger eased himself between his mates andthe two grinning men. 

"You know, Tom, " he drawled, looking the heavier of the two right in theeye, "the only thing I don't like about being a Space Cadet is having tobe polite to _all_ the people, including the space crawlers!"

"Why, you little punk, " sneered the bigger man, "I oughta wipe up thedeck with you!"

Roger smiled thinly. "Don't try it, mister. You wouldn't know what hityou!"

"Come on, Wallace, " said the smaller man. "Leave 'em alone and let'sgo. "

Astro took another step forward and roared, "Blast off. Both of you!"

The two men turned quickly and disappeared through the door leading tothe next monorail car. 

The three cadets turned and headed back down the aisle to their seats. 

"Let's get some sleep, " said Tom. "We better be in good shape for thatnew assignment when we hit the Academy. No telling what it'll be, wherewe'll go, or worse yet, when we'll blast off. And I, for one, want tohave a good night's rest under my belt. "

"Yeah, " agreed Roger, settling himself into the cushions once more. "Wonder what the orders will be. Got any ideas, Tom?"

"No idea at all, Roger, " answered Tom. "The audiogram just said reportback to the Academy immediately for assignment. "

"Hey, Astro!" exclaimed Roger, seeing the Venusian climb back into hisseat. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm not hungry any more, " grunted Astro. "Those guys made me lose myappetite. "

Tom looked at Roger and winked. "Maybe we'd better tell Captain Strongabout this, Roger. "

"Why?"

"Get Astro mad enough and he won't want to eat. The Academy can cut downon its food bills. "

"Ah, rocket off, you guys, " growled Astro sleepily. 

Tom and Roger smiled at each other, closed their eyes, and in a momentthe three cadets of the Polaris unit were sound asleep. 

 * * * * *

Suspended from a single gleaming rail that stretched across the westernplains like an endless silver ribbon, the monorail express hurtledthrough the early dawn speeding its passengers to their destination. Asthe gleaming line of streamlined cars crossed the newly developedgrazing lands that had once been the great American desert, Tom Corbettstirred from a deep sleep. The slanting rays of the morning sun wereshining in his eyes. Tom yawned, stretched, and turned to the viewportto watch the scenery flash past. Looming up over the flat grassy plainsahead, he could see a huge bluish mountain range, its many peaks coveredwith ever-present snow. In a few moments Tom knew the train would rocketthrough a tunnel and then on the other side, in the center of a deep, wide valley, he would see Space Academy, the university of the planetsand headquarters of the great Solar Guard. 

He reached over and shook Roger and Astro, calling, "All right, spacemen, time to hit the deck!"

"Uh? Ah-ummmh!" groaned Roger. 

"Ahhhoooohhhhhh!" yawned Astro. Standing up, he stretched and touchedthe top of the monorail car. 

"Let's get washed before the other passengers wake up, " said Tom, andheaded for the morning room. Astro and Roger followed, dragging theirfeet and rubbing their eyes. 

Five minutes later, as the sleek monorail whistled into the tunnelbeneath the mountain range, the boys of the _Polaris_ unit returned totheir seats. 

"Back to the old grind, " sighed Roger. "Drills, maneuvers, books, lectures. The same routine, day in day out. "

"Maybe not, " said Tom. "Remember, the order for us to report back wassigned by Commander Walters, not the cadet supervisor of leaves. I thinkthat means something special. "

Suddenly the monorail roared out of the tunnel and into brilliantearly-morning sun again. 

The three cadets turned quickly, their eyes sweeping the valley for thefirst sight of the shining Tower of Galileo. 

"There it is, " said Tom, pointing toward a towering crystal buildingreflecting the morning light. "We'll be there in a minute. "

Even as Tom spoke, the speed of the monorail slackened as it eased pasta few gleaming structures of aluminum and concrete. Presently the whiteplatform of the Academy station drifted past the viewport and allforward motion stopped. The doors opened and the three boys hurried tothe exit. 

All around the cadets, men and women in the vari-colored uniforms of theSolar Guard hurried through the station. The green of the Earthwormcadets, first-year students of the Cadet Corps; the brilliant rich blueof the senior cadets like the _Polaris_ unit; the scarlet red of theenlisted Solar Guard; and here and there, the black and gold of theofficers of the Solar Guard. 

The three cadets hurried to the nearest slidewalk, a moving belt ofplastic that glided silently across the ground toward Space Academy. Itwhisked them quickly past the few buildings nestled around the monorailstation and rounded a curve. The three cadets looked up together at thegleaming Tower of Galileo. Made of pure Titan crystal, it soared abovethe cluster of buildings that surrounded the grassy quadrangle anddominated Space Academy like a translucent giant. 

The cadets stepped off the slidewalk as it glided past the Towerbuilding and ran up the broad marble stair. At the huge main portal, Tomstopped and looked back over the Academy grounds. All around him lay theevidence of mankind's progress. It was the year 2353, when Earthman hadlong since colonized the inner planets, Mars and Venus, and the threelarge satellites, Moon of Earth, Ganymede of Jupiter, and Titan ofSaturn. It was the age of space travel; of the Solar Alliance, a unifiedsociety of billions of people who lived in peace with one another, though sprawled throughout the universe; and the Solar Guard, the mightof the Solar Alliance and the defender of interplanetary peace. Allthese things Tom saw as he stood in the wide portal of the TowerBuilding, flanked by Astro and Roger. 

Turning into the Tower, the three cadets went directly to the office oftheir unit commander. The training program at Space Academy consisted ofthree cadets to a unit, with a Solar Guard officer as their teacher andinstructor. Steve Strong, captain in the Solar Guard, had been theircadet instructor since the unit had been formed and he now smiled awelcome as the cadets snapped to attention in front of his desk. 

"_Polaris_ unit reporting as ordered, sir, " said Tom, handing over theaudiogram order he had received the day before. 

"Thank you, Corbett, " said Strong, taking the paper. "At ease. "

The three boys relaxed and broke into wide grins as Strong rounded hisdesk and shook hands with each of them. 

"Glad to have you back, boys, " he said. "Did you enjoy your leave?"

"And how, sir, " replied Tom. 

"Tom's mother showed us a whale of a good time, " chimed in Roger. 

"And how she can cook!" Astro licked his lips involuntarily. 

"Well, I hope you had a good rest--" said Strong, but was suddenlyinterrupted by the sound of a small bell. Behind his desk a smallteleceiver screen glowed into life to reveal the stern face of CommanderWalters, the commander of Space Academy. 

Strong turned to the teleceiver and called, "Yes, Commander Walters?"

"Did the _Polaris_ unit arrive yet, Steve?" asked the commander. 

"Yes, sir, " replied Strong. "They're here in my office now, sir. "

"Good, " said the commander with a smile. "I just received a report theexposition will open sooner than expected. I suggest you brief thecadets and raise ship as soon as possible. "

"Very well, sir, " answered Strong. The screen darkened and he turnedback to the cadets. "Looks like you got back just in time. "

"What's up, sir?" asked Tom. 

Strong returned to his chair and sat down. "I suppose you've all heardabout the Solar Exposition that opens on Venus next week?"

Tom's eyes lit up. "Have we! That's all the stereos and visunews andteleceivers have been yacking about for weeks now. "

"Well, " said Strong with a smile, "we're going!"

The three cadets couldn't restrain themselves and burst out in a happyshout. Then Roger calmed down enough to comment, "Sounds more likeanother vacation than an assignment, sir. "

"Hardly, Manning, " replied Strong. "You see, every industry, society, organization, and governmental agency is setting up exhibits at theexposition to show the people what's taking place in their part of thesolar system. There'll also be an amusement section. " Strong chuckled. "I've seen pictures of some of the tricks and rides they've developed toentertain the younger generation. Believe me, I'd rather take fullacceleration on a rocket ship than ride on any of them. "

"But what will we do, sir?" asked Tom. 

"Our job is very simple. We're to take the _Polaris_ to the expositionand land on the fairgrounds. When the fair opens, we show all thevisitors who are interested, everything about her. "

"You mean we're going to be"--Roger swallowed--"guides?"

"That's right, Manning, " said Strong. "You three will guide all visitorsthrough the _Polaris_. "

"How long will we be there, sir?" asked Tom. 

"A month or so, I guess. The _Polaris_ will be the first Academyexhibit. When you leave, another unit will replace you with their shipand do the same thing. "

"But--but--" stammered Astro, "what will we say to them? The visitors, Imean?"

"Just answer all their questions, Astro. Also, make up a little speechabout the functions of your particular station. "

Strong looked at his watch and rose to his feet. "It's getting late. Check the _Polaris_ over and stand by to raise ship in an hour. "

"Yes, sir, " said Tom. 

The cadets came to attention, preparing to leave. 

"One thing more! Don't get the idea that this is going to be a spacelark, " said Strong. "It's very important for the people of the SolarAlliance to know what kind of work we're doing here at the Academy. Andyou three have been selected as representatives of the entire CadetCorps. So see that you conduct yourselves accordingly. All right, dismissed!"

The three cadets saluted sharply and filed out of the room, theirskipper's final words ringing in their ears. 

Fifteen minutes later, having packed the necessary gear for the extendedtrip, the _Polaris_ unit rode the slidewalk through the grassyquadrangle and the cluster of Academy buildings, out toward thespaceport. In the distance they could see the rocket cruiser _Polaris_, poised on the launching ramp, her long silhouette outlined sharplyagainst the blue sky. Resting on her four stabilizer fins, her nosepointed toward the stars, the ship looked like a giant projectile poisedand ready to blast its target. 

"Look at her!" exclaimed Astro. "If she isn't the most beautiful ship inthe universe, I'll eat my hat. "

"Don't see how you could, " drawled Roger, "after the way you put awayMrs. Corbett's pies!"

Tom laughed. "I'll tell you one thing, Roger, " he said, pointing to theship, "I feel like that baby is as much my home as Mom's and Dad's houseback in New Chicago. "

"All right, all right, " said Roger. "Since we're all getting sloppy, Ihave to admit that I'm glad to see that old thrust bucket too!"

Presently the three cadets were scrambling into the mighty spaceship, and they went right to work, preparing for blast-off. 

Quickly, with sure hands, each began a systematic check of his station. On the power deck Astro, a former enlisted Solar Guardsman who had beenadmitted to the Cadet Corps because of his engineering genius, strippedto the waist and started working on the ship's massive atomic engines. Aheavy rocketman's belt of tools slung around his waist, he crawledthrough the heart of the ship, adjusting a valve here, turning a screwthere, seeing that the reactant feeders were clean and clear to therocket firing chambers. And last of all he made sure the great rocketfiring chambers were secure and the heavy sheets of lead baffling inplace to protect him from deadly radioactivity. 

On the radar bridge in the nose of the ship, Roger removed the delicateastrogation prism from its housing and cleaned it with a soft cloth. Replacing it carefully, he turned to the radar scanner, checking theintricate wiring system and making sure that the range finders were ingood working order. He then turned his attention to the intercom. 

"Radar bridge to control deck, " he called. "Checking the intercom, Tom. "

Immediately below, on the control deck, Tom turned away from the controlpanel. "All clear here, Roger. Check with Astro. "

"All clear on the power deck!" The big Venusian's voice boomed over theloud-speaker. The intercom could be heard all over the ship unless themany speakers were turned off individually. 

Tom turned his attention back to the great control panel, and one by onetested the banks of dials, gauges, and indicators that controlled therocket cruiser. Tom Corbett had wanted to be a space Cadet as long as hecould remember. After taking the entrance exams, he had been acceptedfor the rigid training that would prepare him to enter the ranks of thegreat Solar Guard. He had met his two unit-mates, Roger and Astro, onhis very first day at the Academy, and after a difficult beginning, adjusting to each other's personalities and the discipline of theAcademy routine, the three boys had become steadfast friends. 

As control-deck cadet and pilot, Tom was head of the unit, second-in-command to Captain Strong. And while he could issue orders toAstro and Roger and expect to be obeyed, the three cadets all spoketheir minds when it came to making difficult decisions. This hadsolidified the three cadets into a fighting, experienced, dependableunit. 

Tom made a final check on the gravity generator and turned to theintercom. 

"All departments, report!" he called. 

"Radar bridge checks in O. K. , " replied Roger. 

"Power deck checks in on the nose, Tom, " reported Astro. 

"Right! Stand by! We blast as soon as the skipper gets around. "

Tom turned to the teleceiver and switched it on. The screen blurred andthen steadied into a view of the spaceport outside. Tom scanned thelaunching ramp below, and, satisfied it was clear, he switched theteleceiver to the spaceport traffic-control circuit. 

"Rocket cruiser _Polaris_ to spaceport control, " he called. "Come in, spaceport control. Request orbit clearance. "

"Spaceport traffic control to _Polaris_, " reported the traffic officer, his face in focus on the teleceiver screen. "Your orbit has been clearedfor blast-off. Orbit number 3847--repeat, 3847--raise ship when ready!"

"Orbit 3847, " repeated Tom. "End transmission!"

"End transmission, " said the officer. Tom flipped off the teleceiver andthe officer's face disappeared. 

At the rear of the control deck, Captain Strong suddenly stepped throughthe hatch and dropped his black plastic space bag on the deck. Tom gotup and saluted sharply. 

"_Polaris_ ready to blast off, sir, " he said. "Orbit cleared. "

"Very well, Corbett, " replied Strong, returning the salute. "Carry on!"

Tom turned back to the control board and flipped on the intercom. "Control deck to power deck! Energize the cooling pumps!"

"Cooling pumps, aye!" said Astro. 

From the power deck, the massive pumps began their whining roar. Thegreat ship shuddered under the pressure. 

Tom watched the gauge that indicated the pressure control and thencalled into the intercom. 

"Radar bridge, do we have a clear trajectory?'

"All clear forward and up, Tom, " reported Roger from the radar bridge. 

"Strap in for blast-off!" bawled the curly-haired cadet. 

Captain Strong took his place in the pilot's chair next to Tom andstrapping himself in snapped out, "Feed reactant!"

Spinning a small wheel at the side of the control panel, Tom reported, "Feeders at D-9 rate, sir!"

Then, as the hiss of fuel pouring into the mighty engines of the shipblended with the whine of the pumps, Tom snapped out a third order. "Cutin take-off six yards!"

Receiving acknowledgment from below, he grasped the master blast-offswitch and watched the sweeping hand of the astral chronometer. 

"Stand by to raise ship!" he yelled. "Blast offminus--five--four--three--two--one--_zero_!"

He pulled the switch. 

Slowly, the rockets blasting evenly, the giant ship lifted itself freeof the ground. Then, gaining speed, it began rocketing away from theEarth. Like a giant shining bullet, the great spaceship blasted throughthe dark void of space, her nose pointed to the distant misty planet ofVenus. 

Once again Tom Corbett and his unit-mates had embarked on a mission forthe Solar Guard. 

CHAPTER 2

"Stand by for touchdown!" bellowed Captain Strong's voice on the bigspaceship's intercom. 

"Control deck standing by, " replied Tom. 

"Corbett, " Strong continued, "you may take her down as soon as you getclearance from Venusport traffic control. "

Tom acknowledged the order with a brisk "Aye, sir! In a few moments hereceived permission to touch down on the newly colonized planet. Then, turning his attention to the control board, he requested aground-approach check from Roger. 

"About two miles to touchdown, Tom, " reported Roger from the radarbridge. "Trajectory clear!"

"O. K. , Roger, " said Tom. Glancing quickly at the air speed and rocketthrust indicators, he flipped a switch and sang out, "Power deck, reducethrust on main drive rockets to minimum!"

"Got ya, Tom, " boomed Astro. 

"Closing in fast, sir, " said Tom to Strong, who had come up from belowand now stood at the cadet's shoulder watching as Tom maneuvered the bigship through the Venusian atmosphere, his keen eyes sweeping the greatpanel of recording gauges and dials. 

"One thousand feet to touchdown, " intoned Roger from the radar bridge. 

Reacting swiftly, Tom adjusted several levers, then picking up theintercom microphone, he threw a switch and yelled, "Power deck! Fullbraking thrust!"

Deep inside the _Polaris_, Astro, who tended the mighty rocket powerplant with loving care, eased home the sensitive control mechanism, applying even pressure to the braking rockets. 

As the giant spaceship settled smoothly to within a few feet of thesurface of the concrete spaceport, Tom threw the master switch that cutall power. A moment later the huge craft dropped easily, then settled onthe landing platform with a gentle thump. 

"Touchdown!" yelled Tom. Then, glancing at the astral chronometer on thecontrol board, he turned to Strong, and saluting smartly, reported, "_Polaris_ completes space flight at exactly seven fifty-two-O-two!"

Strong returned the salute. "Very well, Tom. Now, I want you, Roger, andAstro to come with me to the exposition commissioner's office for aninterview and detailed orders. "

"Yes, sir, " said Tom. 

A few minutes later, dressed in fresh uniforms, the three cadetsfollowed their unit commander out of the ship, then stood by as Strongordered the chief petty officer of an enlisted Solar Guard working partyto prepare the _Polaris_ for moving to the exposition site. 

"Empty the reactant fuel tanks of all but enough for us to raise shipand touch down over to the fairgrounds, " said Strong. "Better strip herof armament, too. Paralo-ray pistols and rifles, the three-inch andsix-inch atomic blasters, narco sleeping gas; in fact, everything thatcould possibly cause any trouble. "

"Yes, sir, " replied the scarlet-clad enlisted spaceman. 

"One thing more, " added Strong. "There will be a crew living aboard, soplease see that the galley is stocked with a full supply of both freshand synthetic foods. That's about all, I guess. "

"Very well, sir, " replied the petty officer with a crisp salute. Heturned and began bawling orders to a squad of men behind him andimmediately they were swarming over the great ship like ants. 

Fifteen minutes later, a jet cab swerved to a stop in front of thetallest of the Venusport buildings, the Solar Alliance Chamber. Strongpaid the driver, adding a handsome tip, and flanked by his three cadetsstrode briskly into the building. 

Crossing a high-ceilinged lobby, they entered an express vacuum elevatorand five seconds later stepped out onto the four-hundredth floor. There, Strong slid a panel door to one side, and, followed by the cadets, stepped inside the office of Mike Hawks, exposition commissioner andretired senior officer of the Solar Guard. 

The office was impressively large and airy, with an outside wall forminga viewport of clear Titan crystal reaching from floor to vaulted ceilingand affording a magnificent view of the city of Venusport and, beyondit, the futuristic buildings of the exposition itself. Another wall, equally as large, was covered by a map of the exposition grounds. 

Mike Hawks, a man with steel-gray hair, clear blue eyes, and a ramrodmilitary bearing, sat behind a massive desk talking to two men. Helooked up when Strong and the cadets walked in and rose quickly with abroad smile to greet them. 

"Steve!" he exclaimed, rounding the desk to shake hands with his oldfriend. "I never dreamed we'd have you and the _Polaris_ unit at ourfair!" He nodded warmly to the cadets who stood at rigid attention. "Atease, cadets. Glad to have you aboard. "

"I was just as surprised to get this assignment, Mike, " said Strong, pumping the officer's hand. Nodding toward the men seated in front ofHawks' desk, he apologized, "Sorry to bust in on you like this, old man. Didn't know you were busy. "

"It's quite all right. " The commissioner smiled. "Just handing out a fewlicenses for the concessions in the amusement section at the fair. People expect to have a little fun when they go to a fair, you know. Bythe stars, they're going to have it so long as I'm commissioner. " Heturned to the cadets. "Sit down, boys. You too, Steve. I'll be with youin a minute. " He turned back to his desk and the waiting men. 

The cadets, at a nod from Strong, sat down on a leather couch thatstretched the length of one wall and listened while Hawks completed hisbusiness with the two men. 

"There you are, " said Hawks, applying the seal of his office to a slipof paper. "That gives you the right to operate a concession in theamusement area as long as the fair is open. "

One of the men took the paper and glanced at it quickly. 

"Wait a minute, Commissioner. This is over near the edge of the area, "he complained. "We wanted to get in the middle. How do you expect us tomake any credits away out there by ourselves?" The man's tone was surlyand disrespectful. 

"Sorry, but that's the only location left. In fact, " Hawks added acidly, "you're lucky to get it!"

"Really?" sneered the heavier of the two. "Well, I'm sure going to findout about this!"

Hawks stood up and eyed the two men coldly. "I've been appointedcommissioner of this exposition by the delegates to the Solar AllianceCouncil. I answer only to the council. If you have a complaint, then youmust present your case before that body. " He cleared his throat andglared at them from behind his desk. "Good day, gentlemen!" he said. 

[Illustration: _Hawks stood up and eyed the two men coldly_]

The two men, who until now had been seated facing the desk, got up, andafter glaring at Hawks, turned and walked toward the door. Tom gasped, and grabbing Roger by the arm, involuntarily pointed at the two men. 

"Look, Roger--those men--" he whispered. 

"Yeah, " said Roger. "Those are the wise-guy space crawlers we met on themonorail, the ones who called us punks!"

"How'd they get here so fast?" asked Astro. 

"Must have taken a jetliner from Atom City, I guess. "

Strong, who sat near Tom, heard the exchange between the cadets. 

"You know those men?" he asked. 

"Well--uh--not exactly, sir. We just had a little run-in with them onthe monorail returning from leave, that's all, " said Tom. "Nothingserious. They don't think much of the Solar Guard, though. "

"I gathered as much, " said Hawks dryly. He walked over from his desk. "Ihated to give them the license to operate, but I had to, since I had novalid reason to turn them down. They have a good idea, too. "

"That so? What is it?" asked Strong. 

"They have an old chemical-burning space freighter in which they'regoing to take fair visitors up for a short ride. You see, the big one, Gus Wallace, is an old deep-space merchantman. The smaller one is LutherSimms, a rocketman. "

"Hm. Not a bad idea at all, " mused Strong. "They should make out allright. "

With that, the two Solar Guard officers dropped the incident of Wallaceand Simms and turned to exchanging news of mutual friends and of whateach had been doing since their last meeting. Finally, as theconversation was brought around to the exposition, Hawks got up and saton the side of the desk, facing Strong and the cadets. His eyes glowedas he spoke. 

"Steve, " he said, "this is going to be the greatest gathering of minds, thoughts, and ideas in the knowledgeable history of mankind! There aregoing to be lectures from the greatest minds in the system on any andall subjects you can think of. In one building we're going to build awhole spaceship--a rocket cruiser--piece by piece, right in front of theeyes of fair visitors. In another building we're going to have thegreatest collection of musicians in the universe, continuously playingthe most beautiful music, in a hall built to seat a half million people. Industry, science, medicine, art, literature, astrophysics, spaceflight, to say nothing of a comparative history exhibit designed to showthe people where our forefathers went off the track by warring againsteach other. In fact, Steve, everything you can think of, and then more, will be represented here at the exposition. Why, do you know I've beenworking for three years, co-ordinating ideas, activity, andinformation!"

Strong and the cadets sat transfixed as they listened to thecommissioner speak in glowing terms of the exposition, which, until thistime, by the cadets at least, had been considered little more than agiant amusement park. Finally Strong managed to say, "And we thought the_Polaris_ was going to be so big, it'd be the center of attraction. " Hesmiled. 

Hawks waved his hand. "Look, I don't want to offend you or the boys, Steve, but the fact is, the _Polaris_ is one of the _smaller_ exhibits!"

"I can see that now, " answered Strong. "Tell me, Mike, just what do youwant us to do?"

"I'll answer that in two parts. First, I would like the cadets to set upthe _Polaris_, get her shining and bright, and with quiet courtesy, answer any question anyone might ask concerning the ship, referring anyquestion they can't answer to the information center in the SpaceBuilding. "

"That's all, sir?" asked Tom incredulously. 

"That's all, Corbett. You open the _Polaris_ at nine in the morning andclose her at nine at night. You'll be living aboard, of course. "

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir. "

"That sounds so simple, " drawled Roger, "it might be tough. "

"It will be tough, Manning, " commented Hawks. "Don't fool yourself intoassuming otherwise. "

"Don't worry about these boys, Mike. Now, what is part two?" Strongasked. 

Hawks smiled. "Here it is, Steve. The Solar Alliance has decided to openthe exposition with a simple speech made by a relatively unknown person, but one who is deserving of such an honor. They left the choice of thatperson up to me. " He paused and added quietly, "I'd like you to makethat opening speech, Steve. "

"Me!" cried Strong. "Me, make a speech?"

"I can't think of anyone more deserving--or dependable. "

"But--but--" stammered the captain, "I can't make a speech. I wouldn'tknow what to say. "

"Say anything you want. Just make it short and to the point. "

Strong hesitated a moment. He realized it was a great honor, but hisnaturally shy personality kept him from accepting. 

"Steve, it may make it easier for you to know, " said Hawks teasingly, "that there's going to be a giant capsule lowered into the ground whichwill contain a record of every bit of progress made since the inceptionof the Solar Alliance. It's designed to show the men of the future howto do everything from treating a common cold to exploding nuclear power. This capsule will be lowered at the end of your opening address. So, most of the attention will be focused on the capsule, not you. " Thecommissioner smiled. 

"All right, Mike, " said Strong, grinning sheepishly. "You've gotyourself a speechmaker!"

"Good!" said Hawks and the two men shook hands. 

Tom Corbett could contain himself no longer. "Congratulations, sir!" heblurted out as the three cadets stood up. "We think Commissioner Hawkscouldn't have made a better choice!" His unit-mates nodded a vigorousassent. 

Strong shook hands with the cadets and thanked them. 

"You want the cadets for anything right now, Mike?" asked Strong. 

"Not a thing, Steve. "

Strong turned back to the boys. "Better hop out to the spaceport and getthe _Polaris_ over the exposition site, cadets. Soon as you set herdown, clean her up a little, then relax. I'll be at the Galaxy Hotel ifyou need me. "

"Yes, sir, " said Tom. 

The cadets saluted sharply and left the office. 

Arriving at the spaceport, they found the _Polaris_ stripped of her gunsand her galley stocked with food. The chief petty officer in charge ofthe enlisted spacemen detail was roving through the passageways of therocket cruiser when Tom found him. 

"Everything set, chief?" asked Tom. 

"All set, Cadet Corbett, " reported the elderly spaceman, salutingsmartly. He gave Tom a receipt for the list of the equipment that hadbeen removed from the ship and signed the logbook. Tom thanked him andmade a hurried check of the control deck, with Roger and Astro reportingfrom the radar and power decks. With the precision and assurance ofveteran spacemen, the three Space Cadets lifted the great ship up overthe heart of the sprawling Venusian city and brought it down gently inthe clearing provided for it at the exposition site, a grassy squaresurrounded on three sides by buildings of shimmering crystal walls. 

No sooner had the giant ship settled itself to the ground, than a crewof exposition workers began laying a slidewalk toward her, while anothercrew began the construction of an aluminum staircase to the entranceport in her giant fin. 

Almost before they realized it, Tom, Roger, and Astro found themselvesbusy with a hundred little things concerning the ship and their part inthe fair. They were visited by the subcommissioner of the exposition andadvised of the conveniences provided for the participants of the fair. Then, finally, as a last worker finished the installation of aphotoelectric cell across the entrance port to count visitors to theship, Tom, Roger, and Astro began the dirty job of washing down thegiant titanium hull with a special cleaning fluid, while all around themthe activity of the fair buzzed with nervous excitement. 

Suddenly the three cadets heard the unmistakable roar of jets in thesky. Automatically, they looked up and saw a spaceship, nose up, decelerating as it came in for a touchdown on a clearing across one ofthe wide spacious streets of the fairgrounds. 

"Well, blast my jets!" exclaimed Astro, his eyes clinging to the flamingexhausts as the ship lowered itself to the ground. 

"That craft must be at least fifty years old!"

"I've got a rocket-blasting good idea, Tom, " said Roger. 

The exit port of the spaceship opened, and the three cadets watched GusWallace and Luther Simms climb down the ladder. 

"Hey, " yelled Roger, "better be careful with that broken-down oldboiler. It might blow up!"

The two men glared at the grinning Roger but didn't answer. 

"Take it easy, Roger, " cautioned Tom. "We don't want to start anythingthat might cause us and Captain Strong trouble before the fair evenopens. So let's leave them alone. "

"What are you afraid of?" drawled Roger, a mischievous gleam in hiseyes. "Just a little fun with those guys won't hurt. " He stepped to theside of the clearing and leaned over the fence separating the two areas. 

"Tell me something, spaceman, " he yelled to Wallace, who was busy withsome gear at the base of the ship, "you don't expect people to pay toride that thing, do you?" He smiled derisively and added, "Got insuranceto cover the families?"

"Listen, punk!" sneered Wallace, "get back over to your Solar Guardspace toy and keep your trap shut!"

"Now--now--" jeered Roger, "mustn't get nasty. Remember, we're going tobe neighbors. Never can tell when you might want to borrow some balingwire or chewing gum to keep your craft together!"

"Look, wise guy, one more crack out of you, and I'll send you out ofthis world without a spaceship!" snarled Wallace through grating teeth. 

"Any time you'd like to try that, you know where I am, " Roger snappedback. 

"Okay, punk! You asked for it, " yelled Wallace. He had been holding alength of chain and now he swung it at Roger. The cadet ducked easily, hopped over the fence, and before Wallace knew what was happening, jolted him with three straight lefts and a sharp right cross. Wallacewent down in a heap, out cold. 

Luther Simms, who had been watching the affair from one side, now rushedat Roger with a monkey wrench. With the ferocity of a bull, Astro roaredat the small spaceman, who stopped as if pulled up by a string. Rogerspun around, made an exaggerated bow, and smiling, asked, "Next?"

At this point, aware that things were getting a bit thick, Tom strodeacross the clearing, and grabbing the still smiling Roger, pulled himaway. 

"Are you space happy?" he asked, "You know you goaded him into swingingthat chain, Roger. And that makes you entirely responsible for what justhappened!"

"Yeah, " growled Astro. "Suppose he had hit you with it, then what?"

Roger, still grinning, glanced over his shoulder and saw Simms helpingWallace to his feet. He turned to Astro, threw his arm over the bigcadet's shoulder, and drawled, "Why, then you'd have just taken themapart to avenge me! Wouldn't you, pal?"

"Aw, stow it, " snapped Tom. For a second Roger looked at him sharply, then broke into a smile again. "O. K. , Tom, I'm sorry, " he said. "O. K. , let's get back to work, " ordered Tom. 

Back at the _Polaris_, as they continued cleaning the hull of the ship, Tom saw the two men disappear into their craft, throwing dirty looksback at the three cadets as they went. 

"You know, Roger, I think you made a very bad mistake, " he said. "Oneway or another, they'll try to even the score with you. "

"And it won't be just a report to Captain Strong, " added Astro darkly. 

Roger, cocky and unafraid, broke out his engaging grin again andshrugged his shoulders. 

CHAPTER 3

". .. And so we dedicate this capsule to the civilizations of the future. Those who may dig this cylinder out of the ground in ages to come willfind within it the tools, the inventions, and the scientific wonderswhich have made the era of the Solar Alliance one of peace and lastingprosperity. "

Captain Steve Strong paused, glanced at the huge crane and theshimmering steel capsule that dangled at the end of a cable, then calledout, "Lower the capsule!"

The cheers of a hundred thousand people massed in the exposition plazagreeted the order. The stereo camera and teleceiver scanners that weresending the opening ceremonies of the Solar Exposition to all parts ofthe Alliance moved in to focus on the capsule as it was lowered into adeep, concrete-lined pit. 

The three members of the _Polaris_ unit, standing to one side of theplatform, joined in the cheers as their skipper shook hands with thedelegates and waved again and again at the roaring crowd. 

"That was some speech, Tom, " commented Roger. "I wonder who wrote it forhim?"

"He wrote it himself, Roger, " replied Tom. 

"Ah, go on, " scoffed Roger. 

"Sure he did, " said Astro indignantly. "He sweated over it for nearly aweek. "

"Here he comes, " said Tom. The three cadets watched Captain Strong, resplendent in his dress gold-and-black uniform, fight his way off theplatform, shaking hands with congratulating strangers along the way. 

"Congratulations, Captain Strong, " said Tom with a smile. 

"That was swell!" Roger and Astro chorused their agreement. 

"Thanks, boys, " gasped Strong. "But let me tell you, I never want to dothat again. I was never so scared in my life!"

"Just making a speech?" asked Roger. "After all the lectures you'vegiven at Space Academy?"

"They weren't before teleceiver and stereo cameras. " Strong laughed. "Doyou realize this ceremony is being seen on Mars, Earth, and all thecolonized moons, clear out to Titan. "

"Wow!" breathed Astro. "That would make me tongue-tied!"

"Huh! All that to stick a metal box into the ground, " snorted Roger. 

"It's not the capsule, Roger, " said Tom. "It's what's inside thecapsule. "

"Right, Tom, " said Strong. "Inside that capsule scientists have packedthe whole history of man's march through the stars. They've includedscientific formulas, medical, cultural, and industrial facts. Everythingwe know. Even some things that are known by only a handful of the mosttrusted men in the universe!" Strong stopped suddenly and laughed. "There I go, making another speech! Come on. Let's get out of here, " hecried. 

"Do we start showing people through the _Polaris_ now, sir?" askedAstro. 

"In the morning, Astro, " replied Strong. "Tonight there's a big SolarAlliance banquet. You three are invited, too. "

"Er--" stammered Roger, "you mean--a banquet--with--uh--?"

Strong laughed. "More speeches? I'm afraid so, Manning. Of coursethere'll be plenty of food. "

"Well, it's not that we're against speeches, " ventured Astro. 

"Not yours anyway, sir, " added Tom hastily. "But what we mean, sir, isthat--"

Strong held up his hand. "I understand perfectly. Suppose you stay hereon the exposition grounds. Have a look around. See the sights, have somefun. "

_"Yes, sir!"_ The boys chorused their reply. 

"Just don't spend all your credits at the first booth, " continuedStrong. "And watch that Venusian cloud candy. It's good, but murder onthe Earthman's stomach. "

"Captain Strong!" A voice called from the platform above. It was one ofthe Venusian delegates. "They want some pictures of you!"

"Be right there, sir, " replied Strong. He turned to the boys and smiled. "You're lucky you don't have to go through this. See you aboard shiplater. " Spinning quickly on his heel, he made his way back through thecrowd to the platform. 

"What a great guy, " sighed Tom. 

"Sure is, " agreed Astro. 

"Well, fellas, " announced Roger, "we've got twelve hours liberty and asmall scale model of the whole solar system to have fun in! What're wewaiting for?"

Fighting their way through the crowds in the plaza, the three boysfinally reached the amusement area where they wandered among gailycolored booths and plastic tents, their eyes lighting up with each newattraction. 

Two hours later, stuffed with spaceburgers and Martian water, their armsloaded with assorted prizes, won by Astro's prowess in theweight-lifting booth, Tom's skill as a marksman, and Roger's luck at thewheels of chance, the cadets wearily returned to the Polaris. 

As they neared their section of the fair site they heard a harsh voiceappealing to a small crowd around the stand in front of Wallace andSimms' spaceship. A huge sign spelled out the attraction: RIDE INSPACE--ONE CREDIT. 

Luther Simms, a bamboo cane in one hand, a roll of tickets in another, was hawking his attraction to the bystanders. 

"Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Step right up! It's a thrill of alifetime, the greatest sensation of the entire exposition. Ride a rocketship, and all this for one credit! A lone, single credit, ladies andgents, will buy you a pathway to the stars! Step right up--"

In laughing groups, the crowd around the stand began to purchase ticketsand climb aboard the old freighter. 

The three cadets watched from the outer edge of the crowd. 

"Hey, fellas, " said Roger suddenly, "whaddya say we go?"

"What?" gulped Astro. "On that thing?"

"Why not?" urged Roger. 

"But that hulk should have been shipped back to the scrap furnace yearsago!" Tom protested. 

"So what, Junior?" drawled Roger. "Scared?"

"Don't be silly, " replied Tom. "But with all the other things to dohere, why should we--"

"Oh, " said Astro, nudging Tom, "now I get it!"

"You get what?" asked Roger innocently. 

"Those girls, " said Astro. "They're just climbing aboard. "

Glancing at the air lock, Tom saw three young and pretty girls file intothe ship. "Oh, so that's it, huh?" he said, looking quizzically at hisunit-mate. 

[Illustration: _Tom saw three pretty girls board the ship_]

The blond cadet's eyes were wide with mock surprise. 

"Girls? Well, what do you know about that? I never noticed!"

"Yeah, I'll bet you didn't!" said Tom. 

"Well, they _are_ trim little space dolls. And there are three of them!"

"Come on, Astro, " sighed Tom. "We have to give the little boy his fun. "

They walked toward the stand where Simms was still making his pitch tothe crowd. 

"Just five more seats left, ladies and gentlemen, only five chances toblast into space . .. "

Tom stepped up and put three credits on the counter. "Three, please, " hesaid. 

Simms looked down and suddenly stopped his harangue. His eyes narrowedwith suspicion as he saw the three cadets standing before him. Hesitating, he glanced around, seemingly looking for help. Then, shrugging his shoulders, he handed over the tickets and turned to thecrowd. "Three tickets for the Space Cadets, who live out there in space. Just can't stay away from it, eh, boys?"

"I only hope that tub of yours holds together, " said Tom. 

Simms snarled out of the side of his mouth, "Shut up, wise guy!" Andthen continued aloud, "Yes, Space Cadet, I agree with you. Everyoneshould take a trip into space. "

Tom started to protest, but then shrugged his shoulders and followedRoger and Astro into the ship. On the stand, Simms continued his appealto the crowd. 

"Just two more tickets left, ladies and gentlemen! Who'll be the luckytwo?"

Suddenly Gus Wallace appeared from behind the ship and approached thestand, calling, "Hey, Simms!"

Simms stopped speaking and turned to his partner. "Yeah?"

"Everything's all set. Let's blast off!"

"I'll be with you as soon as I sell the last two tickets, " said Simms. "Here you are, ladies and gents, the last two--"

Wallace grabbed him by the arm and yanked him from the stand. "I said weblast off, you idiot! You want to risk everything for two lousycredits?"

"O. K. , O. K. Don't blow a fuse!"

Simms quickly closed the stand, turned out the lighted sign, andfollowed Wallace into the old freighter. He then collected the ticketsand made sure all the passengers were strapped into their accelerationchairs and finally went below to the power deck. Wallace disappearedinto the control room and seconds later his voice was heard over theship's intercom gruffly announcing the blast-off. The lights in thecabin dimmed, the air was filled with a low whining hiss, and for aninstant the old ship bucked and groaned. Suddenly, with a loud explosiveroar, she blasted into the sky and began a sluggish arching climb intospace. 

"All right, fellas, " said Roger, after the force of acceleration easedoff, "let's try a little encircling maneuver on those girls up ahead. "

"Oh, no, Roger, " answered Tom. "You're flying solo on that project!"

"Yeah, you go ahead, Romeo. " Astro laughed. "I'd like to see the Manningtechnique in action. "

A loud explosion suddenly rocked the spaceship. 

"What was that?" cried Roger. "Maybe this old tub won't make it afterall!"

Astro smiled. "This is a chemical burner, remember? Her initialacceleration isn't enough. They have to keep blasting her to makespeed. "

"Oh, sure, " drawled Roger, relaxing again and watching the girls ahead. "Well, here I go!" He got up and lurched down the aisle running betweenthe seats. 

"Hey there!" roared Simms, who had suddenly appeared at the power-deckhatch. "Keep your seat!"

"Who, me?" asked Roger. 

"Not your Aunt Tilly, wise guy! Sit down and shut up!"

"Listen, " said Roger, "you don't seem to realize--"

"I realize you're going to sit down or else!" snarled Simms. 

Roger retreated to his seat and sat down. "Ah, go blast your jets, " hegrumbled as Simms continued up the aisle to the control deck. 

Tom and Astro doubled over with laughter. "Welcome back, Roger, "bellowed the big Venusian. "I don't think those girls are the sociabletype, anyway. "

"Wouldn't you know, " moaned Roger, "that space creep had to show up justwhen I had the whole campaign laid out in my mind. " He gazed sadly atthe pert heads of the girls in front of him. 

Tom gave Astro a wink. "Poor Manning. All set to go hyperdrive and raninto space junk before he cleared atmosphere. "

Suddenly another explosion racked the ship and the rockets cut out alltogether. The passengers began to look around nervously. 

"By the craters of Luna, what was _that_?" demanded Tom, looking atAstro. 

"The rockets have cut out, " answered the Venusian. "Hope we're out infree fall, beyond the pull of Venus' gravity. "

The forward hatch of the passenger cabin opened and Simms reappearedfollowed by Wallace. 

"Take it easy, folks, " said Wallace, "nothing to get excited about. We're in free fall, holding a course around the planet. So just sit backand enjoy the view!"

A chorus of sighs filled the cabin and the passengers began laughing andchatting again, pointing out various sights on the planet below them. Smiling, Wallace and Simms marched down the aisle. Suddenly Roger andTom rose and blocked their path. 

"What's up, Wallace?" demanded Tom. 

Wallace gave the two boys a hard look. "So it's you, huh? You got a lotof nerve coming aboard this ship. "

"If there's something wrong, Wallace, " said Tom, "maybe we could giveyou a hand. "

"Get back in your seats, " ordered Wallace. "We don't need any cadetsquirts getting in our way!"

"Why, you overweight space jockey, " snapped Roger, "we know more aboutspaceships than you'll ever learn!"

"One more crack out of you and I'll blast your ears off!" roaredWallace. _"Now sit down!"_

Roger's face turned a deep red and he moved toward Wallace, but Tom putout a restraining hand. 

"Take it easy, Roger, " he said. "Wallace is the skipper of this boiler. In space he's the boss. "

"You bet I'm the boss, " snarled Wallace. "Now keep that loud-mouthedpunk quiet, or I'll wipe up the deck with him and send the pieces backto Space Academy!"

"Hey, Wallace, " yelled Simms, who had walked away when the argumentstarted. "Come on. We gotta fix that reactor unit!"

"Yeah--yeah, " Wallace called back. He turned to Roger again. "Justremember what I said, cadet!" Brushing the boys aside, he strode downthe aisle to join Simms. 

As the two men disappeared through the power-deck hatch, Tom turned toRoger and tried to calm him down. "Skippers are skippers, Roger, evenaboard a piece of space junk!"

"Yeah, " growled Roger, "but I don't like to be called a squirt or apunk! Why, I know more about reactor units than--"

"Reactor units?" broke in Astro from his seat. 

"Yeah. Didn't you hear what Simms said?"

"But this is a chemical burner, " said Astro. "Why an atomic reactor unitaboard?"

"Might be a booster for extra speed, " offered Tom. "And more power. "

"On a simple hop like this? Hardly out of the atmosphere?" Astro shookhis head. "No, Tom. It doesn't make sense. "

"Well, " chimed in Roger, "here's something else I've been wonderingabout. They charge one credit for this ride. Which makes a total ofabout fifty credits for a capacity load--"

"I get you, " Tom interrupted. "It costs at least two hundred credits infuel alone to get one of these chemical jalopies off the ground!"

Roger looked at Tom solemnly. "You know, Tom, I'd certainly like to knowwhat those guys are doing. You just don't hand out free rides in space. "

"How about snooping around?" asked Astro. 

Tom thought a moment. "O. K. You two stay here. I'll go aft and see whatthey're doing. "

Tom walked quickly to the stern of the ship, entered the power-deckhatch, and disappeared. Astro and Roger, each taking one side of theship, strained for a look from the viewports. In a few minutes Tomreturned. 

"Spot anything?" asked Roger. 

"I'm not so sure, " answered Tom. "They weren't on the power deck and thecargo hatch was locked. I looked out the stern viewport, but all I couldsee was a thick black cloud. "

"Well, that's no help, " said Roger. Suddenly the blond cadet snapped hisfingers. "Tom, I'll bet they're smugglers!"

"What?" asked Tom. 

"That's it, " said Roger. "I'll bet that's it. The concession is just aphony to cover up their smuggling. It lets them take a load of stuff upwithout a custom's search. Then, when they're far enough out--"

"They dump it, " supplied Astro. 

"Right!" agreed Tom finally. "What better place to hide something thanin space?"

"For someone else to pick up later!" added Roger triumphantly. 

When Wallace and Simms returned, the three cadets were busy looking outthe viewports. And later, when the spaceship was letting down over theexposition grounds, Tom commented on the ease with which the ship madeher approach for a touchdown. 

"Roger, " asked Tom quietly, "notice how she's handling now?"

"How do you mean?" asked Roger. 

"Going out, " said Tom, "she wallowed like an old tub filled with junk. Now, while she's no feather, there's a big difference in the way she'smaneuvering!"

"Then they did dump something in space!" said Roger. 

"I'm sure of it!" said Tom. "And from now on, we're going to keep oureyes open and find out what it is!"

CHAPTER 4

Tom glanced at the astral chronometer over the control board of the_Polaris_ and sighed with relief. It was nine P. M. He turned to theintercom. 

"Attention, please! Attention, please! The exhibit is now closing forthe night. All visitors will kindly leave the ship immediately. " Herepeated the announcement again and turned to smile at the lastlingering youngster ogling him before being yanked toward an exit by atired and impatient mother. 

The hatch to the radar bridge opened and Roger climbed down the ladderto flop wearily in the pilot's seat in front of the control panel. 

"If one more scatterbrained female asks me how the astrogation prismworks, " groaned the blond cadet, "I'll give it to her and let her figureit out for herself!"

Astro joined them long enough to announce that he had made sandwichesand brewed hot chocolate. Tom and Roger followed him back to the galley. 

Sipping the hot liquid, the three cadets looked at each other withoutspeaking, each understanding what the other had been through. EvenAstro, who normally would rather talk about his atomic engine than eat, confessed he was tired of explaining the functions of the reaction fuelforce feed and the main valve of the cooling pumps. 

"The worst of it is, " sighed Astro, "they all pick on the same valve. What's so fascinating about one valve?"

Tom's job on the control deck was less tiring, since his was more of acommand post, which demanded decisions, as conditions arose, rather thana fixed routine that could be explained. But even so, to be asked overand over what the astral chronometer was, how he could read time onEarth, Mars, Venus, Titan, Ganymede, and all the satellites at the sametime was wearing on the toughest of young spirits. 

Eager to forget the grueling day of questions and answers, the cadetsturned their thoughts to the mysterious midnight activity that had beentaking place around the spaceship concession during the last ten days. 

"I just can't figure out what those guys are up to, " said Roger, blowingon his hot chocolate. "We've watched those guys for over a week now andno one has even come near them with anything that could be smuggled. "

"Could be a small package, " suggested Astro, his mouth full of hamsandwich. "Somebody could take a ride and slip it to them. "

"Hardly, " said Tom. "Remember, that ship blasts off like she's loaded tothe nose with cargo. And then she comes back like a feather. You cantell by the sound of her jets. So it wouldn't be anything small enoughfor someone to carry. "

"Yeah, I guess you're right, " agreed Astro. 

"Well, " said Tom finally, "I'm stumped. I think the only thing left todo is to decide if it's anything important enough to tell Captain Strongabout. Working on the _Polaris_ twelve hours a day and staying up allnight to watch those two jokers has me all in. "

Roger and Astro looked at each other and then silently nodded theiragreement. 

"O. K. , " said Tom, "we'll go to the skipper's hotel in Venusport and tellhim the whole thing. Let's see what he makes of it. "

 * * * * *

At that moment Captain Strong was in the office of ExpositionCommissioner Mike Hawks trying to make sense out of a series of reportsthat had landed on the commissioner's desk. Hawks watched him carefullyas he studied the papers. 

"You say this is the ninth report you've received since the fair opened, Mike?" asked Strong finally. 

Hawks nodded. He hadn't known whether to laugh off or seriously considerthe nine space skippers' reports that the sky over the exposition sitewas dirty. 

"Yes, Steve, " he said. "That one came from the skipper of an expressfreighter. He blasted off this morning and ran through this so-calleddirt. He thought it was just a freak of nature but reported it to be onthe safe side. "

"I don't suppose he took a sample of the stuff?"

"No. But I'm taking care of that, " replied Hawks. "There's a rocketscout standing by right now. Want to come along?"

"Let me finish these reports first. "

"Sure thing. "

As Strong carefully checked each report, Commissioner Hawks rose andbegan to stride restlessly back and forth across the spacious office. Hestopped in front of the window and stared out over the expositiongrounds, watching the thousands of holiday visitors streaming in and outof the buildings, all unaware of the strange mystery in the sky abovethem. Hawks' attention was drawn to the giant solar beacon, a huge lightthat flashed straight out into space, changing color every second andsending out the message: "Quis separabit homo"--Who shall separatemankind?

This beacon that at the beginning of the exposition had reached into theblack void of space like a clean bright ray was now cloudy andmurky--the result of the puzzling "dirty sky. "

"All right, Mike, " Strong announced suddenly. "Let's go. "

"Get anything more out of those reports?" asked Hawks, turning back tohis desk. 

"No, " replied the Solar Guard officer. "They all tell the same story. Right after blast-off, the ships ran into a dirty sky. "

"Sounds kind of crazy, doesn't it?"

"Crazy enough to check. "

Hawks pressed a button on the desk intercom. 

"Yes, sir?" replied a metallic voice. 

"Have the rocket scout ready for flight in five minutes, " Hawks ordered. He snapped off the intercom without waiting for a reply and turned toStrong. "Let's go, Steve. "

The two veteran spacemen left the office without further comment androde down in the vacuum elevator to the highway level. Soon they werespeeding out to the spaceport in Hawks' special jet car. 

At the blast-pitted field they were met by a young Solar Guard officerand an elderly man carrying a leather case, who were introduced asLieutenant Claude and Professor Newton. 

While Claude prepared the rocket scout for blast-off, Strong, Hawks, andNewton discussed the possibility of lava dust having risen to greatheights from another side of the planet. 

"While I'm reasonably sure, " stated Newton, "that no volcano has eruptedrecently here on Venus, I can't be sure until I've examined samples ofthis so-called dirt. "

"I'll have Lieutenant Claude contact the University of Venus, " saidHawks. "Their seismographs would pick up surface activity. "

Claude stuck his head out of the hatch and reported the ship ready forblast-off. Strong followed the professor and Hawks aboard and strappedhimself into an acceleration chair. In a moment they were blastingthrough the misty atmosphere of Venus into the depths of space. 

Fifteen minutes later, Hawks and Strong were standing on the hull of theship in space suits, watching the professor take a sample of a dirtyblack cloud, so thick it was impossible to see more than three feet. Strong called to the professor through the spacephone. 

"What do you make of it, sir?" he asked. 

"I wouldn't want to give you a positive opinion without chemical tests, "answered the professor, his voice echoing in Strong's fish-bowl helmet. "But I believe it's one of three things. One, the remains of a largeasteroid that has broken up. Two, volcanic ash, either from Venus orfrom Jupiter. But if it came from Jupiter, I don't see how it could havedrifted this far without being detected on radar. "

Now, holding a flask full of the black cloud, the professor started backto the air lock. 

"You said three possibilities, professor, " said Strong. 

"The third, " replied the professor, "could be--"

The professor was interrupted by Lieutenant Claude calling over theintercom. 

"Just received a report from the University of Venus, sir!" said theyoung officer. "There's been no volcanic activity on Venus in the lastten years serious enough to create such a cloud. "

Strong waited for the professor's reaction, but the elderly man wasalready entering the air lock. Before Strong and Hawks could catch up tohim, the air-lock hatch slammed closed. 

"Hey, " exclaimed Strong, "what does he think he's doing?"

"Don't worry about it, Steve, " replied Hawks. "He probably forgot wewere out here with him, he's so concerned about this dirt. We'll justhave to wait until he's out of the air lock. "

The Solar Guard officer nodded, then looked around him at the thickblack cloud that enveloped the ship. "Well, " he said, "one of theprofessor's theories has been knocked out. "

"Yes, " replied Hawks. "Which means this stuff is either the remains of alarge asteroid or--"

"The third possibility, " finished Strong, "which the professor neverexplained. "

Suddenly the air-lock hatch opened again and the two spacemen steppedinside. Closing the hatch behind them, they waited until the pressurewas built up again to equal that of the ship, and then they removedtheir helmets and space suits. 

[Illustration: _The hatch opened again and the two spacemen entered theair lock_]

Leaving the air lock and walking down the companionway, Hawks suddenlycaught Strong by the arm. 

"Have you considered the possibility of this cloud being radioactive, Steve?" he asked. 

Strong nodded slowly. "That's all I've been thinking about since I firstheard about it, Mike. I think I'd better report this to CommanderWalters at Space Academy. "

"Wait, Steve, " said Hawks. "If you do that, Walters might close theexposition. Wait until you get a definite opinion from ProfessorNewton. "

Strong considered a moment. "I guess a few more minutes won't make a lotof difference, " he said finally. He realized how important theexposition was to his old friend. But at the same time, he knew whatwould happen if a radioactive cloud suddenly settled on the city ofVenusport without warning. "Come on. Let's see what the professor has tosay about this stuff. "

They found the professor on the control deck bending over a microscope, studying samples taken from the flask. He peered intently into theeyepiece, wrote something on a pad, and then began searching through thepages of a reference book on chemicals of the solar system. 

Lieutenant Claude stepped up to Hawks and saluted sharply. "Power deckreports they've got a clogged line, sir. It's in the gas exhaust. "

Strong and Hawks looked at each other, and then Hawks turned to theyoung officer. "Send a couple of men outside to clear it. "

"Aye, aye, sir, " said Claude, and then hesitated. "Shall the men wearlead suits against possible radioactivity, sir?"

Before Hawks could answer, Newton turned to face the three men. Theprofessor was smiling. "No need to take that precaution, Lieutenant. Inever did tell you my third opinion, did I, Captain Strong?"

"Why, no, you didn't, sir, " said Strong. 

The professor held up a sheet of paper. "Here's your answer. Nothing butplain old Venusport topsoil. Pure dirt!"

"What?" exclaimed Hawks hastily, reaching for the paper. 

"Well, blast me for a Martian mouse, " muttered Strong under his breath. "But how?"

Newton held up his hand. "Don't ask me how it got here. That isn't myline of work. All I know is that, without a doubt, the black cloud isnothing more than dirt. Plain ordinary dirt! And it comes from the areain and around Venusport. As a matter of fact, certain particles Ianalyzed lead me to believe it came from the exposition site!"

Hawks looked at Newton dumbfounded. "By the craters of Luna, man, we'rea thousand miles over the exposition!"

The professor was stubborn. "I can't tell you how it got here, Commissioner Hawks. But I do know it's Venusian dirt. And that's final!"

Hawks stared at the elderly man for a second, still bewildered. Then hesuddenly smiled and turned to Claude. "As soon as that exhaust iscleared, blast off for Venusport, Lieutenant. I'm going to find out whodirtied up the sky!"

 * * * * *

Two hours later, when Captain Strong returned to his hotel in Venusportwith Mike Hawks, he was surprised to see the three cadets of the_Polaris_ crew slumped, sleepy-eyed, on a couch in the lobby. 

"What are you doing here, boys?" he asked. 

The three cadets came to attention and were wide awake immediately. Tomquickly related their suspicions of Wallace and Simms. 

"And we've watched them every night, sir, " Tom concluded. "I don't knowwhat it is, but something certainly is going on in that shack they usefor an office. "

"Yes, sir, " agreed Astro, "and no one is going to fool me about a rocketship. I know when they blast off loaded and return light. "

Strong turned to Hawks who said quietly, "Wallace and Simms are the onlyones in this whole area that blast off regularly without a customssearch. "

"You mean, " stammered Strong, "Wallace and Simms are dumping"--he couldhardly say the word--"_dirt_ in space?"

"They have a ship. The cadets say the ship blasts off loaded and returnslight. And we've got the sky full of dirt. Venusian dirt!"

"But why?"

"I suggest we go out to the exposition grounds right now and ask them!"said Hawks coldly. "And believe me, they'd better have somerocket-blasting good answers!"

CHAPTER 5

The great educational exhibits had long been closed and only a fewsections of the amusement park of the big exposition remained open. Thegiant solar beacon, its brilliant colors changing every second, maintained a solemn solitary watch over the exhibition buildings, whilehere and there groups of fair visitors wandered wearily back to theirhotels. 

There was a sudden flurry of activity at the space-ride concession. GusWallace and Luther Simms tumbled out of the shack and raced into theirship. Once inside the ancient craft, they secured the hatch and turnedtoward each other smiling broadly. Wallace stuck out his hand. 

"Put 'er there, Simms. We did it!"

The two men shook hands heartily. 

"By the craters of Luna, " said Simms, "I thought we'd never make it! Andif we did, that it wouldn't be there!"

"But it was, Simms! It was! And now we've got it!"

"Yeah, " agreed the other. "I never worked so hard in all my life. Butit's worth it. Are we going to set the Solar Guard back on its ear!"

Wallace laughed. "Not only that, but think of what the boss will saywhen we show up with it!"

"You know, Wallace, " said Simms, a sly look on his face, "we could takeit and use it ourselves--"

"Don't even think a thing like that!" snapped Wallace. 

"Oh, of course not, " said Simms hurriedly. "It doesn't pay to cross theboss. There's enough here for all of us. "

"You know, " mused Wallace, "there's only one thing I regret. "

"What's that?" asked his partner. 

"That I didn't get a chance to kick the space dust out of that punk, Cadet Manning!"

"Forget him, " said Simms, waving his hand. "You'll meet him againsomeday. Besides, why think about him, when you've got the wholeuniverse at your finger tips?"

"You're right. But someday I'm going to catch him and tear him apart!"snarled Wallace. "Come on. We've got to change over to atomic drive onthis baby. I don't want to hang around here any longer than I have to. "

"Yeah, " said Simms. "Be pretty stupid if we're caught now!"

The two men climbed down into the power deck and began the job ofrefitting the freighter from chemical to atomic drive. Having alreadyoutfitted the vessel with atomic engines, it was a simple matter tochange the exhaust, reset the feed lines, and emplace the protectivelead baffles. In an hour the two spacemen were ready to blast off. 

"There she is, " said Simms, standing back to survey their work. "As fastas anything in space, except the Solar Guard cruisers on hyperdrive. "

"O. K. , " said Wallace. "Let's get out of here!"

Minutes later, in a jet car speeding along the main highway toward theexposition grounds, Captain Strong, Mike Hawks, and the three cadets ofthe _Polaris_ saw a rocket ship blast off. They watched it disappearinto the dark space above. 

"That might be they, " said Strong to Hawks. "I'd better alert the patrolship near the space station and tell them to pick them up. "

"That couldn't be Wallace and Simms, sir, " said Astro. 

"How do you know, Astro?" asked Strong. 

"That was an atomic-powered ship. The wagon Wallace and Simms have is achemical job. I know the sound of her jets almost as well as I do the_Polaris_. "

Hawks looked at Strong. 

"You can depend on Astro's opinion, Mike, " said Strong. "He was bornwith a rocket wrench in his hand and cut his teeth on a reactor valve. "

They soon reached the outskirts of the exposition grounds and wereforced to slow down as they wound their way through the darkenedstreets. In the amusement section, the last of the whirlaway rides andgames of chance had closed down and only the occasional roar of a cagedanimal in the interplanetary zoo disturbed the night. 

Hawks drove the low, sleek jet car around the fair, taking a short cutthrough the outdoor mercuryball field and pulled up in front of the_Polaris_. 

The five spacemen turned toward the concession site across the promenadeand stopped, aghast. 

"Gone!" exclaimed Strong. "Astro, you made a mistake! It was their shipwe saw blasting off. It's too late to warn the space-station patrol. Wallace and Simms could be anywhere in space now!"

"But, sir, " protested Astro, "I'm certain that an atomic-powered shipblasted off. And their old freighter was a chemical burner!"

"Well, " said Hawks resignedly, "they're not here. "

"Come on, " said Strong, getting out of the jet car. "Let's take a lookaround. "

Strong and Hawks hurried across the street to the empty lot and thethree cadets followed. 

"Take it easy, Astro, " said Tom, when he saw the big Venusian grippinghis fists in frustration. "Anyone could make a mistake. "

"That's just it, " said Astro. "I'm not mistaken! Those jokers must havechanged over from chemical fuel to reactant drive!"

"But why?" asked Roger. "That would cost more than they could make inten years of hauling passengers on joy rides!"

Astro whirled around and faced the two cadets. "I'm telling you the shipthat blasted off from here was an atomic drive. I don't know any morethan that, but I _do_ know that!"

There was a sudden shout from Strong and the three boys hurried to theshack. The Solar Guard captain and the exposition commissioner werestanding inside and playing the beam of an electric torch around thewalls. 

"Looks as though you were right about the atomic drive, Astro, " saidStrong. He flashed the light into one corner where a tangled jumble oflines lay on the floor. "That's feed-line gear for a chemical burner, and over there"--he played the light on some empty cartons--"is what'sleft of the crate's lead baffling it shipped in. They must have changedover to atomic drive recently. "

Astro accepted the statement with a nod. It wasn't in the nature of thebig cadet to boast. Now that the secret of the ship had been resolved, he turned, like the others, to the question of why?

"I think the best thing we can do, " said Strong, "is to spread out andsearch the whole area. Might find something to indicate where theywent. " Commissioner Hawks nodded his head in agreement. 

While Tom, Roger, and Astro searched outside, Strong and Hawks wentthrough the drawers of the dusty desk standing in one corner. 

"Nothing here but a record of the flights they made, bills for chemicalfuel delivered, and the like, " said Hawks at last. "They were losingmoney on the operation, too. Think they might have just gotten fed upand pulled out?"

Strong was rummaging around in one corner of the shack. "I'd go alongwith that, but for one thing, Mike, " he said. "Take a look at this. " Heheld up a small cloth bag. "There's dirt in the bottom of this bag. Andthere are about fifty more bags in that corner. "

"Dirt!" exclaimed the commissioner. 

"Yep, " said Strong grimly. "So we found out who was dumping the dirt. But we still haven't found out why. "

"Or where it came from, " said Hawks. 

Strong tossed the bag into the corner. "Well, I guess I'd better make areport to Commander Walters. "

Hawks moved to the corner where the pile of chemical feed-line equipmentlay on the floor. "Want to take a look at this stuff? Might be somethingimportant in it. "

Strong thought a moment. "We can have the cadets do that. I want to getthis report off to Walters right away, and issue an order to pick upWallace and Simms. "

"On what charges, Steve?" asked the commissioner. "I mean, what's wrongwith what they've done?" The commissioner's question was based on one ofthe cardinal rules among all Solar Guard officers of authority. "Has theman committed any crime?"

Steve realized this and answered slowly. "They've changed over toreactor drive without a license or permission. That's a violation of thespace code, section twenty-one, paragraph A. That is punishable by asuspension of space papers, and if the intention proved to be willfulneglect of the code, a year on a penal asteroid. I think we can get themon that. "

The captain stepped to the door and called the cadets. 

"Find anything?" he asked, when they entered the shack. 

"Nothing, sir, " replied Tom. "Except more evidence that they changedover to atomic drive. "

"That's enough" said Strong. "I'm going to send a report to CommanderWalters. Is the teleceiver on the _Polaris_ hooked up, Roger?"

"Yes, sir, " replied Roger. "But Astro will have to start up theauxiliary generators to give you power. "

"Very well, then, " said Strong. "Corbett, you give Astro a hand on thepower deck. And while we're gone, Manning, you go through that feed-linejunk there in the corner and see if there's anything important in it!"

"Aye, aye, sir, " replied Roger. 

Strong and Hawks, followed by Tom and Astro, left the shack and hurriedto the _Polaris_. 

On the power deck, Tom and Astro made the necessary connections on thegenerator, and in a few minutes, as power surged through the ship, Strong flipped on the teleceiver. 

"Attention! Attention! This is Captain Strong on the _Polaris_ callingCommander Walters at Space Academy! Earth emergency circuit, priorityB--"

In a few moments the Solar Guard officer's call had been picked up by amonitor station on Earth and relayed directly to Space Academy. Commander Walters was roused out of bed, and when he appeared on theteleceiver screen, Strong saw he was still in sleeping dress. 

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, " said Strong, "but something has come uphere at the exposition that needs your immediate attention. "

"That's quite all right, Steve, " said the commander with a smile. "Whatis it? Manning get into more trouble?"

"No, sir, " answered Strong grimly. "I wish it were as simple as that. "He quickly related the details of the strange dirt cloud and hissuspicions of Wallace and Simms. Walters' expression grew serious. 

"I'll get out an emergency bulletin on them at once, Steve. Meantime, you have full authority to head an investigation. Use any service youneed. I'll confirm my verbal order with official orders at once. Get onthis thing, Steve. It sounds serious. "

"I will, sir, and thanks!" said Strong. 

"End transmission!"

"End transmission, " returned Strong, flipping off the teleceiver andturning to the ship's intercom. "Attention, power deck! Corbett, you andAstro go back to the shack and give Roger a hand. I'm going to work withthe commissioner here setting up search operations. "

"Aye, aye, sir, " replied Tom from the power deck. 

The two cadets hurriedly closed the power units and left the ship. 

"Did you hear what Captain Strong said, Astro?" asked Tom. "Searchoperations. "

"I wonder what's up, " the big Venusian remarked. "They don't set upsearch operations unless it's awfully serious!"

"Come on, " urged Tom. "Maybe Roger's found something. "

They entered the shack together and Tom called out, "Say, Roger, CaptainStrong just spoke to Commander Walters at the Academy and--"

The curly-haired cadet stopped short. "Astro, look!"

"By the rings of Saturn!" exclaimed the big cadet. 

The two cadets stood gaping at a huge hole in the middle of the room. The wooden floor was splintered around the edges of the opening andseveral pieces of the chemical feed-line equipment lay close to theedge, with trailing lines leading down into the hole. They heard a lowmoan and rushed up to the hole, flashing their lights down into it. 

"Great galaxy!" yelled Tom. "Astro, look! It's a shaft! It must be athousand feet deep!"

"And look!" bellowed Astro. "There's Roger! See him? He's hanging there!His foot's caught in that feed-line cable!"

The big cadet leaned over the hole and shouted, "Roger! Roger! Are youall right?"

There was no answer from the shaft. Nothing but the echo of Astro'svoice. 

CHAPTER 6

"Easy, Astro, " said Strong, standing behind the big cadet. "Pull thatline up slowly and gently. "

"Yes, sir, " gasped Astro. He didn't have to be told to pull the ropewith caution. He knew only too well that the slightest jar or bumpagainst the side of the shaft might dislodge Roger's unconscious bodyfrom the tangle of line, causing him to fall to the bottom of the shaft. How far down the shaft went, none of the anxious spacemen around thehole in the splintered floor knew. And they didn't want to use Roger'sbody to find out!

"I'll give you a hand, Astro, " said Commissioner Hawks. He reached forthe line, but the big cadet warned him away. 

"That's all right, sir, " he said. "He's almost up now. "

Astro pulled gently, hand over hand, until Roger's limp body was a merefoot from the edge. 

"Grab him, quick!" he panted. 

Immediately Strong and Hawks were down on their knees at the edge of thehole. Each taking an arm, they pulled Roger out and laid him gently onthe floor of the shack. They crouched over him and began a quickexamination. 

"How is he, sir?" asked Tom, hovering anxiously over the still form ofhis friend. "Will he be all right?"

Strong didn't answer for a moment, continuing his hurried, thoughcareful check. Then he sat back on his heels and sighed in relief. "Afew bruises but no broken bones, thank the universe. He's just sufferingfrom shock. A day or so in sick bay and he'll be good as new. "

"I'll take him over there right away, Steve, " offered Hawks. 

"Thanks, Mike, " replied Strong. Then as he and the commissioner liftedthe still form of the cadet and started to carry him out of the shack, he turned to Astro. "Blast over to the _Polaris_ and call Solar Guardheadquarters in Venusport. Tell them to send an emergency crew down hereright away. "

"Aye, aye, sir, " snapped the big Venusian and dashed out of the shack. 

Turning back to Hawks, Strong said, "Corbett and I will stay here andtry to find out where that shaft leads. "

"All right, Steve, " nodded the commissioner. "Too bad we had to find outwhere that dirt came from the hard way. "

Reaching the jet car, the two men placed Roger in the back seat, andHawks slid in under the wheel to start the powerful jets. Just thenAstro, racing back from the _Polaris_, pulled up breathlessly. 

"Solar Guard crew is on the way, sir, " he reported. He glanced anxiouslyinto the back seat of the jet car. 

"All right, Astro, " said Strong gently, "take care of Roger. " Stronggestured to the back seat and without a word Astro leaped in beside hisfriend. Hawks stepped on the accelerator and the car shot away in a roarof blasting jets. 

Tom and Captain Strong watched the car disappear and then turned back tothe shack. Each felt the same emotion, an unspoken determination to seethat Wallace and Simms paid dearly for causing the accident. 

Re-entering the shack, they began a careful examination of the shaft. Strong played his emergency light down the sides, but the beampenetrated only a short distance. 

"We'll leave a note for the emergency crew, " said Strong. "Our beltcommunicators might not work so far underground. "

"You're going down, sir?" asked Tom. 

Strong nodded. "If necessary. Tie that valve on the end of the ropeAstro used and lower it into the shaft. If we can touch bottom with it, we'll climb down and see what Wallace and Simms were after. "

"Yes, sir, " said Tom. He took the length of rope, tied the heavy metalvalve to the end, and began lowering it into the shaft. Strong continuedto play the light down the shaft until the valve disappeared into thedarkness. 

"Rope's getting short, sir, " warned Tom. "Only have about two hundredfeet left. "

Strong glanced at the remaining coils of line on the floor. "I'll getmore from the _Polaris_, if we need it, " he said. "How long was thatline to begin with?"

"It's a regulation space line, sir, " said Tom. "Astro took it out of theemergency locker. It's about twelve hundred feet. "

By this time the line, hanging straight down the shaft, had becomeincreasingly heavy. Suddenly it grew slack. 

"I think I've hit bottom, sir, " cried the cadet. "But I can't pull thevalve back up again to make sure. "

Strong grabbed the end of the line and helped the cadet pull it back upa short distance. Then they dropped the line again and felt a distinctslackening of weight. 

"That's bottom all right, " said Strong. "Take this end of the line, runit out of the window on your right, and back through the one on yourleft. Then make it fast. "

"Yes, sir, " said Tom. He jumped out of the window, trailing the ropeafter him, and reappeared almost immediately through the other window totie a loop in the line. After checking the knot and testing the line bythrowing his full weight against it, Strong stripped off his jacket andwrapped it about the line to prevent rope burns. Then, hooking theemergency light on his belt, he stepped off into the shaft. Tom watchedhis skipper lower himself until nothing but the light, a wavering pinpoint in the dark hole, could be seen. At last the light stopped movingand Tom knew Strong had reached the bottom. 

"Hallooooooo!" The captain's voice echoed faintly up the dark shaft. "The belt communicators don't work!" he yelled. "Come on down!"

"Be right with you, sir!" yelled Tom. He scratched a message on thewooden floor of the shack for the emergency crew. Then he stripped offhis jacket, wrapped it around the rope, secured the light to his belt, and stepped off into the darkness. 

Slowly, his hands tight around the rope through his jacket, Tom slippeddown the deep shaft. He kept his eyes averted from the black holebeneath him, looking instead at the sides of the shaft. Once, when hethought he had gone about seven hundred feet, he saw that he was passingthrough a stratum of thick clay and could see the preserved bones oflong-dead mammals, protruding from the side of the shaft. 

Finally Tom's feet touched solid ground and he released the rope. It wascold in the bottom of the shaft and he hastily put his jacket back on. 

"Captain Strong?" he called. There was no answer. Tom flashed the lightaround and saw a low, narrow tunnel leading off to his left. 

He walked slowly, and the newly dug sides of the tunnel seemed to closein on him menacingly. It was quiet. Not the blank silence of space thatTom was used to, but the deathlike stillness of a tomb. It sent chillsup and down his spine. Finally he stepped around a sharp bend andstopped abruptly. 

"Captain Strong!"

The Solar Guard officer was stooping over, his light resting on theground, reading something he held in his hand. He looked up at Tom andjerked his thumb back over his shoulder. Tom flashed his light in thatdirection. 

"By the rings of Saturn!" exclaimed Tom. There in front of him, rippedopen like a can of sardines, was the gleaming metal skin of the timecapsule! The dirt floor of the tunnel around Strong and beside thecapsule was littered with audio spools, sound disks, micropapers, andstereo slides. 

Tom kneeled down beside his skipper and stammered, "What--what does itmean, sir?"

"It means, " answered Strong slowly, "that we're dealing with two of thecleverest men in the universe! If they've stolen what I think they have, the entire Solar Guard, Solar Alliance, and just about everyone in theuniverse is at their mercy!"

 * * * * *

"How do you feel, Roger?" asked Astro. 

The blond-haired cadet sat up in bed, dangled his feet over the side, and rubbed his neck. He groaned as he moved. "I don't think I'm going todance much this month, if that answers your question. I feel like everybone in my body was broken!"

"They very nearly were, Cadet Manning, " said the medical officer, standing near by. 

"What happened, Manning?" asked Commissioner Hawks. 

"I really don't know, sir, " replied Roger. "I was moving the junk out ofthe corner of the shack so I could examine it. I was piling it up in themiddle of the floor when--wham--something gave way and I took a headerinto nowhere!" He looked at Astro. "Now suppose _you_ tell me whathappened!"

Astro told Roger about finding him dangling at the end of the tangledfeed lines. Then he said, "Tom and Captain Strong are out there now, waiting for one of the Solar Guard emergency crews. "

"Well, what are we hanging around here for?" asked Roger, and hopped offthe bed. He groaned, staggered, and then straightened up. "Nothing toworry about, " he said, as Astro rushed to his side. "I'm as good asnew!"

"What do you say, Doctor?" asked Hawks. 

The doctor hesitated a moment and then smiled. "Well, Commissioner, Cadet Manning has several strained muscles in his back, but the besttreatment for that is exercise. "

Hawks nodded and signed a release slip which the doctor gave him. Astrohelped Roger put on his space boots, and five minutes later they werespeeding back to the exposition grounds in the commissioner's jet car. As they sped through the streets, the two cadets speculated on what theywould find at the bottom of the shaft. Arriving at the shack, they wereimmediately challenged by an enlisted Solar Guardsman. 

"Halt!" said the guard gruffly. "Advance slowly for recognition!"

With Commissioner Hawks leading the way, Roger and Astro walked up tothe guard. 

"Say, " said Roger, nudging Astro, "look at what's going on around here!"

"Yeah, " agreed Astro, wide-eyed. "Something must be plenty hot to haveguards posted!"

Hawks was immediately recognized by the guard, but he still stubbornlydemanded proof of their identity. Hawks, Roger, and Astro hauled outtheir Solar Guard identification disks, small metal plates with theirimages engraved in the shiny metal. On the other side was a detaileddescription of the bearer. 

"Very well, sir, " said the guard and let them pass. 

In the pale light of dawn, feverish activity could be seen taking placearound the shack. Two huge jet vans, filled with every possible piece ofemergency equipment, were parked near by. The _Polaris_ had been takenover as a temporary headquarters and the area was crowded withscarlet-clad enlisted men. Astro could hear the hum of generators on the_Polaris_ and immediately felt concern for his power deck. 

Proceeding to the shack they were again challenged by a guard and againhad to produce their identification disks before entering. Once inside, they were amazed at the transformation. An aluminum tripod, ten feettall, had been erected over the hole in the floor, and several steelcables, connected to a motor-driven steel drum, were looped over theapex of the tripod, one hanging straight down into the shaft. A thickplastic hose hung over the edge of the shaft, jerking spasmodically asair was pumped into the dark hole. 

"By the craters of Luna, " cried Hawks, "what's going on here?"

A young lieutenant stepped up to the commissioner and saluted sharply. "Lieutenant Silvers, sir. Second-in-command to Captain Allison of theemergency crew. "

Hawks returned the salute and Lieutenant Silvers continued. 

"Captain Strong, Cadet Corbett, and Captain Allison are at the bottom ofthe shaft, sir. The cage will be up in a moment and you may go down ifyou care to. "

"Thank you, Lieutenant, " said Hawks. 

"Congratulations, Cadet Manning, " said Silvers. "I understand you had aclose call in the shaft. "

"I did, sir, " said Roger. "It was _very_ close. "

A light suddenly flashed on and the four spacemen turned to watch alarge wire cage rise out of the shaft. It was built in three sections, each seven feet high. A ladder on one side of the cage gave easy accessto the higher and lower levels. Astro climbed to the top section whileHawks took the lower. Roger stepped into the center section to avoid aclimb. An enlisted man secured the gates and turned on the motor. Thecage dropped through the shaft with sickening speed. 

A minute later it began to brake slowly, finally coming to a dead stopat the bottom of the shaft. They were met by a Solar Guardsman whodirected them into the tunnel, now illuminated by a row of flowing, self-powered emergency lights. Silently, but with rising excitement, thetwo cadets followed Hawks through the brightly lighted shaft, a thousandfeet below the surface of the planet. 

Turning the last corner in the tunnel they came upon Strong, Tom, andCaptain Allison huddled near the torn side of the time capsule. Theycould hear Strong talking to Tom. 

"There is a vault on every spaceship in the Solar Alliance, Tom, " Strongwas explaining. "The vault is locked before blast-off and opened afterlanding by a light-key operated only by a trusted spaceport securityofficer. This key flashes a series of light vibrations, in sequence, into the electromagnetic lock on the vault. It's really nothing morethan a highly developed flashlight except that it flashes multiplecombinations of lights, each containing certain electronic vibrations. The electromagnetic lock can only be opened with the proper combinationsof colors and vibrations flashed by the light-key. Of course each shiphas a different code of colors and vibrations, but the code itselfwouldn't be hard to crack. The big thing would be to have an adjustablelight-key, so that if one combination of colors and light vibrations donot work, you can try another. In that way you could open any energylock on any vault in the system. "

"And Wallace and Simms--" Tom hesitated. 

"Yes, Corbett, " said Strong grimly. "Wallace and Simms stole aninformation sound spool from the capsule. On that spool was a detaileddescription of the energy lock and the adjustable light-key. There wereonly seven keys in the system up to now. If we don't catch Wallace andSimms, there'll be eight. "

"Great galaxy, " Commissioner Hawks broke in. "This will ruin theexposition! The Alliance will close it after--"

Strong waved a calming hand at Hawks. "I've already spoken to CommanderWalters at Space Academy, Mike, " he said. "He wants this to remain asecret. No one knows about it besides us, and no one will. I'm takingyour oaths, your spaceman's word, that it will remain a secret. There'sno use in starting a panic. You'll keep the exposition going as ifnothing had happened. "

"But what can the Solar Guard do, sir?" asked Tom. 

"We'll start the greatest search the system has ever seen, " repliedStrong calmly. "But the order for their arrest will be issued for someother violation. " The Solar Guard officer suddenly noticed Roger for thefirst time. 

"Oh, Manning!" he said, smiling. "Good to see you. How do you feel?"

"O. K. , sir, " replied Roger. "But I'd feel a lot better if those spacecrawlers didn't have the combination to every safe and vault in theuniverse!"

Strong nodded. "This is one of the cleverest crimes in history. And insearching for Wallace and Simms, we'll have to be twice as smart as theyare!"

"Yes, sir, " said Tom. "First we have to figure out what they will do, and then figure out how we're going to beat them!"

"That's right, Tom, " nodded Strong. "And by the stars, if we don't beatthem, the only safe place left for the credits and securities of thepeople in the system will be behind rows of paralo-ray guns!"

CHAPTER 7

"Attention! Attention! This is Captain Maitland of the rocket cruiser_Orion_ reporting to Captain Strong at Space Academy. Come in, Strong!"

High in the Tower of Galileo overlooking Space Academy, the Solar Guardofficer, his face showing the strain of the last three-weeks' futilesearch for Wallace and Simms, flipped on the teleceiver and replied, "Strong here. Go ahead, Maitland. "

Tom, Astro, Roger, and Commander Walters stood behind Strong and waitedtensely for the last report to come in. Mainland's voice crackledthrough millions of miles of space. 

"We've searched space quadrants A through D, sections twenty-one throughone hundred thirty-eight. Constant six-way radar sweep of the area. Nosign of Wallace and Simms. "

Strong sighed deeply and replied, "All right, Maitland. Thank you. Youmay return to base. End transmission. "

"End transmission!" signaled Maitland, and the crackling static died outin the quiet room. 

Walters stepped forward and placed his hand on Strong's shoulder. "Don'tlet it get you down, Steve, " he said. "I saw the zone search you set upfor those two. No one could have done more. "

"Maybe not, sir, " said Strong, getting up, "but we didn't catch them. "

"Not yet, " frowned the commander grimly, "but we will! Well, there'snothing else to do here. That was the last patrol ship to report, so youmight as well close up shop. "

He turned to the cadets, who had been reassigned from the exposition asaides to Captain Strong in his search for Wallace and Simms. "You threecome with us, " said Walters. "I've got an idea and I want all of you tohear it. "

Strong and the boys followed the commander out of the Academycommunications center down to his luxuriously furnished office. 

"Perhaps, " said Walters, settling back in his chair and lighting anenormous pipe filled with red Venusian tobacco, "perhaps we have beenhunting the fox with the wrong kind of dogs. "

"Assuming that Wallace and Simms are the foxes in this case and theSolar Guard the hunting dogs, what would you suggest, sir?" askedStrong. 

Walters puffed several times and eyed Strong. "I was going to suggestthat you and the cadets become merchant spacemen for a while and take alook at some of the uglier places of the Solar Alliance. Go right intothe foxes' den dressed as foxes!"

"Ummmmh, " mused Strong. "It is an idea. "

"Give it a try, anyway, " urged Walters. "Take that old freighter weconfiscated from the Titan smugglers, the _Dog Star_. Wander around fora few weeks and see what you can pick up. We have the advantage, sinceonly a few of us know _why_ we're looking for Wallace and Simms. Itmight make finding them a little easier. "

Strong looked at the cadets and then back at the commander. "It mightjust work, at that, sir, " he said at last. 

"Work your way around to Venusport, " said Walters. "Let it be known thatyou four are--well, willing to do just about anything for a credit. "

Strong and the cadets smiled. "All right, sir, " said the young captain. "We'll start right away. "

"No!" replied the commander firmly. "You'll start in the morning. Rightnow, I'm ordering you to hit the sack and get some rest. You're notgoing to catch those two with speed. You'll need brains and cleverness. "

"Very well, sir, " said Strong as he stood up. "And I want to thank youfor giving us this assignment. "

"No question about it, " answered the commander. "If you have a tough jobto do, you put your best team to work on it, and the job will get done!"

It was difficult for the three cadets, who had been standing to one sidelistening, to suppress a smile. They saluted and followed Strong fromthe room. He left them at the slidestairs with orders to be ready toblast off at 0800 hours. 

Tom was silent as he climbed into his bed in the _Polaris_ unit'squarters on the forty-second floor. Roger and Astro fell asleep almostas soon as their heads touched their air-foam pillows, but thecurly-haired cadet lay with arms under his head, staring up at theceiling. He felt uneasy about the task that faced them. He wasn't afraidfor himself, or Roger, or Astro. Something he couldn't put his finger onbothered the young spaceman. 

He reviewed Wallace and Simms' entire operation. He remembered the twomen had struck him as not being too bright. Their success in stealingthe secret of the adjustable light-key, and their methods, plus theircomplete disappearance, just didn't add up. He made up his mind to speakto Captain Strong about it in the morning. As soon as the matter wassettled in his mind, he was asleep. 

 * * * * *

At exactly 0800 hours the three cadets and Captain Strong appeared atthe Academy spaceport dressed in the severe black tight-fitting trousersand jacket of merchant spacemen. Quietly eluding all friends andacquaintances, they entered the confiscated freighter that had beenprepared for space flight during the night and began acquaintingthemselves with the ship's equipment. 

When Astro reported the power deck ready and Roger cleared their course, Tom called the traffic-control tower for blast-off clearance. 

"Take it easy on the first hop, " said Strong. "There's no hurry and Iwant to be sure we get this crate off in one piece. " Smiling confidentlyat the control-deck cadet, he turned away to his quarters. He was awareof the effect that being left alone had on the cadets. He had learnedearly in his associations with Tom, Roger, and Astro that they boreresponsibility well, and a challenge to do a good job would assure himthe job would be done efficiently. 

"Stand by to raise ship!" Tom's voice crackled confidently over theship's intercom. 

Strong sat on an acceleration cushion and strapped himself in. He heardTom's voice counting off the seconds for blast-off. 

". .. Five--four--three--two--one--_zero_. "

As the rockets burst into a loud roar, the freighter lurched from theground and thundered up into the atmosphere, pushing Strong deep intohis acceleration cushion. Minutes later, he felt the freedom offree-fall space. In a strange ship, the _Polaris_ crew had begun astrange mission. 

During the flight to Luna City, their first stop on the tour of thehangouts of outlawed spacemen across the solar system, Strong briefedhis cadets on a plan of action. 

"I think it'll be better if we split up into two teams. You work withme, Corbett, and Astro will team up with Manning. We'll operate likesimple tramp spacers. Our space papers have new last names, but the samefirst names, so there won't be any slip-ups when we speak to each other. From now on, if we happen to meet, you'll all call me Steve and I'llcall you by your first names. Is that clear?"

The cadets nodded. 

"All right, " continued Strong. "Now, when we arrive in a city, Tom and Iwill go to one section, while you two go to another. Visit thetoughest-looking places you can find. Talk, talk to anyone that wants totalk. Buy people drinks. Let it slip that you're not exactly on theright side of the space code. Then, if you feel you have a sympatheticlistener, mention Wallace and Simms. Say you have heard of the troublethey're in. Say you know them, that you're old friends, and hint thatyou have something that they need very badly. Just keep talking andpulling for information. Got that?"

Again the three cadets nodded silently. 

"Wear your paralo-ray guns at all times and keep your belt communicatorshidden beneath your jackets, " Strong warned. "If one team gets into atight spot, call the other right away. But don't call unless it'sabsolutely necessary!" Strong paused and glanced at the tele-scanner. "We're getting close to Luna City. We'll touch down at the municipalspaceport and go through the regular routine of customs search just toestablish ourselves as tramp spacemen. "

"How long will we stay in each city, sir?" asked Tom. 

"Watch that 'sir, ' Tom, " snapped Strong. "Might as well begin to forgetit now. "

"O. K. , Steve, " replied Tom sheepishly. 

"To answer your question, we'll stay in each city only as long as theremight be something to be gained by staying. We'll live aboard the _DogStar_. But stay away from the ship as much as possible. If anyonequestions you, tell them you're looking for cargo. But in case they takeyou up on it and offer you a cargo haul, you always want more money forthe job. "

Roger grinned. "That could be fun. "

"Be clever, but be tough. Some of the people you'll run into are themost ruthless men in the universe. They are just the ones that mightknow something about Wallace and Simms. "

Strong cautioned them against drinking rocket juice, suggesting theydrink Martian water instead. The briefing was interrupted by theautomatic warning beep from the tele-scanner informing them that theyhad passed the outer beacon on the approach to the municipal spaceporton the Moon. The four spacemen immediately began the routine task oflanding their ship safely on the satellite colony. 

An hour later, as gray-clad customs men finished searching the emptyship, Roger waited for final clearance at the air lock of the freighter. When the last of the men were leaving the ship, Roger stopped two ofthem. 

"Say, ground hogs, " drawled Roger, "where's the best place to getsomething to eat?"

The two men stopped and turned to face the cadet, their eyes cold andunfriendly. "Why don't you space drift blast out of here?" asked one ofthem. 

"Yeah, " agreed the other, "your kind aren't welcome in Luna City. "

Roger shrugged his shoulders and turned away. The two customs officerscontinued down the gangway. "Those young punks, " muttered one, "they getthemselves a berth on a crummy freighter and think they're real hotspace aces when they're nothing but wet fire-crackers!"

Strong had appeared at Roger's side and heard the last remark. 

"What was that about, Roger?" he asked, nodding toward the disappearingcustoms men. 

Roger smiled. "Just seeing if I could get by. "

"They certainly gave us a good going over, " said Strong grimly. "I thinkour disguise is perfect. Those fellows don't miss much. "

"I heard them talking, Steve, " said Roger. "They recognized the ship andknow its reputation for smuggling. "

"Yes, " agreed Strong. "And your remark will make them sure to watchevery move we make. But that's just what we want. News of that sort hasa way of getting around. And anyone interested in a ship with areputation for smuggling is someone we're interested in. "

Astro walked up, and with a brief nod Roger followed the big cadet downthe gangway. As they walked across the concrete surface of thespaceport, Tom appeared at Strong's elbow. 

"I'm ready to go, Steve, " he said. "The ship's secure. "

"Very well, Tom, " said Strong. "But from now on, keep your eyes and earsopen. It only takes one slip to make a dead spaceman!"

CHAPTER 8

"See that fellow over there, Steve?" whispered Tom. "The one with thescar on his face?"

"Yeah, " replied the disguised Solar Guard officer. "I've been watchinghim too. And I think he's had his eye on us. "

Tom and Captain Strong were sitting in a small restaurant near thespaceport, drinking Martian water and discussing the shadowy charactersthat lounged around the stuffy little room. 

"I'll walk over to the bar, " said Strong. "Maybe he doesn't want to talkto two of us together. You go over and see if you can strike up aconversation. "

"Good idea, sir--uh--Steve, " said Tom. 

Strong got up and with an exaggerated swagger walked to the small bar. From the mirror in back of the bar, he could see Tom rise and saunterover to the man who sat on the opposite side of the room. 

For three days, Roger, Astro, Tom, and Strong had wandered through thebars, restaurants, and cheap hotels of Spaceman's Row in Luna Citysearching for information that would lead them to Wallace and Simms. Each night they returned to the freighter to exchange, sift, and analyzethe bits of information gathered, but for three nights they had come upwith a total of nothing. Finally, Strong had decided that this would bethe last night they would spend in Luna City. It was after making thisdecision that he and Tom spotted the scar-faced man sitting alone in onecorner. 

[Illustration: _The scar-faced man obviously wanted something from Tom_]

Strong saw Tom stop at the table, say a few words, then sit down andorder drinks. Tom and the scar-faced man continued their conversation, now leaning across the table talking in whispers, stopping only longenough for the waiter to serve the drinks. Strong noticed that thescar-faced man paid for them and smiled to himself. That was a step inthe right direction. He obviously wanted something from Tom. 

Suddenly the young cadet looked up and motioned for him to come over tothe table. Strong merely lounged against the bar and nodded carelessly. Taking his time, he finished his glass of Martian water, then swaggeredacross the crowded room to the table. 

Tom glanced up casually and then turned to his companion at the table. "This is my skipper, " he said. "Name's Steve. You gotta job to do, Steve'll do it. Anything, anywhere, any time, " he paused, and then addedwith a smirk, "for a _price_!"

The scar-faced man looked up at Steve. His eyes traced a pattern overthe tall man, noting the broad shoulders, the piercing eyes, and thebulge of a paralo-ray gun in his jacket. He pushed a chair back with afoot and managed a smile in spite of the scar that twisted his featuresinto an ugly mask. "Sit down, Steve. My name's Pete. "

Strong accepted the invitation silently. At close range, he saw the manwas more disfigured than he had noticed from the bar. The scar on hisface reached from his left ear across his cheek and down to his neck. Pete saw him looking at the scar and smiled again. "Funny thing aboutscars. I got one, but I don't have to look at it. I just stay away frommirrors and I remember myself as I was before I got it. So look all youwant. You're the one that's got to suffer for it. "

Ignoring the man's bitter tone of voice, Strong growled, "I'm notinterested in what you look like. You got something to haul; we got aship to haul it. Name your cargo and destination, and we'll name aprice. "

"Ain't as simple as that, " said Pete craftily. "I gotta know more aboutyou before we talk business. "

"What for instance?" asked Strong. 

"For instance, who do you know on Spaceman's Row that can give you areference?"

Tom spoke up quickly without looking at Strong. "Suppose I told you Ihelped pull a job a couple of weeks ago that was worth a hundredthousand credits?" He settled back, casually glancing at Strong andreceiving an imperceptible nod in return. 

"A hundred thousand, eh?" said Pete with interest. "Not bad, not bad. What kind of a job was it?"

"Me and two other guys held up the Credit Exchange at the SolarExposition at Venusport. "

"Oh?" Pete was becoming extremely curious. "You in on the job too, Steve?"

Before Strong could answer, Tom spoke quickly. "No, I bought a halfinterest in Steve's ship with my share of the take. " Strong could hardlykeep from smiling, so easily was the young cadet's tale growing. 

"Then who _was_ in on this job with you?" persisted the scar-faced man. "You look pretty young to pull a big job like that. "

Tom glanced around the room and then leaned over the table beforewhispering, "Gus Wallace and Luther Simms. "

"What?" exclaimed Pete. "Gus Wallace? A guy about six feet tall and twohundred pounds? Has a heavy rough voice?"

"That's the one, " said Tom. 

Pete's arm shot across the table like a snake and he grabbed Tom by thejacket. "Where is he?" he asked through clenched teeth. 

No sooner had Pete touched Tom than Strong had his paralo-ray gunleveled at the scar-faced man. "Take your hands off him, " he saidcoldly, "or I'll freeze you right where you are!"

Pete relaxed his grip and settled back into his chair. He glared at Tomand then at Strong. 

"All right, " snapped Strong. "Now _you_ talk!"

Pete didn't say anything. Strong inched closer to the scar-faced manmenacingly. "I said _talk_! Why do you want to know where Gus Wallaceis? Maybe you're Solar Guard, eh? Trying to play a little trick on us. How do I know you haven't got a squad of MP's outside waiting to pick usup?"

Pete began to shift nervously. "You got me all wrong, Steve. I ain'tSolar Guard. "

"Why do you want to know where Gus Wallace is, then?" Strong persisted. 

Pete hesitated and had to be prodded with the paralo-ray gun again byStrong. "Talk!" hissed Strong. 

"You see this scar?" asked Pete. "Well, two years ago, on Spaceman's Rowin Marsopolis, Gus slashed me in a fight. I swore I'd do the same forhim when I caught him, but he's been running from me ever since. "

"Marsopolis, eh?" asked Strong. "Two years ago?"

"Yeah. "

"I think you're lying! You're Solar Guard. "

"Honest, Steve, " whined Pete. "That's the only reason I want him. Askanybody. It happened in the Spacelanes Bar on New Denver Avenue. I betthere are five guys here right now who heard about it!"

Strong got up, pushing the gun back in his belt. 

"Come on, Tom. I don't like the way your friend Pete answers questions. "

"Wait a minute!" Pete rose from his chair, protesting. 

Strong whirled around and faced the scar-faced man. "If I were you, Pete, " he muttered, "I'd sit still and not ask any more questions. Itisn't healthy!"

Without another word Strong walked out of the dingy restaurant. Tomshrugged his shoulders in a helpless gesture and followed, leaving Petealone and worried. 

Outside in the street, his face bathed in the garish light of the vaporstreet lights, Strong stopped to wipe his forehead. 

"Whew!" he gasped. "We certainly bulled our way through that one!"

"I felt the same way, " said Tom. "But at least we have something to goon. You think he was suspicious?"

"No, Tom. He was so scared when I accused him of being tied up with theSolar Guard it threw him completely off stride. "

"Well? Where do we go from here?" asked Tom. 

"Back to the ship, " replied Strong. "And as soon as Astro and Roger showup, we blast off for Marsopolis. Our next target is a joint called theSpacelanes!"

 * * * * *

Against a backdrop of shimmering stars that studded the velvet blackemptiness of space, the freighter _Dog Star_ rocketed toward the redplanet of Mars carrying the four spacemen on the next step of theirsearch. Relaxing from the three arduous days on the Moon and able to bethemselves once more, Strong and the three cadets rested and discussedevery detail of their stay in Luna City. It was finally decided thattheir only real chance of tracing Wallace and Simms lay in theSpacelanes Bar. As they approached Mars, Strong outlined their nextmove. 

"We'll do the same thing as we did in Luna City, " he said. "Split up. Only this time, we'll all go to the same place, the Spacelanes. Tom andI will go in first and do most of the nosing around. Astro and Rogerwill drift in later and hang around, just in case there's trouble. "

The three cadets nodded their understanding, and when Strong turned tothe teleceiver to make his report to Commander Walters at Space Academy, they took their stations for touchdown at Marsopolis. 

His face impassive on the teleceiver screen, Commander Walters listenedto Strong's report, and when the Solar Guard officer finished, hegrunted his satisfaction. 

"Do you have any news on Wallace and Simms, sir?" asked Strong. 

"Yes, but my news isn't as good as yours, " frowned Walters. "They'vealready made use of their knowledge of the light-key. They held up aSolar Guard transport en route to Titan and emptied her armory. Theytook a couple of three-inch atomic blasters and a dozen paralo-ray gunsand rifles. Opened the energy lock with their adjustable light-key aseasily as if it had been a paper bag. It looks as though they're settingthemselves up for a long siege. "

"Do you have any idea where they might be hiding, sir?"

"Somewhere in the asteroid belt, I believe, " replied the commander. "They headed for the belt after they held up the transport. "

"Well, we'll do what we can from our end, sir, " said Strong. "Since Marsis closer to the asteroid belt than any other planet, they might beusing Marsopolis as a hangout. Or someone might have seen themrecently. "

"Use whatever plan you think best, Steve. I'm counting on you. "

"Thank you, sir. "

"Spaceman's luck! End transmission. "

"End transmission, " replied Strong and flipped off the screen. 

Fifteen minutes later, the _Dog Star_ settled on a blast-scorched rampat the Marsopolis spaceport, and after a hasty review of their plans, the four spacemen left the ship. Strong had a brief argument with acustoms officer over a personal search for small arms. They were forcedto leave their paralo-ray guns on the ship. Disgruntled, as far as thecustoms agents were concerned, Strong was actually pleased with thesuccess of their disguise as merchant spacemen. 

Tom and Strong found the Spacelanes Bar in the roughest and darkestsection of Marsopolis. It was large and almost empty. But Tom noted thatit was just like many other such places he had been in in Luna City. Thewalls were scarred and dirty, the floor littered, and the tables andchairs looking as if they had been used in a hundred fights. Behind abar that ran the length of one wall, a heavy-set man with beady blackeyes watched their approach. 

"What's your pleasure, spacemen?" asked the bartender in a gruff voice. 

Strong hesitated a moment and decided to play all his cards at one turn. "We'll have a thousand credits worth of information. "

The barman's eyes narrowed into black slits. "What kind of informationwould bring that kind of a price?" he asked. 

"Information about a man, " said Strong. 

"What man?" asked the barman. He dropped his hand out of sight behindthe bar. Tom's eye caught the move and he wished the customs men hadn'ttaken away their paralo-ray guns. 

Just at that moment he heard Roger's unmistakable laugh and turned tosee the blond cadet, followed by Astro, enter, cross the room, and slapthe bar for service. 

"Let me take care of these two, " muttered the bartender and walked downto the end of the bar. Facing Roger and Astro, he snarled, "What'll itbe?"

"Coupla bottles of Martian water, " drawled Roger. 

"Get out of here, " roared the bartender. "We don't sell kids' drinks inhere. "

"Two bottles of Martian water!" growled Astro and leaned over the barthreateningly. Strong and Tom watched the performance with amused eyes. Without a word, the barman opened the bottles of Martian water and gavethem to Roger and Astro. He turned back to Strong. 

"These young rocketheads think they're so blasted tough, " he sneered, "and then drink kids' soda pop. "

Strong looked at Roger and Astro. "That fellow on the right, " indicatingAstro's size, "looks like he could be a little more than a child, if hegot mad. "

The barman snorted and leaned over the bar. "What about that thousandcredits?" he asked. 

"What about it?" countered Strong. 

"That's a lot of money just for information, " said the barman. 

"It's my money, " replied Strong coolly, "and my business!"

"What kind of information you interested in, " asked the bartender. 

"I told you, information about a man, " said Strong. "Gus Wallace. Happento know him?" Strong pulled a roll of crisp credit notes out of hisjacket pocket. The barman looked at them greedily. 

"Maybe. What'cha want with him?" he asked. 

"He knifed a friend of ours in here two years ago. "

"Yeah?" drawled the barman. "Who?"

"Pete, " answered Strong, suddenly realizing he didn't know thescar-faced man's last name. 

"Pete? Pete who?" asked the barman craftily. 

"What are you trying to do?" snapped Tom suddenly. "Play space lawyer?You know Pete was knifed in here by Gus Wallace two years ago! Carved upgood!" He made a slashing gesture from his ear to his throat, indicatingthe scar on Pete's face. 

"So you want Wallace, eh?" mused the bartender. 

"We want him a thousand credits' worth, " said Strong. 

"You didn't tell me for what, yet. "

"None of your space-blasting business, " roared Strong. "You want thethousand or not?"

The bartender couldn't keep his eyes off the crisp roll of credit notesStrong rippled under his nose and hesitated. "Well, to tell you thetruth, I ain't seen him for a long time. "

"Then do you know anyone who has?" asked Strong. 

"Hard to tell, " said the bartender huskily. "But I do know the guy whowould know if anyone does. "

"Who?" asked Tom. 

"On Venusport's Spaceman's Row. There's a joint called the Café Cosmos. Go there and ask for a little guy named Shinny. Nicholas Shinny. Ifanyone knows about Wallace, he'll know. "

Tom's heart almost stopped. Nicholas Shinny was a retired spaceman whohad taken part in his last adventure to Alpha Centauri, and was a goodfriend of Strong's and the _Polaris_ unit. Shinny had always operated onthe edge of the space code. Nothing illegal, but as Shinny himself putit, 'just bending the code a little, not breaking it. '

Tom spoke up. "That's only worth a hundred credits, " he said. 

"Whaddya mean!" snapped the barman. 

"How would Nick Shinny know Gus Wallace?" asked Strong. 

"They prospected the asteroids together years ago. "

Strong dropped a hundred-credit note on the bar and turned away withoutanother word. Tom followed, and as they passed Roger and Astro, aknowing look passed between them, and Tom gestured for them to follow. 

Having heard the conversation, Astro and Roger walked over to thebartender who was folding the credit note before putting it in hispocket. 

"You sell your information pretty cheap, spaceman, " snarled Roger. "Suppose those two were Solar Guardsmen in disguise?"

The bartender paused, then shook his head. "Couldn't be!" he said. 

"Why not?" asked Roger. 

"Because the Solar Guard has a guy salted away that knows exactly whereWallace is. "

CHAPTER 9

"That's the story, sir, " said Strong to Commander Walters, after theSolar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of thebartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro hadbrought. 

"All right, Steve, " nodded the commander. "I'll have the man picked upright away and psychographed. Meantime, you go on to Venus and seeNicholas Shinny. "

"Very well, sir, " said Strong. "End transmission!"

"End transmission, " acknowledged Walters. Strong flipped the switch andthe teleceiver screen darkened. 

Fifteen minutes later, the _Dog Star_ blasted off from Mars, heading forVenus. 

During the trip back to the young planet that was rapidly growing into amajor industrial center rivaling Earth, Strong received a report fromSpace Academy that the bartender had been picked up. His name was JosephPrice, and after questioning him under truth serum, Solar Guard securityofficers found the man's mind to be so filled with criminal plots andcounter-plots, it would take several weeks for the psychograph analystto learn the name of the man he claimed would know the whereabouts ofWallace. This was disappointing news for Strong, especially since thereport included news of a second, third, and fourth strike by Wallaceand Simms on spaceships near the asteroid belt. 

Reaching the starting place of their adventure, Venusport and the SolarExposition, Strong and the three cadets went immediately to a smallsuburban section of the great city and the home of Nicholas Shinny. 

Shinny lived comfortably in a small house made of Titan crystal, enjoying himself during the day catching Venusian fatfish and watchingthe stereos at night. Once an enlisted spaceman, he had been retiredwith full pension and was living in ease and comfort. When Strong andthe three cadets arrived at the elderly spaceman's house, they found himbusy teaching a young Venusian wolfhound puppy how to retrieve. 

"Well, blast my jets!" cried the old man. "If it ain't Tommy, Roger, andthe big fella, Astro! And Captain Strong!"

"Hello, Nick!" said Strong with a smile. "You're a sight for space-blindeyes!"

"Heh-heh-heh, " cackled Shinny, his merry eyes twinkling against his deepspace tan. "It's mighty good to see you boys. Come on in the house. Igot a mess of fatfish just pulled out of the stream and some of the mostdelicious biscuits you ever had in your life!"

"Well, thanks, Nick, " hesitated the captain. "But we're in--"

"Can't be in too much of a hurry to eat, " snapped the old man with agrin. "Anything you got to say is better said when you got a bellyful ofMolly's cookin'. "

"Molly!" cried Tom. "But, Mr. Shinny--"

"When--" gulped Astro, "when did you--"

"Hey! Hold on!" cried the old spaceman. "Just damp your tubes there, youngsters! You're way off course. Molly ain't nothing but an electroniccook I got installed in the kitchen. She cooks better'n anyspace-brained woman and she never opens her mouth to give me any sass!"

The four spacemen laughed at Shinny's obvious indignation. 

"Now come on!" he growled. "Let's eat. I'm hungry!"

Refusing to allow them to get near Molly, Shinny began pushing food intoslots, compartments, turning on switches and punching buttons. In thecozy living room, Strong relaxed while the three cadets played with theVenusian wolfhound. Finally Shinny announced dinner and they fell towith gusto. There wasn't much talk during the course of the meal. Strongand the boys felt that Shinny would let them know when he was ready. 

Finally the meal was over. Shinny sprawled in his chair, lit his pipe, then looked at his guests, his eyes twinkling. "All right, me friends, Ithink you've held back long enough. Let's have it. "

Strong immediately told the old spaceman the entire story, from Wallaceand Simms' false concession at the exposition to the present. 

"You see, Nick, " he concluded, "with an adjustable light-key enablingthem to open any lock in the solar system, nothing is safe. Personally, I think it's only because they haven't a larger or faster ship andaren't better armed that they haven't tried more daring piracy. They'llreach that point soon, though. They've already robbed four ships forarms alone. "

"I'll do anything I can to help you, Captain, " said Shinny. "What is ityou want to know?"

"We suspect that Wallace has a secret hide-out in the asteroid belt, "said Strong. "Since you once prospected the asteroids with him I thoughtyou might know where the hide-out is. "

Shinny grew reflective and knocked the ashes out of his pipe before heanswered. "That was a long time ago, Captain. More'n ten years. And GusWallace was a real square spaceman then. He didn't turn bad until afterwe split up and he met that other feller. "

"What other fellow?" asked Strong. 

Skinny paused. There was a hard glint in his eyes. "Bull Coxine!" Hespat the name out as though it had left a bad taste in his mouth. 

"Coxine!" exclaimed Strong. 

"You heard me, " snorted Shinny. "Bull Coxine and Gus Wallace gottogether after me and Wallace lost our stake hunting for uraniumpitchblende in the asteroids and split up. Next thing I heard, him andCoxine was mixed up in that business up on Ganymede when the CreditExchange was held up. "

Strong's face had turned the color of chalk. "Coxine!" he repeated underhis breath. 

Noticing Strong's reaction to Shinny's statement, Tom asked, "Who isCoxine, Captain Strong?"

Strong was silent and Shinny turned to the cadets. 

"When your skipper here was a young feller just starting out in theSolar Guard, " the old man explained, "he was on a routine flight out toTitan and there was a mutiny. Coxine was the ringleader. The captainjoined up with Coxine after they had put his skipper in the brig. Whenhe had Coxine's confidence, he regained control of the ship and sentCoxine and the others to a prison asteroid. Coxine has hated the captainever since and swore to get him. "

"But how did he pull the holdup on Ganymede, then?" asked Roger. 

"Coxine escaped from the prison asteroid in a jet boat, disguised as aguard, " continued Shinny. "Only man ever to escape. He drifted around inthe belt for a while and was picked up by a freighter going to Ganymede. The freighter had been out rocket-hopping among the asteroids, collecting the prospectors' small supplies of uranium and taking thestuff back to Ganymede for refining. Wallace happened to be dead-headingon the freighter. When they got to Ganymede, and Coxine saw all themoney lying around at the Credit Exchange to pay off the prospectors, heconvinced Wallace to go in with him and they robbed the Exchange. Coxinewas caught red-handed, but Wallace got away. In fact, the Solar Guarddidn't know Wallace had anything to do with it. So Coxine was taken backto the prison asteroid, and Wallace has been driftin' around the systemever since. "

"But, Mr. Shinny, " asked Astro, "if you knew Wallace was tied up withthe robbery of the Credit Exchange, why didn't you tell the Solar Guardbefore now?"

"Sonny, " sighed Shinny, "most of what I know is space dust and spacegas. But even so, I don't think Commander Walters or Captain Strong, oreven you boys, would think much of me if I went around like an old spacecrawler, blowin' my jets all over the place. "

Strong had listened to Shinny fill in the background of Bull Coxine witha thoughtful look in his eyes. He remembered all too clearly the mutinyon the ship out to Titan. Coxine had been an enlisted Solar Guard pettyofficer aboard the ship. He had made great strides in two years and wasbeing considered as an officer candidate on the very day he tried totake over the ship. When Strong regained control later, he talked toCoxine, trying to find out why he had started the mutiny. But the manhad only cursed him, swearing vengeance. Strong hadn't seen him since. 

"So you think he would know where Wallace and Simms might be hidingout?" Strong asked finally. 

"If anyone does, " replied Shinny, "he does. And I'll tell you this, Captain, if you go to talk to him and I figger you will, you'll find hima lot tougher. "

"Will I?"

"Well, take yourself, for instance. No reflection on you, of course, buttake yourself. You're smart, you're hard, and you got a good mind. You're one of the best spacemen in the deep. Take all that and turn itbad. Real bad. Sour it with too many years on a prison asteroid andyou've got a fire-eating rocket buster as tough and as rough as God andsociety can make him!"

The three cadets gulped and looked at Strong. They saw their skipperclench his teeth and ball his fists into tight knots. 

"I know, " said Strong in a hoarse whisper, "but if he knows whereWallace and Simms are, he'll tell me. You can bet your last credit, he'll tell me!"

Shinny paused reflectively. "I won't bet, " he said simply. 

 * * * * *

The air inside the space shack was stale because of a faulty filter inthe oxygen circulator that neither Wallace nor Simms bothered to clean. The two men lazed around in stocking feet and undershirts, listening topopular music coming over the audio receiver on a late pickup from oneof the small Jovian satellite colonies near by. 

"Pour me another cup of coffee, Simms, " grunted Wallace. 

The smaller man poured a cup of steaming black liquid and silentlyhanded it over to his companion. They both listened as the music fadedto an end and the voice of the announcer crackled over the loud-speaker. 

"This audiocast has been beamed to space quadrants D through K, as acourtesy to the army of uranium prospectors working the asteroid belt. Hope you've enjoyed it, spacemen, and happy hunting!"

Wallace reached over and snapped off the receiver. "Thanks, pal. " Helaughed. "The hunting's been real good! We've got a full catch!" Thegiant spaceman laughed again. 

"Yeah, " agreed Simms. "I just went over the take. We've got enough moneyin that locker"--he indicated a black box on the floor--"to sit back andtake it easy for the rest of our lives. "

"Yeah?" snarled Wallace. "You mean sitting in the sun on a crummylakeside, watching the birds and bees?"

"Gus, " asked Simms thoughtfully, "you got any idea how much fun we canbuy with the credits in that box?"

"Yeah, I have!" sneered Wallace, "and I know what a thousand times thatmuch will buy too!"

Suddenly Simms turned and looked his partner in the eye. "What do yousay we quit now, Gus? I mean it. We got plenty. "

"You sound like you been exposed to too many cosmic rays!" said Wallace, tapping his head with one finger. "We've got the biggest secret in thesystem, the adjustable light-key plus an airtight hide-out, and you wantto quit!"

"It ain't that, " whined Simms. "It's the other deal. I don't mind goingout and blasting a few freighters, but to try to--"

"Lissen, " interrupted Wallace, "I'd rather try it and take the lickingif we mess it up, than not try it and take that licking. I know whichside of the space lane I'd better be on when the time comes!"

Simms hesitated and then sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. "

"Come on. Let's listen to that story spool again. "

"Oh, no, " moaned Simms. "I know that spool by heart! We've heard it atleast fifty times!"

"One slip-up, " said Wallace, sticking his finger in Simms' face, "justone slip-up and we're finished! We've got to be sure!"

With a reluctant shrug of his shoulders, Simms poured another cup ofcoffee and sat on the side of his bunk while Wallace inserted the storyspool in the audio playback. 

They settled themselves and listened as a deep voice began to speak in aloud whisper. 

". .. The operation will take place on the night of October twenty-ninthat exactly twenty-one hundred hours. You will make your approach fromsection eleven, M quadrant--"

Simms jumped up abruptly and switched off the playback. Turning toWallace, he pleaded, "I can't listen to it again! I know it by heart. Instructions on how to get to the time capsule; instructions on what totake, and how to build an adjustable light-key after we get the plans;instructions on how to hijack the first ship and what to take. Orders, information, instructions! I'm sick of listening. If you want to, goahead, but I'm going to work on the ship!"

"O. K. , O. K. , " said Wallace, getting up. "Don't blow your jets. I hatethe thing as much as you do. Wait a minute and I'll go with you. "

The two men began climbing into space suits. In a few minutes they weredressed in black plastic suits with small round clear plastic helmets. They stepped into the air lock on one side of the room and closed aheavy door. Wallace adjusted the valve in the chamber and watched theneedle drop until it showed zero. 

"O. K. , " said Wallace over his helmet spacephones. "All the air's out. Open the outer lock. "

Simms cranked the heavy handle, and the door in the opposite wall of thechamber slowly swung open. They stepped out into the airless black voidof space and onto the surface of an asteroid, drifting in the thickestpart of the belt. Surrounding the asteroid were countless smallersecondary satellites circling the mother body like a wide curvingblanket. The mother body was perfectly hidden from outside observation. It made a perfect base of operations for the two space pirates. 

The freighter that they had used at the concession at the SolarExposition and later to make their escape was a far different ship fromthe one now resting on the asteroid. Two powerful three-inch atomicblasters could be seen sticking out of the forward part of the ship. Andnear the stern, two gaping holes showed the emplacements for twoadditional guns not yet installed. 

The two men walked over to the ship, and while Wallace entered the ship, Simms picked up a cutting torch and ignited it, preparing to finish thetwo holes in the stern. 

When Wallace reappeared, he was carrying a coil of wire with a doubleplug to attach to the spacephones inside their helmets. He jammed theplug into Simms' helmet and then into his own. Simms' eyes lit up withsurprise as he heard. .. . 

". .. This is a general emergency announcement from Solar Guardheadquarters. Squadrons A and B of the Marsopolis garrison will proceedto space quadrants W, sections forty-one to fifty. It is believed thatGus Wallace and Luther Simms are in that vicinity. Approach withcaution, they are armed with atomic blasters and are believed to bepsychologically unable to surrender. It is believed they will resistarrest. .. . "

The voice repeated the announcement and added a general call for themen, if they were listening, to surrender. Wallace pulled out the twoplugs and grinned at Simms. 

"Picked it up on the teleceiver inside the ship. Thought you might liketo know how safe we are here. "

Simms grinned back, "And how far off the track they are. Where is thatspace quadrant they think we're in?"

"Out past Saturn, " said Wallace with a grin. "With the Mars garrisonchasing us at one end of the system, we'll hit them on the other and begone before they know what happened!"

Simms patted the barrel of the nearest atomic blaster. "And, spaceman, we're going to hit them hard!"

CHAPTER 10

"Stop your ship and be recognized!"

The rasping voice on the audioceiver was sharp. A command to be obeyed. 

Tom turned away from the control board and looked at Strong who wasalready reaching for the ship's intercom. 

"Full braking rocket thrust, Astro, " he yelled into the microphone, "andmake it quick or we'll all be blasted into protons!"

Tom and the captain gripped their chairs tightly as the ship buckedagainst the deceleration force of the powerful braking rockets. Gradually the freighter _Dog Star_ slowed and came to a dead stop inspace. 

"Hey!" yelled Astro over the intercom from the power deck. "What's goingon up there?"

"We've just entered the outer circle of defense on the prison asteroid, Astro, " replied Strong. "We have to stop so they can sweep us with theirradar and identify the ship. "

"But I sent them a message in Solar Guard code that we were coming, "interjected Roger who was listening from the radar bridge. 

"They still have to make sure it's us, " said Strong. 

"Identify yourselves!" commanded the voice over the audioceiver again. 

"This is space freighter _Dog Star_ under temporary command of CaptainStrong of the Solar Guard, " answered Strong. 

"What's your business here?" demanded the voice again. 

"Interrogation of one of your prisoners. We have sent a coded message, under code Z for Zebra to your prison commandant, Major Alan Savage. Ifyou'll check with him, you'll find everything in order, " said Strong. 

"Very well, " replied the voice crisply, and then added, "Remain whereyou are. Do not move from your present position or attempt to send anymessages. If you fail to comply with these conditions you will beblasted!"

"Very well, " said Strong, "conditions are understood. "

"Boy, " chimed in Roger, as he climbed down the ladder from the radarbridge, "they sure don't want any company here. "

"And for good reason, " said Strong. "The most vicious criminals in thewhole universe are confined here. Every one of them is capable ofcommitting any crime in the solar code. And most of them have. The menhere are the worst. They have refused psychotherapeutic readjustment tomake them into new men. "

"But I thought they had to go through it, sir?" said Tom. 

"No, " replied Strong. "Even criminals have certain rights in oursociety. They can either remain criminals and stay here, or bepsychoadjusted and given new personalities. The ones that refuse are theones on this Rock. "

"You mean, " gasped Roger, "that the men on this asteroid deliberatelychose to remain criminals?"

"Yes, Manning, " said Strong. "Rather than become healthy citizens of thesystem, they prefer to stay here and waste their lives in isolation withno hope of ever returning to society. "

"Can they change their minds after they get here?" asked Tom. 

"Any time. But when they get this far, they usually stay here. The menon Prison Rock didn't surrender easily. They are the toughest, mostruthless men in the universe. "

"Attention! Freighter _Dog Star_! Attention!" the audioceiver raspedinto life again. "You have been given temporary clearance. A spacelaunch will ferry you to the asteroid. You are warned that any weaponsdiscovered on your person, or acts that may be construed as providingaid and comfort to the inmates of this prison, will be consideredtreason against the Solar Alliance and you will be subject to immediatedisciplinary action. "

Tom and Roger glanced at each other, a worried look in their eyes. Strong just smiled. "Don't worry, boys. That little speech is read toevery visitor to the asteroid. "

"Just the same, sir, " said Roger huskily, "I would prefer to remainaboard the _Dog Star_ and give you, Tom, and Astro the pleasure of thevisit. "

Strong laughed. "They won't let you, Roger. They'll send up a crew ofguards to search the ship. And the way these boys search makes a customsinspection look like a casual glance. "

"Attention _Dog Star_!" A younger voice suddenly came in on theaudioceiver. "This is Lieutenant Williams aboard the space launch. Weare approaching your starboard catapult deck. Please open the air lockand take us aboard. "

"They sure don't waste any time, " commented Tom as he turned to theaudioceiver. "Freighter _Dog Star_, Cadet Tom Corbett to LieutenantWilliams, " he called, "the air lock is open and the catapult deck isready to receive you. " At the same time, the young cadet turned thevalve that would open the outer air lock to the jet-boat deck. 

Five minutes later, the ship was swarming with tight-lipped enlistedSolar Guardsmen, who spoke to Strong and the cadets with cool courtesy. These were men who signed up for two years as guards on the Rock aftercompeting with thousands of other enlisted men. A guard on the Rock wasmid triple wages for the two-year isolation. But more than anything elsethe right to wear the bright white patch with a paralo-ray gun in thecenter denoting their service as guards on the Rock was prestige enviedeven by commissioned officers of the Solar Guard. 

After what Tom thought to be the most thorough search he had ever seenwas over, Lieutenant Williams reported to the control deck where Strongand the cadets had been politely but firmly detained. He informed themthat they were now ready to blast off to the Rock, adding that a moredetailed search of the area between the ship's outer and inner hullswould be conducted after they had gone. 

"You mean, " said Tom, amazed, "that you actually search the four inchesbetween the two hulls? What in the universe could we possibly hide inthere?"

"I don't know, Corbett, " replied Williams. "We've never found anythingthere. " He turned to Strong and smiled. "But there's always a firsttime, isn't there, sir?"

"Yes, of course, " agreed Strong. "You do a thorough job, Williams. Verygood indeed!"

"Thank you, sir, " said Williams. "You know, we've heard about you andthe _Polaris_ unit here on the Rock. " He turned to Tom, Roger, andAstro. "We have a stereo of that mercuryball game you played at theAcademy when you were Earthworms. "

"What?" cried Tom. "You mean that game was recorded?"

"It sure was, " said Williams. "But we've seen it at least fifty times. "

"Well, blast my jets!" said Astro in amazement. 

The game was one that the cadets had played when they first entered theAcademy. It had done much to unify the boys into a fighting team. 

An enlisted sergeant suddenly appeared, snapping to attention in frontof Lieutenant Williams. "Ready to blast off, sir, " he said. 

"Very well, " said Williams, then turned to Strong and the cadets. "Follow me, please. "

In a few moments the space launch was blasting away from the freighterand heading for a tiny planetoid in the distance. As they drew near, Strong and the cadets peered out of the ports to get a view of theprison, but were disappointed when Williams ordered the ports covered. 

He smiled apologetically at Strong and explained, "All approaches aresecret, sir. We can't allow anyone to see where our defenses arelocated. "

"You fellows certainly believe in keeping prisoners in and visitorsout!" commented Strong. 

"Anyone interested in coming to the Rock, sir, " said Williams, "is undernatural suspicion. "

The three cadets gulped, duly impressed with the severity of the prisonroutine. 

Soon they felt the unmistakable jar and bump of the small space vesseltouching the surface of the planetoid. The jets cut out suddenly andWilliams stood up. 

"Please follow me. Do not speak to anyone, and do not stop walking. Keepyour hands in front of you and maintain a distance of ten feet betweenyou and the man in front of you. "

He walked through the open hatch where a hard-faced enlisted guardsmanstood rigidly, holding a paralo-ray gun at the ready. 

With a quick nod to the cadets Strong followed Williams through thehatch. At ten-foot intervals they followed him out of the hatch, withTom bringing up the rear and the enlisted guardsman behind him. 

As Tom stepped out onto the surface of the asteroid he wasn't quite surewhat he expected to see, but he certainly wasn't ready for the sightthat greeted his eyes. 

As far as he could see, there was grass, spotted with small one-storybuildings. To the left was a single towering structure built of Titancrystal and on top of it was the largest atomic blaster he had everseen. He turned to ask the guardsman about the gun but was motionedahead with a curt, "No questions. Keep walking. "

Tom continued to walk. He noticed that they were heading for the tower. As he drew nearer, he could see men walking around a narrow catwalk atthe top. They all carried paralo-ray rifles with miniature grids mountedon the barrel. Inside the rifle was a tiny radar direction finder. Itwas a simple but effective control against escaping prisoners. Each ofthe inmates of the Rock wore small metal disks welded to a thin chainaround their waists. The disk was sensitive to radar impulses, and withno more effort than snapping a thumb catch on the rifle, the guard couldlocate and paralyze the nearest disk-wearing inmate. 

Tom was so full of questions it was necessary for the guard to warn himagain, only this time in sharper tones. 

Entering the tower, they were scrutinized and cleared by an electronicbeam that passed through their bodies and indicated any metal they mightcarry. Once through this last barrier, they were escorted to aslidestairs, where Williams left them. 

Throughout the entire procedure few words had passed between the cadets. Now left alone on the stairs, they couldn't contain themselves and thecomments and questions tumbled out. 

"Did'ja see that blaster on top of this place?" Roger blurted out. 

"Those radar-controlled paralo-ray rifles are really something!" saidAstro. 

"The thing I want to know, " said Tom, "is where are the prisoners? Ihaven't seen one yet. "

"And you're not likely to, either, Cadet Corbett!" said a gruff voiceabove them. They turned to see a heavy-set man wearing the uniform of amajor in the Solar Guard, standing on the floor above them. Theslidestairs carried them to his level and Captain Strong hopped off andextended his hand in greeting. 

"Major Savage!" he explained. "Good to see you again!"

"Same here, " said Savage, returning Strong's firm handclasp. He turnedand faced the cadets. "So this is the _Polaris_ unit, eh?" He smiled. "We've really enjoyed the stereo of that game of mercuryball you playedback at the Academy. "

"Thank you, sir, " said Tom. "Lieutenant Williams has already told us howmuch he liked it. "

"Come into my quarters and relax. I imagine you could do with some goodsolid food after those synthetics on your trip. "

"We certainly could, sir, " said Strong. 

They followed the big man through a sliding panel into a suite ofcomfortably furnished rooms. Five minutes later, the cadets and theofficers were enjoying their first hot meal in a week. As they ate, Major Savage brought up the purpose of their visit. "So you've come totalk to Bull Coxine, eh?"

"Yes, " nodded Strong. "And I don't imagine he has developed anyaffection for me. "

"No, I wouldn't say he has, " replied Savage. "In fact, I don't thinkBull has any affection for anyone, not even himself. Why do you want tosee him, anyway?"

Strong quickly summarized the theft of the adjustable light-key and theunsuccessful search for Wallace and Simms, concluding finally with theknowledge of Coxine's association with Wallace. 

"I'm hoping Coxine will give me a lead to Wallace's whereabouts, " saidStrong. 

"Well, you can ask him, " shrugged the major. "But personally, I don'tthink you're going to get any further than saying hello. If he'll evenlet you say that. He hates you, Strong. Hates you in a way I've neverseen a man hate before. When you talk to him, be careful. "

"I will, " said Strong grimly. 

"Don't let him get near you. He's the strongest man I've ever seen. Cameblasted near choking a guard to death with one hand when he escaped. Hecould break a man's neck with both hands. "

Strong smiled. "Evidently, Major, you haven't noticed the size of CadetAstro. I'll take him along with me for protection. " He looked at Astro, who flushed in quick embarrassment. 

"Very well, Strong, " said Savage. "I'll have a jet car brought around. You can go right down to his hut. "

"Er--may I ask a question, sir?" asked Tom. 

The major smiled. "Go right ahead, Corbett. "

"It's about this whole setup, " explained Tom. "I was expecting fencesand prisoners and--well, most anything but green grass and small whitebuildings!"

"The little huts you saw, " replied the major, "are as much of a prisonas we have. Each hut holds one prisoner. He has all the necessaryfurniture, in addition to audioceivers and story spools which he canchange once a week. He also has basic garden equipment. All prisonersgrow everything they eat. Each man is dependent on himself and isrestricted to the hut and the area around it. If he comes within twomiles of the tower, the guards will pick him up on radar and order himback. If he comes within one mile, they fire without further warning. Only one man has ever escaped. Coxine. And that was because we had asick man on guard duty, or he never would have made it. He overpoweredthe guard, took his uniform, and stowed away on a supply ship. We caughthim a year later. "

"Didn't your radar pick up the disk he was wearing, sir?" asked Roger. 

"That method of protection was only installed a few months ago, " saidthe major. 

"And the prisoners just sit there--in those little huts?" asked Astro. 

"Yes, Astro!" said the major with a tone of finality in his voice. "Theyjust sit. This is the end of the line. "

The three cadets looked at each other and secretly vowed never to take achance of doing anything that would send them to the Rock. 

Five minutes later, Strong was driving a jet car along a narrow pavedroad toward one of the white huts. Astro sat beside him grimly silent, his hands balled into tight hamlike fists. They rounded a curve andStrong pulled up in front of the house. As they climbed out of the car, they could see the trim neat lanes of the little garden with carefullyprinted signs on each row indicating what was growing. They started forthe house and then stopped short. Bull Coxine stood in the doorway, watching them. 

Dressed in the snow-white coverall of the prison garb, Coxine faced themsquarely, his thick trunklike legs spread wide apart. He was a giant ofa man with long heavily muscled arms that dangled from a huge pair ofshoulders. His jet-black hair was a tangled unkempt mass, and his facewas scarred and lined. Eyes blazing with unconcealed hatred he waitedfor Captain Strong to make the first move. 

"Hello, Bull, " said Strong quietly. "I'd like to talk to you. "

"Oh, you would, huh?" Coxine spat and his lips twisted in a mockinggrin. "What's the matter? Afraid to talk to me alone?" he indicatedAstro. "Did you have to bring one of your Space Cadets for protection?"

"Listen, Bull, " urged Strong, "I was your friend once. I turned you inbecause you were a mutineer and I was an officer of the Solar Guard. I'ddo the same to this cadet if he tried what you did. "

"Yeah, I'll bet you would, " snarled the criminal. "Just like a realfriend!" His voice deepened into a low roar. "Don't talk to me about theold days! I'm on the Rock and you're just another Solar Guard spacecrawler to me. Now get out of here and leave me alone. "

"I came to ask you to help me, Bull, " Strong persisted. "I needinformation. "

Coxine's eyes narrowed into slits. "What kind of information?"

"You once tried to hold up a Credit Exchange on Ganymede with a mancalled Gus Wallace. He had a hide-out in the asteroid belt. I'd like toknow where it is, " said Strong. 

"Why?"

"I can't answer that, Bull. "

"What do I get if I tell you?"

"Nothing, except my thanks and the thanks of the Solar Guard. "

"And if I don't?"

"I'll turn around and leave. "

"Then start turning, Strong, " snarled the giant prisoner, "because Iain't got nothing to tell you except how much I hate your guts!"

Astro moved forward slightly, but Strong held him back. "O. K. , Bull. Ifthat's the way you want it, I'll leave. "

"Why don't you let the young punk try something?" challenged Coxine. "Iain't had any exercise in a long time. "

Strong looked at the huge man and said coldly, "I wouldn't want thedeath of a piece of space scum to show on his record. "

Then, as if the space and sky overhead had suddenly been torn open, there was a flash of light followed by the roar of a tremendousexplosion. The ground trembled. The air seemed to moan in agony. Strongand Astro wheeled around and looked toward the tower that shimmered inthe light of the late afternoon sun. To their horror, they saw theunmistakable mushrooming cloud of an atomic blast rising in thesynthetic atmosphere behind it. 

"By the craters of Luna--" gasped Strong. 

A second flash and explosion rocked the prison asteroid and suddenly thetower disappeared. Almost immediately, a spaceship appeared over thesmall planetoid and began systematically pounding the surfaceinstallations with atomic blasters. 

"Captain Strong, " cried Astro. "Tom and Roger--they were in the tower!"

"Come on, " yelled Strong, "we've got to get back!"

"You ain't going nowhere, Strong, " snarled Coxine behind him. "I've beenwaiting a long time for this!" He suddenly struck the Solar Guardofficer with a heavy rock and Strong slumped to the ground unconscious. Before Astro could move, Coxine smashed him to the ground with a blow onthe back of the neck. They both lay deathly still. 

Then, as the atomic bombardment of the penal asteroid continued, thegiant space criminal jumped into the jet car and sped away. 

CHAPTER 11

"Fire!" bawled Major Savage to his crew of gunners. 

At the other end of the field one of the remaining two undamaged rocketdestroyers blasted off to battle the invading spaceship. 

Tom and Roger had been on a tour of the great central tower with MajorSavage when the attack came and had been ordered to find safety in theopen fields. The major knew the tower would be one of the first targets. 

Sprawled on the ground behind a bunker, they saw the major, his spacejacket torn from his back, standing in the middle of the field, quietlyissuing orders to scarlet-clad spacemen, desperately trying to organizethe penal asteroid's defenses. 

The spaceship, which had somehow managed to penetrate the tight radarwarning screen around the prison, had struck with merciless precision. Again and again, its atomic blasters had found the most importantinstallations and had wiped them out. The first target, after the towerhad been shattered, was the underground launching ramps for theasteroid's small fleet of rocket destroyers. But even after a directhit, the guards were able to ready two ships to fight the attackingspaceship. The first was already diving in, her small one-inch blastersfiring repeatedly. 

Suddenly, Lieutenant Williams, in command of the second ship, cameracing up to Major Savage, to report that his radarman had been hit andthe ship couldn't blast off. 

"Here's where I get into the act!" Roger jumped up immediately, and witha brief "So long, spaceman" to Tom, raced off to join LieutenantWilliams. 

"Spaceman's luck, " yelled Tom as the officer and the cadet ran towardthe waiting ship. 

Looking skyward again, Tom saw the first destroyer diving toward theattacking spaceship, trying to get in range with her lighter armament. Suddenly there was a burst of brilliant light. The lighter ship had beencompletely destroyed by a direct hit. 

Sick with horror, Tom looked away and watched the ship Roger had joinedblast off under full acceleration. It roared spaceward in a straightline, disappearing at incredible speed. 

Meanwhile, the invader continued to blast relentlessly. One--two--three--four--automatic reload--one--two--three--four, reload. Over and over, firing at seemingly peaceful fields of grass, only tostrike an armory, space cradle, or supply depot buried underneath theground. Suddenly it changed its course and trained its guns skyward. Tomlooked up and saw a tiny flyspeck roaring straight down at the ship. Itwas Lieutenant Williams' rocket destroyer, with Roger on the radarbridge, in a suicidal attempt to destroy the invader. But the largership was ready. The two forward blasters opened fire. A flaming ball oflight exploded near the stabilizer of the destroyer and it fell offcourse to float helplessly in free-fall orbit around the asteroid. Stilllying on the ground, Tom sighed with relief. At least Roger was allright. 

Then the young cadet saw the invading spaceship move away from the areaaround the tower toward the horizon not too far away on the smallplanetoid. He followed it with his eyes and saw it suddenly land near acluster of white prisoner huts. Tom gasped as the reason for the attackbecame clear. 

"Major! Major! Major Savage!" he called as he raced across the field. But the major was nowhere to be seen. A guard carrying a medical kithurried past him and Tom grabbed him by the arm. 

"Major Savage! Where is he?"

The guard pointed to a near-by stretcher and Tom saw the unconsciousfigure of the major sprawled on the plastic frame. 

"But--but the prisoners are getting away!" yelled Tom. 

"I can't do anything about it. I've got wounded men to care for!" Theman jerked away and disappeared in the smoky, choking dust. 

The curly-haired space cadet, his face blackened from the smoke, hislungs crying for fresh air, started across the blast-pitted field, looking for help. But there was none to be had. Suddenly he wheeled inthe direction of the spaceship and started to run toward it. 

As soon as the young cadet had left the smoking area around the wreckedtower, he realized that it was the only section of the small satellitethat had suffered attack. Ahead, he could see the prisoners in theirwhite suits crowding around the stabilizer air lock of the invadingship. 

Tom dropped to his stomach and watched the knot of men. Suddenly theair-lock portal slid open. There was a loud cheer and the prisonersbegan scrambling aboard. 

Tom knew he would have to move fast. Taking a dangerous chance, he roseto a half-crouch and dashed to one of the small white huts only ahundred feet away. With a final glance at the thinning crowd of escapingmen around the ship, he ran straight for an open window, diving headlongthrough it. 

Inside, Tom waited breathlessly for a shout or warning that he had beenseen, but none came. He glanced through the window and saw that onlyseven or eight men remained outside the port. He turned away quickly andbegan searching the hut. 

He found what he was looking for rolled up on the bed where its ownerhad used it as an extra pillow. He shook out the prison suit of whitecoveralls, stripped off his own blue cadet's uniform, and hurriedly puton the distinctive prison gear. It was a little large for him and herolled up the sleeves and trouser legs, hoping no one would notice inthe excitement. Then, with a deep breath, he stepped out of the hut intofull view of the prisoners still left at the air lock. 

"Hey, wait for me!" he yelled, running for the ship. 

The men paid no attention in their haste to get aboard the ship. WhenTom reached the air lock, there were only two left. He slapped thenearest man on the back. 

"Pal, I've been waiting for this a long time!"

"Yah, " the man answered, "me too!" Then he looked at Tom closely. "Say, I've never seen you around here before!"

"I just got in on the supply ship last week. They kept me in the towerfor a while, " Tom replied. 

"Oh, well, " said the man, "they ain't keepin' anybody there anymore!"

"Come on you guys, " snarled a heavy-set man in the air lock above them. "We ain't got all day!"

Tom looked up, and without being told, he felt he was looking into theface of Bull Coxine. And when the other prisoner spoke, he was certain. 

"Yeah, Bull, " said the man. "Comin', comin'!" He reached up and Bullgrabbed his outstretched hand. When Bull pulled, the man literallyleaped through the air into the air lock. 

"All right, space crawler, " roared Bull to Tom, "you're next!" The bigman stuck out his hand. Tom gulped. For one desperate second he thoughtof turning and running away. 

"Well?" growled Bull. "You coming or ain't cha?"

"You're blasted right I'm coming, " said Tom. "This is one time the SolarGuard is taking it on the chin. And, crawler, am I happy to see it!"

He grabbed Bull's hand and was lifted as easily as if he had been afeather. Coxine dropped him on the deck and turned away without a wordto disappear inside the ship. 

As he looked around, Tom suddenly felt a cold shiver run through hisbody. He felt as if he had signed his own death warrant. There was nomistake about it. The ship was the same one he had watched night afternight at the exposition on Venus. And the names of the two ownersexploded in his brain. "Wallace and Simms!"

He turned to jump out of the air lock, but it slid closed in front ofhim. He was trapped. 

 * * * * *

Sprawled on the ground in front of one of the white houses near thetower perimeter, Captain Strong stirred, shook his head, and painfullyrose to a half-crouch. With eyes still dulled by shock, he looked aroundto see Astro lying unconscious a few feet away. His brain still reelingfrom the effects of Coxine's sneak attack, he staggered over to hisknees beside him. 

"Astro, Astro--" Strong called. "Astro, snap out of it!"

The big Venusian moaned and opened his eyes. He sat bolt upright. "Captain Strong! What happened?"

"I'm not too sure, Astro, " said Strong. "All I remember is Coxineslugging me. "

As they struggled to their feet, they suddenly noticed the toweringcolumns of smoke rising into the air. 

"By the rings of Saturn!" gasped Strong. "Look, Astro!"

"Blast my jets!" cried the big cadet. "What--what could have happened?"

The two spacemen stood gaping at the shattered remains of the tower andthe smoldering area around it. In the distance, scarlet-clad guardsmenmoved dazedly around the wreckage and above them a rocket destroyer wasblasting on one jet, coming in for a touchdown. 

"Astro, " said Strong grimly, "I don't know how it could have happened, but the prison asteroid has been attacked. A rocket-blasting good job ofit! Come on! We've got to get over there!"

"Yes, sir, " said Astro. As they started running toward the field, hesearched the figures moving about in the distance for two familiar blueuniforms. "I don't see Roger or Tom, sir, " he said hesitantly. "Do youthink--?"

"We'll just have to wait and see, " interrupted Strong grimly. "Come on, step it up!"

As the two spacemen approached the smoking ruins of the undergroundcradles, ammunition dumps, and repair shops, they passed groups of mendigging into the rubble. In sharp contrast to the careful scrutiny theyhad received when they first arrived at the prison, no one noticed themnow. Strong stepped up to a man in a torn and dirty sergeant's uniform. 

"What happened?" he asked. 

The man turned and looked at Strong and Astro. Aside from the swollenbump on the Solar Guard captain's head and the bruise on the cadet'sneck there were no signs of their having been in the attack. When theguardsman finally replied, there was a sharp edge to his voice. "Ithought _everyone_ knew we were attacked, _sir_!" He turned back to adetail of men who were watching. But Strong pulled the man up sharply. 

"Attention!" he barked. The sergeant and the crew came to stiffattention. Strong stepped forward and looked the guardsman straight inthe eye. "Under any other circumstances, Sergeant, " snapped Strong, "I'dhave your stripes and throw you in the brig for your insolence! Now Iwant a clear account of what happened. And I want it blasted _quick_!"

"Yes, sir!" stammered the guardsman, realizing he had gone too far. Hehurriedly gave a detailed description of the battle, ending with areport that Major Savage had been injured and that Lieutenant Williamswas now in command of the prison. 

"Where will I find Lieutenant Williams?" asked Strong. 

"At the rocket destroyer, sir. It just landed. "

"Very well, Sergeant!" said Strong, adding in a gentler tone, "I realizeyou've had a rough time of it, so we'll forget what just happened. Getback to your work. "

As Astro followed the Solar Guard captain toward the rocket ship he sawa familiar figure standing near the air lock. A boy with close-croppedblond hair and wearing cadet blues. 

"Roger!" yelled Astro joyfully. "Captain Strong, look! It's Roger!"

They quickened their pace and were soon beside the small space vesselthat had been blasted out of commission before it could fire a shot. While Roger was telling them of having volunteered for radar operationsaboard the ship and of their being disabled by a near miss, LieutenantWilliams suddenly appeared in the air lock and saluted smartly. 

"Major Savage has been injured, sir, " said Williams. "Since you are thehighest ranking officer on the asteroid, are there any orders?"

"I'm not acquainted with your men, or your prison, Williams, " repliedStrong. "I'll accept the command as a formality but appoint you my chiefaid. Carry on and do anything necessary to get things cleared away. "

"Very well, sir, " said Williams. 

"Have communications been destroyed?"

"Yes, sir. Communications was located in the tower, but Cadet Manninghas converted the equipment on ship for long-range audio transmission. "

"Very good!" said Strong. "As soon as you get a chance, I want you tomake out a full report on the attack, including your personal opinion ofwho attacked us and why. "

"I don't know who manned that ship, sir, " said Williams, "but I can tellthe reason all right. Every prisoner on the asteroid has escaped!"

"Yes, " mused Strong. "I thought that would be the answer. But how didthat ship get through your defenses?"

"Captain Strong, " said Williams grimly, "I don't think there is anyquestion about it. Someone broke the asteroid code. The attacking shipidentified itself as the regular supply ship. "

"A Solar Guardsman?" asked Strong. 

"No, sir, " said Williams. "I'd bet anything that none of our men woulddo that!"

"Then who?" asked Strong. 

"Only one man would be smart enough to get the code and break it, andthen sneak it off to the attacking ship!

"Who?" asked Strong. 

"Bull Coxine!" answered the young officer through clenched teeth. 

They were interrupted by a guardsman. "Sir, we found this in prison huttwenty-four. "

"What is it?" asked Strong. 

Astro's eyes suddenly widened and he stepped forward. "Why, that's . .. That's Tom's uniform!" he stammered. 

"Tom!" gasped Strong. "But where is he?"

"We've searched the immediate area, sir, " replied the guardsman. "CadetCorbett isn't here. "

"Are you sure?" demanded Strong. 

"Yes, sir, " said the guardsman stoutly. 

Strong took the uniform and examined it carefully. Then he turned toRoger and snapped, "Prepare the audioceiver for immediate transmissionto Space Academy, Manning. Astro! Get aboard our ship. Check her fordamage and let me know how soon we can blast off!"

The two cadets saluted and raced for the small spaceship. 

Thoughtfully holding Tom's uniform in his hand, Strong turned back toWilliams. "I'm going to leave as soon as I can, Williams. I'll tellSpace Academy about the attack and see that a relief ship is sent out toyou right away. Meantime, I'm leaving you in command. " He paused andlooked at Tom's uniform again. "If Cadet Corbett isn't on the asteroid, he must be on the attacking ship with the prisoners. The only questionnow is, do they know it?"

"You mean he smuggled himself aboard?" asked Williams. 

"I'm almost sure of it!" said Strong. "And if he _is_, he's going to tryto get some sort of message out. I've got to be ready to pick it up. "

Strong paused and looked up at the sky overhead, still thick with smoke. "And if he does ask for help, I'm going to answer him with the biggestfleet of spaceships he'll ever see in his life!"

CHAPTER 12

"Stand by, you space crawlers!" roared Bull Coxine into the microphone, but the loud laughter and singing of the noisily celebrating prisonerscontinued unabated over the intercom's loud-speakers. "Avast there!" hebellowed again. "Stow that noise! Attention! And I want _attention_!"

Standing on the control deck of his ship, Coxine waited as the mengradually quieted down. No longer wearing the white prison coverall, hewas dressed in a black merchant spaceman's uniform, the snug-fittingjacket and trousers stretching tightly across his huge shoulders. Hewore a black spaceman's cap, and two paralo-ray pistol belts werecrisscrossed over his hips. 

"Now listen to me!" he roared again. "Let's get one thing straight! I'mthe skipper of this ship and the first man that thinks he's smarter thanme, let him speak up!"

There was a long pause and the big man added with an ominous whisper, "But I warn you, if one of you opens your mouth, you'll take a swim inspace!"

There was an angry murmur among the prisoners that Coxine heard over theintercom. "Don't think I can't take care of you, the lot of you, one byone or all at once. I cut my milk teeth on mutiny. I know how to startone and I know how to finish one! I needed a crew and that's the onlyreason you're here! Any spaceman that doesn't like the way I run thingsaboard this ship, better keep it to himself, or start swimming back tothe prison asteroid!" He paused. "Well? Are you all with me?"

There was a chorus of cheers on the intercom and Coxine nodded grimly. 

"All right, " he continued, "now that we understand each other, I'll geton with the business. Second-in-command to me will be Gus Wallace. _Lieutenant_ Wallace!"

A roar of approval came over the loud-speaker. 

"Third-in-command--Luther Simms! _Lieutenant_ Simms!"

There was another roar of approval as the prisoners recognized the namesof the men who had liberated them from the asteroid. 

"Now, we'll handle this ship as if it were any other freighter. Thefollowing men will be in charge of departments!"

As Coxine read off the list of jobs and the men to handle them, therewere yells of approval and disapproval for favorites and old enemies. When the list of names had been read, he turned away from the intercomand faced his lieutenants, Wallace and Simms. 

"Well, skipper, " boasted Wallace, "it looks like we're in businessagain!"

"Yeah, " chimed in Simms. "In three hours we'll be on our own asteroidand we can start planning our first strike!"

Coxine's eyes narrowed into slits. "Get this, both of you!" he snapped. "What I said to those crawlers down below goes for you too. I'm the bossof this outfit and you don't even guess about what we're going to do, until I say so!"

"But, Bull--!" whined Wallace. 

"Shut up!" roared Coxine. "And when you talk to me, you call mecaptain!"

Wallace and Simms looked at each other. "O. K. , Captain, " muttered Simms. 

"Yes, _sir_!" corrected Coxine. 

"Yes, sir, " said Simms quickly. 

"That's better, " growled the giant spaceman. "Don't get the idea thatjust because you were able to follow orders that it makes you smart. Because it doesn't! It took me two and a half years to get theinformation collected onto these story spools and smuggle them out toyou. Everything, from where to buy this spaceship to getting thelight-key out of the time capsule, was my idea! My brains!"

"Sure, Captain, " said Wallace, "but we took the chances!"

"Yeah, " sneered Coxine. "You took chances! The only chance you took wasin not paying attention to what I told you to do. I gave it all to you. Where to hold up the first freighter passenger, what to take, how tomount the atomic blasters, what code to use in getting through theprison defenses. The whole works! And I did it while sitting on thetoughest Rock in the system. I smuggled it out right under the noses ofthose Solar Guard space crawlers. So forget about being smart, or you'llwind up with that scum below decks!"

"Yes, sir!" said Wallace. 

"Now get me a course to the asteroid and make it quick. And have somedecent grub sent up to my quarters right away!"

The big man turned lightly on the balls of his feet and disappearedthrough the hatch. After a moment, Wallace turned to Simms. 

"That big space-crawling bum!" snorted Wallace. "I oughta blast him!"

"Go ahead!" sneered Simms. "You were the one who wanted to get him offthe Rock, not me!"

"Aw shut up!" snarled Wallace. He turned to the intercom and beganbarking orders to his new crew. 

 * * * * *

Tom Corbett sat in one corner of a cargo compartment that had beenconverted into sleeping quarters, watching the celebrating prisoners. Someone had broken into the galley stores and mixed a concoction offruit, alcohol, and reactor priming fluid to make a foul-tasting rocketjuice. The men sat about in various stages of undress as they changedfrom the white prison coveralls to the black uniforms of the merchantspaceman, and drank heavily from a huge pot of the liquid. 

One of the men, short and stumpy, but with shoulders like an ape, wasstanding on a table boasting about his strength. He was stripped to thewaist and Tom could see the powerful arms and chest beneath the blackhair that covered his body. As he continued to brag, the prisonerslaughed and jeered, calling him Monkey. The man's face reddened and heoffered to fight anyone in the room. A short, thin man with a hawk nosesitting next to Tom yelled, "Monkey, " and then darted behind a bunk. Theman turned and looked angrily at Tom. 

"You there!" the man on the table called, looking at Tom. "You call meMonkey?"

Tom shook his head. Since the blast-off he had stayed away from the menas much as he could, certain that sooner or later someone wouldchallenge him and discover he wasn't a prisoner. He hoped to remainaboard the ship long enough to plant a signal for the Solar Guard tofollow. Tom felt almost certain they would be heading for Wallace andSimms' hide-out. And so far, the men had been so excited over their newfreedom they hadn't bothered him. He had managed to sit quietly in thecorner of the storage compartment and watch them. 

"I'm talking to _you_!" shouted the hairy man, looking straight at Tom. "You called me Monkey and then lied about it! Maybe you're scared, eh?"

He slipped off the table and advanced toward Tom. The young cadet triedto figure a way out of the threatening fight. He wasn't afraid of theman, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself. And one of thesurest ways of letting Wallace and Simms know he was aboard ship was toget into a fight. He couldn't risk discovery. He had to signal the SolarGuard before he was caught. But how to get around the hairy, drunkencriminal now standing over him?

Tom looked up and saw that the man would not be put off. He would haveto fight. He took notice of the powerful arms and shoulders, and decidedhis best bet would be to stay away, but glancing around quickly he sawthere wasn't any room to retreat. The other prisoners were crowdingaround, eager to watch the fight. Suddenly his opponent let out ananimal-like roar and jumped to pin him down on the deck. 

The young cadet timed his move perfectly. As the man's body came down onhim, he threw up both legs and caught him in the pit of his stomach. Tomcould feel his feet sink deep into the man's mid-section as he kickedout hard and sent him sprawling against the bulkhead. With a bellow ofrage, the hairy man picked himself up and charged back at Tom, who wasnow on his feet, braced to meet him. 

[Illustration: _The young cadet timed his move perfectly_]

As the prisoners began to roar, Tom side-stepped and back-pedaledfrantically, trying to get out of the impossible situation. If he won, there would be questions for him to answer. Questions that would bedifficult and might betray his identity. But if he allowed Monkey towin, he might die right there on the deck. The man was blind with rageand would stop at nothing. 

The man rushed in again and, unable to back away, Tom felt the hairyarms close around him in the most powerful grip he had ever felt in hislife. Slowly, evenly, Monkey applied pressure. Tom thought his ribswould crack. His head began to swim. The faces around him that laughedand jeered suddenly began to spin around him dizzily. 

Then, with the desperation of a man facing death, Tom began to pushoutward, his arms under Monkey's chin. The man tried to apply morepressure but the cadet fought him, forcing his head back farther andfarther. The prisoners were silent, watching the deadly battle. Then, gradually, Tom felt the hairy man's grip relaxing. With the last ounceof his strength he burst out of the encircling arms and staggered back. The ape man looked at him stupidly and then down at his arms as if theyhad betrayed him. With a roar, he came rushing in again. Tom sethimself, left foot forward, shoulders hunched, and when Monkey camewithin arm's length, he swung with all the strength he had left in hisbody. His fist landed on the point of Monkey's chin. There was adistinct sound of crushing bone and Monkey sank to the deck, out cold. Gasping for breath, Tom stood over the sprawled man and just looked athim. The crowd around him was staring at the fallen man in disbelief. Through the roaring in his head, Tom could hear their voices, "He brokeout of Monkey's grip!" "He broke the guy's jaw with one punch!"

Tom turned blindly to the corner where he had been sitting and slumpedto the deck. Someone shoved a cup in his hands and he gulped itscontents blindly, hardly tasting the foul rocket juice or feeling itburning his throat. 

The cadet was sure now that he would be caught. Monkey had been apopular member of the crew and some of his friends were certain to eventhe score. But to Tom's surprise, there were no questions and a few ofthe men came over to pat him drunkenly on the back. A couple of themdragged the unconscious man out of the compartment and up to sick bay. The others soon forgot the fight and continued their merrymaking. 

Tom sat alone and silent in the corner, his strength returning slowly. He had faced his first obstacle and had won. But he knew that what layahead of him made the fight insignificant by comparison. He decided hisnext move would be to acquaint himself with the ship and, if possible, get a paralo-ray gun. 

As the men continued their drunken singing and yelling he mumbled anexcuse about soaking his fist in cold water and managed to escape fromthe crowded compartment. 

Outside in the passageway, the cadet began to figure out the plan of theship, first locating the power deck by its roaring purr. He climbed aladder to the next deck, walked slowly down the passageway toward whathe thought to be the control room, and leaned against the hatch. Heheard the soft tinkle of a radar signal and his heart skipped a beat. Hehad stumbled onto the astrogation and radar bridge. Wondering if heshould burst into the room and attempt to overpower the men on duty, orwait for a better chance later, he was suddenly startled by a sharpvoice in back of him. 

"You--spaceman!" Tom turned to stare right into the face of Bull Coxine!

The big man looked at Tom with piercing eyes. 

"What's your name?" demanded Coxine. 

"Uh--uh--they call me the Space Kid!" he finally managed. 

"Space Kid, eh?" mused Coxine. "I don't remember seeing you on theRock. "

"They held me in the tower for a month trying to make me take thepsychograph rehabilitation. I got out when the blasting started. "

"What were you on the Rock for?" asked Coxine. "You're pretty young tobe sent to the Rock. "

Tom thought desperately of a crime he could have committed that wouldsend him to the prison asteroid. Suddenly he got an idea. He looked atCoxine and spoke in as harsh a voice as he could. 

"Listen, " he snarled, "I just broke Monkey's jaw for treating me like akid. I hope you don't crowd me into fighting you by asking so manyquestions. Y'see I won't answer them and then you'll have to freeze me. "Tom paused and tried to gauge Coxine's reaction. But he couldn't see athing in the cold staring eyes. "And, " Tom continued, "if you freeze me, you'll lose a better man than most of the scum in your crew!"

Coxine stepped forward and towered over the curly-haired cadet. When hespoke, his deep voice echoed in the deserted passageway. 

"What was your rating as spaceman before you hit the Rock?" asked thebig man. 

Tom's heart raced. If he could get to the control deck or the radarbridge, he could send his signal easily. But he realized quickly that ineither of these places he would be spotted almost immediately by Wallaceor Simms. He had to stay away from them and wait for a later chance. Tom's mind raced. 

"I was a gunner on a deep spacer, " he drawled confidently. "I can takethe space tan off a crawler's nose at a hundred thousand yards withanything from a two-inch to a six-inch blaster. "

Coxine's eyes sharpened. "Where did you learn to use a six-incher?They're only on heavy cruisers of the Solar Guard!"

Tom could have bitten his tongue off. He had slipped. He thoughtquickly. "I was an enlisted spaceman in the Solar Guard. "

"Why'd you get sent to the Rock?"

"My officer was a smart-alec lieutenant just out of Space Academy. Wegot in a fight--" Tom didn't finish the sentence. 

"And you were kicked out, eh?"

"No, sir, " said Tom. "I hit him so hard--he never woke up again. I hadto blast out of there, but they caught me. "

"All right, " said Coxine. "Report to the gunnery chief. Tell him I saidyou're second-in-command. " The big man turned and walked away from thecadet without another word. 

Tom watched him disappear and smiled. He had faced two impossiblesituations, the fight with Monkey and now this meeting, and he had comeout on top in each. Perhaps he had a chance, after all. 

CHAPTER 13

"Any report from the search squadrons yet, Steve?" asked CommanderWalters. 

"No, sir, " replied Captain Strong. "We're concentrating on the asteroidbelt, but so far we've drawn a blank. "

"Well, keep trying and let me know the minute something turns up, " saidWalters. 

"Yes, sir, " said Strong, saluting his commanding officer as the elderspaceman left the room. He turned back to a large desk in the center ofthe room where Roger Manning was busy noting figures on a large chart, showing the areas already covered and listing the squadrons engaged inthe search. 

As Strong leaned over his shoulder, Roger placed a finger on the chart. "Squadron Ten has just completed a search of all asteroids in theirassigned area, " he said, then added laconically, "Nothing. "

Strong studied the chart a moment. "Well, we'll have to keep it up, " hesaid. "It's the only way we'll find them. A systematic search of thebelt from end one to the other. " He paused and then muttered, "Only onething I'm worried about. "

"What's that, sir?" asked Roger. 

"That when we do find them, it'll be too late to help Tom. "

"You really think he's aboard Coxine's ship, Captain Strong?"

"Couldn't be anywhere else, " answered Strong. "And he'll be trying tosignal us, you can bet on that. Keep me posted on all radar contactsmade by the search squadrons. I want a continuous six-way radar sweep byevery ship. "

"Yes, sir, " said Roger. 

"One more thing, " said Strong, "tell Astro to get the _Polaris_ ready toblast off. And you make sure your radar bridge is in A-one condition. "

"Are we blasting off, sir?" asked Roger. 

"Every ship we can get into space will give us a better chance offinding Coxine and his crew. Now that we've got the search fully underway there's no need to hang around here any longer. "

"Glad to hear it, sir, " replied Roger. "I was getting a little itchy tohunt for those crawlers myself. And Astro can hardly keep still. "

Strong smiled. "Don't worry, we'll find Tom, " he said. "Wherever he is, you can bet he's taking care of himself and doing a good job for theSolar Guard. "

Roger's eyes twinkled. "Oh, I wasn't so worried about Tom as I wasAstro, sir. He'll be pretty mad if there isn't anything left of Coxineto pay him back for slugging him. "

Strong rubbed his head and said grimly, "Astro's not the only one!"

The blond-haired cadet left the room, and Strong wearily turned back tostudy the chart of the search in the asteroid belt. 

Immediately upon arrival at Space Academy, two days before, Strong hadbeen placed in charge of the search by Commander Walters. The attack onthe prison asteroid and the escape of the prisoners had created thebiggest sensation in his life. From one end of the Solar Alliance to theother, the visunews and the stereos were full of the attack and escapedetails, with Strong's name appearing often in the headlines and newsflashes. To search the asteroid belt had been his suggestion, and whilehe could offer no proof, he believed the attacking ship had beencommanded by Wallace and Simms. Speaking only to Commander Walters, Strong had received permission to combine the search for Wallace andSimms, with the new hunt for Coxine. Strong was convinced that Coxinewas behind the activity of Wallace and Simms, from the beginning at theSolar Exposition to the present. 

Strong looked at his watch. It was past midnight. He flipped a switchand paged Lieutenant Moore on the central communicators. In a fewmoments the young officer appeared and saluted smartly. 

"Take over here, Moore, " said Strong. "I'm going to sack in for a littlerest and then take the _Polaris_ out. I'll be in constant contact withyou and will direct search operations from the _Polaris_. You stand byhere and relay all reports. We'll use code 'VISTA' for all contacts. "

"Yes, sir, " said Moore. "Shall I work up charts like that one?" Hepointed to the chart left by Roger. 

"Statistics here at the academy will handle that, " replied Strong. "Justshoot the information down to them as you receive it. And you'd betterget someone else up here to help you. You'll be here a long time. "

Moore saluted and Strong walked wearily from the room. There wasn't anyneed for cleverness now, thought the Solar Guard captain. When we catchCoxine, he'll fight. And when he fights, that will be the end of him!

He went to his quarters and in thirty seconds was asleep. 

 * * * * *

"Radar bridge to control deck!" A voice crackled over the intercomaboard the newly named pirate ship, _Avenger_. "Hullo, control deck!Come in!"

"Yeah?" roared Bull Coxine. "Whaddya want?"

"Picked up a blip on the radar, Captain, " replied the radar officer. "Looks to me like the jet liner from Mars to Venus. "

"Relay the pickup to the control-deck scanner and let me take a look atit, " ordered Coxine. 

In a moment the big pirate was studying the scanner carefully. Wallaceand Simms stood to one side. Coxine turned and looked at them with ahard glint in his eyes. "That's the jet liner, all right!" He rubbed thepalms of his huge hands together and smiled thinly. "It looks like we'rein business!"

Wallace stepped forward. "You mean, you're going to--?"

"I'll tell you what I mean, " snapped Coxine, "when I want you to knowit!"

He turned to the intercom and began to bawl orders into the microphone. 

"All hands! Stand by your stations for attack!"

There was an answering roar of approval from the crew. 

"We're making our first strike, you space crawlers! A jet liner fromMars to Venus. There'll be lots of fancy things aboard her. Things theSolar Guard wouldn't give you on the Rock!"

There was another roar over the loud-speaker. 

"But the first man that takes anything but what I tell him will findhimself on the wrong end of two big fists!"

"We're closing in, Captain, " interrupted the voice from the radarbridge. "The angle of approach is in our favor. I don't think they'veseen us yet!"

"Keep watching her, Joe, " replied Coxine, and turned to his two henchmenon the control deck. "You, Wallace! Take number-one jet boat. Russell, Stephens, Attardi, and Harris. Each man will take a paralo-ray pistoland rifle. Report to your boat when I give the order. "

There was a pause as the men named scurried to their stations. Coxinecontinued, "The following men will come with me in boat number two. Shelly, Martin, and the Space Kid. The rest of you man the forward andaft blasters. But no one fires until Lieutenant Simms gives the order!"

He turned to Simms and stared at the man coldly. "I'll be in contactwith you all the time. You'll fire when I say to fire, and not before. Is that clear?"

Simms nodded. 

"Range-fifty thousand yards to liner, Captain!" reported the radarbridge. "I think she's sighted us!"

"Forward turret!" roared Coxine. "Put a blast across her bow just toshow how friendly we are!"

"Aye, aye, sir, " acknowledged a voice from the gun turret. 

In the turret Tom listened to the orders to attack the helplessspaceship with mounting anxiety. If he could only plant the signal onthe _Avenger_ before going to the liner, he might be able to remainaboard the passenger ship and escape. He was interrupted in his thoughtsby a rough voice in back of him. 

"Hey, Kid! Space Kid!" yelled Gaillard, the commander of the gun turret. "Come on! You heard the orders, didn't you? Get me the range. "

"Right away, " answered Tom. He stepped to the range finder, quicklyfigured the speed of the jet liner, their own speed and the angle ofapproach. Racking them up on the electronic tracker, he turned back toGaillard, "Let her go!"

"Fire!"

There was a thunderous noise and the _Avenger_ rocked gently in recoilfrom the heavy blast. Tom quickly sighted on the range finder and saw aball of light flash brilliantly in front of the passenger ship. Hebreathed a sigh of relief. He had to keep up his avowed reputation ofbeing a crack marksman and at the same time could not damage the unarmedpassenger ship. The shot had been perfect. 

"Good shooting, Kid, " roared Coxine from the control deck. 

"Thanks, skipper, " said Tom, aware that he had not called Coxinecaptain, but knowing that his earner speech to the giant pirate hadearned him a certain amount of respect. 

Coxine quickly made contact with the captain of the liner on theteleceiver and the outraged captain's face sharpened into focus on thescreen aboard the _Avenger_. 

"By the craters of Luna, " exploded the skipper of the passenger ship, "what's the meaning of this? There are women and children aboard thisvessel. "

Coxine smiled thinly. "My name's Bull Coxine, master of the vessel_Avenger_. One funny move out of you and I'll blast your ship intoprotons! Stand by for a boarding party!"

"Captain! Captain!" the radar operator's voice screamed over thecontrol-deck loud-speaker, "they're trying to send out a signal to theSolar Guard!"

"They are, huh?" roared Coxine. "Forward turret, check in!"

"Turret, aye!" reported Tom. He had been left alone while Gaillardissued small arms to the boarding parties. 

"Listen, Kid!" roared Coxine. "You said you're a good shot. Right now isthe time to prove it. Blast away her audio antenna!"

Tom gulped. At a range of fifty thousand yards, the antenna, a thickpiece of steel cable, might as well have been a needle to hit. 

"Right, skipper, " he finally replied. "I'll show you some of thefanciest shooting you'll ever see in your life!"

He turned back to the range finder, his mind racing like a calculatingmachine. He figured the angles of the two ships, considering that thejet liner was a dead ship in space and the _Avenger_ still under way, but slowing down at a specific rate of deceleration. He rechecked hisfigure a third and fourth time, correcting his calculations each timewith the forward movement of the _Avenger_. If he misjudged a fractionof a degree, he might kill or injure hundreds of people aboard thepassenger vessel. 

"Well?" roared Coxine. "Are you going to fire or not?"

"Coming right up, skipper!" shouted Tom. "Watch this!"

Steeling himself, lest he should hit the ill-fated ship, he fired. For abrief moment he felt sick and then heard the roar of the pirate captainfrom the control deck. 

"By the rings of Saturn, " roared Coxine, "that was the best shot I'veever seen! Well done, Kid! All right, boarding crews! Man your boats andstand by to blast off!"

While Coxine vocally lashed the members of the murderous crew intoaction, Tom tried to figure out some way to get to the radar deckunseen. Being assigned to the jet boat with Coxine, instead of Wallace, had been a lucky break and Tom wished for a little more of the same. Lining up with his boarding crew, he received his paralo-ray pistol andrifle from Gaillard, deftly stealing a second pistol while the gunneryofficer's back was turned. 

After hurriedly hiding the stolen gun, he slipped stealthily topside tothe radar bridge. Reaching the hatch, he was about to open it, when heheard footsteps. He turned and saw a man walking toward him. It wasSimms!

"Where in the blasted universe is the jet-boat deck?" snarled Tom. Hedropped his rifle on the deck and bent over to pick it up, hiding hisface. 

"You're on the wrong deck, " said Simms. "Two decks below. Get moving!"

The pirate lieutenant hardly gave the cadet a glance as he brushed pastand entered the radar bridge. Tom caught a fleeting glimpse of theinterior. His heart jumped. The bridge was exactly like the one on the_Polaris_! Though annoyed that his chance had slipped past, Tom wasthankful to learn that the communications equipment was thoroughlyfamiliar. 

"Space Kid! Report to the jet-boat deck on the double!" Coxine's voicerumbled through the empty passageway. Tom dashed down the nearest ladderand hurried to the jet-boat deck where the pirate captain waitedimpatiently. 

"I was checking the range and setting up to blast the liner in case theytry anything funny, " explained Tom. "I don't trust anyone on that rangefinder but me!"

Coxine chuckled. "Good work, Kid. I like a man that thinks ahead. MaybeI made the wrong man gunnery chief. " He climbed into the jet boat. "Allright, take the controls, Kid. Shelly and Martin, get in the stern. " Themen climbed in and Tom slid under the controls and waited for the orderto blast off. 

Wallace and his crew were on the opposite side of the ship, so Tom hadno fear of being recognized until they were all on the passenger ship. At his side, Coxine spoke to Wallace in the other jet boat over theaudioceiver. 

"We'll split up. I'll handle the control deck and you go aft to thesupply lockers. Dump everything out in space and we can pick it uplater. Search the passengers, but no rough stuff. The first man thatputs his hands on anyone will never know what hit him!"

Tom listened to the pirate captain's orders and was forced to give theman credit for his tight control over his murderous crew. Howeverrebellious he might be against the Solar Guard, and whatever it was thatmade the man become the system's most notorious criminal, his ordersspoke for themselves. 

"All right, Kid, " roared Coxine, "blast off!"

Tom pressed the control pedal at his foot and the small ship shot outinto the black void of space. Ahead of them, thousands of yards away, hecould see the gleaming passenger ship. 

In a few moments the two jet boats were braking their jets and driftingto a stop inside the catapult deck of the luxurious liner. 

Almost before Tom had stopped the small craft, Coxine was out of theboat waving his paralo-ray pistols at a cluster of frightened merchantspacemen. 

"Back inside!" he snarled. "Kid! Shelly! Cover me! We're going to thecontrol deck. Martin, you stay here with the jet boat. "

Coxine marched straight through the ship, head up, eyes straight ahead, while behind him, Tom and Shelly swept the luxurious lounges with theirray rifles, ready to fire on any who dared resist. They marched past thefrightened passengers, climbed a flight of carpeted stairs to the nextdeck, and entered the control room. 

The liner's captain, a tall, thin man with graying hair, stood waitingbeside the control panel, his eyes flashing angrily. A half-dozen juniorofficers stood stiffly in back of him. 

Coxine stepped up to the elderly officer and laughed good-naturedly. "Noone will be hurt, skipper. I just want a few things for my men"--hepaused and glanced at the ship's vault--"and whatever you have inthere!"

"I'll live to see the day when you're caught and sent to the prisonasteroid for this, " snorted the captain. 

"Don't make me laugh, skipper, " said Coxine lightly. "The Solar Guardwill have to build a new one for me. Don't think there's much left ofthe old one!"

"Then it was you! You're responsible for the attack on the asteroid!"

Coxine just smiled and turned to Tom and Shelly. "Watch these crawlersclosely, now. I'm going to open the vault. "

Tom stared at the ship's officers, hoping to catch the eye of one ofthem, but they were all watching Coxine. 

The pirate captain pulled a thin rod about two feet long, with a switchon one end, from his jacket. He walked to the solid titanium door of thevault and inserted the rod into a small hole, pressing the switch at theend of the rod carefully several times. He stepped back and inserted itin another hole in the face of the door and repeated the procedure. Putting the key back in his jacket he grabbed the handle of the massivedoor. It swung open at his touch. The captain of the liner and officersgasped in amazement. 

Working quickly, Coxine crammed the thick bundles of credit notes andpassenger's valuables into a bag. At last he straightened up, and facingthe unbelieving officer again, he tossed them a mocking salute. Henodded to Tom and Shelly and walked out of the control room withoutanother word. 

Shelly and Tom quickly followed the giant spaceman back to the jet-boatdeck, where Wallace was just returning from his own operations. Wallacemade a circle out of his fingers to Coxine and the giant pirate nodded. 

"Let's get out of here!" he ordered. 

"Aren't you afraid they'll try to stop you, skipper?" asked Tom. 

Coxine laughed. "Just let them try. I never met a man yet that had thenerve to pull the trigger of a paralo-ray gun while my back was turned. "

Tom gulped and wondered if he would have the nerve to fire on thespaceman. He thought about it a moment and decided that he would takeany chance that came along, if he could outwit the criminal. When thetime came, he would risk his life to stop Coxine!

CHAPTER 14

"All right, line up, you space crawlers!" bawled Coxine. "When I callyour name step up to get your share of the haul!"

The pirate captain was seated at the head of a long mess table, an openledger in front of him. There were stacks of crisp new credit notes athis elbow. He took out his paralo-ray pistols and placed them withineasy reach. On either side of him, Wallace and Simms sat, staring at themoney with greedy eyes. 

Coxine looked at the first name on the ledger. 

"Joe Brooks!" he called. "One thousand credits for spotting the liner!"

Brooks grinned and amid cheers walked to the table. Coxine handed him asmall stack of notes carelessly and turned back to the ledger. 

"Gil Attardi!" he roared. "One thousand credits for working on theboarding crew. "

Attardi, a sly, scar-faced man, stepped forward to accept his share. Hecarried a long, thin knife with an edge so deadly keen that he could andoften did shave with it. 

Coxine continued his roll call. "Sam Bates! Five hundred credits. Straight share. "

Bates stepped forward and glared at Coxine. 

"How come I only get five hundred and the others get a thousand?" hesnarled. "It ain't my fault I'm stuck on the power deck while you graball the glory jobs!"

The laughing, excited crowd of men grew silent as the rebelliousspaceman faced Coxine. 

"You get five hundred credits, " snarled Coxine. "Take it or leave it!"

"I want the same as Brooks and Attardi, " demanded Bates. 

Quicker than the eye could follow, Coxine rose and smashed the man inthe face with a giant fist. Bates dropped to the deck like a stone. Coxine glared at the rest of the crew. 

"The next crawler that thinks he's not getting his fair share, " hesnarled, "will get a trip in space for his share!" He glanced down atthe unconscious man and jerked his thumb toward the hatch. "Get him outof here!"

Two men dragged the unconscious man away and threw a bucket of coldwater on him. He woke up, snatched at his share of the credits, anddisappeared from the room. 

The pirate captain continued reading the list of names, arbitrarily, handing out various amounts of the stolen money as he saw fit. 

Standing in the rear of the messroom, hidden by the other members of thecrew, Tom realized that to step in plain sight of Wallace and Simms forhis share would mean instant betrayal. He had to make his move now, andwith most of the crew mustered together in the messroom, it was his onechance for success. 

Gripping the stolen paralo-ray gun in his jacket pocket, he slipped outof the messroom unnoticed and headed for the radar bridge. 

As he raced up the companionway he could hear the laughter of the menbelow decks as one by one they received their shares. His name would becalled soon. Heart pounding, he stopped outside the radar hatch, pulledthe paralo-ray gun from his jacket, and taking a deep breath opened thehatch. 

Joe Brooks was seated in front of the scanner counting his sharegreedily and glancing occasionally at the finger of light that sweptacross the green globe. When Tom opened the hatch, he looked up andsmiled. 

"Hiya, Kid, " he said. "Coxine's all right. I got a thousand just forpicking up that ship on the radar. How much did you collect?"

"This, " said Tom. He shoved the paralo-ray gun into Brooks' stomach. Theman gulped and finally found his voice. 

"Say, what is this? A gag? Where did you get that paralo-ray?" Thensuddenly he shoved the bundle of notes in his pocket. "Oh, no, youdon't! You're not going to steal my share!"

"I don't want your money!" said Tom coldly. "Get into that locker andkeep your mouth shut, or I'll blast you!"

"Locker? Say, what's the matter with you? You gone space happy?"

"Get in there, " growled Tom. At the look on the cadet's face, Brooksrose quickly and stepped into the locker. Tom slammed the door andlocked it. Then, locking the passageway hatch, he turned to the radarscanner. Working quickly with deft hands, he opened the casing aroundthe delicate instrument and began disconnecting the major terminals. Studying the complicated tangle of connections, he wished that he had asmuch knowledge of radar as Roger. 

He finally found the wires he wanted and separated them from the otherconnections. He began replacing them, altering the terminals. Afterchecking his work, to make sure it would not short-circuit, he grabbedthe intercom and began taking it apart. Sweat beaded his forehead. Timewas short. Soon Coxine would miss him and come looking for him. He hadto complete his job before that happened. 

After moments that seemed like hours he was ready. Using one of theintercom relays he began tapping out a message in Morse code on anexposed wire from the scanner. He looked at the radar scanner andwatched it flash white static lines each time he touched the wires. Carefully he tapped out a message. 

" . .. Emergency . .. Attention . .. Corbett . .. Space Cadet . .. Aboard . .. Coxine . .. Pirate . .. Ship . .. Space quadrant . .. B . .. Section . .. Twenty . .. Three . .. "

Over and over he repeated the desperate message, hoping against hopethat someone would be scanning space and the interference would show upon their radar. 

" . .. Emergency . .. Attention . .. Corbett . .. Space Cadet--"

 * * * * *

"Captain Strong!" Roger's voice came shrieking over the ship's intercom. "Captain! Quick! I'm picking up a message from Tom!"

"What?" cried the Solar Guard officer. "Nail it! I'm coming up!"

Scrambling up the ladder to the radar bridge from the control deck, Captain Strong rushed over to the scanner and watched eagerly asblinking flashes washed out the background of the screen. 

Slowly, at times unevenly, the message flashed and the two spacemen readit with gladdening hearts. Strong made a careful note of the positionwhile Roger continued to read the flashes. Turning to the astrogationpanel, the Solar Guard captain quickly plotted a course that would bringthem to Tom's position. 

Endlessly, during the past few days, Strong, Roger, and Astro had sweptspace in a wide arc around the asteroid belt, hoping to pick up justsuch a signal. Now, with the position of the _Avenger_ in his hands, Strong grabbed for the intercom. 

"Attention, power deck!" yelled Strong. "We've just picked up a messagefrom Tom. He's given us his position, so stand by for a course change. "

"Yeee-eooow!" roared Astro. "I knew he'd do it. "

"He's not in the clear yet. We've only got his position. We don't knowhow we're going to get him away from Coxine yet. "

"Ready to change course, sir, " said Astro. 

"Three degrees on the down-plane of the ecliptic, and fifty-four degreesto starboard. Full space speed, Astro! Pile it on!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" replied Astro. "I'll make this wagon's tail so hotit'll blast at double speed!"

"You'd better, you Venusian ape!" cried Roger. "It's the least you cando for Tom!"

"Stow it, Manning, " growled Astro good-naturedly, "or I'll stick some ofyour hot air in the jets for extra power!"

"Cut the chatter, both of you!" snapped Strong. "Astro, execute coursechange!"

Astro's reply was a blast on the steering rockets. On the control deck, Strong watched the needle of the astral compass swing around and stopdead on the course he had ordered. 

"All set, Astro!" shouted Strong. "Right on course. Now pile on theneutrons!"

"Aye, aye, sir. "

On the power deck, the big cadet turned to his control panel, took adeep breath, and opened the reactant feeders wide. The ship leapedthrough the airless void under the sudden burst of power and Astrowatched the acceleration indicator climb to the danger line. He gulpedas the needle passed the danger point and was about to cut down speedwhen the needle stopped. Astro breathed easily and settled backsatisfied. If it was up to him, they would reach Tom in record time. 

Up on the radar deck, Roger continued to read the flashing signals onthe radar scanner. Over and over, he read the same message. 

"I guess that's all he can say, sir, " said Roger, turning to Strong. 

"Yes, I guess so, Roger, " agreed Strong. "He's probably sending it outblind, on an open circuit, hoping that anyone near enough would pick itup. Wonder how he did it?"

Roger thought a moment. "I'm not sure, sir, but I think he's crossed theimpulse on the scanner from positive to negative. "

"How do you mean?" asked Strong. The young captain was well acquaintedwith the principle of radar but, admittedly, could not match Roger'snatural ability. 

"By making the impulse negative, sir, " said Roger, "he could createinterference on the scanner. Instead of bouncing against something andreturning an image to a scanner, the impulse hits itself and createsstatic which shows up in the form of those white flashes. "

"Well, in any case, " said Strong with a sober nod toward the scanner, "he's done something the whole Solar Guard couldn't do. He's quite aboy!"

Roger smiled. "I'll say he is, skipper!"

Strong turned away and climbed down to the control deck. He sat in frontof the great control panel and watched the countless dials and needles. But his mind wasn't on the delicate handling of the great ship. He wasthinking about Tom, alone aboard a ship with a crew of desperatecriminals. 

Tom had taken his life in his hands to send out the message, that muchStrong was sure of! And the young skipper noted with pride that therewas no appeal for help in the desperate call. 

He shook his head wearily and flipped the teleceiver switch to report toCommander Walters. 

 * * * * *

"Emergency . .. Attention. .. . " Tom continued to tap out the messageslowly and carefully. Behind him, he could hear Brooks hammering againstthe locker door. Tom felt like opening the door and freezing the piratewith his paralo-ray gun to keep him quiet, but he didn't dare to stopsending. 

Finally Tom decided it was time to go. "If anyone's going to pick up themessage, " he thought, "they've picked it up by now. I may still havetime to get away in a jet boat. "

He tied the wires together, causing a continuous interference to be sentout, and secured the radar casing. "If I'm lucky enough to get away in ajet boat, " thought Tom, "at least they won't be able to pick me up onthat!"

Without a glance at the locker where Brooks continued to pound and yell, Tom turned to the hatch leading to the passageway. He gripped theparalo-ray gun and opened the hatch. Peering into the passageway andfinding it deserted, he slipped out and closed the hatch behind him. From below, he could hear the roar of the crew as the last of themreceived his share of the stolen credits. 

Tom raced down the companionway toward the jet-boat deck. He made thefirst deck safely and was about to climb down to the next when he wasspotted by Attardi, the scar-faced spaceman, who stood at the bottom ofthe ladder. 

"Hey, Kid!" Attardi shouted. "The skipper's been looking for ya. You gotthe biggest cut. Three thousand credits for that fancy shooting youdid!"

Tom noticed the gleam of the knife at the man's side. The young cadetcould imagine the criminal sinking the knife in his back withouthesitation, if he suspected anything. 

"Well, " demanded Attardi, "are you going to collect or not? The skippersent me to look for you. "

Tom smiled, and while still smiling, whipped the paralo-ray gun intosight and fired. His aim was true. Attardi froze, every nerve in hisbody paralyzed. He could still breathe and his heart continued to beat, but otherwise, he was a living statue, unable to even blink his eyes. 

Tom jumped past the spaceman and dashed for the jet-boat deck. He had tohurry now. Attardi would be discovered any moment and be neutralized. When neutralized, the victim returned to normal, with only violentmuscle soreness remaining. 

Tom reached the jet-boat deck, opened the hatch, and raced for thenearest small craft. Suddenly from behind he could hear the buzz of aparalo-ray on neutralizing charge. Attardi had been discovered. 

Tom jumped into the nearest jet boat, closed the hatch, and pressed thebutton releasing the sliding side of the ship's hull. Slowly, the greatwall of metal slid back exposing the cold black velvet of deep space. Assoon as the opening was wide enough, Tom pressed the acceleration leverand the small ship shot out, its jets roaring. 

Tom quickly glanced around to locate his position by the stars and sawthat he was close to the asteroid belt. He opened up to fullacceleration, and since there was nothing else to do but wait for timeto pass and hope for escape, he began to examine the contents of thesmall ship. He opened the emergency food locker and was relieved to seeit fully stocked with synthetics and water. Every second carried himfarther away from the _Avenger_, and when he looked back, Tom saw noevidence of pursuit. The cadet smiled. They would depend on the radar tofind him, instead of sending out the other jet boats. Tom almost laughedout loud. With the radar jammed, he was safe. He would make it. Onceinside the asteroids, they would never find him. 

Glancing around the few indicators on the control board of the smallvessel, Tom's smile changed to a grimace of sudden terror. The jet boathad not been refueled after their raid on the jet liner. There was lessthan three days' oxygen remaining in the tanks. In three days the jetboat would become an airless shell. A vacuum no different than the coldsilent void of space!

CHAPTER 15

"What's our position, Roger?" Captain Strong called into the intercom. 

"Space quadrant B, section twenty-three, sir, " replied Roger from theradar bridge. "But I can't see a thing on the radar. That static flashTom sent out is scrambling everything. "

"But you're sure this is our position?"

"Yes, sir. I checked it three times. "

"All right, then, " said Strong grimly. "There's only one thing to do. We're too near the asteroid belt to use the _Polaris_ without radar, sowe'll search in jet boats. Astro! We're parking right here! Give me fullbraking rockets and secure the power deck. Then prepare the jet boatsfor flight. "

"Aye, aye, sir, " came the reply from the Venusian. 

The ship bucked under the tremendous power of the braking rockets andcame to a dead stop in space. Strong dashed up the ladder to the radarbridge where Roger was still hunched before the radar scanner. 

"Any chance of switching the scanner to another frequency and offsettingthe effects of the static, Roger?" asked the Solar Guard captain. 

Roger shook his head. "I don't think so, sir. The interference wouldhave to be eliminated at its source. "

"Well, " sighed Strong, "to go looking for Tom without the help of radarwould be like looking for an air bubble in the ammonia clouds ofJupiter. And we don't even know if he's still aboard the _Avenger_ ornot!"

"You know, sir, " said Roger speculatively, "I've been thinking. I mightbe able to get a fix on this interference. "

"A fix? How?"

"By blanking out the radar range, so that it would only work at onepoint of the compass at one time, then testing each heading separatelyuntil the flash appears. When it does, we'd at least know in whichdirection to blast off and trail Coxine. 

"If you can do that, Roger, " exclaimed Strong, "it would take us rightinto Coxine's lap! Do you think you can work it?"

"I can try, sir. "

"All right, then, " decided Strong. "Astro and I will take the jet boatsand go looking around. Meantime, you stay aboard and try to pin pointthe heading on that flash. "

"Very well, sir, " replied Roger, and turned to the radar to begin thecomplicated task of rewiring the instrument. 

Strong went directly to the jet-boat deck where Astro was busilypreparing the jet boats for flight. He looked up when Strong entered thehatch. 

"All ready, sir, " he said. 

"Very well, " said Strong. "I'll take number one, you take number two. We're in section twenty-three of quadrant B. You take section twenty-twoand I'll take twenty-four. "

"Yes, sir, " replied Astro. "Do you think there's any chance of findingTom?"

"I don't even know if he's out here, Astro. But we can't be sure heisn't. So we'll search and hope for the best. "

"Very well, sir. "

"Keep your jet-boat audioceiver open all the time and maintain contactwith me. "

"Why not contact Roger here on the _Polaris_, sir?" asked Astro. 

"He's busy trying to find out where the flashing static on the radar iscoming from, " explained Strong. "We'll make wide circles, startingoutside and working in. Blast in a continuous circle inward, like aspiral. If there's anything around here, we'll find it that way. "

"Yes, sir, " said Astro. "I sure hope Tom is O. K. "

"Best answer I can give you. Astro, is to blast off and find out. "

The two spacemen climbed into the small craft, and while Strong openedthe outer lock, exposing them to the emptiness of space, Astro startedthe jets in his boat. With a wave of his hand to Strong, he roared awayfrom the sleek rocket cruiser. Strong followed right on his tail. Theycircled the _Polaris_ twice, establishing their positions, and thenroared away from each other to begin their search. 

Astro turned his midget space vessel toward the asteroid belt, ahead andbelow him. Choosing a large asteroid that he estimated to be on theouter edge of section twenty-two, he roared full power toward it. Thetiny space bodies that made up the dangerous path around the sun, between Mars and Jupiter, loomed ahead ominously. Moving toward themunder full rocket thrust, the Venusian cadet remembered fleetinglystories of survivors of space wrecks, reaching the airless littleplanetoids, only to die when help failed to arrive. He shuddered at thethought of Tom, a helpless castaway on one of the asteroids, waiting tobe saved. Astro clenched his teeth and concentrated on the search, determined to investigate every stone large enough to support anEarthman. 

Miles away, no longer visible to Astro and out of sight of the giantrocket cruiser, Captain Strong felt the same helplessness as heapproached the asteroid belt from a different angle. He realized anynumber of things could have happened on the pirate-ship. Tom could havebeen captured, or if not yet discovered, unable to escape from the ship. Strong's throat choked up with fierce pride over the gallant effort Tomhad made to warn the Solar Guard of the _Avenger's_ position. 

As he neared the outer edges of the belt, he concentrated on guiding hissmall ship in and around the drifting asteroids, his eyes constantlysweeping the area around him for some sign of a drifting space-suitedfigure. What Strong really hoped for was the sight of a jet boat, sincein a jet boat, Tom would have a better chance of survival. 

The young captain reached the outer edge of his search perimeter, turnedthe small ship into a long-sweeping curve, and flipped on theaudioceiver. 

"Attention! Attention! Jet boat one to jet boat two! Come in, Astro!"

Across the wide abyss of space that separated the two men, Astro heardhis skipper's voice crackle in his headphones. 

"Astro here, sir, " he replied. 

"I'm beginning my sweep, Astro. Any luck?"

"Not a thing, sir. "

"All right. Let's go, and keep a sharp eye out. "

"Aye, aye, sir, " replied Astro. He could not keep the worry out of hisvoice, and Strong, many miles away, nodded in silent agreement withAstro's feelings. 

 * * * * *

The _Avenger_ had long since disappeared and Tom was left alone in spacein the tiny jet boat. To conserve his oxygen supply, the curly-hairedcadet had set the controls of his boat on a steady orbit around one ofthe larger asteroids and lay down quietly on the deck. One of the firstlessons he had learned at Space Academy was, during an emergency inspace when oxygen was low, to lie down and breath as slowly as possible. And, if possible, to go to sleep. Sleep, under such conditions, servedtwo purposes. While relaxed in sleep, the body used less oxygen andshould help fail to arrive, the victim would slip into a suffocatingunconsciousness, not knowing if and when death took the place of life. 

Tom lay on the deck of the small vessel and stared at the distant starsthrough the clear crystal roof of his jet boat. He breathed as lightlyas he could, taking short, slight breaths, holding them as long as hecould and then exhaling only when his lungs felt as if they would burst. He could see Regulus overhead, and Sirius, the two great stars shiningbrilliantly in the absolute blackness of space. He raised himself slowlyon one elbow and looked at the oxygen indicator. He saw that the needlehad dropped past the empty mark. He knew it wouldn't be long now. And heknew what he had to do. He took a last long look at the two giant stars, and then closed his eyes. 

Tom no longer tried to control his breathing, but took deep satisfyinglungfuls of oxygen and in a few moments slipped into a sound sleep. 

The jet boat roared on, carrying its sleeping occupant in an endlessspiral around the nameless asteroid. 

Not too many miles away, alone on the radar bridge of the giant rocketcruiser, Roger Manning, sweat popping out on his forehead, was tryingthe radar scanner on the three-hundred-and-tenth point on the compass. He connected the wires, glanced at the scanner, and shook his headdisgustedly. The scanner screen was still dark. Having adjusted thedelicate mechanism to eliminate the white flashes of static, he couldn'tfind them again. He sat back in his chair for a moment, mopping his browand watching the white hairline in its continuous swing around the faceof the scope. As the line swept to the top of the screen, he saw theblip outline of a jet boat and recognized it as one belonging to the_Polaris_. Then, slowly, the line swept down and Roger suddenly saw theblip outline of a second craft. With the experienced eye of a radarveteran, Roger was able not only to distinguish the jet boats from theasteroids, but from each other. He gripped the edge of the instrumentand shouted at the top of his voice. The second boat was a differentmodel!

He reached for the audioceiver and switched it on. 

"Attention! Attention! Captain Strong! Astro! Come in! This is Manningaboard the _Polaris_! Come in!"

Strong and Astro replied almost together. 

"Strong here!"

"Astro here!"

"I've spotted a jet boat!" Roger shouted. "You think it might be--"

"Where?" bawled Astro before Roger could finish. "Where is it, yourockethead?"

"As close as I can figure it, he's circling an asteroid, a big one, atthe intersection of sections twenty-one and twenty-two!"

"Twenty-one and twenty-two! Got it!" yelled Astro. 

"I'll meet you there, Astro!" said Strong. 

Astro and Strong turned their small ships in the direction of theintersecting space sections. Astro was the first to spot the asteroid, but for a moment he couldn't see the jet boat on the opposite side ofthe small celestial body. Meanwhile, Strong, coming from the otherdirection, saw the boat and relayed the position to Astro. In a fewmoments the two space craft had regulated their speeds to that of Tom'sship and were hastily donning space suits. A quick look inside had shownthem Tom's sleeping body. As Astro started to open the crystal hatch ofhis ship to cross over to the other, Strong yelled over the audioceiver. 

"Astro, wait!"

Astro looked across at the captain's ship questioningly. 

"Tom isn't in a space suit. If we open the hatch it would kill him. We've got to tow him back to the _Polaris_ and get his boat inside theair lock before we can open the hatch!"

Without a word, Astro nodded, ducked inside his ship, and climbed outagain with a length of rope. Working quickly, he tied one end securelyto the bow of Tom's jet boat and made the other end fast to the stern ofhis. Then returning to his cockpit, he sent the jet boat hurtling backtoward the _Polaris_. 

But he was still faced with the problem of getting Tom's jet boat insidethe air lock. It was still under acceleration and there was no way toget inside to stop its jet motors. Astro called to Strong and explainedthe situation to him. 

"Looks like the only thing we can do, sir, is keep going until it runsout of fuel. "

"That might take too long, Astro, " replied Strong. "No telling how muchoxygen Tom has left. "

"There's nothing else we can do, sir, " replied Astro. "We can't brakeher to land inside the _Polaris_ and we can't open the hatch to turn offthe motor. We'll have to take a chance on Tom lasting until it runs outof fuel!"

Inside the roaring craft, Tom suddenly opened his eyes. He began tocough. There was a roaring in his ears. The stars overhead swam dizzily. And then, as though through a billowing mist, he saw the jet boat aheadof him and the rope tied to his ship. He realized he had been rescued. He tried to signal them. He had to let them know he needed oxygen. Hetried to reach the communicator near the control panel but could notlift his arm. He fell back to the deck gasping for air; his lungsscreaming for oxygen. Something, thought Tom through the haze thatfogged his brain, something to signal them. Then, with the last of hisstrength, he raised up on one elbow and reached for the accelerationlever. His fingers trembled a few inches away from their goal. His facebegan to turn violent red. He strained a little more. The lever was aninch away. Finally, with the very last ounce of his strength, he touchedthe lever and pulled it back by the weight of his falling body. 

Even before the black cloud swept over him, Tom could hear the jetsbecome silent. He had signaled them. He had stopped the jet boat. Theywould know, now, how to save him. 

CHAPTER 16

". .. And you never picked up that static flash again, eh?" mused Strong, looking at Roger. "Well, the only reason I can think of is that someoneaboard the _Avenger_ must have discovered what was happening. "

"That's the way I figure it, sir, " replied Roger. 

The Solar Guard captain studied the scanner that was now working inperfect order. "It's a tough break that we couldn't get that fix onCoxine's position. I was counting on it. But at least we found Tom. That's plenty to be thankful for. "

"How is he, sir?" asked Roger. 

"He'll be all right, " replied the Solar Guard captain, his face showingthe strain of the past weeks. "We gave him pure oxygen and he came tolong enough to tell us what happened aboard the _Avenger_. Get meteleceiver contact with Space Academy as soon as possible. I've got tosend a report to Commander Walters. "

"Right, sir. "

"You've done a good job, Manning. Your work here on the radar bridge didas much toward saving Tom's life as anything. "

"Thank you, sir. After what Tom did on the _Avenger_, though, I don'tfeel like I've done very much. It took real courage to go aboard thatship with Coxine. "

Strong smiled wearily. "Well, the boy is safe now and we have a goodidea what part of the belt Coxine is operating in. With a little luckand a thorough fleet patrol, we might be able to get him before he cando any more harm. "

Strong went below to the cadet's quarters where Astro was sittingquietly, watching Tom. The cadet was sound asleep. When Strong entered, Astro held a finger to his lips and met the captain at the door. 

"How is he?" whispered Strong. 

"He's been sleeping since he spoke to you, sir, " said Astro. "He'spretty weak, but I don't think there's anything seriously wrong withhim. After a good rest, he'll be as good as new. "

"Thank the universe for that, " breathed Strong. He glanced at thesleeping cadet and then turned back to Astro. "Better take your station. He'll be all right now. I want to get back to the Academy as soon as Ican. "

"Yes, sir. "

"Attention, Captain Strong, " Roger's voice crackled over the intercomloud-speaker. "I've made contact with Commander Walters at SpaceAcademy, sir. He's standing by for your report. "

Strong returned to the control deck where he saw the sharp image of theSpace Academy commander waiting on the teleceiver screen. 

He told the grim-faced senior officer of discovering the static Morsecode flashes sent out by Tom from the Avenger and the race to save Tom'slife. When he finished, the commander's face seemed to relax. 

"When Corbett wakes up, give him my personal congratulations, Steve. That goes for Astro, Roger, and yourself, as well. "

"Thank you, sir, " said Strong. "Since Coxine seems to be operatingexclusively out of the asteroid belt, I think it would be a good idea toconcentrate the entire fleet of patrol ships in that area. "

"Good idea! I'll set it up. But get back here as soon as possible, Steve. Coxine and that crew on the _Avenger_ aren't sitting still. "

"What do you mean, sir?"

"In the last three days we've had reports from seven ships. Jet liners, passenger freighters, and supply ships. All were attacked by the_Avenger_ and stripped of everything those criminals could load on theirmurderous backs. Blasters, paralo-ray guns, whole and syntheticfoodstuffs, clothes, money, jewels, equipment. Everything under thestars that they could use. Any ship that even comes close to theasteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, unless escorted, is a dead spacebird. And if we did provide an escort, we wouldn't have enough shipsleft to carry on the search. "

Strong listened to the news with rising anger. 

"I'll blast back to the Academy as soon as I can, sir, " said Strong. 

"Fine!" said the commander. "End transmission!"

"End transmission!"

Strong turned off the teleceiver and called Roger onto the radar bridge. 

"Have you got a course back to the Academy, Roger?"

"Yes, sir. "

"All right, give it to Astro and let's get moving. Every minute wastednow is the difference between a ship looted and the future safety of thespace lanes. I have a feeling that Coxine is not just playing for thehauls he makes on those helpless jet liners. "

"I don't get you, sir. "

"Look at it this way, Roger, " replied Strong with a grim smile. "A mansmart enough to do what he did while he was confined to a prisonasteroid might have bigger ideas now that he's free. Ideas about himselfand the whole Solar Alliance!"

During the weeks following, the activity of Bull Coxine and his piratecrew justified Captain Strong's fears. Repeatedly, ships were attackedon the fringe of the asteroid belt and stripped of armor, food supplies, and valuables. With the secret of the light-key, the vaults of the shipswere opened as easily as though there had been no lock at all. Thetotals had reached staggering amounts and the daring of the _Avenger_was more pronounced, as Coxine struck repeatedly, farther and fartheraway from the protection of the asteroid belt. It seemed as though hewere taunting the Solar Guard with his exploits. 

All defense measures seemed to be futile. When the space freighters andjet liners were armed and tried to resist attack, Coxine blasted theminto helpless space junk at a frightful cost of life. When the shipswere escorted by powerful rocket cruisers, the pirate refused to attack, but the search squadrons were correspondingly depleted. The combinationsof the energy locks were changed every day, but with the adjustablelight-key, Coxine met every change easily. The entire Solar Alliance wasin an uproar, and the citizens of the planets were clamoring for action. 

[Illustration: _All Solar Guard defense measures seemed to be futile_]

Finally, the commanding officers of the Solar Guard noticed a change inCoxine's operations. Instead of merely attacking spaceships andhijacking their cargoes, he now took over the vessel completely, sendingthe passengers and crews drifting helplessly in space in jet boats. Three large, fast space freighters of the same class as the _Avenger_were now in the pirates' hands. 

Then, one morning, in his headquarters at Space Academy, Captain Strongreceived an electrifying report. Coxine had attacked a freighterescorted by a Solar Guard rocket scout. Outgunned, the scout had beendestroyed, but it had inflicted damage on the _Avenger_. The last reportfrom a dying communications officer on the scout was that the pirateship was drifting helplessly in space!

Strong, his face showing hope for the first time in weeks, burned theteleceivers, flashing orders to the various elements of the search fleetto converge on the disabled _Avenger_. 

"Attention! All ships in quadrants C through M and Q through B-l!Proceed full thrust to quadrant A-2, section fifty-nine. On approachingtarget you will signal standard surrender message, and if not obeyed, you will open fire!"

Behind him, the three cadets of the _Polaris_ unit listened to thedecisive words of their commander and then let out an earsplitting yell. 

"No time for celebrating, " barked Strong. "We haven't caught him yet. He's the slickest thing to hit this system since the reptiles climbedout of the Venusian mud! It's going to be a case of our getting himbefore he can disappear into the asteroid belt, so let's hit the high, wide, and deep!"

Five minutes later, Strong and the boys were aboard their ship. 

"Ready to blast off, sir, " reported Tom. The curly-haired cadet's facewas still pale and drawn, showing the effects of his ordeal in space. 

"Get me direct teleceiver contact with Captain Randolph on the rocketcruiser _Sirius_, " ordered Strong. 

"Yes, sir, " replied Tom. He turned to flip on the teleceiver, and amoment later the captain's face appeared on the screen. 

"Randolph here. What's up, Steve?"

"I've got Squadron Nineteen of the Martian reserve fleet heading for thelast reported position of the _Avenger_ now, Randy. I'll take the pointposition of your squadron and direct operations. I'll relay course toyou as soon as we're in space. "

"O. K. , Steve, " replied Randolph. "I'm ready to raise ship. "

"I'll go up first. Form up around me at about five thousand miles. Endtransmission!"

"End transmission!"

"All right, Tom, " ordered Strong, "let's get out of here!"

The young cadet strapped himself into his acceleration chair, thenpicked up the control panel intercom and began calling out orderscrisply. 

"Stand by to raise ship! All stations check in!"

"Power deck standing by!" replied Astro from below. 

"Radar bridge standing by!" acknowledged Roger over the intercom. 

"Energize the cooling pumps!"

The whine of the mighty pumps began to fill the ship almost as quicklyas Astro acknowledged the order. 

"Feed reactant!" snapped Strong, strapping himself in beside Tom. 

A low-muted hiss joined the sound of the whining pumps as Tom opened thevalves. "Reactant feeding at D-9 rate, sir, " he reported. 

"Roger, " called Strong into the intercom, "do we have a cleartrajectory?"

"Clear as space, skipper!" was Roger's breezy answer. 

"All right, Tom, " said Strong, "cut in take-off gyros. "

The cadet closed the master switch on the control panel and the noisefrom the power deck below began to build to an unbearable crescendo!

Watching the sweeping second hand of the chronometer, Tom called out, "Blast off minus five--four--three--two--one--_zero_!"

With a mighty roar, all main rockets of the spaceship exploded intolife. Shuddering under the sudden surge of power, the ship rose from theground, accelerated at the rate of seven miles per second, and arrowedinto the sky, space-borne!

On the Academy spaceport, ships of Squadron L began to blast off one byone behind the _Polaris_ at ten-second intervals. Three rocket cruisers, six destroyers, and twelve rocket scouts. The explosive blast of onehardly rolling away across the surrounding hills before anotherdeafening blast lifted the next space vessel away from Earth. 

Aboard the _Polaris_, Roger was busy over the chart table plotting thecourse when Strong appeared at his side. 

"Have that course for you in a minute, sir, " said Roger. He turned tothe astrogation prism and made careful observations of Regulus, thefixed star always used in astrogation. He jotted several numbers down ona piece of paper, rechecked them against a table of relative values andhanded the papers to Strong. 

The captain immediately opened the teleceiver and relayed theinformation to other ships of the squadron. After the _Polaris_ had madethe course change, the ships followed, taking positions all around thelead vessel. 

Like fingers of a giant hand, the Solar Guard squadrons converged on thereported position of the disabled _Avenger_. From every ship, radarscanners probed the space ahead with invisible electronic fingers forcontact with the target. On the _Polaris_, Strong, his nimble brainfiguring Coxine's possibilities of escape, hunched over the chart tableand worked at plotting alternate courses on which he could send pursuitsquadrons on a moment's notice. One thing worried Strong, and that wasif Coxine should repair his ship and make the security of the asteroidbelt before they could reach him, it would be almost impossible to trackhim through that tortuous maze of space junk. 

Squadron Ten was the first to sight the enemy spaceship, though it wastoo far away to attack. The commander reported his finding to Strongimmediately. 

"We still have quite a way to go before we reach him, Strong. But if ourluck holds out, we might be able to pin him down in a wide circle. "

Strong studied the chart and marked the position of the _Avenger_ justreported. He compared the position to that of the other fleet ships anddecided that they were still too far away to tighten a ring of armoraround the pirate. Strong was well aware that if the Solar Guard couldspot Coxine, he in turn could spot them. Luck, mused Strong to himself, was what they needed now. A little luck to keep the pirate fromrepairing his ship and disappearing into the asteroid belt. He grabbedthe intercom and bawled orders. 

"Power deck, emergency space speed. Control deck, relay that order toevery ship converging on the _Avenger's_ position!"

"What's up, sir?" asked Tom from below. 

"One of the ships has spotted Coxine. He's apparently still out ofcommission, but we're too far away to hail him. "

Strong began to pace the deck of the radar bridge, and with each turn, he glanced at the radar scanner where Roger was waiting anxiously forthe telltale blip of the _Avenger_ to appear. 

Suddenly the blond-haired cadet stiffened. He peered at the scannerscreen, then cried, "There he is, sir!" His finger pointed to a whiteoutline on the scanner. 

Strong took a quick look at the pirate's position and compared it to thepositions of the converging fleet. He turned to the teleceiver andsignaled for the immediate attention of all ships. 

"This is Strong aboard the flagship _Polaris_! All ships will proceedaccording to attack plan seventeen--code nine. Use full power! Emergencythrust!"

As the minutes passed and the Solar Guard fleet plunged forward, theships forged a solid wall of guns around the drifting pirate vessel. From above, below, and almost every compass point on the plan of theecliptic, they closed in, deadly blasters aimed, gunners ready to fire. 

"We've got him, sir!" breathed Roger. "He can't escape now! Not in amillion light years!"

Captain Strong didn't reply. Eyes were glued to the scanner, watchingthe target and the Solar Guard squadrons, searching for every possibleloophole in the trap. Suddenly he spoke into the teleceiver. 

"Attention all ships! Maintain present range, reduce speed, and takeenglobement formation!"

In reply, the elements of the fleet smoothly reformed until they formeda giant wheel in space with the pirate ship as the hub. Around andaround they flew, all inboard guns trained on the enemy. 

As the command ship, the _Polaris_ flew high over the formation. Strongchecked the formation carefully on the scanner and nodded hissatisfaction. 

"I think we've done it now, Manning, " he sighed. "Coxine doesn't have achance of breaking through. "

Roger looked unhappy. "Ah, it was too easy, sir, " he grumbled. "I wascounting on having some fun. "

"After all these weeks of heartache, I'll skip the fun if you don'tmind, " said Strong wryly and turned to the intercom. "Tom, check in!"

"Aye, aye, sir!"

"Head for the _Avenger_. Close in!"

"You mean we're going to lead the attack, sir?" Tom shouted in a suddenburst of enthusiasm. 

"From the looks of things, I don't believe an attack will be necessary, "replied Strong. "We're going alongside to accept Coxine's surrender. Start blasting!"

"Aye, aye, _sir_!"

As Tom's voice was heard over the intercom speaker, issuing orders toAstro for change of course, Strong turned back to Roger. 

"Open up the audioceiver to all-wave transmission!"

"You going to talk to Coxine, sir?"

"Yes. And I hope he'll listen. If he doesn't, I'll do my talking withsix-inch blasters!"

Roger quickly adjusted the settings on the audioceiver and then turnedto his skipper. 

"She's all yours, sir. Give it to him good!"

Strong smiled thinly and picked up the microphone. 

"Attention, Bull Coxine! Attention, Bull Coxine!" Strong's voice wascold and hard. "This is Captain Strong of the Solar Guard! You'resurrounded. You haven't a chance of escape. I demand your unconditionalsurrender! Acknowledge immediately!"

Strong flipped the key to open the receiver and waited for the reply. Roger moved closer, his eyes glued to the image of the pirate shiplooming larger and larger on the scanner. 

Fifteen seconds passed. Thirty. There was no sound over the receiver. Sweat began to bead Strong's forehead and he opened the transmitter keyagain. 

"Listen, Coxine! I know you can hear me! I'll only talk to you oncemore! Surrender or you'll be blasted into protons! I'll give you exactlythirty seconds to make up your mind!"

Again Strong opened the receiver key and waited, but as the secondsticked by, there was no answer. 

"Sir, do you think he's sucking us into a trap?" Roger whispered. 

"Maybe, " replied Strong grimly. "But he knows what would happen to himif he opened fire. "

"Captain Strong! Captain Strong!" Tom's voice suddenly blared over theship's intercom. 

"Don't bother me now, Corbett, " replied Strong irritably. 

"But, sir, " Tom persisted, "that isn't the _Avenger_!"

"What!" Strong was thunderstruck. 

"No, sir, " continued the young cadet. "I'm looking at her right now onmy control-deck scanner. It's the same model ship as the _Avenger_, butit isn't Coxine's!"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, sir. I was on her long enough to know. "

"Blast it! Then what--?"

Roger suddenly interrupted Strong. "Sir, look at her over themagnascope! She's been abandoned!"

The Solar Guard captain quickly turned to the magnascope screen. Therehe saw a close-up view of the target. It was a helpless derelict. Allemergency ports were open and the jet-boat locks were empty. 

Strong's face grew pale and he slumped back in his chair. 

"What--what do you suppose happened, sir?" asked Roger hesitantly. 

"It's easy enough to figure, " Strong replied, his voice dull andlifeless. "Coxine is using more than one ship now. And when this one wasdamaged, he simply transferred to another one. He's outfoxed us again!"

Slowly, with wooden legs, he walked over to the teleceiver. 

"Attention all ships! Resume former search stations. All we've caughthere is a red herring!"

And as the powerful engines of the _Polaris_ picked up speed, Strongimagined he could hear Gargantuan laughter echoing in space around him. 

CHAPTER 17

"Spaceman's luck, sir, " said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand. 

Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's handtightly. 

"Thanks, boys, " said Strong. "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him. And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-creditpay roll. "

"But won't you take at least one man with you, sir?" pleaded Tom. "Sitting up there in space in a decoy ship waiting for Coxine islike--" Tom paused. "Well, you won't have much of a chance, sir, ifCoxine opens fire before asking questions. "

"That's the risk I've got to take, Tom, " said Strong. "It took a lot oftalking to get Commander Walters' permission to try this. But we've gotto force Coxine to come out far enough from the asteroid belt to catchhim before he can run back in and lose himself again. " The young captainsmiled wanly and added, "Don't think that your job is unimportant!"

Tom, Roger, and Astro nodded. On their return from the unsuccessfulattempt to capture Coxine, they had been suddenly faced with the routineduty of transporting a twenty-million-credit pay roll from Atom City tothe satellite of Titan for the crystal miners. 

Thinking one sure way to catch any rat was to use a lure, Tom suggestedthat the Titan armored freighter be used as a decoy to capture thepirate, and the cadets could carry the pay roll in the _Polaris_. 

Commander Walters had considered the plan, and then realizing thatCoxine might fire on the freighter before seizing it, disapproved ofplacing a full crew aboard the lightly armed ship. Instead, he wouldsend only one man. Strong had volunteered for the assignment and hadpersuaded the commander to allow him to man the decoy ship. 

Now, the two ships, the _Polaris_ and the armed freighter stood side byside at the Academy spaceport, and the three cadets and their commandingofficer waited for the signal to blast off. 

"You have your course for your trip out to Titan, Tom?" asked Strong. 

"Yes, sir, " replied Tom. "We're to blast off later to-night and take acourse through the asteroid belt, traveling on the plane of theecliptic. As soon as we get through, we are to proceed under fullemergency thrust to our destination. "

Strong nodded his head, satisfied. 

"Do you think Coxine will come out after you, sir?" asked Roger. 

"We've tried to make sure that he will, Roger, " replied Strong. "It'spretty common knowledge that the Titan pay-roll ship leaves every month, and that it travels a different route each time. Sometimes it goesthrough the asteroid belt on the plane of the ecliptic and sometimes itgoes over. We believe Coxine knows this, and with the thinly guisedmessages we've sent to Titan, we're hoping he'll try for it. "

"But how will you get him, sir?" asked Astro, puzzled. "I mean, with noarmor on the freighter to speak of, and no crew aboard, how can you nailhim before he gets you?"

"Hyperdrive, " replied the captain laconically. 

"Hyperdrive?" echoed Tom quizzically. 

"I'm going to take the decoy ship through the asteroid belt too, butthrough a different area, closer to the part we think Coxine isoperating in. Seven full squadrons have blasted off ahead of me andtaken up positions in that area. When and if Coxine attacks, I'll alertthe waiting ships, who'll come in on hyperdrive. By the time Coxinespots them on his radar, they'll be on top of him. "

"Then, " ventured Tom, "you're staking your life on the ships arrivingbefore Coxine can attack. "

"That's right, Tom, " said Strong. "If our plan works, we catch Coxine. If it doesn't, at least we know that the Titan pay roll is safe. That'swhy your job is as important as mine. "

They were interrupted by the ground-crew chief who reported the decoyship ready to blast off. 

Strong nodded and the three cadets gripped their captain's hand again. Turning, he climbed into the freighter and five minutes later the SolarGuard officer blasted off from the Academy spaceport while Tom, Roger, and Astro watched from the traffic-control tower. 

"Come on, " said Tom. "It'll be two hours before we can blast off. Wemight as well get some sleep. We'll need it. "

Reluctantly, Roger and Astro followed their unit-mate from the traffictower, their eyes full of concern for their skipper. Each was grimlyaware that they might never see their skipper alive again. 

 * * * * *

"Now shut your traps!" roared Bull Coxine. "The next crawler that openshis mouth gets taken apart!" He stood on top of a table and faced hiscrew of pirates who were sitting about swilling large cups of rocketjuice. 

The room in which the giant pirate spaceman had gathered his men was oneof many in a building constructed since their arrival from the prisonasteroid. Hidden from even the closest inspection by the smaller bodiescircling around the main asteroid, Coxine had expanded the small hutused by Wallace and Simms into a huge rambling building containingarmories, machine shops, and storage rooms packed with everything he andhis murderous crew might need. 

Now with a string of successful raids behind them and their personalpocketbooks bulging with stolen credits and valuables, the crew ofpirates waited attentively while their cruel but brilliant leaderoutlined the most daring plan of all. 

"Now listen, " roared Coxine. "There's a few things I want to say beforewe start on the plans of the next strike!"

The big spaceman paused and glared at the men in front of him. "Eversince that space-crawling cadet pulled a fast one on me there's beentalk about voting for another leader!" He spat the word as if it hadleft a foul taste in his mouth. "Well, get this. There'll be no voting!I'm the boss of this outfit! Any man who thinks he can take over myjob, " Coxine's voice dropped to a deadly whisper, "_just let him try!_"

Stony silence greeted the huge spaceman, a silence inspired by fear. 

"Now!" roared Coxine, his coarse features changing from a scowl to abroad grin. "The strike!"

This was greeted with a roar of approval. The men demanded action aftera week of idleness on the asteroid. 

"Wallace!" yelled Coxine. 

"Yes, sir, " answered the spaceman, stepping up to the table and facingCoxine. 

"We'll take up a position in the asteroid belt, here!" He placed afinger on a map of the belt. "Simms!" roared the giant spaceman. 

"Yes, sir!" the wizened space pirate stepped forward. 

"You remember that rocket scout we blasted? The one that got our othership?"

"I sure do, sir. "

"It's drifting around in orbit near asteroid seventeen. Take a crew ofmen and a few jet boats and go get her. Bring her back here and fix herup. Strip every pound of excess weight off her. I want a ship that'llfly faster than anything in the system and I want it in twenty-fourhours. "

"Yes, sir, " gulped Simms. "But then what'll I do with her?"

"After you've done what I've already told you to do, " snapped Coxine, "I'll tell you more!"

Simms' face turned red, and he nodded curtly. 

"Now as for the rest of you crawlers, " said Coxine, facing the room fullof men. "Repair crews have been assigned for work on the rocket scoutand the rest of you will work on the _Avenger_ and prepare her for along flight. I want the three-inch blasters, every paralo-ray gun andrifle, the fuel tanks, food supplies, oxygen circulators, in facteverything checked, rechecked, and _double-checked_!"

Joe Brooks, who had become a favorite of Coxine's, rose and faced thepirate captain. "Where are we going to strike next, skipper?"

Coxine looked at the man with a half-smile playing on his lips. "Thisoperation will have two parts, Joe. The first--well--" his smiledbroadened--"the Titan pay-roll ship just blasted off from Space Academy. For the last ten years, the Titan pay-roll ship has been blasting offfrom Atom City. Now why do you think it would suddenly leave from SpaceAcademy, the home of the Solar Guard?"

The crowd of men murmured their bewilderment. 

"I'll tell you why!" bawled Coxine. "Either they have that ship sopacked with blasters it would take a fleet to stop it, or it's a trap!"

"But if you think it's a trap, " exclaimed Wallace, "you're not going tohit it, are you?"

"I said it _might_ be a trap!" snapped Coxine. "But it might not andwith twenty million credits to be had for the taking, I'm not going tolet her breeze through. I'm going to make sure it's a trap before I trysomething else!"

"But how?" persisted Wallace. 

Coxine looked at his lieutenant coldly. He had indulged the man toolong. "I'll tell you when I get good and ready! Now all of you, get outof here and make sure everything, and I _mean everything_, is ready toraise ship at a moment's notice!"

The men got up and shuffled from the room. Coxine turned to his twolieutenants. "All right, Wallace, see that those crawlers do what I toldthem to do. And you, Simms, get after that rocket scout. "

The two spacemen saluted their captain and turned away. Coxine watchedthem leave the room, already planning his next move, a move calculatedto be so surprising that the Solar Guard would be absolutely helpless. 

Bull Coxine smiled and turned to study the charts of the asteroid belt. 

 * * * * *

Alone aboard the armored decoy ship, Captain Strong blasted steadily onhis course through the asteroid belt. The young Solar Guard officer wasaware that at any moment after reaching the celestial jungle of smallplanetoids he could be fired on without warning. And though the SolarGuard patrol ships, well hidden in the belt, would blast Coxine out ofexistence, it would still be too late for him. 

Grim-faced, his hands gripping the controls, he rocketed through space, determined to put an end, once and for all, to the marauding pirate andold enemy, Bull Coxine. 

 * * * * *

When night fell over the Academy spaceport, Tom, Roger, and Astroclimbed silently into the giant rocket cruiser _Polaris_ and raised shipfor Titan. Their departure from Earth was routine, with no one butCommander Walters and Captain Strong knowing that stowed in the storagecompartment of the spaceship was twenty million credits, the pay rollfor the miners of Titan. 

Once in space, the rocket ship was put on course and held there byautomatic pilot. The three cadets gathered in the messroom and sippedhot tea, staring moodily into their cups. Unable to break audio silence, lest they should betray their position, their first chance of hearingany news lay far ahead of them at Titan. They could only hope that thedecoy trap would succeed and that their skipper and friend would returnsafely. The only comment was Astro's grim prediction. 

"If anything happens to Captain Strong, " he paused and finished hissentence in a tense whisper, "I'll search the universe until I findCoxine. And when I do, I'll break him in two!"

CHAPTER 18

"Have you got everything straight?" asked Coxine. Simms nodded his head. 

"All right, blast off, " ordered the pirate. "We'll follow you and keepyou spotted on radar. If it's a trap, head for asteroid fourteen, bailout in a jet boat, and let the scout keep going. We'll pick you uplater. "

Simms nodded again and turned to his old partner, Wallace. "So long, Gus. " He smiled. "This is one time the Solar Guard gets it right whereit hurts!"

"Yeah, " agreed Wallace. "See you later. Take it easy on that asteroidand don't get in trouble with the girls!"

The two men laughed and Simms turned to climb into the waiting rocketscout. The sleek ship had been stripped down until it was hardly morethan a power deck and control panel. She was now capable of more thantwice her original speed. As the little spaceman disappeared into theair lock, Coxine turned to Wallace. 

"We'll give him an hour's head start and then blast off after him. Andremember, the first man that breaks audio silence will get blasted!"

All eyes were on the tiny rocket scout as its jets, roaring into life, lifted free of the pirate planetoid. When the speedy little ship haddisappeared into space, Coxine turned to his crew and ordered animmediate alert. While the criminals readied the armed privateer forblast-off, Coxine and Wallace climbed directly to the radar bridge. 

Joe Brooks was hunched in front of the scanner, staring intently. Helooked up when the two pirate officers entered. 

"Just following Lieutenant Simms on the radar, skipper, " said Brooks. "He's blasting through the asteroid belt faster than I thought hecould. "

"Lemme see!" growled Coxine. The giant pirate stared at the scanner andhis mouth twisted into a grin. He turned away and barked several orders. "Wallace, stand by to blast off in two minutes! Brooks, get me a bearingon that ship. "

"You mean Simms?" asked the radarman. 

"No! I mean that ship, right there, " snapped Coxine. He pointed to awhite blip on the scanner. "And after you get the bearing I want acourse that'll intersect it in"--Coxine paused and glanced at the astralchronometer--"ten minutes!"

Quickly calculating the bearing and working up the course as ordered, Brooks handed Coxine a slip of paper. The pirate glanced at it briefly. 

"What would you say Simms' speed would be if he kept his ship on fullthrust, Brooks?" asked Coxine. 

Brooks thought a moment. "I'd say it would be about half of what he'smaking now!"

"Exactly!" roared Coxine. "That's why the ship on your scanner isn'tSimms' at all, but another ship!"

The radarman studied the scanner, where, with each sweep of the thinwhite line, the blip of the ship appeared. "You mean it might be theTitan pay roll?" he breathed hopefully. 

"Yeah, " breathed Coxine. "I mean it might be the Titan pay roll, andthen again it might not!" Coxine turned away, leaving the radarmanutterly confused. 

Within the two-minute deadline that Coxine had ordered, the members ofhis crew were locking the last air lock and securing ship for blast-off. Coxine sat in front of the control panel, ready to give the final orderthat would send the vessel hurtling into space. In a little while, theevil mind, the twisted brain of Bull Coxine would be pitted against themight of the Solar Guard. 

 * * * * *

Captain Strong sat on the control deck of the decoy ship, watching theradar scanner and waiting for the appearance of Bull Coxine and hiscrew. Again and again, the young Solar Guard officer, too restless toremain in one spot, got up and paced the deck. 

He flipped on a chart screen and studied the positions of thesurrounding asteroids, which he knew hid the Solar Guard fleet, ready topounce on any attacking ship. Schooled for years in facing the tedium ofspace travel and patrolling the space lanes, Strong nevertheless wasanxious for something to happen, as minute after minute slipped past andno attack came. 

Once he thought he saw something move on the scanner and gripped thesides of the instrument tightly as a blip appeared, disappeared, andthen reappeared. Finally Strong was able to distinguish what it was andhe turned away in disgust. It had been a maverick asteroid, one which, because of its positive gravity, never became a captive of other bodiesin space. It wandered aimlessly through the belt, a danger spacemenfeared more than any other, since it could not be depended upon toremain in one position. 

Unable to break audio silence and communicate with the hidden SolarGuard fleet around him, lest he give away their positions, Strong foundthe loneliness driving him into a case of jitters and nerves. 

Suddenly he jumped up and stared unbelievingly at the scanner. There infront of him was a blip, traveling at amazing speed, straight for hisship. From its size and shape, Strong could tell it was a rocket scout. He watched it for a moment dumfounded at the speed of the small ship. When he was certain that it was heading for him, he grabbed theaudioceiver microphone and began calling hurriedly. 

"Attention all ships! This is Captain Strong. Spaceship approaching me, starboard quarter, one-one-five degrees. Estimated speed--" Strongpaused and watched the moving blip. "Speed unknown. All ships close inimmediately!"

On the scanner, Strong could see the flashes of blips as the squadronsroared out of concealment and closed in on the approaching rocket scout. Over the audioceiver he could hear the squadron commanders snappingorders to their ships as the small ship still headed, unheedingly, forhis decoy vessel. 

Suddenly the attacking ship slowed and Strong could see the blip turn ina wide-sweeping curve. But it was too late. The Solar Guard ships had itsurrounded from every possible angle. The little scout made a desperatedash straight for Strong's ship. In a flash, he saw the plan of theship's pilot. He was heading for Strong, hoping to use him as a shieldfrom the mighty six-inch blasters trained on him. 

Strong grabbed for the control and fired full thrust on his starboardjets, sending the decoy vessel into a screaming dive. The attacking shiptried to follow, but seeing it couldn't make it, turned and tried toescape from the surrounding ships. Instinctively Strong shouted awarning to the pilot to surrender, but even as he spoke, he saw thefiring flashes sparkle on the hulls of a dozen fleet vessels as theysent their deadly atomic missiles converging like lightning arrows onthe speedy rocket scout. 

There was a burst of pure white fire on the scanner and then the youngcaptain gulped as the attacking ship was blasted into a hulk of twistedmetal. 

Strong grabbed the audioceiver microphone and shouted orders to thefleet squadron leaders. 

" . .. Squadron L! Put out immediate rescue jet boats and begin salvageoperations. All remaining ships will return to Solar Guard base, SpaceAcademy. End transmission!"

Strong hurried to the air lock, hastily put on a space suit, and in afew moments was blasting in a jet boat toward the remains of theattacking scout. 

Immediately the communications of the departing fleet were filled withtalk of their victory over the pirate band. Strong alone felt uneasyabout their success. For Coxine to attack in a light rocket scout, whichStrong felt sure had been stripped down to gain more speed, did notfollow the pattern which the hardened pirate had established in previousraids. 

When he arrived at the wreckage of the rocket scout, Strong found thathis fears were justified. 

A crew chief from one of the rescue squads approached Strong; his bodyweightless in space, the man grappled for a handhold on a jutting pieceof the twisted wreck, and then spoke to Strong over the helmetspacephones. 

"We found only one person aboard, sir, " he reported. "And the shipappears to have been stripped of everything but engines and controlpanel. "

Behind the protective glass of his helmet, Strong grimaced. He turned toCaptain Randolph. "We've been tricked again, Randy, " said Strongbitterly. "We used a decoy and so did Coxine!"

 * * * * *

"They're closing in!" Roger's voice crackled through the intercom fromthe radar bridge. "Do we fight or do we let those space crawlers takeover?"

"Fight!" bellowed Astro from the power deck. 

"No! Wait!" cried Tom. "We haven't a chance! If we don't heave to, Coxine'll blast us into space junk!"

Rocketing through the asteroid belt with the Titan pay roll, the threespace cadets, under strict orders to maintain communications silence, were unaware that Bull Coxine had outsmarted Captain Strong. Sending inthe rocket scout, he had sprung the Solar Guard trap and had cagilyscanned the belt for another ship. Finding the _Polaris_ easily, thepirate captain was blasting in for the attack. 

On the control deck of the Solar Guard cruiser, Tom Corbett desperatelytried to think of a plan to outwit Coxine, while his unit-mates urgedhim to fight back. 

"What's the matter, Junior?" Roger called over the intercomsarcastically. "Scared to fight?"

"You know I'm not, " snapped Tom in reply. 

"By the rings of Saturn, " growled Astro, "I never thought you'dsurrender to anybody, Tom!"

"Listen, both of you!" shouted Tom. "It's no use! We've got to play thissmart!"

"Well, start making with the brains, " sneered Roger. "Coxine's in rangenow. "

"Attention--" A harsh unmistakable voice rumbled over the audioceiver. "This is Bull Coxine! Heave to or you'll be blasted!"

"All right, Junior, " said Roger bitterly, "company's coming. What now?"

"Cut all power, Astro--fast!" ordered Tom. 

"What's the matter?" growled Astro. "Afraid they'll shoot if you don'tstop fast enough?"

"Keep your big trap shut and do as I tell you!" snapped Tom. 

"Listen, Junior!" snarled Roger. "As far as I'm concerned--"

Tom interrupted him. "_You_ listen, you idiot! Don't you see what'shappened? Coxine must have found out about the decoy ship, and when weshowed up on his scanner, he figured right away that we might have theTitan pay roll. "

"So what?" demanded Roger. "That still doesn't let you off for notbelting that crawler with our six-inchers!"

"Use your head!" snapped Tom. "With the Solar Guard squadrons on theother side of the belt and with no gun crews on our ship, how far do youthink we'd have gotten?"

"You didn't have to surrender, Tom, " said Astro. "I could have outrunCoxine in nothing flat. Why, I haven't got half the speed out of thisold girl I think she's got. "

"A great idea, bird brain! Run away from the very guy the Solar Guard'sgoing crazy trying to find!"

The intercom was suddenly silent as Astro and Roger began to understandTom's decision and waited for him to elaborate on his idea. 

"Now, listen, Roger, " said Tom patiently, "we've got about five minutesbefore those crawlers will be aboard. How long will it take you to makea signal beacon that'll send out a constant automatic SOS?"

"A what?" asked Roger. 

"Beacon. One that will transmit on the Solar Guard special frequency andbe small enough to hide here on the _Polaris_. "

"Why hide it on the _Polaris_?" asked Astro. "Why not try to get it ontheir ship?" His tone was almost apologetic now that he realized Tom wasnot planning a cowardly surrender. 

"It's a cinch they'll take the _Polaris_ over, " explained Tom. "She'sfast and she's got six-inch blasters. "

"I get it!" yelped Astro. "We plant the beacon on the _Polaris_, andwhen they take her over, the signal will be going out all the time. "Astro paused. "But wait a minute. They'll be sure to search the shipfirst!"

"First things first, Astro, " answered Tom. "Roger, can you make thebeacon?"

"Yeah, " said Roger, "but it'll take me at least a half hour!"

"You've got to finish it faster than that!" Tom insisted. 

"I can't, Tom. I just can't. "

"All right, then we'll have to stall as best we can. Get to work. Meantime, Astro and I will find a place to hide it. How big do you thinkit'll be?"

There was a momentary pause and then Roger replied, "No smaller than sixinches. About like a shoe box. "

"Could you make it three inches thick, and longer, instead ofbox-shaped?"

Roger hesitated again. "Yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"Because I just thought of a good place to hide it. They'd have to tearthe ship apart to find it, _if_ they even hear the signal!"

"Attention! Attention! This is Coxine--" The pirate's voice bawled overthe audioceiver again. "You are under my guns. Stand by to receive aboarding party. If you make any attempt to escape, you will be blasted!"

Tom grabbed the microphone to the audioceiver and replied, "Ordersunderstood, but you'll have to wait until we can build up air pressurein the air lock. "

"Very well, " said Coxine. "We'll give you fifteen minutes. "

Tom thought desperately. "You'll have to wait at least a half hour. Webroke a valve and have to replace it!"

Coxine's voice became suspicious. "Hey, what're you trying to pull?"

"Honest, Mister Coxine, " whined Tom, "we're not doing anything. "

"Fifteen minutes, " roared Coxine, "or I blast a hole in your ship!"

"Yes, sir!" answered Tom, fully aware that the pirate captain wouldcarry out his threat. 

Dropping the audioceiver microphone, the young cadet hurried to thepower deck, where Astro waited impatiently. 

"Grab a couple of cutting torches, Astro, " he said, "and get me alead-lined suit. I'm going into the reactant chamber. "

"What?" demanded Astro. 

"You heard me! I'm going to hide that beacon where they'll never findit. "

"In the reactant chamber?" asked Astro. "Impossible!"

"Remember when we first arrived at the prison asteroid? How thoroughlywe were searched?"

Astro nodded. 

"Remember, they even searched the space between the inner and outerhulls? There's three inches of clearance in there. If I cut into thatspace through the reactant chamber and put the beacon inside, the noiseof the jets will keep Coxine from hearing it, and the radioactivity inthe chamber will keep them from picking it up on their detectors!"

Astro's face spread into a wide grin, and without another word, he beganpreparing the cutting torches. Ten minutes later Tom emerged from thechamber and nodded triumphantly. "All set, Astro! Now all we need is thebeacon. "

Suddenly the _Polaris_ was rocked by a heavy explosion. 

"They're firing!" yelled Astro. 

"Roger! Have you finished the beacon?" demanded Tom over the intercom. 

"I need another five minutes!" answered Roger. "I have to set the signalto send out the SOS. "

"Will it send out _anything_?" asked Tom. 

The _Polaris_ rocked again from a second explosion. 

"I don't know, Tom, " yelled Roger. "I haven't even tested it!"

A third explosion jarred the rocket cruiser and the curly-haired cadetknew that the air lock must have been demolished by now. 

"Bring down what you've got, Roger!" he yelled. "We'll just have to takea chance that it'll work. And grab yourself a space suit on the waydown. When they blast through the inner portal of the lock, we'll need'em!"

"Right!" replied Roger. "Be down there in a second. "

Astro and Tom hurriedly donned space suits and waited for Roger to bringthe beacon. In a moment the blond-haired cadet appeared with thehurriedly contrived beacon. Tom quickly placed it between the two hullsand sealed the hole in the inner hull. 

A fourth explosion rocked the ship and the three cadets knew that by nowthe air lock had been blasted away. They put on their space helmets andclimbed the ladder to the upper deck. 

Coxine met them near the air lock, two paralo-ray guns clutched in hisgloved hands. Behind him, his crew swarmed in and fanned out all overthe ship. 

But the space pirate stood on the control deck, glaring at Tom. "Whaddyaknow! The Space Kid himself!"

"That's right, Coxine, " said Tom quietly, "only the real name isCorbett. "

Suddenly there was a triumphant shout from one of the pirates. "Skipper!The credits! All twenty million! We found 'em!"

Over their spacephones the three cadets could hear the pirates yellingand cheering. Coxine bellowed for silence and the cheering quicklysubsided. 

Paying no further attention to the three cadets, the pirate captainordered his men to repair the hole in the air lock and prepare forimmediate acceleration. There was a triumphant gleam in his eyes as heannounced their destination. 

"With the Solar Guard on the other side of the belt, we're going to hitthe richest prize in the universe! The colony on Ganymede!"

He then turned and smiled at his three prisoners, adding menacingly, "And we've got three passes to get us through the defenses!"

CHAPTER 19

Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter, was an important way station ofthe Solar Alliance for all spaceships traveling between the outerplanets of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and the inner planets ofMars, Earth, Venus, and Mercury. The colony on Ganymede was more of asupply depot than a permanent settlement, with one large uraniumrefinery to convert the pitchblende brought in by the prospectors of theasteroids. Refueling ships, replenishing supplies, and having a smalltourist trade, it was a quiet colony, one of many spread throughout thesystem. 

With the Solar Guard search squadrons hopelessly out of range on theother side of the asteroid belt, the cadets' only hope of saving thetiny colony lay in the beacon hidden inside the hull of the _Polaris_. 

Leaving Wallace and half of his crew aboard the _Polaris_, Bull Coxinehad transferred the three cadets to the Avenger and thrown them into thebrig. As the ship accelerated toward the colony, Tom stared out of thesmall, barred viewport while Roger and Astro sprawled glumly on the hardbunks. 

Roger finally broke the heavy silence. "What do you suppose Coxine meantwhen he said he had three passes into Ganymede?"

"Give you one guess, pal, " snorted Astro. 

"He obviously expects us to give him the recognition signal, " said Tom. 

Roger sighed. "That's what I figured. But I was hoping I was wrong. "

"At least we're all immune to truth drugs, " said Astro hopefully. "Hewon't get the recognition code out of us that way. "

"That dirty space crawler wouldn't even bother with drugs, " mutteredRoger. "They aren't enough fun. He likes to get what he wants the hardway. "

"Yes, " agreed Tom. "We're in for a rough time, guys. "

They all looked at each other, fully aware of what lay in score forthem. Finally Astro growled, "I don't care what he does to me. I won'ttell him a thing!"

"Same here!" exclaimed Roger. 

Tom merely nodded, his face a grim, expressionless mask. 

Suddenly three men led by Brooks, the radar operator, appeared in thepassageway outside the brig. Brooks stepped forward, opened the door, and gestured with the paralo-ray gun in his hand. 

"All right, you punks! Outside!"

Astro started to lunge for the pirate, but Tom grabbed him by the arm. "Take it easy, Astro. That won't get us any place. "

"You can say that again, " sneered Brooks. "One crazy move like that, kid, and I'll freeze you solid as a cake of ice! Now come on! Move!"

Tom, followed by Astro and Roger, walked slowly out of the brig, andguarded closely by the three pirate crewmen they were taken to the mainair lock. 

"All right, " said Brooks. "The big ox and blondie, get in there!"

One of the crewmen opened the air-lock portal while the other two jabbedAstro and Roger with ray guns. The two cadets stumbled into the chamberand the door was slammed behind them. 

"Lock it!" snarled Brooks. 

When the men had secured the portal, Brooks turned and pushed Tomroughly along the passageway. A moment later they reached the controldeck where Bull Coxine was hunched over his charts. 

"Here he is, Captain, " said Brooks. "The other two are sealed up in theair lock like sardines!"

Coxine nodded and faced Tom, a thin smile on his face. "I told you Iwould get the recognition signal, Corbett, " he said. "And I will!"Coxine walked over to a large valve on the after bulkhead and tapped theneedle indicator right beside it. Satisfied, he turned back to thecadet. 

"In two hours, " began Coxine, "we'll be within range of the Ganymedegarrison and its radar. It takes exactly eight turns on this valve tobleed the air out of the air lock where your two buddies are. So, everyfifteen minutes I'm going to ask you for the recognition signal, andevery time you say no, I'll turn the valve once. By the time we getclose enough to Ganymede to be picked up on their radar, you'll eitherhave given me the signal or your buddies will be dead!"

Tom stood listening to Coxine, his blood boiling at the giant spaceman'scruelty. Suddenly he tore across the control deck and made a dive forCoxine's neck. But the big man met him coming on and with a powerfulslap of his hand sent the boy sprawling back across the deck. 

"You're a good man, Corbett, " said Coxine, standing over the fallencadet, "but you're a _little_ man, and a good big man can lick a goodlittle man any time!"

Brooks and the crewmen laughed loudly as Tom dragged himself to hisfeet. 

"Well, do I get the signal?" demanded Coxine. "Or do your buddies get alittle less air?"

Standing unsteadily on his feet, with four paralo-ray guns trained onhis body, Tom thought quickly of Roger and Astro, alone in the darknessof the air lock, soon to be clawing their throats for air; of themerciless attack on the prison asteroid; of the helpless ships Coxinehad looted. All these things and more flashed through the curly-hairedcadet's mind as he weighed his life and the lives of his unit-matesagainst an attack that would devastate the small satellite of Jupiter. Tom could see through the pirate's demand for the recognition signal. Once inside the Ganymede radar screen, he could attack the Solar Guardgarrison and wipe it out before it could raise a ship in defense. 

"Well?" demanded Coxine, placing his huge hand on the valve. 

Tom knew that if he could stall long enough, the signal aboard the_Polaris_ might be picked up by the Solar Guard. Roger and Astro were ingood physical condition. They could conserve their energy as soon asthey discovered the trap. He had to stall and hope the signal would bepicked up in time. 

"The only thing I'll ever give you, Coxine, " said Tom through clenchedteeth, "is a blast of a paralo-ray!"

Coxine snarled in anger and turned the valve, shouting, "One more thing, _Mister Hero_! The minute the air lock is empty, _you_ take a swim inspace too!"

Tom was prepared for that. He knew the pirate would not take defeat atthe hands of a Space Cadet easily. Tom was resigned to his fate. He wasready to accept anything if it would serve the purpose of ridding thesolar system of Bull Coxine. 

"Tie him to that chair, " snarled the giant pirate captain. "And makesure he's secure, or you'll go swimming in space with him!"

Tom was shoved roughly into the copilot's chair in front of the controlboard and tied down with a thick rope. He winced as the heavy line duginto his arms. After inspecting the job, Coxine dismissed Brooks and themen with a curt nod and returned to his charts. 

Tom sat in front of the control panel, his eyes sweeping the gauges anddials and at last fixing on the master acceleration lever. Two feet awaywas the lever that controlled all the power on the ship. If he couldonly reach it, he could stop the _Avenger_ dead, and possibly even putthe ship completely out of commission. But try as he might, he could notget his hands free. 

Coxine looked up at the astral chronometer and walked over to the valve. "Well, Corbett, " demanded the burly spaceman, "what's the recognitionsignal?"

Tom only shook his head. 

"Must be pretty bad, sitting down there in the dark, hearing the oxygenfeed in slower and slower. You sure you won't change your mind?"

Tom looked squarely at Coxine, hatred in his eyes, and he watched thepirate captain shrug his shoulders, turn the valve again, and return tohis charts. 

The young cadet watched the astral chronometer, seeing the red handsweep the seconds away, and the black minute hand inch around the dial. Over and over, the curly-haired Space Cadet refused Coxine's demand forthe recognition signal and then watched helplessly as the pirate gavethe air-lock valve another twist. 

Nearly two hours had passed and Tom knew that they would soon be inradar range of the Ganymede garrison. The pressure in the air lock mustnow be within ten units of zero. Suddenly, overhead, the audioceiverloud-speaker crackled into life. 

"Attention! This is Ganymede traffic control. Identify yourselfimmediately with authorized code!"

Coxine glared at Tom and put his hand on the air-lock valve. "Last time, Corbett. Either you give me the Solar Guard recognition signal, or yourbuddies are finished!"

Tom gulped. He had no assurance that Coxine would release Roger andAstro, even if he did give him the signal. But he knew there was nochoice. He looked up at Coxine. 

"Do I have your word as an _Earthman_ that nothing will happen to them?"he asked quietly. 

Coxine laughed. "Sure. I'll give you my word. I'll even bring them uphere so they can see the show and then let you go afterward. But by thetime I'm finished with the Ganymede colony the Solar Guard will haveyour hides for handing out their secrets. "

Tom knew what the pirate said was true. He was taking a gamble now. Agamble that by this time his signal on the _Polaris_ had been picked upand a fleet of ships would be on their trail. 

"Attention! Attention! Identify yourselves immediately!" The voice fromthe Ganymede traffic-control tower came over the audioceiver again. Coxine's face twisted into a half-smile. 

"Well, Corbett, do I get the signal or don't I?"

"Tell them you're a Solar Guard armed freighter. " Tom's voice was low. "You're assigned to operation 'Vista. '"

"Vista?" said Coxine excitedly. "Is that the code word? Vista?"

"Yes, " said Tom. "Now open the valve!"

Coxine gave the valve a number of turns in the opposite direction andjumped to the teleceiver. He flipped the key open and called Wallaceaboard the _Polaris_. "When they ask you for identification, tell themyou're working on operation Vista. That's the key word. Vista!"

"Right!" answered Wallace. 

Coxine then turned to the audioceiver and spoke in confident, assuredtones. "Attention, Ganymede traffic control! This is armed freighter_Samson_, assigned on project Vista. Request clearance for approach andtouchdown on Ganymede spaceport!"

"You are properly identified, _Samson_, " replied Ganymede. "Proceed onyour present course. End transmission. "

"End transmission!" roared Coxine triumphantly. 

The giant pirate turned back to Tom, bellowing, "Thanks, Corbett. You'vejust given me the key to everything I ever wanted. "

"What do you mean?" asked Tom, suddenly frightened by the strange wildgleam in Coxine's eyes. 

"By the time I've finished with Ganymede, I'll have every ship on theirspaceport. A fleet big enough to hit any part of the Solar Alliance Iwant! Solar Guard or no Solar Guard!"

"No! You can't!" gasped Tom. 

"Can't I?" snarled Coxine. "I'll show the Solar Guard something theynever saw before. Their own ships blasting them right out of space!"

Coxine turned to the intercom, ordered Astro and Roger brought up to thecontrol deck, and then contacted Wallace aboard the _Polaris_. 

"Yeah?" answered the spaceman from the control deck of the rocketcruiser. 

"We're going in according to plan! Train all your guns on the SolarGuard defense installations and stand by!"

"Ready any time you say the word, " replied Wallace. 

Jumping back to the intercom, Coxine gave orders to the power deck forfull thrust, then ordered the radar bridge to relay the scanner image ofGanymede to the control deck. 

As the rocket ship surged ahead under the added thrust, Tom strainedagainst his ropes to watch the scanner and saw the clear image of thecolony. He could make out the outline of the uranium plant, theatmosphere booster stations and small buildings clustered around thespaceport. As they drew closer to the tiny colony, Coxine grabbed theintercom and the teleceiver microphones and barked crisp orders to boththe Avengers and the _Polaris_' power decks. "Full braking rockets!"roared Coxine. 

Tom braced himself against the sudden reverse pressure of the powerfulnose rockets, and then, in a moment, felt the _Avenger_ come to a deadstop. Watching the scanner again, he saw that they were directly overthe Solar Guard garrison. Coxine switched the teleceiver to the colonyfrequency and spoke sharply and confidently. 

"Attention! All citizens of Ganymede colony! This is Bull Coxine. Yourentire settlement is under my guns. Any attempt to raise ship and opposeme will be met with instant destruction! Every citizen is hereby orderedto assemble at the municipal spaceport within five minutes. All SolarGuard officers and men will do the same. You have five minutes tocomply, or I will open fire!"

The giant spaceman flipped off the teleceiver before anyone on Ganymedecould answer. Pressing with all his might, Tom managed to see more ofthe scanner which suddenly showed the people of Ganymede scurrying outto the spaceport in panic. Coxine watched the activity on the scannerfor a second and then grunted his satisfaction. 

Suddenly the hatch was thrown open and Astro and Roger were pushed intothe room by two crewmen. 

Coxine turned to them, smiling thinly. "You owe your lives to your buddyhere. One more minute and you would've been walking with the angels. Now, " he added to the crewmen, "tie them up so they can see the scanner. I want them to see how easy it is to knock off a Solar Guard garrison!"

"Why you--" Astro lunged toward the pirate but was stopped in his tracksby a blast from a paralo-ray gun behind him. The big cadet stood rigid, motionless, every nerve and muscle in his body paralyzed. Coxine sneeredand turned back to the intercom while his men tied up the two cadets. 

Tom and Roger looked at each other and, without speaking, knew what theother was thinking. Their only hope was the beacon signal aboard the_Polaris_. 

After the men had tied Astro, they released him from the effects of theray charge and threw him down beside Roger. 

"How do you feel?" asked Tom. 

"Like I've been run through a set of gears, " mumbled Astro. "How aboutyourself?"

"O. K. , " replied Tom. "Was it"--he paused--"was it tough in the airlock?"

Roger smiled. "Not as tough as it must have been on you up here. Werealized what was going on as soon as we found out we were losing air. "

The blond-haired cadet shook his head and Tom noticed that both Rogerand Astro were weak from their ordeal in the chamber. 

At the control panel, Coxine was bawling orders to his crew. "Jet boatsone, two, three, four, and five! Stand by to blast off!"

The three cadets looked at each other helplessly. 

"Russell, check in, " continued the burly spaceman. 

"Russell here!" replied a voice on the intercom. 

"You're in charge of the party. I want you to do one thing, and onething only! Take the largest ships on the spaceport and blast off. Don'ttouch anything else! Just the ships. Those you can't get off the ground, leave. We'll blast them later!"

"Aye, aye, sir. "

Coxine strode over to the teleceiver. Immediately the image of a man inthe uniform of a Solar Guard major appeared on the screen. His voiceechoed in the control room. 

"Hello, Coxine! This is Major Sommers! Come in, Coxine!"

"Yeah--" replied Coxine. "Whaddya want?" The pirate captain steppedarrogantly in front of the teleceiver's transmitting lens, and from thelook on the officer's face, Tom knew he had seen Coxine on his ownscreen. 

"We've followed orders, " said the major. "Our only request is that youdo not harm any of the citizens--"

Coxine cut him off. "Stow that space gas! I'll do what I please! I'msending down a crew of men. They have certain orders. Any interferencefrom you and I'll open fire with everything I've got--right in themiddle of the spaceport. "

Tom gasped. The spaceport was now crowded with the citizens of the tinycolony. 

The major nodded gravely. "I understand, " he said. "You may rest assuredno one will interfere with your men!"

"Huh!" sneered Coxine. "You don't sound so high and mighty now thatyou're staring into the barrels of a dozen atomic blasters!" He snappedoff the teleceiver and roared with laughter. 

Tom felt a shiver run down his spine. He could imagine the frustrationof the Ganymede garrison, a crack crew of fighting men, forced tosurrender without firing a shot. And he had been the cause by givingCoxine the code recognition signal!

Coxine snapped an order into the intercom and a moment later Tom saw thejet boats on the scanner, rocketing down to the surface of the smallsatellite. 

As, one by one, the small ships landed on the spaceport, the threecadets could see the crowds of colonists fan out, allowing the jet boatsto come in without interference. 

Coxine strode up and down the control deck restlessly, but keeping hiseyes on the activity below. Suddenly he rushed to the scanner, staredhard, and then let out a roar of triumph. 

The three cadets saw the reason immediately. On the scanner were theunmistakable outlines of two Solar Guard heavy cruisers, fourdestroyers, and six scouts, hurtling spaceward at tremendous speed. Coxine spun around, balled his fists into tight knots, and shook them atthe three cadets. 

"I've won! I've won!" He roared with insane laughter and there was acrazed gleam in his eyes. "I've got the ships, the guns, the men, andthe secret of the adjustable light-key. By the time I'm finished withthe Solar Guard there won't be anything left of those crawlers but whatyou can hear on a story spool, and the Solar Alliance will be run by oneman!" He paused, his face grew hard and he tapped his chest menacingly. "Me!"

CHAPTER 20

"I don't care if the blasted ship blows up!" roared Captain Strong tothe power-deck officer of the Solar Guard rocket cruiser _Arcturus_. "Iwant every ounce of thrust you can get out of this space heap!"

The young Solar Guard captain turned back to the loud-speaker of theaudioceiver, turned the volume dial a fraction, and listened. The steadypronounced ping of Roger's signal beacon filled his ears. 

When Strong discovered that Coxine had outwitted him, he had gone aboardthe rocket cruiser _Arcturus_ of Squadron Ten and had continued onsearch patrol. He dared not break audio silence to warn the cadetsaboard the _Polaris_, lest he give away the position of the ship. Later, when the radar officer of the _Arcturus_ reported a steady signal overthe audioceiver, Strong at first dismissed it as some form ofinterference from space. But when Titan failed to report the arrival ofthe _Polaris_ on time, Strong investigated the strange sound. Taking abearing on the signal, he discovered it came from a position dangerouslyclose to the small Jovian colony of Ganymede. After repeated attempts toraise the _Polaris_ failed, and no distress signals had been received, Strong feared that Bull Coxine had won again. In a desperate effort tocatch the criminal, he took repeated bearings on the signal and orderedfull emergency space speed toward the small satellite of Jupiter. 

Contacting Commander Walters at Space Academy, Strong related hissuspicions and received permission to carry out a plan of action. 

"I want you to engage the enemy at all costs!" ordered Walters. "Blasthis space-crawling hide into protons! That's an order!"

"Yes, sir!" replied Strong with grim determination. "There's nothing I'dlike better. "

Six hours later Strong received confirmation of his worst fears. He washanded a message that read:

 EMERGENCY:

 GANYMEDE GARRISON ATTACKED ZERO THREE HUNDRED HOURS BY TWO SHIPS. ONE VESSEL IDENTIFIED AS ROCKET CRUISER POLARIS. SEND AID IMMEDIATELY. ENTIRE COLONY AT MERCY OF COXINE. SIGNED, SOMMERS, MAJOR, SOLAR GUARD. 

Strong realized at once that the cadets had been forced to give therecognition code to the pirate. There wasn't any other way for thepirate to penetrate the defenses of Ganymede. And, thought Strongbitterly, to blast Coxine was to blast the cadets as well. Thecommander's words echoed again in his ears, ". .. Blast him, Steve!That's an order!"

Strong turned to his second-in-command. "Man all guns! Stand by toattack under plan S! We'll engage the enemy as soon as he's sighted!"

The young officer saluted and turned away quickly. But not before he sawthe mist in Steve Strong's eyes. 

 * * * * *

Tom, Roger, and Astro watched the incredible scene taking place in frontof them with unbelieving eyes. Seven men were standing at rigidattention on the control deck of the _Avenger_. Wallace, Russell, Attardi, Harris, Shelly, Martin, and Brooks. In front of them, standingequally rigid, Bull Coxine was addressing them in a low restrainedvoice. 

"Raise your right hands and repeat after me. "

The men raised their hands. 

"I hereby pledge my life to Bull Coxine!"

". .. I hereby pledge my life to Bull Coxine. .. . " repeated the men inunison. 

"To uphold his decisions, obey his orders, and fulfill his purpose ofdestroying the Solar Alliance and establishing a new governmentalorder!"

The seven men repeated the words slowly and hesitantly. 

"All right, " said Coxine. "From this day on, you are my chieflieutenants. You will command the ships of my fleet, and when we destroythe power of the Solar Guard and take over the Alliance, you will helpme rule our new order. "

The seven men looked at each other, raised a mild cheer, and waited asCoxine shook hands with each of them. 

"All right, " said Coxine abruptly as he reached the end of the line. "Get to your ships and prepare for full acceleration. We go into actionimmediately!"

The men filed from the room silently, each with a worried look on hisface. Coxine failed to notice their lack of enthusiasm and turned to thethree cadets. 

"Some day, boys, " he said, "you'll go down in history as being the firstwitnesses to the establishment of the new order. "

Astro glared up at the giant spaceman. "We'll be the witnesses to thebiggest bust in the universe when the Solar Guard catches up with you!"

"Yeah, " drawled Roger in his most casual manner. "You're the one that'llgo down in history, Coxine, as the biggest space-gassing idiot that everblasted off!"

Tom suddenly guffawed. Though close to death, he couldn't help laughingat Roger's remark. The big spaceman flushed angrily and with the flat ofhis hand slapped the cadet across the face. Then, he turned to theteleceiver and opened the circuit to all the ships that were standing byin space around the _Avenger_, the ships of the Ganymede garrison. 

"Stand by for acceleration, " he called. "We're going to show the SolarAlliance who's boss, beginning right now! I'll give you the target in afew minutes but head in the direction of Earth!"

He faced the three cadets and sneered. "By the time I'm finished withLuna City, the only thing active will be radioactive!"

Suddenly Gus Wallace could be heard screaming over the teleceiver, hisface a mask of fear and panic. 

"Bull! Bull!" he shouted. "The Solar Guard! We just spotted them!Squadrons! Heading straight for us! We've got to get out of here!"

"What?" roared Coxine, turning to his radar scanner. The blips on thescreen verified the alarm. He shouted into the teleceiver, "Man yourguns! We'll wipe them out right now!"

"But, Bull--" whined Wallace. "They'll blast us out of space!"

Coxine roared into the mike. "The first one of you yellow crawlers thattries to run for it will be blasted by me! Man your guns, I said! Thisis our big chance! Wipe out the Solar Guard now and the Solar Allianceis ours for the asking! Fight, men! Fight!"

Tom, Roger, and Astro looked at each other, mouths open, not knowingwhether they should laugh or not at the dramatic speech of the hugespaceman. But whatever the private feelings of the criminals, Coxine hadroused them to fever pitch and the boys could hear them racing throughthe _Avenger_, preparing to fight the squadrons of Solar Guard shipsbearing down on them. 

Coxine strapped himself in the pilot's chair and began barking orders tohis battle stations, whipping his men into action relentlessly. 

And then suddenly Captain Strong's voice, vibrant and firm, came overthe audioceiver, demanding the surrender of the pirate captain and hisfleet. 

"Never!" roared Coxine. "You'll get my surrender from the barrels ofevery blaster I have under my command!"

"Then, " replied Strong, "I have no alternative but to attack!"

With a coldness that reached across the void of space and gripped theirhearts with icy fingers, the three cadets heard their skipper give hissquadrons the deadly order!

"Fire!"

Coxine snapped his order at almost the same instant and the three cadetsfelt the _Avenger_ shudder as her turrets began blazing away, returninground for round of the deadly atomic missiles. 

Racing from scanner to the control panel and back again, Coxine watchedthe battle rage around him. With speeds nearing that of light, exhausttrails cut scarlet paths through the black space, as the two opposingfleets attacked, counterattacked, and then regrouped to attack again. The rhythm of the blasters on the _Avenger_ had taken on a familiarpattern of five-second intervals between bursts. Gradually, one by one, the pirate ships were hit, demolished or badly damaged, but still theyfought on. Coxine, his eyes wild with desperation, now kept lining upships in his radar sights and firing, with no way of knowing which wasfriend and which was foe. 

Tom, Roger, and Astro watched the dogfight on the scanner in horrifiedfascination. Never before had they seen such maneuvering, as the giantships avoided collision sometimes by inches. Once, Tom tore his eyesaway from the scanner when he saw a rocket destroyer plow through theescaping swarm of jet boats after one of the pirate ships had been hit. 

Fire and change course, fire and change course, again and again, Coxineperformed the miracle of escaping the deadly atomic blasters aboard theSolar Guard ships. 

Suddenly the three cadets saw the outline of a rocket cruiser bearingdown on them. The white blip on the scanner came closer and closer tothe heart of the scanner. Just in time Coxine saw it and shouted for acourse change. But even as the _Avenger_ swung up and away from theattacking ship, the cadets saw the flash of flame from the cruiser'sturrets and a moment later felt the bone-rattling shudder of a nearmiss. 

The control deck suddenly filled with smoke. A flash fire broke out inthe control panel and the circuits sparked and flared. Tom was thrownacross the room and Roger landed on top of him. 

"Up ninety degrees! Full starboard thrust!" roared Coxine into theintercom. "Hurry, you space crawlers! We've got to get out of here!"

Tom quickly realized that in the smoke and confusion Coxine couldn'tpossibly direct the ship back into the fight. There was only oneexplanation. He was deserting his fleet and trying to escape. 

And then, over the noise and confusion, Tom could hear the sound ofstruggling bodies and Coxine muttering an oath between his teeth. 

"I'll break you in two, you blasted space rat!"

There were more sounds of struggle, and Tom and Roger heard Astro'svoice replying grimly:

"Do it and then talk about it, big shot!"

Slowly the smoke cleared from the control deck and Tom and Rogerstrained their eyes to see through the thick cloud. There, in front ofthem, stood Astro, torn strands of rope dangling from his arms, inmortal combat with Coxine. The two giants were holding each other'swrists, their feet spread wide, legs braced, grimacing faces an inchapart, struggling to throw each other off balance. 

[Illustration: _Astro and Coxine were locked in mortal combat_]

Tom and Roger watched the two huge spacemen brace against each other, muscles straining and faces turning a slow red as they tried to forcethe other's hands back. Suddenly, with the speed of a cat, Coxine stuckout his leg and kicked Astro's foot from the deck, tripping him. Astrotumbled to the deck. In a flash, the pirate was on top of him, grippinghim by the throat. The Venusian grabbed at the hands that were slowlychoking the life out of him and pulled at the fingers, his face turningslowly from the angry flush of a moment before to the dark-gray hue ofimpending death!

Still bound and tied by the heavy rope, the two cadets on the deck werehelpless, as Astro's strength slipped from his body. 

Tom turned to Roger desperately. "We've got to do something!"

"What? I can't get loose!" The blond-haired cadet struggled against theropes until the blood ran down his wrists, but it was a hopeless effort. 

"Yell!" said Tom desperately. "Yell! Make a noise! Holler like you'venever hollered before!"

"Yell?" asked Roger stupidly. 

"We've got to distract him!"

Tom began to bellow, and immediately was echoed by Roger. They shoutedand screamed. They kicked their feet on the deck and tore against theirbonds. 

Astro's hands no longer fought the powerful fingers taking his life. There was no strength in the cadet's hands now, but in the split secondthat Coxine turned to look at Tom and Roger, he gave a mighty heave withthe last of his great strength and tore free of the pirate's grasp. 

The Venusian jumped up and ran to the farthest corner of the controldeck, gasping for breath. Coxine rushed after him, but Astro eluded himand stumbled to the opposite end of the control room, still trying tosuck the life-giving breath into his screaming lungs. Slowly hisstrength returned. 

Coxine made another headlong rush for the cadet, but this time Astro didnot attempt to get away. He stood squarely to meet the charge and hisright fist caught the pirate flush on the chin. Coxine staggered back, eyes wide with surprise. In an instant Astro was on him, pounding hismighty fists into the pirate's stomach and any place he could find anopening. Roaring like a wild animal, the cadet no longer fought for thehonor of the Solar Guard or his friends. He didn't look upon thecriminal in front of him as Coxine the pirate, but as a man who hadnearly taken his life, and he fought with the ferocity of a man whowanted to live. 

Again and again, Tom and Roger saw their unit-mate pound straight, powerful, jolting lefts and rights into the pirate's mid-section untilthey thought he would put his fist completely through the man's body. 

Just as Coxine looked as if he would fall, he suddenly charged in again. But his powerful strength restored, Astro stepped back and waited for anopening. Coxine threw a whistling right for Astro's head. The Venusianducked, shifting his weight slightly, and drove his right squarely intothe pirate's face. His eyes suddenly glassy and vacant, Bull Coxine sankto the deck, out cold. 

Breathing heavily, the cadet turned, wiped his face, and smiledcrookedly at Tom and Roger. 

"If I ever have to fight another man like that again, " gasped Astro ashe loosened the ropes around his unit-mates, "I want to have both fistsdipped in lead before I begin!"

He held up his hands. There was not a bit of flesh remaining on hisknuckles. 

As soon as Tom was free he grabbed the pirate's paralo-ray gun. "We'dbetter tie this crawler up!" he shouted. 

"We'll do that, " said Roger. "You try to figure out how we're going toget off this ship!"

Suddenly, behind them, the hatch burst open and Captain Strong rushedinto the room, followed by a dozen armed guardsmen. 

"Captain Strong!" yelled the three cadets together. 

The young captain's face lighted up with a smile. He rushed over to Tomand grabbed him by the hand, then turned to where Roger and Astro weretying up Coxine. 

Strong pointed his gun at the fallen pirate. "What happened to him?"

Roger smiled and nodded toward Astro. "Coxine told Astro he reminded himof an ox he saw at a zoo once on Venus. Astro got mad--" Roger shruggedhis shoulders. "Poor Coxine, he didn't have a chance!"

Astro blushed and looked up at Strong. "Never mind us, sir, " said thebig cadet. "How did you get here!"

Strong told them of having picked up the beacon signal. "That was quickthinking, boys, " he said. "It was the end of Coxine. If we hadn'tstopped him now--" Strong shook his head. 

"But how did you get aboard the _Avenger_, sir?" asked Tom. 

"This was the only ship that wasn't a Solar Guard fleet vessel, so itwas easy to spot. We captured the _Polaris_ right off the bat, and afterwe searched it, figured you three were either dead, or aboard this one. I gave the order not to fire on you, since we wiped out Coxine's fleetbefore he could do any real damage. When we saw you accelerating, afterthat last near miss--which incidentally was intended to miss you--wecame alongside, forced the air lock open, and took over. "

"But didn't the crew offer any resistance?" asked Roger. 

"No, and from the story they tell me about Coxine wanting to establish anew order, or something like that, they were glad to surrender. Theythink he's crazy. "

When the enlisted men carried Coxine, still unconscious, off the controldeck, the three members of the _Polaris_ unit and their skipper watchedhim leave silently. All of them realized how close the Solar Alliancehad come to destruction at the hands of the insane pirate. FinallyStrong turned to his crew of cadets. 

"Well, boys, " he said wearily, "we've recovered the adjustable light-keyand captured Coxine. I guess that finishes the space pirates!"

"Yes, sir, " said Tom quietly. "And this sure teaches me a lesson. "

"What's that?" said Strong. 

"Never to think that being a Space Cadet is a matter of learningsomething from a story spool. Being a Space Cadet is like being--" Hestopped. "Like nothing in the universe!"

 * * * * *

THE TOM CORBETT SPACE CADET STORIES

By Carey Rockwell

 STAND BY FOR MARS! DANGER IN DEEP SPACE ON THE TRAIL OF THE SPACE PIRATES THE SPACE PIONEERS THE REVOLT ON VENUS TREACHERY IN OUTER SPACE SABOTAGE IN SPACE THE ROBOT ROCKET