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"We said we didn't want to freeze this game, Roger, and we meant it!" Astro glowered at his unit-mate. "Next period you show us some action! If you don'twant to score, feed it to us and we'll save you the trouble!"
But the third period was the same. While Tom and Astro dashed up and down the field, blocking out the members of theArcturuscrew to give Roger a clear shot, he simply nudged the ball back and forth between the side lines, ignoring his teammates' pleas to drive forward. As the whistle sounded for the end of the period, boos and catcalls from the grandstand filled the air.
Tom's face was an angry red as he faced Roger again on the side lines during the rest period.
"You hear that, Roger?" he growled, nodding his head toward the stands. "That's what they think of your smart playing!"
"What do I care?" replied the blond cadet arrogantly. "They're not playing this game! I am!"
"And we are too!" Astro's voice was a low rumble as he came up behind Manning. "If you don't give us a chance, so help me, I'll use your head for a ball!"
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"If you're so interested in scoring, why don't you go after the ball yourselves then?" said Roger.
"Because we're too busy trying to be a team!" snapped Tom. "We're trying to clear shots for you!"
"Don't be so generous," sneered Roger.
"I'm warning you, Roger"—Astro glared at the arrogant cadet—"if you don't straighten out and fly right—"
McKenny's whistle from the far side lines suddenly sounded, interrupting the big cadet, and the three boys trooped back out on the field again. Again the air was filled with boos and shouts of derision and Tom's face flushed with shame.
This time, when McKenny's hand flashed downward, Tom streaked for the ball, instead of Schohari, his usual opponent. He measured his stride carefully and reached the ball in perfect kicking position.
He felt the satisfying thud against his foot, and saw the ball shoot out high in front of him and head for the goal line. It was a beautiful kick. But then, the ball suddenly sank, its flight altered by the action of the mercury. Running down field, Tom saw Swift and Allen meet the ball together. Allen blocked it with his chest and caromed it over to Swift. Swift let the ball drop to the ground, drawing his foot back to kick. But again, the mercury changed the ball's action, twisting it to one side and Swift's kick caught it on the side. Instead of the ball going down field, it veered to the left, in the path of Astro. Quickly getting his head under it, he shifted it to Roger, who streaked in and stopped it with his hip. But then, instead of passing ahead to Tom, who by now was down field and in the open, Roger prepared to kick for the goal himself.
Tom shouted a warning but it was too late. Schohari came rushing in behind him, and at running stride, met the ball squarely with his right foot. It sailed high inthe air and over thePolarisgoal line just as the whistle blew. The game was tied.
"That was some play, Manning," said Astro, when they were lined up waiting for the next period to begin.
"You asked for it," snapped Roger, "you were yapping at me to play, and now look what's happened!"
"Listen, you loudmouthed punk!" said Astro, advancing toward the smaller cadet, but just then the whistle blew and the three boys ran out onto the field.
TheArcturuscrew swept down the field quickly, heading for the ball and seemingly ignoring thePolarisunit. But Schohari slipped and fell on the grass which gave Tom a clear shot at the ball. He caught it with the side of his boot and passed it toward Roger. But Allen, at full speed, came in and intercepted, sending the ball in a crazy succession of twists, turns and bounces. The crowd came to its feet as all six cadets made desperate attempts to clear the skittering ball with none of them so much as touching it. This was the part of mercuryball that pleased the spectator. Finally, Schohari managed to get a toe on it and he sent it down field, but Astro had moved out to play defense. He stopped the ball on his shoulder and dropped it to the ground. Steadying it there, he waited until Tom was in the clear and kicked it forty yards to the mid-field stripe.
The crowd came to its feet, sensing this final drive might mean victory for thePolariscrew. The boys of theArcturusswarmed in—trying to keep Tom from scoring. With a tremendous burst of speed, Tom reached the ball ahead of Schohari, and with the strength of desperation, he slammed his foot against it. The whistle blew ending the game as the ball rose in an arc down the field and fell short of the goal by ten feet. There was a groan from the crowd.
But suddenly the ball, still reacting to the mercuryinside, spun like a top, rolled sideways, and as if it were being blown by a breeze, rolled toward the goal line and stopped six inches inside the white chalk line.
There was a moment's pause as the crowd and the players, stunned by the play, grasped what had happened. Then swelling into a roar, there was one word chanted over and over—"Polaris—Polaris—Polaris...."
ThePolarisunit had reached the finals of the Academy tournament.
During the intermission Charlie Wolcheck, unit commander of theCapellacrew, walked over to the refreshment unit behind the grandstand where Steve Strong, Dr. Dale and Commander Walters were drinking Martian water and eating spaceburgers.
"Afternoon, Commander," saluted Wolcheck. "Hello, Joan, Steve. Looks as though your boys on thePolarisare going to meet their match this afternoon. I've got to admit they're good, but with Tony Richards feeding passes to Al Davison and with the blocking of Scott McAvoy—" The young officer broke off with a grin.
"I don't know, Charlie," Commander Walters said with a wink to Dr. Dale. "From the looks of Cadet Astro, if he ever gets his foot on the ball, yourCapellaunit will have to go after it with a jet boat."
"Why, Commander," replied Wolcheck, laughing good-naturedly, "Tony Richards is one of the finest booters I've ever seen. Saw him make a goal from the sixty-yard line from a standstill."
Steve Strong waved a Martian water pop bottle at young Wolcheck in a gesture of friendly derision.
"Did you happen to see the play in the first period?" he boasted. "Manning took a perfect pass from Astro and scored. You're finished, Wolcheck, you and yourCapellaunit won't even come close. "
"From what I hear and see, Manning seems to be a little sore that he can't make all the scores himself," grinned Wolcheck slyly. "He wants to be the whole show!"
Strong reddened and turned to put the empty bottle on the counter, using it as an excuse to hide his feelings from the commander and Joan. So Wolcheck had observed Manning's attitude and play on the field too.
Before Strong could reply, a bugle sounded from the field and the group of Solar Guard officers returned to their seats for the final game of the tournament between theCapellaand thePolarisunits.
Out on the field Mike made his usual speech about playing fair and gave the cadets the routine instructions of the game, reminding them that they were spacemen first, unit-members second, and individuals third and last. The six boys shook hands and jogged down the field to take up their positions.
"How about concentrating on the passes Richards is going to feed to Davison," Tom asked his unit-mates. "Never mind blocking out Richards and McAvoy."
"Yeah," agreed Astro, "play for the ball. Sounds good to me."
"How about it, Roger?" asked Tom.
"Just play the game," said Roger. And then added sarcastically, "And don't forget to give them every chance to score. Let's play fair and square, the way we did with theArcturusunit."
"If you feel that way, Manning," answered Astro coldly, "you can quit right now! We'll handle theCapellaguys ourselves!"
Before Roger could answer, McKenny blew the ready whistle and the three boys lined up along the white chalk line preparing for the dash to the waiting ball.
The cadets in the stands were hushed. McKenny'shand swept up and then quickly down as he blew the whistle. The crowd came to its feet, roaring, as Tom, five steps from his own goal line, tripped and fell headlong to the grass, putting him out of the first play. Astro and Roger charged down the field, with Astro reaching the ball first. He managed a good kick, but Richards, three feet away, took the ball squarely on his chest. The mercuryball fell to the ground, spun in a dizzy circle and with a gentle tap by Richards, rolled to Davison, who took it in stride and sent it soaring for a forty-five-yard goal.
TheCapellaunit had drawn first blood.
"Well, hot-shot," snarled Roger back on the starting line, "what happened to the big pass-stealing idea?"
"I tripped, Manning," said Tom through clenched teeth.
"Yeah! Tripped!" sneered Roger.
The whistle blew for the next goal.
Tom, with an amazing burst of speed, swept down the field, broke stride to bring him in perfect line with the ball and with a kick that seemed almost lazy, sent the ball from a dead standstill, fifty yards over theCapellagoal before any of the remaining players were within five feet of it, and the score was tied.
The crowd sprang to its feet again and roared his name.
"That was terrific!" said Astro, slapping Tom on the back as they lined up again. "It looked as though you hardly kicked that ball at all."
"Yeah," muttered Roger, "you really made yourself the grandstand's delight!"
"What's that supposed to mean, Manning?" asked Astro.
"Superman Corbett probably burned himself out! Let's see him keep up that speed for the next ten minutes!"
The whistle blew for the next goal, and again the three boys moved forward to meet the onrushingCapellaunit.
Richards blocked Astro with a twist of his body, and without stopping his forward motion, kicked the ball squarely toward the goal. It stopped ten feet short, took a dizzying spin and rolled away from the goal line. In a flash, the six boys were around the ball, blocking, shoving, and yelling instructions to each other while at the same time kicking at the unsteady ball. With each grazing kick, the ball went into even more maddening spins and gyrations.
At last Richards caught it with the side of his foot, flipped it to McAvoy who dropped back, and with twenty feet between him and the nearestPolarismember, calmly booted it over the goal. The whistle blew ending the first period, and theCapellaunit led two to one.
During the next three periods, theCapellaunit worked like a well-oiled machine. Richards passed to Davison or McAvoy, and when they were too well guarded, played brilliantly alone. ThePolarisunit, on the other hand, appeared to be hopelessly outclassed. Tom and Astro fought like demons but Roger's lack of interest gave theCapellaunit the edge in play. At the end of the fourth period, theCapellateam led by three points, seven to four.
While the boys rested before the fifth and final period, Captain Strong, having watched the play with keen interest, realized that Roger was not playing up to his fullest capabilities. Suddenly he summoned a near-by Earthworm cadet, scribbled a message on a slip of paper and instructed the cadet to take it directly to Roger.
"Orders from the coach on the side lines?" asked Wolcheck as he noticed Strong's action.
"You might call it that, Charlie," answered Steve blandly.
On the field, the cadet messenger handed Roger the slip of paper, not mentioning that it was from Strong, and hurried back to the stands.
"Getting fan mail already?" asked Astro.
Roger ignored the comment and opened the slip of paper to read:
" ... It might interest you to know that the winning team of the mercuryball finals is to be awarded a first prize of three days' liberty in Atom City...." There was no signature.
Roger stared up into the stands and searched vainly for some indication of the person who might have sent him the note. The crowd hushed as McKenny stepped forward for the starting of the last period.
"What was in the note, Roger?" asked Tom.
"The winning combination," smiled Roger lazily. "Get set for the fastest game of mercuryball you've ever played, Corbett! We've got to pull this mess out of the fire!"
Bewildered, Tom looked at Astro who merely shrugged his shoulders and took his place ready for the whistle. Roger tucked the note into his shorts and stepped up to the line.
"Listen, Corbett," said Roger, "every time Richards gets the ball, he kicks it to his left, and then McAvoy feints as if to get it, leaving Davison in the open. When you go to block Davison, you leave Richards in the clear. He just keeps the ball. He's scored three times that way!"
"Yeah," said Tom, "I noticed that, but there was nothing I could do about it, the way you've been playing."
"Kinda late in the game for any new ideas, Manning,"growled Astro. "Just get the ball and pass it to me."
"That's my whole idea! Play back, Astro. Move like you're very tired, see? Then they'll forget about you and play three on two. You just be ready to kick and kick hard!"
"What's happened to you, Roger?" asked Tom. "What was in that note?"
Before Roger could answer, the whistle and the roar from the crowd signaled the beginning of the last period. The cadets raced down the field, Roger swerving to the left and making a feint at blocking Richards. He missed intentionally and allowed Richards to get the ball, who immediately passed to the left. McAvoy raced in on the ball, Tom made a move as if to block him, reversed, and startled the onrushing Richards with a perfect block. The ball was in the clear. Roger gave it a half kick and the ball landed two feet in front of Astro. The big cadet caught it perfectly on the first bounce and kicked it on a line across the goal, seventy yards away.
Up in the stands, Steve Strong smiled as he watched the score change on the board: "Capellaseven—Polarisfive!"
In rapid succession, thePolarisunit succeeded in intercepting the play of theCapellaunit and rolling up two goals to an even score. Now, there were only fifty-five seconds left to play.
The cadets in the stands roared their approval of the gallant effort made by the three members of thePolariscrew. It had been a long time since mercuryball had been played with such deadly accuracy at Space Academy and everyone who attended the game was to remember for years to come the last play of the game.
McKenny blew the whistle again and the boyscharged forward, but by now, aware of the sudden flash of unity on the part of the opposing team, theCapellaunit fought desperately to salvage at least a tie.
Tom managed to block a kick by Richards, and the ball took a dizzy hop to the left, landing in front of Astro. He was in the clear. The stands were in an uproar as the cadets saw that the game was nearly over. Astro paused a split second, judged the ball and stepped forward to kick. But the ball spun away, just as Astro swung his leg. And at that instant, McAvoy came charging in from the left, only to be blocked by Roger. But the force of McAvoy's charge knocked Roger back into Astro. Instead of kicking the ball, Astro caught Roger on the side of the head. Roger fell to the ground and lay still. He was knocked cold. Astro lost his balance, twisted on one leg unsteadily, and then fell to the ground. When he tried to get up, he couldn't walk. He had twisted his ankle.
TheCapellaunit members stood still, confused and momentarily unable to take advantage of their opportunity. Without a moment's hesitation, Tom swept in and kicked the ball before his opponents realized what had happened. The ball drifted up in a high arc and landed with several bounces, stopping five feet from the goal.
Suddenly Richards, McAvoy and Davison came alive and charged after Tom, who was running for the ball as fast as his weary legs would carry him. He saw Richards pull up alongside of him, then pass him. Then Davison and McAvoy closed in on either side to block and give Richards a clear shot back down the field and a certain score.
Richards reached the ball, stopped and carefully lined up his kick, certain that his teammates could block out Tom. But the young cadet, in a last desperate spurt, outraced both McAvoy and Davison. Then, as Richards cocked his foot to kick, Tom jumped. With amighty leaping dive, he sent his body hurtling headlong toward Richards just as he kicked. Tom's body crashed into the ball and Richards. The two boys went down in a heap but the ball caromed off his chest and rolled over the goal line.
The whistle blew ending the game.
In an instant, two thousand officers, cadets and enlisted men went wild as the ball rolled across the goal line.
ThePolariscrew had won eight goals to seven!
From every corner of the field, the crowd cheered the cadets who had finished the game, had won it in the final seconds with two of them sprawled on the field unconscious and a third unable to stand on his feet.
Up in the stands, Captain Strong turned to Commander Walters. He found it hard to keep his eyes from filling up as he saluted briskly.
"Captain Strong reporting, sir, on the success of thePolarisunit to overcome their differences and become a fighting unit! And I meanfight!"
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"Atom City Express now arriving on track two!" The voice boomed over the loud-speaker system; and as the long, gleaming line of monorail cars eased to a stop with a soft hissing of brakes, the three cadets of thePolarisunit moved eagerly in that direction.
"Atom City, here we come," cried Astro.
"We and a lot of others with the same idea," said Tom. And, in fact, there were only a few civilians in the crowd pressing toward the car doors. Uniforms predominated—the blue of the cadets, enlisted men in scarlet, even a few in the black and gold uniforms which identified the officers of the Solar Guard.
"Personally," whispered Tom to his friends, "the first thing I want to do at Atom City is take a long walk—somewhere where I won't see a single uniform."
"As for me," drawled Roger, "I'm going to find a stereo studio where they're showing a Liddy Tamal feature. I'll sit down in a front-row seat and just watch that girl act for about six hours."
He turned to Astro. "And how about you?"
"Why ... why ... I'll string along with you, Roger," said the cadet from Venus. "It's been a long time since I've seen a—a—"
Tom and Roger laughed.
"A what?" teased Tom .
"A—a—girl," sputtered Astro, blushing.
"I don't believe it," said Roger in mock surprise. "I never—"
"Come on," interrupted Tom. "Time to get aboard."
They hurried across the platform and entered the sleek car. Inside they found seats together and sank into the luxurious chairs.
Astro sighed gently, stretched out his long legs and closed his eyes blissfully for a few moments.
"Don't wake me till we get started," he said.
"We already have," returned Tom. "Take a look."
Astro's eyes popped open. He glanced through the clear crystal glass at the rapidly moving landscape.
"These express jobs move on supercushioned ball bearings," explained Tom. "You can't even feel it when you pull out of the station."
"Blast my jets!" marveled Astro. "I'd sure like to take a look at the power unit on this baby."
"Even on a vacation, all this guy can think about is power!" grumbled Roger.
"How about building up our own power," suggested Tom. "It's a long haul to Atom City. Let's get a bite to eat."
"O.K. with me, spaceboy!" Astro grinned. "I could swallow a whole steer!"
"That's a great idea, cadet," said a voice from behind them.
It came from a gray-haired man, neatly dressed in the black one-piece stylon suit currently in fashion, and with a wide red sash around his waist.
"Beg pardon, sir," said Tom, "were you speaking to us?"
"I certainly was," replied the stranger. "I'm asking you to be my guests at dinner. And while I may not be able to buy your friend a whole steer, I'll gladly get him a piece of one."
"Hey," said Astro, "do you think he means it?"
"He seems to," replied Tom. He turned to the stranger. "Thanks very much, sir, but don't think Astro was just kidding about his appetite."
"I'm sure he wasn't." The gray-haired man smiled, and came over and stretched out his hand. "Then it's a deal," he said. "My name's Joe Bernard."
"Bernard!" exclaimed Roger. He paled and glanced quickly at his two friends, but they were too busy looking over their new friend to notice.
"Glad to know you, sir," said Tom. "I'm Tom Corbett. This is Astro, from Venus. And over here is—"
"Roger's my name," the third cadet said quickly. "Won't you sit down, sir?"
"No use wasting time," said Bernard. "Let's go right into the dining car." The cadets were in no mood to argue with him. They picked up the small microphones beside their chairs and sent food orders to the kitchen; and by the time they were seated in the dining car, their orders were ready on the table.
Mr. Bernard, with a twinkle in his eye, watched them enjoy their food. In particular, he watched Astro.
"I warned you, sir," whispered Tom, as the Venusian went to work on his second steak.
"I wouldn't have missed this for anything," said Bernard. He smiled, lit a cigar of fine Mercurian leaf tobacco and settled back comfortably.
"And now," he said, "let me explain why I was so anxious to have dinner with you. I'm in the import-export business. Ship to Mars, mostly. But all my life I've wanted to be a spaceman."
"Well, what was the trouble, Mr. Bernard?" asked Roger.
The man in black sighed. "Couldn't take the acceleration, boys. Bad heart. I send out more than five hundred cargoes a year, to all parts of the solar system; butmyself, I've never been more than a mile off the surface of the earth."
"It sure must be disappointing—to want to blast off, and know that you can't," said Tom.
"I tried, once," said Bernard, with a rueful smile. "Yup! I tried." He gazed thoughtfully out the window.
"When I was your age, about twenty, I wanted to get into Space Academy worse than anybody I'd ever met." He paused. "Except for one person. A boyhood buddy of mine—named Kenneth—"
"Excuse me, sir," cut in Roger quickly, "but I think we'd better get back to our car. With this big liberty in front of us, we need a lot of rest."
"But, Roger!" exclaimed Tom.
Bernard smiled. "I understand, Roger. Sometimes I forget that I'm an old man. And when you've already tasted the excitement of space travel, talk like mine must seem rather dull." He stood up and faced the three cadets. "It's been very pleasant, Corbett, Astro, Roger. Now run along and get your rest. I'll just sit here for a while and watch the scenery."
"Thank you, sir," said Tom, "for the dinner—your company—and everything," he finished lamely.
There was a chorus of good-byes and the boys returned to their car. But there was little conversation now. Gradually, the lights in the cars dimmed to permit sleep. But Tom kept listening to the subdued click of the monorail—and kept wondering. Finally Roger, sleeping next to him, wakened for a moment.
"Roger," said Tom, "I want to ask you something."
"Wait'll the mornin'," mumbled Roger. "Wanta sleep."
"The way you acted with Bernard," Tom persisted. "You ate his dinner and then acted like he was poison. Why was that, Roger?"
The other sat bolt upright. "Listen," he said. "Listen!"Then he slumped back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Lemme sleep, Corbett. Lemme sleep, I tell you." He turned his back and in a moment was making sounds of deep slumber, but Tom felt sure that Roger was not asleep—that he was wide awake, with something seriously bothering him.
Tom leaned back and gazed out over the passing plains and up into the deep black of space. The Moon was full, large and round. He could distinguishMare Imbrium, the largest of Luna's flat plains visible from Earth, where men had built the great metropolis of Luna City. Farther out in the deep blackness, he could see Mars, glowing like a pale ruby. Before long he would be up there again. Before long he would be blasting off in thePolariswith Astro and with Roger—
Roger! Why had he acted so strangely at dinner?
Tom remembered the night he saw Roger in Galaxy Hall alone at night, and the sudden flash on the field a few days before when they had won the mercuryball game. Was there some reason behind his companion's strange actions? In vain, Tom racked his brain to find the answer. There had to be some explanation. Yet what could it possibly be? He tossed and turned and worried and finally—comfortable as the monorail car was—he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
Atom City! Built of the clear crystal mined so cheaply on Titan, moon of Saturn, Atom City had risen from a barren North American wasteland to become a show place of the universe. Here was the center of all space communications—a proud city of giant crystal buildings. Here had been developed the first slidewalks, air cars, three-dimensional stereos and hundreds of other ideas for better living.
And here at Atom City was the seat of the great Solar Alliance, housed in a structure which covered aquarter of a mile at its base and which towered three thousand noble feet into the sky.
The three cadets stepped out of the monorail and walked across the platform to a waiting air car—jet-powered, shaped like a teardrop and with a clear crystal top.
"We want the best hotel in town," said Astro grandly to the driver.
"And get this speed bug outa here in a hurry," Roger told him. "There's a lot we want to do."
The driver couldn't help smiling at the three cadets so obviously enjoying their first leave.
"We've got three top hotels," he said. "One's as good as the other. They're the Earth, the Mars and the Venus."
"The Earth," voted Tom.
"The Mars," shouted Roger.
"TheVenus!" roared Astro.
"All right," said the driver with a laugh, "make up your minds."
"Which of 'em is nearest the center of the city?" Tom asked.
"The Mars."
"Then blast off for Mars!" ordered Tom, and the air car shot away from the station and moved up into the stream of expressway traffic fifty feet above the ground.
As the little car sped along the broad avenue, Tom remembered how often, as a boy, he'd envied the Space Cadets who'd come to his home town of New Chicago on leave. Now herehewas—in uniform, with a three-day pass, and all of Atom City to enjoy it in.
A few minutes later the air car stopped in front of the Mars Hotel. The cadets saw the entrance loom before them—a huge opening, with ornate glass and crystal in many different colors.
They walked across the high-ceilinged lobby toward the desk. All around them, the columns that supported the ceiling were made of the clearest crystal. Their feet sank into soft, lustrous deep-pile rugs made of Venusian jungle grass.
The boys advanced toward the huge circular reception desk where a pretty girl with red hair waited to greet them.
"May I help you?" she asked. She flashed a dazzling smile.
"You're a lucky girl," said Roger. "It just so happens youcanhelp me. We'll have dinner together—just the two of us—and then we'll go to the stereos. After which we'll—"
The girl shook her head sadly. "I can see your friend's got a bad case of rocket shock," she said to Tom.
"That's right," Tom admitted. "But if you'll give us a triple room, we'll make sure he doesn't disturb anybody."
"Ah," said Roger, "go blow your jets!"
"I have a nice selection of rooms here on photo-slides if you'd care to look at them," the girl suggested.
"How many rooms in this hotel, Beautiful?" asked Roger.
"Nearly two thousand," answered the girl.
"And you have photo-slides of all two thousand?"
"Why, yes," answered the girl. "Why do you ask?"
"You and Astro go take a walk, Corbett," said Roger with a grin. "I'll select our quarters!"
"You mean," asked the girl, a little flustered, "you want to look at all the slides?"
"Sure thing, Lovely!" said Roger with a lazy smile.
"But—but that would take three hours!"
"Exactly my idea!" said Roger.
"Just give us a nice room, Miss," said Tom, cutting in. "And please excuse Manning. He's so smart, he gets alittle dizzy now and then. Have to take him over to a corner and revive him." He glanced at Astro, who picked Roger up in his arms and walked away with him as though he were a baby.
"Come on, you space Romeo!" said Astro.
"Hey—ouch—hey—lemme go, ya big ape. You're killing your best friend!" Roger twisted around in Astro's viselike grasp, to no avail.
"Space fever," explained Tom. "He'll be O.K. soon."
"I think I understand," said the girl with a nervous smile.
She handed Tom a small flashlight. "Here's your photoelectric light key for room 2305 F. That's on the two hundred thirtieth floor."
Tom took the light key and turned toward the slidestairs where Astro was holding Roger firmly, despite his frantic squirming.
"Hey, Tom," cried Roger, "tell this Venusian ape to let me go!"
"Promise to behave yourself?" asked Tom.
"We came here to have fun, didn't we?" demanded Roger.
"That doesn't mean getting thrown out of the hotel because you've got to make passes at every beautiful girl."
"What's the matter with beautiful girls?" growled Roger. "They're official equipment, like a radar scanner. You can't get along without them!"
Tom and Astro looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Come on, you jerk," said Astro, "let's get washed up. I wanta take a walk and get something to eat. I'm hungry again!"
An hour later, showered and dressed in fresh uniforms, thePolariscrew began a tour of the city. They went to the zoo and saw dinosaurs, a tyrannosaurus,and many other monsters extinct on Earth millions of years ago, but still breeding in the jungles of Tara. They visited the council chamber of the Solar Alliance where delegates from the major planets and from the larger satellites, such as Titan of Saturn, Ganymede of Jupiter, and Luna of Earth made the laws for the tri-planetary league. The boys walked through the long halls of the Alliance building, looking at the great documents which had unified the solar system.
They reverently inspected original documents of the Universal Bill of Rights and the Solar Constitution, which guaranteed basic freedoms of speech, press, religion, peaceful assembly and representative government. And even brash, irrepressible Roger Manning was awestruck as they tiptoed into the great Chamber of the Galactic Court, where the supreme judicial body of the entire universe sat in solemn dignity.
Later, the boys visited the Plaza de Olympia—a huge fountain, filled with water taken from the Martian Canals, the lakes of Venus and the oceans of Earth, and ringed by a hundred large statues, each one symbolizing a step in mankind's march through space.
But then, for the Space Cadets, came the greatest thrill of all—a trip through the mighty Hall of Science, at once a museum of past progress and a laboratory for the development of future wonders.
Thousands of experiments were being conducted within this crystal palace, and as Space Cadets, the boys were allowed to witness a few of them. They watched a project which sought to harness the solar rays more effectively; another which aimed to create a new type of fertilizer for Mars, so people of that planet would be able to grow their own food in their arid deserts instead of importing it all from other worlds. Other scientists were trying to adapt Venusian jungleplants to grow on other planets with a low oxygen supply; while still others, in the medical field, sought for a universal antibody to combat all diseases.
Evening finally came and with it time for fun and entertainment. Tired and leg weary, the cadets stepped on a slidewalk and allowed themselves to be carried to a huge restaurant in the heart of Atom City.
"Food," exulted Astro as the crystal doors swung open before them. "Smell it! Real, honest-to-gosh food!" He rushed for a table.
"Hold it, Astro," shouted Tom. "Take it easy."
"Yeah," added Roger. "It's been five hours since your last meal—not five weeks!"
"Meal!" snorted the Venusian cadet. "Call four spaceburgers a meal? And anyway, it's been six hours, not five."
Laughing, Tom and Roger followed their friend inside. Luckily, they found a table not far from the door, where Astro grabbed the microphone and ordered his usual tremendous dinner.
The three boys ate hungrily as course after course appeared on the middle of the table, via the direct shaft from the kitchen. So absorbed was Manning that he did not notice the approach of a tall dark young man of about his own age, dressed in the red-brown uniform of the Passenger Space Service. But the young man, who wore a captain's high-billed hat, suddenly caught sight of Roger.
"Manning," he called, "what brings you here?"
"Al James!" cried Roger and quickly got up to shake hands. "Of all the guys in the universe to show up! Sit down and have a bite with us."
The space skipper sat down. Roger introduced him to Tom and Astro. There was a round of small talk.
"Whatever made you become a Space Cadet, Roger?" asked James finally.
"Oh, you know how it is," said Roger. "You can get used to anything."
Astro almost choked on a mouthful of food. He shot a glance at Tom, who shook his head as though warning him not to speak.
James grinned broadly. "I remember how you used to talk back home. The Space Cadets were a bunch of tin soldiers trying to feel important. The Academy was a lot of space gas. I guess, now, you've changed your mind."
"Maybe I have," said Roger. He glanced uneasily at his two friends, but they pretended to be busy eating. "Maybe I have." Roger's eyes narrowed, his voice became a lazy drawl. "At that it's better'n being a man in a monkey suit, with nothing to do but impress the passengers and order around the crew."
"Wait a minute," said James. "What kind of a crack is that?"
"No crack at all. Just the way I feel about you passenger gents who don't know a rocket tube from a ray-gun nozzle."
"Look, Manning," returned James. "No need to get sore, just because you couldn't do any better than the Space Cadets."
"Blast off," shouted Roger, "before I fuse your jets."
Tom spoke up. "I think you'd better go, Captain."
"I've got six men outside," sneered the other. "I'll go when I'm ready."
"You're ready now," spoke up Astro. He stood up to his full height. "We don't want any trouble," the cadet from Venus said, "but we're not braking our jets to get away from it, either."
James took a good look at Astro's powerful frame. Without another word he walked away.
Tom shook his head. "That pal of yours is a real Space Cadet fan, isn't he, Roger?"
"Yeah," said Astro. "Just like Manning is himself."
"Look," said Roger. "Look, you guys—" He hesitated, as though intending to say something more, but then he turned back to his dinner. "Go on—finish your food," he growled. He bent over his plate and ate without lifting his eyes. And not another word was spoken at the table until a young man approached, carrying a portable teleceiver screen.
"Pardon me," he said. "Is one of you Cadet Tom Corbett?"
"Why—I am," acknowledged Tom.
"There's a call for you. Seems they've been trying to reach you all over Atom City." He placed the teleceiver screen on the table, plugged it into a floor socket and set the dials.
"Hope's there's nothing wrong at home," said Tom to his friends. "My last letter from Mom said Billy was messing around with a portable atom reactor and she was afraid he might blow himself up."
A picture began to take shape on the screen. "Migosh," said Astro. "It's Captain Strong."
"It certainly is," said the captain's image. "Having dinner, eh, boys? Ummmm—those baked shrimps look good."
"They're terrific," said Astro. "Wish you were here."
"Wish you could stay there," said Captain Strong.
"Oh, no!" moaned Astro. "Don't tell me!"
"Sorry, boys," came the voice from the teleceiver. "But that's it. You've got to return to the Academy immediately. The whole cadet corps has been ordered into space for special maneuvers. We blast off tomorrow morning at six hundred."
"But, sir," objected Tom, "we can't get a monorail until morning!"
"This is an official order, Corbett. So you have priority over all civilian transportation." The Solar Guardcaptain smiled. "I've tied up a whole bank of teleceivers in Atom City searching for you. Get back to Space Academy fast—commandeer an air car if you must, but be here by six hundred hours!" The captain waved a cheery good-bye and the screen went dark.
"Space maneuvers," breathed Astro. "The real thing."
"Yeah," agreed Tom. "Here we go!"
"Our first hop into deep space!" said Roger. "Let's get out of here!"
im127
"The following ships in Squadron A will blast off immediately," roared Commander Walters over the teleceiver. He looked up alertly from a chart before him in the Academy spaceport control tower. He began to name the ships. "Capella, orbital tangent—09834,Arcturus, orbital tangent—09835,Centauri, orbital tangent—09836,Polaris, orbital tangent—09837!"
Aboard the space cruiserPolaris, Tom Corbett turned away from the control board. "That's us, sir," he said to Captain Strong.
"Very well, Corbett." The Solar Guard captain walked to the ship's intercom and flipped on the switch.
"Astro, Roger, stand by!"
Astro and Roger reported in. Strong began to speak. "The cadet corps has been divided into squadrons of four ships each. We are command ship of Squadron A. When we reach free-fall space, we are to proceed as a group until eight hundred hours, when we are to open sealed orders. Each of the other seven squadrons will open their orders at the same time. Two of the squadrons will then act as invaders while the remaining six will be the defending fleet. It will be the invaders' job to reach their objective and the defenders' job to stop them."
"Spaceport control to rocket cruiserPolaris, your orbithas been cleared for blast-off...." The voice of Commander Walters interrupted Strong in his instructions and he turned back to Tom.
"Take over, Corbett."
Tom turned to the teleceiver. "Rocket cruiserPolaristo spaceport control."
" ... Blast off minus two—six hundred forty-eight...."
"I read you clear," said Tom. He clicked off the teleceiver and turned back to the intercom. "Stand by to raise ship! Control deck to radar deck. Do we have clear trajectory forward and up, Roger?"
"All clear forward and up," replied Roger.
"Control deck to power deck ... energize the cooling pumps!"
"Cooling pumps, aye," came from Astro.
The giant ship began to shudder as the mighty pumps on the power deck started their build.
Tom strapped himself into the pilot's seat and began checking the dials in front of him. Satisfied, he fastened his eyes on the sweep hand of the time clock. Above his head, the teleceiver screen brought him a clear picture of the Academy spaceport. He watched the giant cruisers take to the air one by one and rocket into the vastness of space.
The clock hand reached the ten-second mark.
"Stand by to raise ship!" Tom called into the intercom. The red hand moved steadily, inexorably. Tom reached for the master switch.
"Blast off minus—five—four—three—two—one—zero!"
Tom threw the switch.
The great ship hovered above the ground for a few moments. Then it heaved itself skyward, faster and ever faster, pushing the Earthmen deep into their acceleration cushions.
Reaching free-fall space, Tom flipped on the artificial-gravity generator. He felt its pull on his body, quickly checked all the instruments and turned to Captain Strong.
"Ship space-borne at six hundred fifty-three, sir."
"Very well, Corbett," replied Strong. "Check in with theArcturus,Capellaand theCentauri, form up on one another and assume a course that will bring you back over Academy spaceport at eight hundred hours, when we will open orders."
"Yes, sir," said Tom, turning back eagerly to the control board.
For nearly two hours the four rocket ships of Squadron A moved through space in a perfect arc, shaping up for the 0800 deadline. Strong made use of the time to check a new astrogation prism perfected by Dr. Dale for use at hyperspace speeds. Tom rechecked his instruments, then prepared hot tea and sandwiches in the galley for his shipmates.
"This is what I call service," said Astro. He stood stripped to the waist, a wide leather belt studded with assorted wrenches of various shapes and sizes strapped around his hips. In one hand he carried a wad of waste cotton with which he continually polished the surfaces of the atomic motors, while his eyes constantly searched the many gauges in front of him for the slightest sign of engine failure.
"Never mind bringing anything up to Manning. I'll eat his share."
Astro had deliberately turned the intercom on so Roger on the radar deck might hear. The response from that corner was immediate and emphatic.
"Listen, you rocket-headed grease monkey," yelled Roger. "If you so much as smell that grub, I'll come down and feed you into the reactant chamber!"
Tom smiled at Astro and turned to the ladder leadingup from the power deck. Passing through the control deck on the way to the radar bridge, he glanced at the clock. It was ten minutes to eight.
"Only one thing I'm worried about, Corbett," said Roger through a mouthful of sandwich.
"What's that?" asked Tom.
"Collision!" said Roger. "Some of these space-happy cadets might get excited, and I for one don't want to wind up as a flash in Earth's atmosphere!"
"Why, you have radar, to see anything that goes on."
"Oh, sure," said Roger, "I can keep this wagon outa their way, but will they stay outa mine? Why my father told me once—" Roger choked on his food and turned away to the radar screen.
"Well," said Tom after a moment, "whatdidyour father tell you?"
"Ah—nothing—not important. But I've got to get a cross-fix on Regulus before we start our little games."
Tom looked puzzled. Here was another of Roger's quick changes of attitude. What was it all about? But there was work to do, so Tom shrugged his shoulders and returned to the control deck. He couldn't forget what Roger had said about a collision, though.
"Excuse me, Captain," said Tom, "but have there been any serious collisions in space between ships?"
"Sure have, Tom," replied Strong. "About twenty years ago, maybe less, there was a whole wave of them. That was before we developed superrebound pulse radar. The ships were faster than the radar at close range."
Strong paused. "Why do you ask?"
Before Tom could answer, there was a sharp warning from the captain.
"Eight o'clock, Corbett!"
Tom ripped open the envelope containing the sealed orders. "Congratulations," he read. "You are in commandof the defenders. You have under your command, Squadrons A—B—C—D—E—F. Squadrons G and H are your enemies, and at this moment are on their way to attack Luna City. It is your job to protect it and destroy the enemy fleet. Spaceman's luck! Walters, Commander Space Academy, Senior Officer Solar Guard."
"Roger," yelled Tom, "we've been selected as flagship for the defenders! Get me a course to Luna City!"
"Good for us, spaceboy. I'll give you that course in a jiffy!"
" ...CapellatoPolaris—am standing by for your orders...." Tony Richards' voice crackled over the teleceiver. One by one the twenty-three ships that made up the defender's fleet checked in for orders.
"Astro," shouted Tom, "stand by for maneuver—and be prepared to give me every ounce of thrust you can get!"
"Ready, willing and able, Tom," replied Astro. "Just be sure those other space jockeys can keep up with me, that's all!"
Tom turned to Captain Strong.
"What do you think of approaching—"
Strong cut him off. "Corbett, you are in complete command. Take over—you're losing time talking to me!"
"Yes, sir!" said Tom. He turned back to the control board, his face flushed with excitement. Twenty-four ships to maneuver and the responsibility all his own. Via a chart projected on a screen, he studied various approaches to the Moon and Luna City. What would he do if he were in command of the invading fleet? He noticed the Moon was nearing a point where it would be in eclipse on Luna City itself. He studied the chart further, made several notations and turned to the teleceiver.
"Attention—attention—flagshipPolaristo SquadronsB and C—proceed to chart seven—sectors eight and nine. You will patrol those sectors. Attention Squadrons D and F—proceed to Luna City at emergency space speed, hover at one hundred thousand feet above Luna City spaceport and wait for further orders. Attention, ships three and four of Squadron F—you will proceed to chart six—sectors sixty-eight through seventy-five.