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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Revolt on Venus, by Carey Rockwell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Revolt on Venus
+
+Author: Carey Rockwell
+
+Illustrator: Louis Glanzman
+
+Release Date: August 11, 2006 [EBook #19027]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE REVOLT ON VENUS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Greg Weeks, LN Yaddanapudi and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE REVOLT ON VENUS
+
+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
+
+[Illustration: Frontispiece]
+
+A TOM CORBETT Space Cadet Adventure
+
+THE REVOLT ON VENUS
+
+By CAREY ROCKWELL
+
+WILLY LEY _Technical Adviser_
+
+GROSSET & DUNLAP _Publishers_ New York
+
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1954, BY
+ROCKHILL RADIO
+
+
+ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
+ILLUSTRATIONS BY LOUIS GLANZMAN
+
+PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
+
+    +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+    |                                                              |
+    |                      Transcriber's Note                      |
+    |                                                              |
+    |   The DP team has failed to uncover any evidence that the    |
+    |             copyright on this work was renewed.              |
+    |                                                              |
+    +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+_Frontispiece_
+
+"She tried to get farther into the cave"                 54
+
+They were completely surrounded by the jungle            57
+
+Astro kept his blaster aimed at the monsters            107
+
+His eyes probed the jungle for further movement         115
+
+"Mr. Sinclair!" cried Tom, suddenly relieved            161
+
+The Solar Guard troops landed on the rim of the canyon  189
+
+Sinclair wasn't able to get clear in time               210
+
+
+
+
+THE REVOLT ON VENUS
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 1
+
+
+"Emergency air lock open!"
+
+The tall, broad-shouldered officer, wearing the magnificent
+black-and-gold uniform of the Solar Guard, spoke into a small microphone
+and waited for an acknowledgment. It came almost immediately.
+
+"Cadet Corbett ready for testing," a voice crackled thinly over the
+loud-speaker.
+
+"Very well. Proceed."
+
+Seated in front of the scanner screen on the control deck of the rocket
+cruiser _Polaris_, Captain Steve Strong replaced the microphone in its
+slot and watched a bulky figure in a space suit step out of the air lock
+and drift away from the side of the ship. Behind him, five boys, all
+dressed in the vivid blue uniforms of the Space Cadet Corps, strained
+forward to watch the lone figure adjust the nozzles of the jet unit on
+the back of his space suit.
+
+"Come on, Tom!" said the biggest of the five boys, his voice a low,
+powerful rumble as he rooted for his unit mate.
+
+"If Tom makes this one," crowed the cadet next to him, a slender boy
+with a thick shock of close-cropped blond hair, "the _Polaris_ unit is
+home free!"
+
+"This is the last test, Manning," replied one of the remaining three
+cadets, the insigne of the _Arcturus_ unit on the sleeve of his uniform.
+"_If_ Corbett makes this one, you fellows deserve to win."
+
+Aboard the rocket cruiser _Polaris_, blasting through the black void of
+space two hundred miles above Earth, six Space Cadets and a Solar Guard
+officer were conducting the final test for unit honors for the term. All
+other Academy units had been eliminated in open competition. Now, the
+results of the individual space orientation test would decide whether
+the three cadets of the _Arcturus_ unit or the three cadets of the
+_Polaris_ unit would win final top unit honors.
+
+Roger Manning and Astro kept their eyes glued to the telescanner screen,
+watching their unit mate, Tom Corbett, drift slowly through space toward
+his starting position. The young cadet's task was basically simple; with
+his space helmet blacked out so that he could not see in any direction,
+he was to make his way back to the ship from a point a mile away, guided
+only by the audio orders from the examining officer aboard the ship. His
+score was measured by the time elapsed, and the amount of corrections
+and orders given by the examining officer. It was an exercise designed
+to test a cadet's steadiness under emergency conditions of space.
+
+The three members of the _Arcturus_ unit had completed their runs and
+had returned to the ship in excellent time. Roger and Astro had also
+taken their tests and now it depended on Tom. If he could return to the
+_Polaris_ in less than ten minutes, with no more than three corrections,
+the _Polaris_ unit would be victorious.
+
+Seated directly in front of the scanner, Captain Steve Strong, the
+examining officer, watched the space-suited figure dwindle to a mere
+speck on the screen. As the regular skipper of the _Polaris_ crew, he
+could not help secretly rooting for Tom, but he was determined to be
+fair, even to the extent of declaring the _Arcturus_ unit the winner,
+should the decision be very close. He leaned forward to adjust the focus
+on the scanner, bringing the drifting figure into a close-up view, and
+then lifted the microphone to his lips.
+
+"Stand by, Corbett!" he called. "You're getting close to range."
+
+"Very well, sir," replied Tom. "Standing by."
+
+Behind Strong, Roger and Astro looked at each other and turned back to
+the screen. As one, they crossed the fingers of both hands.
+
+"Ready, Corbett!" called Strong. "You'll be clocked from the second
+you're on range. One hundred feet--seventy-five--fifty--twenty-five
+--ten--_time_!"
+
+As the signal echoed in his blacked-out space helmet, Tom jerked his
+body around in a sudden violent move, and grasping the valve of the jet
+unit on his back, he opened it halfway. He waited, holding his breath,
+expecting to hear Captain Strong correct his course. He counted to ten
+slowly, and when no correction came over the headphones, he opened the
+valve wide and blindly shot through space.
+
+Aboard the Polaris, Astro and Roger shouted with joy and Strong could
+not repress a grin. The tiny figure on the scanner was hurtling straight
+for the side of the _Polaris_!
+
+As the image grew larger and larger, anxious eyes swiveled back and
+forth from the scanner screen to the steady sweeping hand of the
+chronometer. Roger bit his lip nervously, and Astro's hands trembled.
+
+When Tom reached a point five hundred feet away from the ship, Strong
+flipped open the audio circuit and issued his first order.
+
+"Range five hundred feet," he called. "Cut jets!"
+
+"You're already here, spaceboy!" yelled Roger into the mike, leaning
+over Strong's shoulder. The captain silenced him with a glare. No one
+could speak to the examinee but the testing officer.
+
+Tom closed the valve of his jet unit and blindly jerked himself around
+again to drift feet first toward the ship. Strong watched this approach
+closely, silently admiring the effortless way the cadet handled himself
+in weightless space. When Tom was fifty feet away from the ship, and
+still traveling quite fast, Strong gave the second order to break his
+speed. Tom opened the valve again and felt the tug of the jets braking
+his acceleration. He drifted slower and slower, and realizing that he
+was close to the hull of the ship, he stretched his legs, striving to
+make contact. Seconds later he felt a heavy thump at the soles of his
+feet, and within the ship there was the muffled clank of metal boot
+weights hitting the metal skin of the hull.
+
+"_Time!_" roared Strong and glanced at the astral chronometer over his
+head. The boys crowded around as the Solar Guard captain quickly
+computed Tom's score. "Nine minutes, fifty-one seconds, and two
+corrections," he announced, unable to keep the pride out of his voice.
+
+"We win! We win!" roared Roger. "Term honors go to the _Polaris_!"
+
+Roger turned around and began pounding Astro on the chest, and the giant
+Venusian picked him up and waltzed him around the deck. The three
+members of the _Arcturus_ unit waited until the first flush of victory
+died away and then crowded around the two boys to congratulate them.
+
+"Don't forget the cadet who did it," commented Strong dryly, and the
+five cadets rushed below to the jet-boat deck to wait for Tom.
+
+When Tom emerged from the air lock a few moments later, Roger and Astro
+swarmed all over him, and another wild dance began. Finally, shaking
+free of his well-meaning but violent unit mates, he grinned and gasped,
+"Well, from that reception, I guess I did it."
+
+"Spaceboy"--Roger smiled--"you made the _Arcturus_ unit look like three
+old men in a washtub counting toes!"
+
+"Congratulations, Corbett," said Tony Richards of the _Arcturus_ crew,
+offering his hand. "That was really fast maneuvering out there."
+
+"Thanks, Tony." Tom grinned, running his hand through his brown curly
+hair. "But I have to admit I was a little scared. Wow! What a creepy
+feeling to know you're out in space alone and not able to see anything."
+
+Their excitement was interrupted by Strong's voice over the ship's
+intercom. "Stand by, all stations!"
+
+"Here we go!" shouted Roger. "Back to the Academy--and leave!"
+
+"_Yeeeeooooow!_" Astro's bull-like roar echoed through the ship as the
+cadets hurried to their flight stations.
+
+As command cadet of the _Polaris_, Tom climbed up to the control deck,
+and strapping himself into the command pilot's seat, prepared to get
+under way. Astro, the power-deck cadet who could "take apart a rocket
+engine and put it back together again with his thumbs," thundered below
+to the atomic rockets he loved more than anything else in the universe.
+Roger Manning, the third member of the famed _Polaris_ unit, raced up
+the narrow ladder leading to the radar bridge to take command of
+astrogation and communications.
+
+While Captain Strong and the members of the _Arcturus_ unit strapped
+themselves into acceleration cushions, Tom conducted a routine check of
+the many gauges on the great control panel before him. Satisfied, he
+flipped open the intercom and called, "All stations, check in!"
+
+"Radar deck, aye!" drawled Roger's lazy voice.
+
+"Power deck, aye!" rumbled Astro.
+
+"Energize the cooling pumps!" ordered Tom.
+
+"Cooling pumps, aye!"
+
+The whine of the mighty pumps was suddenly heard, moaning eerily
+throughout the ship.
+
+"Feed reactant!"
+
+The sharp hiss of fuel being forced into the rocket engines rose above
+the whine of the pumps, and the ship trembled.
+
+"Stand by to blast," called Tom. "Standard space speed!"
+
+Instantly the _Polaris_ shot toward Earth in a long, curving arc.
+Moments later, when the huge round ball of the mother planet loomed
+large on the scanner screen, Roger's voice reported over the intercom,
+"Academy spaceport control gives us approach orbit 074 for touchdown on
+Ramp Twelve, Tom."
+
+"074 Ramp Twelve," repeated Tom. "Got it!"
+
+"Twelve!" roared Astro suddenly over the intercom. "Couldn't you make it
+closer to the Academy than that, Manning? We'll have to walk two miles
+to the nearest slidewalk!"
+
+"Too bad, Astro," retorted Roger, "but I guess if I had to carry around
+as much useless muscle and bone as you do, I'd complain too!"
+
+"I'm just not as lucky as you, Manning," snapped Astro quickly. "I don't
+have all that space gas to float me around."
+
+"Knock it off, fellows," interjected Tom firmly. "We're going into our
+approach."
+
+Lying on his acceleration cushion, Strong looked over at Tony Richards
+of the _Arcturus_ unit and winked. Richards winked and smiled back.
+"They never stop, do they, sir?"
+
+"When they do," replied Strong, "I'll send all three of them to sick bay
+for examination."
+
+"Two hundred thousand feet to Earth's surface," called Tom. "Stand by
+for landing operations."
+
+As Tom adjusted the many controls on the complicated operations panel of
+the ship, Roger and Astro followed his orders quickly and exactly. "Cut
+main drive rockets and give me one-half thrust on forward braking
+rockets!" ordered Tom, his eyes glued to the altimeter.
+
+The _Polaris_ shuddered under the sudden reverse in power, then began an
+upward curve, nose pointing back toward space. Tom barked another
+command. "Braking rockets full! Stand by main drive rockets!"
+
+The sleek ship began to settle tailfirst toward its destination--Space
+Academy, U.S.A.
+
+In the heart of a great expanse of cleared land in the western part of
+the North American continent, the cluster of buildings that marked Space
+Academy gleamed brightly in the noon sun. Towering over the green grassy
+quadrangle of the Academy was the magnificent Tower of Galileo, built of
+pure Titan crystal which gleamed like a gigantic diamond. With smaller
+buildings, including the study halls, the nucleonics laboratory, the
+cadet dormitories, mess halls, recreation halls, all connected by
+rolling slidewalks--and to the north, the vast area of the spaceport
+with its blast-pitted ramps--the Academy was the goal of every boy in
+the year A.D. 2353, the age of the conquest of space.
+
+Founded over a hundred years before, Space Academy trained the youth of
+the Solar Alliance for service in the Solar Guard, the powerful force
+created to protect the liberties of the planets. But from the beginning,
+Academy standards were so high, requirements so strict, that not many
+made it. Of the one thousand boys enrolled every year, it was expected
+that only twenty-one of them would become officers, and of this group,
+only seven would be command pilots. The great Solar Guard fleet that
+patrolled the space lanes across the millions of miles between the
+satellites and planets possessed the finest, yet most complicated,
+equipment in the Alliance. To be an officer in the fleet required a
+combination of skills and technical knowledge so demanding that eighty
+per cent of the Solar Guard officers retired at the age of forty.
+
+High over the spaceport, the three cadets of the _Polaris_ unit, happy
+over the prospect of a full month of freedom, concentrated on the task
+of landing the great ship on the Academy spaceport. Watching the
+teleceiver screen that gave him a view of the spaceport astern of the
+ship, Tom called into the intercom, "One thousand feet to touchdown. Cut
+braking rockets. Main drive full!"
+
+The thunderous blast of the rockets was his answer, building up into
+roaring violence. Shuddering, the great cruiser eased to the ground foot
+by foot, perfectly balanced on the fiery exhaust from her main tubes.
+
+Seconds later the giant shock absorbers crunched on the ramp and Tom
+closed the master switch cutting all power. He glanced at the astral
+chronometer over his head and then turned to speak into the audio log
+recorder. "Rocket cruiser _Polaris_ completed space flight one-seven-six
+at 1301."
+
+Captain Strong stepped up to Tom and clapped him on the shoulder.
+"Secure the _Polaris_, Tom, and tell Astro to get the reactant pile from
+the firing chamber ready for dumping when the hot-soup wagon gets here."
+The Solar Guard officer referred to the lead-lined jet sled that removed
+the reactant piles from all ships that were to be laid up for longer
+than three days. "And you'd better get over to your dorm right away,"
+Strong continued. "You have to get ready for parade and full Corps
+dismissal."
+
+Tom grinned. "Yes, sir!"
+
+"We're blasting off, sir," said Tony Richards, stepping forward with his
+unit mates. "Congratulations again, Corbett. I still can't figure out
+how you did it so quickly!"
+
+"Thanks, Tony," replied Tom graciously. "It was luck and the pressure of
+good competition."
+
+Richards shook hands and then turned to Strong. "Do I have your
+permission to leave the ship, sir?" he asked.
+
+"Permission granted," replied Strong. "And have a good leave."
+
+"Thank you, sir."
+
+The three _Arcturus_ cadets saluted and left the ship. A moment later
+Roger and Astro joined Strong and Tom on the control deck.
+
+"Well," said Strong, "what nonsense have you three planned for your
+leave? Try and see Liddy Tamal. I hear she's making a new stereo about
+the Solar Guard. You might be hired as technical assistants." He smiled.
+The famous actress was a favorite of the cadets. Strong waited. "Well,
+is it a secret?"
+
+"It was your idea, Astro," said Roger. "Go ahead."
+
+"Yeah," said Tom. "You got us into this."
+
+"Well, sir," mumbled Astro, turning red with embarrassment, "we're going
+to Venus."
+
+"What's so unusual about going to Venus?" asked Strong.
+
+"We're going hunting," replied Astro.
+
+"Hunting?"
+
+"Yes, sir," gulped the big Venusian. "For tyrannosaurus."
+
+Strong's jaw dropped and he sat down suddenly on the nearest
+acceleration cushion. "I expected something a little strange from you
+three whiz kids." He laughed. "It would be impossible for you to go home
+and relax for a month. But this blasts me! Hunting for a tyrannosaurus!
+What are you going to do with it after you catch it?" He paused and then
+added, "If you do."
+
+"Eat it," said Astro simply. "Tyrannosaurus steak is delicious!"
+
+Strong doubled with laughter at the seriousness of Astro's expression.
+The giant Venusian continued doggedly, "And besides, there's a bounty on
+them. A thousand credits for every tyranno head brought in. They're
+dangerous and destroy a lot of crops."
+
+Strong straightened up. "All right, all right! Go ahead! Have yourselves
+a good time, but don't take any unnecessary chances. I like my cadets to
+have all the arms and legs and heads they're supposed to have." He
+paused and glanced at his watch. "You'd better get hopping. Astro, did
+you get the pile ready for the soup wagon?"
+
+"Yes, sir!"
+
+"Very well, Tom, secure the ship." He came to attention. "Unit,
+_stand--to_!"
+
+The three cadets stiffened and saluted sharply.
+
+"Unit dismissed!"
+
+Captain Strong turned and left the ship.
+
+Hurriedly, Tom, Roger, and Astro checked the great spaceship and fifteen
+minutes later were racing out of the main air lock. Hitching a ride on a
+jet sled to the nearest slidewalk, they were soon being whisked along
+toward their quarters. Already, cadet units were standing around in
+fresh blues waiting for the call for final dress parade.
+
+At exactly fifteen hundred, the entire Cadet Corps stepped off with
+electronic precision for the final drill of the term. By threes, each
+unit marching together, with the _Polaris_ unit walking behind the
+standard bearers as honor unit, they passed the reviewing stand. Senior
+officers of the Solar Guard, delegates from the Solar Alliance, and
+staff officers of the Academy accepted their salute. Commander Walters
+stood stiffly in front of the stand, his heart filled with pride as he
+recognized the honor unit. He had almost washed out the _Polaris_ unit
+in the beginning of their Academy training.
+
+Major Lou Connel, Senior Line Officer of the Solar Guard, stepped
+forward when the cadets came to a stop and presented Tom, Roger, and
+Astro with the emblem of their achievement, a small gold pin in the
+shape of a rocket ship. He, too, had had his difficulties with the
+_Polaris_ unit, and while he had never been heard to compliment anyone
+on anything, expecting nothing but the best all the time, he
+nevertheless congratulated them heartily as he gave them their hard-won
+trophy.
+
+After several other awards had been presented, Commander Walters
+addressed the Cadet Corps, concluding with "... each of you has had a
+tough year. But when you come back in four weeks, you'll think this past
+term has been a picnic. And remember, wherever you go, whatever you do,
+you're Space Cadets! Act like one! But above all, have a good time!
+Spaceman's luck!"
+
+A cadet stepped forward quickly, turned to face the line of cadets, and
+held up his hands. He brought them down quickly and words of the Academy
+song thundered from a thousand voices.
+
+    "_From the rocket fields of the Academy
+    To the far-flung stars of outer space,
+    We're Space Cadets training to be
+    Ready for dangers we may face.
+
+    Up in the sky, rocketing past,
+    Higher than high, faster than fast,
+    Out into space, into the sun,
+    Look at her go when we give her the gun.
+
+    We are Space Cadets, and we are proud to say
+    Our fight for right will never cease.
+    Like a cosmic ray, we light the way
+    To interplanet peace!_"
+
+"_Dis_-missed!" roared Walters. Immediately the precise lines of cadets
+turned into a howling mob of eager boys, everyone seemingly running in a
+different direction.
+
+"Come on," said Roger. "I've got everything set! Let's get to the
+station ahead of the mob."
+
+"But what about our gear?" said Tom. "We've got to get back to the
+dorm."
+
+"I had it sent down to the station last night. I got the monorail
+tickets to Atom City last week, and reserved seats on the _Venus Lark_
+two weeks ago! Come on!"
+
+"Only Roger could handle it so sweetly," sighed Astro. "You know,
+hotshot, sometimes I think you're useful!"
+
+The three cadets turned and raced across the quadrangle for the nearest
+slidewalk that would take them to the Academy monorail station and the
+beginning of their adventure in the jungles of Venus.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 2
+
+
+"The situation may be serious and it may not, but I don't want to take
+any chances."
+
+Commander Walters sat in his office, high up in the Tower of Galileo,
+with department heads from the Academy and Solar Guard. Behind him, an
+entire wall made of clear crystal offered a breath-taking view of the
+Academy grounds. Before him, their faces showing their concern over a
+report Walters had just read, Captain Strong, Major Connel, Dr. Joan
+Dale, and Professor Sykes waited for the commanding officer of the
+Academy to continue.
+
+"As you know," said Walters, "the resolution passed by the Council in
+establishing the Solar Guard specifically states that it shall be the
+duty of the Solar Guard to investigate and secure evidence for the Solar
+Alliance Council of any acts by any person, or group of persons,
+suspected of overt action against the Solar Constitution or the
+Universal Bill of Rights. Now, based on the report I've just read to
+you, I would like an opinion from each of you."
+
+"For what purpose, Commander?" asked Joan Dale, the young and pretty
+astrophysicist.
+
+"To decide whether it would be advisable to have a full and open
+investigation of this information from the Solar Guard attaché on
+Venus."
+
+"Why waste time talking?" snapped Professor Sykes, the chief of the
+nucleonics laboratory. "Let's investigate. That report sounds serious."
+
+Major Connel leveled a beady eye on the little gray-haired man.
+
+"Professor Sykes, an investigation is serious. When it is based on a
+report like this one, it is doubly serious, and needs straight and
+careful thinking. We don't want to hurt innocent people."
+
+Sykes shifted around in his chair and glared at the burly Solar Guard
+officer. "Don't try to tell me anything about straight thinking, Connel.
+I know more about the Solar Constitution and the rights of our citizens
+than you'll know in ten thousand light years!"
+
+"Yeah?" roared Connel. "And with all your brains you'd probably find out
+these people are nothing more than a harmless bunch of colonists out on
+a picnic!"
+
+The professor shot out of his chair and waved an angry finger under
+Connel's nose. "And that would be a lot more than I'm finding out right
+now with that contraption of yours!" he shouted.
+
+Connel's face turned red. "So that's how you feel about my invention!"
+he snapped.
+
+"Yes, that's the way I feel about your invention!" replied Sykes hotly.
+"I know three cadets that could build that gadget in half the time it's
+taken you just to figure out the theory!"
+
+Commander Walters, Captain Strong, and Joan Dale were fighting to keep
+from laughing at the hot exchange between the two veteran spacemen.
+
+"They sound like the _Polaris_ unit," Joan whispered to Strong.
+
+Walters stood up. "Gentlemen! Please! We're here to discuss a report on
+the activities of a secret organization on Venus. I will have to ask you
+to keep to the subject at hand. Dr. Dale, do you have any comments on
+the report?" He turned to the young physicist who was choking off a
+laugh.
+
+"Well, Commander," she began, still smiling, "the report is rather
+sketchy. I would like to see more information before any real decision
+is made."
+
+Walters turned to Strong. "Steve?"
+
+"I think Joan has the right idea, sir," he replied. "While the report
+indicates that a group of people on Venus are meeting regularly and
+secretly, and wearing some silly uniform, I think we need more
+information before ordering a full-scale investigation."
+
+"He's right, Commander," Connel broke in. "You just can't walk into an
+outfit and demand a look at their records, books, and membership index,
+unless you're pretty sure you'll find something."
+
+"Send a man from here," Strong suggested. "If you use anyone out of the
+Venus office, he might be recognized."
+
+"Good idea," commented Sykes.
+
+Joan nodded. "Sounds reasonable."
+
+"How do you feel about it, Connel?" asked Walters.
+
+Connel, still furious over Sykes's comment on his spectrum recorder,
+shot an angry glance at the professor. "I think it's fine," he said
+bluntly. "Who're you going to send?"
+
+Walters paused before answering. He glanced at Strong and then back at
+Connel. "What about yourself?"
+
+"Me?"
+
+"Why not?" continued Walters. "You know as much about Venus as anyone,
+and you have a lot of friends there you can trust. Nose around a while,
+see what you can learn, unofficially."
+
+"But what about my work on the spectrum recorder?" asked Connel.
+
+"That!" snorted Sykes derisively. "Huh, that can be completed any time
+you want to listen to some plain facts about--"
+
+"I'll never listen to anything you have to say, you dried-up old neutron
+chaser!" blasted Connel.
+
+"Of course not," cackled Sykes. "And it's the same bullheaded
+stubbornness that'll keep you from finishing that recorder."
+
+"I'm sorry, gentlemen," said Walters firmly. "I cannot allow personal
+discussions to interfere with the problem at hand. How about it, Connel?
+Will you go to Venus?"
+
+Lou Connel was the oldest line officer in the Solar Guard, having
+recommended the slightly younger Walters for the post of commandant of
+Space Academy and the Solar Guard so that he himself could escape a desk
+job and continue blasting through space where he had devoted his entire
+life. While Walters had the authority to order him to accept the
+assignment, Connel knew that if he begged off because of his work on the
+recorder, Walters would understand and offer the assignment to Strong.
+He paused and then growled, "When do I blast off?"
+
+Walters smiled and answered, "As soon as we contact Venus headquarters
+and tell them to expect you."
+
+"Wouldn't it be better to let me go without any fanfare?" mused the
+burly spaceman. "I could just take a ship and act as though I'm on some
+kind of special detail. As a matter of fact, Higgleston at the Venusport
+lab has some information I could use."
+
+"Anything Higgleston could tell you," interjected Sykes, "I can tell
+you! You're just too stubborn to listen to me."
+
+Connel opened his mouth to blast the professor in return, but he caught
+a sharp look from Walters and he clamped his lips together tightly.
+
+"I guess that's it, then," said Walters. "Anyone have any other ideas?"
+He glanced around the room. "Joan? Steve?"
+
+Dr. Dale and Captain Strong shook their heads silently. Strong was
+disappointed that he had not been given the assignment on Venus. Four
+weeks at the deserted Academy would seem like living in a graveyard.
+Walters sensed his feelings, and smiling, he said, "You've been going
+like a hot rocket this past year, Steve. I have a specific assignment
+for you."
+
+"Yes, sir!" Strong looked up eagerly.
+
+"I want you to go to the Sweet Water Lakes around New Chicago--"
+
+"Yes, sir?"
+
+"--go to my cabin--"
+
+"Sir?"
+
+"--_and go fishing_!"
+
+Strong grinned. "Thanks, skipper," he said quietly. "I guess I could use
+a little relaxation. I was almost tempted to join Corbett, Manning, and
+Astro. They're going hunting in the jungle belt of Venus for a
+tyrannosaurus!"
+
+"Blast my jets!" roared Connel. "Those boys haven't killed themselves in
+line of duty, so they go out and tangle with the biggest and most
+dangerous monster in the entire solar system!"
+
+"Well," said Joan with a smile, "I'll put my money on Astro against a
+tyranno any time, pound for pound!"
+
+"Hear, hear!" chimed in Sykes, and forgetting his argument with Connel,
+he turned to the spaceman. "Say, Lou," he said, "when you get to Venus
+tell Higgy I said to show you that magnetic ionoscope he's rigging up.
+It might give you some ideas."
+
+"Thanks," replied Connel, also forgetting the hot exchange of a few
+minutes before. He stood up. "I'll take the _Polaris_, Commander. She's
+the fastest ship available with automatic controls for a solo hop."
+
+"She's been stripped of her reactant pile, Major," said Strong. "It'll
+take a good eighteen hours to soup her up again."
+
+"I'll take care of it," said Connel. "Are there any specific orders,
+Commander?"
+
+"Use your own judgment, Lou," said Walters. "You know what we want and
+how far to go to get it. If you learn anything, we'll start a full-scale
+investigation. If not, we'll forget the whole matter and no one will get
+hurt."
+
+"And the Solar Guard won't get a reputation of being nosy," added
+Strong.
+
+Connel nodded. "I'll take care of it." He shook hands all around, coming
+to Sykes last. "Sorry I lost my temper, Professor," he said gruffly.
+
+"Forget it, Major." Sykes smiled. He really admired the gruff spaceman.
+
+The thick-set senior officer came to smart attention, saluted crisply,
+turned, and left the office. For the time being, the mysterious trouble
+on Venus was his responsibility.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"Atom City express leaving on Track Four!"
+
+A metallic voice boomed over the station loud-speaker, as last-minute
+passengers boarded the long line of gleaming white monorail cars,
+hanging from a single overhead steel rail. In the open doorway of one
+of the end cars, a conductor lifted his arm, then paused and waited
+patiently as three Space Cadets raced down the stairs and along the
+platform in a headlong dash for the train. They piled inside, almost one
+on top of the other.
+
+"Thanks for waiting, sir," gasped Tom Corbett.
+
+"Not at all, Cadet," said the conductor. "I couldn't let you waste your
+leave waiting for another train."
+
+The elderly man flipped a switch in the narrow vestibule and the door
+closed with a soft hiss of air. He inserted a light key into a near-by
+socket and twisted it gently, completing a circuit that flashed the "go"
+light in the engineer's cab. Almost immediately, the monorail train
+eased forward, suspended on the overhead rail. By the time the last
+building of Space Academy flashed past, the train was rolling along at
+full speed on its dash across the plains to Atom City.
+
+The ride to the great metropolis of the North American continent was
+filled with excitement and anticipation for the three members of the
+_Polaris_ crew. The cars were crowded with cadets on leave, and while
+there was a lot of joking and horseplay, the few civilian passengers
+were impressed with the gentlemanly bearing of the young spacemen. Tom
+and Roger finally settled down to read the latest magazines supplied by
+the monorail company. But Astro headed for the dining car where he
+attracted a great deal of attention by his order of a dozen eggs,
+followed by two orders of waffles and a full quart of milk. Finally,
+when the dining-car steward called a halt, because it was closing time,
+Astro made his way back to Tom and Roger with a plastic bag of French
+fried potatoes, and the three boys sat, munching them happily. The
+countryside flashed by in a blur of summer color as the train roared on
+at a speed of two hundred miles an hour.
+
+A few hours and four bags of potatoes later, Astro yawned and stretched
+his enormous arms, nearly poking Roger in the eye.
+
+"Hey, ya big ape!" growled Roger. "Watch the eye!"
+
+"You'd never miss it, Manning," said Astro. "Just use your radar."
+
+"Never mind, I like this eye just the way it is."
+
+"We're almost there," called Tom. He pointed out the crystal window and
+they could see the high peaks of the Rocky Mountain range looming ahead.
+"We cut through the new tunnel in those mountains and we'll be in Atom
+City in ten minutes!"
+
+There was a bustle of activity around them as other cadets roused
+themselves and collected their gear. Once again conversation became
+animated and excited as the train neared its destination. Flashing into
+the tunnel, the line of cars began to slow down, rocking gently.
+
+"We'd better go right out to the spaceport," said Tom, pulling his gear
+out of the recessed rack under his seat. "Our ship blasts off for Venus
+in less than a half-hour."
+
+"Boy, it'll be a pleasure to ride a spaceship without having to
+astrogate," said Roger. "I'll just sit back and take it easy. Hope there
+are some good-looking space dolls aboard."
+
+Tom turned to Astro. "You know, Astro," he said seriously, "it's a good
+thing we're along to take care of this Romeo. If he were alone, he'd
+wind up in another kind of hunt."
+
+"I'd like to see how Manning's tactics work on a female dasypus
+novemcinctur maximus," said Astro with a sly grin.
+
+"A female what?" yelled Roger.
+
+"A giant armadillo, Roger," Tom explained, laughing. "Very big and very
+mean when they don't like you. Don't forget, everything on Venus grows
+big because of the lighter gravity."
+
+"Yeah," drawled Roger, looking at Astro. "Big and dumb!"
+
+"What was that again?" bellowed the giant Venusian, reaching for the
+flip cadet. The next moment, Roger was struggling futilely, feet kicking
+wildly as Astro held him at arm's length six inches off the floor. The
+cadets in the car roared with laughter.
+
+"Atom City!" a voice over the intercar communicator boomed and the boys
+looked out the window to see the towering buildings of Atom City slowly
+slide by. The train had scarcely reached a full stop when the three
+cadets piled out of the door, raced up the slidestairs, and jumped into
+a jet cab. Fifteen minutes later they marched up to one of the many
+ticket counters of the Atom City Interplanetary Spaceport.
+
+"Reservations for Cadets Corbett, Manning, and Astro on the _Venus
+Lark_, please," announced Tom.
+
+The girl behind the counter ran her finger down a passenger manifest,
+nodded, and then suddenly frowned. She turned back to Tom and said, "I'm
+sorry, Cadet, but your reservations have been pre-empted by a priority
+listing."
+
+"Priority!" roared Roger. "But I made those reservations two weeks ago.
+If there was a change, why didn't you tell us before?"
+
+"I'm sorry, sir," said the girl patiently, "but according to the
+manifest, the priority call just came in a few hours ago. Someone
+contacted Space Academy, but you had already left."
+
+"Well, is there another ship for Venusport today?"
+
+"Yes," she replied and picked up another manifest. Glancing at it
+quickly, she shook her head. "There are no open reservations," she said.
+"I'm afraid the next flight for Venusport with open reservations isn't
+for four days."
+
+"Blast my jets!" growled Roger disgustedly. "Four days!" He sat down on
+his gear and scowled. Astro leaned against the desk and stared gloomily
+at the floor. At that moment a young man with a thin face and a strained
+intense look pushed Tom to one side with a curt "Excuse me!" and stepped
+up to the desk.
+
+"You're holding three reservations on the _Venus Lark_," he spoke
+quickly. "Priority number four-seven-six, S.D."
+
+Tom, Roger, and Astro looked at him closely. They saw him nervously pay
+for his tickets and then walk away quickly without another look at the
+ticket girl.
+
+"Were those our seats, miss?" asked Tom. The girl nodded.
+
+The three cadets stared after the young man who had bumped them off
+their ship.
+
+"The symbol S.D. on the priority stands for Solar Delegate," said Roger.
+"Maybe he's a messenger."
+
+The young man was joined by two other men also dressed in Venusian
+clothing, and after a few words, they all turned and stepped onto the
+slidewalk rolling out to the giant passenger ship preparing to blast
+off.
+
+"This is the most rocket-blasting bit of luck in the universe!" growled
+Roger. "Four days!"
+
+"Cheer up, Roger," said Tom. "We can spend the four days in Atom City.
+Maybe Liddy Tamal is here. We can follow Captain Strong's suggestion."
+
+"Even she doesn't make four days delay sound exciting," interrupted
+Roger. "Come on. We might as well go back to town or we won't even get a
+room."
+
+He picked up his gear and walked back to the jet cab-stand. Astro and
+Tom followed the blond-haired cadet glumly.
+
+The stand was empty, but a jet cab was just pulling up to the platform
+with a passenger. As the boys walked over to wait at the door, it opened
+and a familiar figure in a black-and-gold uniform stepped out.
+
+"Captain Strong!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Corbett!" exclaimed Strong. "What are you doing here? I thought you
+were aboard the _Venus Lark_."
+
+"We were bumped out of our reservation by an S.D. priority," said Astro.
+
+"And we can't get out of here for another four days," added Roger
+glumly.
+
+Strong sympathized. "That's rough, Astro." He looked at the three dour
+faces and then said, "Would you consider getting a free ride to Venus?"
+
+The three cadets looked up hopefully.
+
+"Major Connel's taking the _Polaris_ to Venus to complete some work with
+Professor Higgleston in the Venus lab," explained Strong. "If you can
+get back to the Academy before he blasts off, he might give you a ride."
+
+"No, thanks!" said Roger. "I'd rather sit here."
+
+"Wait a minute, Roger," said Tom. "We're on leave, remember? And it's
+only a short hop to Venus."
+
+"Yeah, hotshot," added Astro. "We'll get to Venus faster than the _Venus
+Lark_, and save money besides."
+
+"O.K.," said Roger. "I guess I can take him for a little while."
+
+Strong suppressed a smile. Roger's reluctance to go with Connel was well
+founded. Any cadet within hailing distance of the hard-bitten spaceman
+was likely to wind up with a bookful of demerits.
+
+"Are you on an assignment, sir?" asked Tom.
+
+"Vacation," said Strong. "Four weeks of fishing at Commander Walters'
+cabin at Sweet Water Lakes."
+
+"If you pass through New Chicago," said Tom, "you would be welcome to
+stop in at my house. Mom and Dad would be mighty happy to meet you. And
+I think Billy, my kid brother, would flip a rocket."
+
+"Thank you, Tom. I might do that if I have time." He looked at his
+watch. "You three had better hurry. I'd advise taking a jetcopter back
+to the Academy. You might not make it if you wait for a monorail."
+
+"We'll do that, sir," said Tom.
+
+The three boys threw their gear into the waiting cab and piled in.
+Strong watched them roar away, frowning in thought. An S.D. priority,
+the highest priority in space, was used only by special couriers on
+important missions for one of the delegates. He shrugged it off.
+"Getting to be as suspicious as an old space hen," he said to himself.
+"Fishing is what I need. A good fight with a trout instead of a space
+conspiracy!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 3
+
+
+"Blast off--minus--five--four--three--two--one--_zero_!"
+
+As the main drive rockets blasted into life, Tom fell back in his seat
+before the control panel of the _Polaris_ and felt the growing thrust as
+the giant ship lifted off the ground, accelerating rapidly. He kept his
+eyes on the teleceiver screen and saw Space Academy fall away behind
+them. On the power deck Astro lay strapped in his acceleration cushion,
+his outstretched hand on the emergency booster rocket switch should the
+main rockets fail before the ship could reach the free fall of space. On
+the radar bridge Roger watched the far-flung stars become brighter as
+the rocket ship hurtled through the dulling layers of the atmosphere.
+
+As soon as the ship reached weightless space, Tom flipped on the gravity
+generators and put the _Polaris_ on her course to Venus. Almost
+immediately the intercom began to blast.
+
+"Now hear this!" Major Connel's voice roared. "Corbett, Manning, and
+Astro! I don't want any of your space-blasted nonsense on this trip! Get
+this ship to Venusport in the shortest possible time without burning out
+the pump bearings. And, Manning--!"
+
+"Yes, sir," replied the blond-haired cadet.
+
+"If I so much as hear one wisecrack between you and that overgrown
+rocket jockey, Astro, I'll log both of you twenty-five demerits!"
+
+"I understand, sir," acknowledged Roger lazily. "I rather appreciate
+your relieving me of the necessity of speaking to that space ape!"
+
+Listening to their voices on the control deck, Tom grinned and waited
+expectantly. He wasn't disappointed.
+
+"Ape!" came a bull-like roar from the power deck. "Why, you skinny
+moth-eaten piece of space junk--"
+
+"Cadet Astro!"
+
+"Yes, sir?" Astro was suddenly meek.
+
+"If you say one more word, I'll bury you in demerits!"
+
+"But, sir--"
+
+"No _buts_!" roared Connel. "And you, Manning--!"
+
+"Yes, sir?" chimed in Roger innocently.
+
+"Keep your mouth shut!"
+
+"Very well, sir," said Roger.
+
+"Corbett?"
+
+"Yes, sir?"
+
+"I'm putting you in charge of monitoring the intercom. If those two
+space idiots start jabbering again, call me. That's an order! I'll be in
+my quarters working." Connel switched off abruptly.
+
+"You hear that, fellows?" said Tom. "Knock it off."
+
+"O.K., Tom," replied Roger, "just keep him out of my sight."
+
+"That goes for me, too," added Astro. "Ape! Just wait till I--"
+
+"Astro!" Tom interrupted sharply.
+
+"O.K., O.K.," groaned the big cadet.
+
+Glancing over the panel once more and satisfying himself that the ship
+was functioning smoothly, Tom sighed and settled back in his seat,
+enjoying the temporary peace and solitude. It had been a tough year,
+filled with intensive study in the quest for an officer's commission in
+the Solar Guard. Space Academy was the finest school in the world, but
+it was also the toughest. The young cadet shook his head, remembering a
+six-weeks' grind he, Roger, and Astro had gone through on a nuclear
+project. Knowing how to operate an atomic rocket motor was one thing,
+but understanding what went on inside the reactant pile was something
+else entirely. Never had the three cadets worked harder, or more closely
+together. But Astro's thorough, practical knowledge of basic nucleonics,
+combined with Roger's native wizardry at higher mathematics, and his own
+understanding of the theory, had enabled them to pull through with a
+grade of seventy-two, the highest average ever made by a cadet unit not
+specializing in physics.
+
+As the ship rocketed smoothly through the airless void of space toward
+the misty planet of Venus, Tom made another quick but thorough check of
+the panel, and then returned to his reflections on the past term. It had
+been particularly difficult since they had missed many valuable hours of
+classroom work and study because of their adventure on the new colony of
+Roald (as described in _The Space Pioneers_), but they had come through
+somehow. He shook his head wondering how they had made it. Forty-two
+units had washed out during the term. Instead of getting easier, the
+courses of study were getting more difficult all the time, and in his
+speech on the parade grounds, Commander Walters had promised--
+
+"Emergency!"
+
+Roger's voice over the intercom brought Tom out of his reverie sharply.
+
+"All hands," continued the cadet on the radar bridge hurriedly, "secure
+your stations and get to the jet-boat deck on the double! Emergency!"
+
+As the sharp clang of the emergency alarm rang out, Tom did not stop to
+question Roger's sudden order. Neutralizing all controls, he leaped for
+the hatch leading below. Taking the ladder four steps at a time, Tom saw
+Major Connel tear out of his quarters. The elder spaceman dived for the
+ladder himself, not stopping to ask questions. He was automatic in his
+reliance on the judgment of others. The few seconds spent in talk could
+mean the difference between life and death in space where you seldom got
+a second chance.
+
+Tom and Connel arrived on the jet-boat deck to find Astro already
+preparing the small space craft for launching. As they struggled into
+space suits, Roger appeared. In answer to their questioning looks, he
+explained laconically, "Unidentifiable object attached to ship on fin
+parallel to steering vanes. Thought we'd better go outside first and
+examine later."
+
+Connel nodded his mute agreement, and thirty seconds later the tiny jet
+boat was blasting out of the escape lock into space.
+
+Circling around the ship to the stern, the jet boat, under Major
+Connel's sure touch, stopped fifty feet from the still glowing, exhaust
+tubes. He and the three cadets stared out at a small metallic boxlike
+object attached to the underside of the stabilizer fin.
+
+"What do you suppose it is?" asked Astro.
+
+"I don't know," replied Roger, "but it sure doesn't belong there. That's
+why I rang the emergency on you."
+
+"You were absolutely right, Manning," asserted Connel. "If it's
+harmless, we can always get back aboard and nothing's been lost except a
+little time." He rose from the pilot's seat and stepped toward the
+hatch. "Come with me, Corbett. We'll have a look. And bring the
+radiation counter along."
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!"
+
+Tom reached into a near-by locker, and pulling out a small, rectangular
+box with a round hornlike grid in its face, plunged out of the hatch
+with Major Connel and blasted across the fifty-foot gap to the
+stabilizer fin of the _Polaris_.
+
+Connel gestured toward the object on the fin. "See if she's hot,
+Corbett."
+
+The young cadet pressed a small button on the counter and turned the
+horn toward the mysterious box. Immediately the needle on the dial above
+the horn jumped from white to pink and finally red, quivering against
+the stop pin.
+
+"Hot!" exclaimed Tom. "She almost kicked the pin off!"
+
+"Get off the ship!" roared Connel. "It's a fission bomb with a time
+fuse!"
+
+Tom dove at the box and tried to pull it off the stabilizer, but Major
+Connel grabbed him by the arm and wrenched him out into space.
+
+"You space-blasted idiot!" Connel growled. "That thing's liable to go
+off any second! Get away from here!"
+
+With a mighty shove, the spaceman sent Tom flying out toward the jet
+boat and then jumped to safety himself. Within seconds he and the young
+cadet were aboard the jet boat again and, not stopping to answer Astro's
+or Roger's questions, he jammed his foot down hard on the acceleration
+lever, sending the tiny ship blasting away from the _Polaris_.
+
+Not until they were two miles away from the stricken rocket ship did
+Connel bring the craft to a stop. He turned and gazed helplessly at the
+gleaming hull of the _Polaris_.
+
+"So they know," he said bitterly. "They're trying to stop me from even
+reaching Venus."
+
+The three cadets looked at each other and then at the burly spaceman,
+bewilderment in their eyes.
+
+"What's this all about, sir?" Roger finally asked.
+
+"I'm not at liberty to tell you, Manning," replied Connel. "Though I
+want to thank you for your quick thinking. How did you happen to
+discover the bomb?"
+
+"I was sighting on Regulus for a position check and Regulus was dead
+astern, so when I swung the periscope scanner around, I spotted that
+thing stuck to the fin. I didn't bother to think about it, I just
+yelled."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Glad you did," nodded Connel and turned to stare at the _Polaris_
+again. "Now I'm afraid we'll just have to wait until that bomb goes
+off."
+
+"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Tom.
+
+"Not a blasted thing," replied Connel grimly. "Thank the universe we
+shut off all power. If that baby had blown while the reactant was
+feeding into the firing chambers, we'd have wound up a big splash of
+nothing."
+
+"This way," commented Astro sourly, "it'll just blast a hole in the side
+of the ship."
+
+"We might be able to repair that," said Tom hopefully.
+
+"There she goes!" shouted Roger.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Staring out the windshield, they saw a sudden blinding flash of light
+appear over the stern section of the _Polaris_, a white-hot blaze of
+incandescence that made them flinch and crouch back.
+
+"By the craters of Luna!" exclaimed Connel.
+
+Before their eyes they saw the stabilizer fin melt and curl under the
+intense heat of the bomb. There was no sound or shock wave in the vacuum
+of space, but they all shuddered as though an overwhelming force had
+swept over them. Within seconds the flash was gone and the _Polaris_ was
+drifting in the cold blackness of space! The only outward damage visible
+was the twisted stabilizer, but the boys realized that she must be a
+shambles within.
+
+"I guess we'll have to wait a while before we go back aboard. There
+might be radioactivity around the hull," Roger remarked.
+
+"I don't think so," said Tom. "The _Polaris_ was still coasting when we
+left her. We cut out the drive rockets, but we didn't brake her. She's
+probably drifted away from the radioactivity already."
+
+"Corbett's right," said Connel. "A hot cloud would be a hundred miles
+away by now." He pressed down on the acceleration lever and the jet boat
+eased toward the ship. Edging cautiously toward the stern of the
+spaceship, they saw the blasted section of the fin already cooling in
+the intense cold of outer space.
+
+"Think I'd better call a Solar Guard patrol ship, sir?" asked Roger.
+
+"Let's wait until we check the damage, Manning," replied Connel.
+
+"Yeah," chimed in Astro grimly, "if I can help it, I'm going to bring
+the _Polaris_ in." He paused and then added, "If I have to carry her on
+my back."
+
+As soon as a quick check with the radiation counter showed them that the
+hull was free of radioactivity, Major Connel and the three cadets
+re-entered the ship.
+
+While the lack of atmosphere outside had dissipated the full force of
+the blast, the effect on the inside of the ship, where Earth's air
+pressure was maintained, was devastating. Whole banks of delicate
+machinery were torn from the walls and scattered over the decks. The
+precision instruments of the inner hull showed no signs of leakage, and
+the oxygen-circulating machinery could still function on an auxiliary
+power hookup.
+
+Completing the quick survey of the ship, Major Connel realized that they
+would never be able to continue their flight to Venus and instructed
+Roger to contact the nearest Solar Guard patrol ship to pick them up.
+
+"The _Polaris_ will have to be left in space," continued Connel, "and a
+maintenance crew will be sent out to see if she can be repaired. If they
+decide it isn't worth the labor, they'll junk her here in space."
+
+The faces of the three cadets fell.
+
+"But there's no real damage on her power deck, sir," said Astro. "And
+the hull is in good shape, except for the stabilizer fin and some of the
+stern plates. Why, sometimes a green Earthworm unit will crack a fin on
+their first touchdown."
+
+"And the radar deck can be patched up easy, sir," spoke up Roger. "With
+some new tubes and a few rolls of wire I could have her back in shape in
+no time."
+
+"That goes for the control deck, too!" said Tom doggedly. Then, after a
+quick glance at his unit mates, he faced Connel squarely. "I think it
+goes without saying, sir, that we'd appreciate it very much if you could
+recommend that she be restored instead of junked."
+
+Connel allowed himself a smile in the face of such obvious love for the
+ship. "You forget that to repair her out in space, the parts have to be
+hauled from Venus. But I'll see what I can do. Meantime, Roger, see if
+you can't get that patrol ship to give us a lift to Venusport. Tell the
+C.O. I'm aboard and on urgent official business."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Roger.
+
+"And," continued the spaceman, noticing the downcast looks of Tom and
+Astro, "it wouldn't hurt if you two started repairing as much as you
+can. So when the maintenance crew arrives, they won't find her in such a
+mess."
+
+"Yes, sir!" chorused the two cadets happily.
+
+Connel returned to his quarters and sat down heavily in the remains of
+his bunk, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Somehow, word had gotten out
+that he was going to check on the secret organization on Venus and
+someone had made a bold and desperate attempt to stop him before he
+could get started. It infuriated him to think that anyone would
+interrupt official business. As far as Connel was concerned, nothing
+came before official business. And he was doubly furious at the danger
+to the three cadets, who had innocently hitched a ride on what was
+almost a death ship. Someone was going to pay, Connel vowed, clenching
+his huge fists--and pay dearly.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 4
+
+
+"_Yeeooowww!_"
+
+Roaring with jubilation and jumping high in the air at every other step,
+Astro raced out of the gigantic maintenance hangar at the Venusport
+spaceport and charged at his two unit mates waiting on the concrete
+apron.
+
+"Everything's O.K.," he yelled, throwing his arms around them. "The
+_Polaris_ is going to be brought in for full repairs! I just saw the
+audiograph report from the maintenance chief!"
+
+Tom and Roger broke into loud cheers and pounded each other on the back.
+
+"Great Jupiter," gasped Roger, "I feel as though I've been sitting up
+with a sick friend!"
+
+"Your friend's going to make a full recovery," asserted Astro.
+
+"Did you see Major Connel?" asked Tom.
+
+"Yeah," said Astro. "I think he had a lot to do with it. I saw him
+talking to the head maintenance officer."
+
+"Well, now that we've sweated the old girl through the crisis," asserted
+Roger, "how's about us concentrating on our vacation?"
+
+"Great," agreed Tom. "This is your party, Astro. Lead the way."
+
+The three cadets left the spaceport in a jet cab and rode happily into
+the city of Venusport. As they slid along the superhighway toward the
+first and largest of the Venusian cities, Astro pointed out the sights.
+Like slim fingers of glass, the towering Titan crystal buildings of the
+city arose before them, reaching above the misty atmosphere to catch the
+sunlight.
+
+"Where do we get our safari gear, Astro?" asked Roger.
+
+"In the secondhand shops along Spaceman's Row," replied the big
+Venusian. "We can get good equipment down there at half the price."
+
+The cab turned abruptly off the main highway and began twisting through
+a section of the city shunned by the average Venusian citizen.
+Spaceman's Row had a long and unsavory history. For ten square blocks it
+was the hide-out and refuge of the underworld of space. The grimy stores
+and shadowy buildings supplied the needs of the countless shadowy
+figures who lived beyond the law and moved as silently as ghosts.
+
+Leaving the jet cab, the three cadets walked along the streets, past the
+cheaply decorated store fronts and dingy hallways, until they finally
+came to a corner shop showing the universal symbol of the pawnshop:
+three golden balls. Tom and Roger looked at Astro who nodded, and they
+stepped inside.
+
+The interior of the shop was filthy. Rusted and worn space gear was
+piled in heaps along the walls and on dusty counters. An old-fashioned
+multiple neon light fixture cast an eerie blue glow over everything.
+Roger grimaced as he looked around. "Are you sure we're in the right
+place, Astro?"
+
+Tom winked. Roger had a reputation for being fastidious.
+
+"This is it," nodded Astro. "I know the old geezer that runs this
+place. Nice guy. Name's Spike." He turned to the back of the shop and
+bawled, "Hey, Spike! Customers!"
+
+Out of the gloomy darkness a figure emerged slowly. "Yeah?" The man
+stepped out into the pale light. He dragged one foot as he walked.
+"Whaddaya want?"
+
+Astro looked puzzled. "Where's Spike?" he asked. "Doesn't Spike Freyer
+own this place?"
+
+"He died a couple months ago. I bought him out just before." The
+crippled man eyed the three cadets warily. "Wanna buy something?"
+
+Astro looked shocked. "Spike, dead? What happened?"
+
+"How should I know," snarled the little man. "I bought him out and he
+died a few weeks later. Now, you wanna buy something or not?"
+
+"We're looking for jungle gear," said Tom, puzzled by the man's strange
+belligerence.
+
+"Jungle gear?" the man's eyes widened. "Going hunting?"
+
+"Yeah," supplied Roger. "We need complete outfits for three. But you
+don't look like you have them. Let's go, fellas." He turned toward the
+door, anxious to get out into the open air.
+
+"Just a minute! Just a minute, Cadet," said the proprietor eagerly.
+"I've got some fine hunting gear here! A little used, but you won't mind
+that! Save you at least half on anything you'd buy up in the city." He
+started toward the back of the store and then paused. "Where you going
+hunting?"
+
+"Why?" asked Tom.
+
+"So I'll know what kind of gear you need. Light--heavy--kind of guns--"
+
+"Jungle belt in the Eastern Hemisphere," supplied Astro.
+
+"Big game?" asked the man.
+
+"Yeah. Tyrannosaurus."
+
+"Tyranno, eh?" nodded the little man. "Well, now, you'll need heavy
+stuff for that. I'd say at least three heavy-duty paralo-ray pistols for
+side arms, and three shock rifles. Then you'll need camping equipment,
+synthetics, and all the rest." He counted the items off on grubby little
+fingers.
+
+"Let's take a look at the blasters," said Tom.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Right this way," said the man. He turned and limped to the rear of the
+shop, followed by the three cadets. Opening a large cabinet, he pulled
+out a heavy rifle, a shock gun that could knock out any living thing at
+a range of a thousand yards, and stun the largest animal at twice the
+distance.
+
+"This blaster will knock the scales off any tyranno that you hit," he
+said, handing the weapon over to Tom who expertly broke it down and
+examined it.
+
+As Tom checked the gun, the proprietor turned to the other cadets
+casually.
+
+"Why would three cadets want to go into that section of the jungle
+belt?"
+
+"We just told you," said Roger. "We're hunting tyranno."
+
+"Uh, yes, of course." He turned away and pulled three heavy-duty
+paralo-ray pistols out of the cabinet. "Now these ray guns are the
+finest money can buy. Standard Solar Guard equipment...."
+
+"Where did you get them?" demanded Roger sharply.
+
+"Well, you know how it is, Cadet." The man laughed. "One way or another,
+we get a lot of gear. A man is discharged from the Solar Guard and he
+can keep his equipment, then he gets hard up for a few credits and so he
+comes to me."
+
+Tom closed the shock rifle and turned to Astro. "This gun is clean
+enough. Think it can stop a tyranno, Astro?"
+
+"Sure," said the big cadet confidently. "Easy."
+
+"O.K.," announced Tom, turning back to the proprietor. "Give us the rest
+of the stuff."
+
+"And watch your addition when you make out the bill," said Roger
+blandly. "We can add, too."
+
+A half-hour later the three cadets stood in front of the shop with all
+the gear they would need and hailed a jet cab. They stowed their newly
+purchased equipment inside and started to climb in as Astro announced,
+"Spaceport, driver!"
+
+"Huh?" Roger paused. "Why back there?"
+
+"How do you think we're going to get to the jungle belt?" asked Astro.
+"Walk?"
+
+"Well, no, but--"
+
+"We have to rent a jet launch," said Astro. "Or try to buy a used one
+that we can sell back again. Pile in, now!"
+
+As the cab shot away from the curb with the three cadets, the proprietor
+of the pawnshop stepped out of the doorway and watched it disappear, a
+puzzled frown on his face. Quickly he re-entered the shop, and limping
+to a small locker in the rear, opened it, exposing the screen of a
+teleceiver. He flipped on the switch, tuned it carefully, and in a
+moment the screen glowed to life.
+
+"Hello, this is the shop," called the little man. "Lemme speak to Lactu!
+This is urgent!" As he waited he stared out through the dirty window to
+the street where the cadets had been a moment before and he smiled
+thinly.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Arriving at the spaceport, Astro led his unit mates to a privately owned
+repair hangar and dry dock where wealthier Venusian citizens kept their
+space yachts, jet-powered craft, and small runabouts. Astro opened the
+door to the office with a bang, and a young girl, operating an automatic
+typewriter, looked up.
+
+"Astro!" she cried. "How wonderful to see you!"
+
+"Hiya, Agnes," replied Astro shyly. The big cadet was well known and
+liked at the repair hangar. His early life had been spent in and around
+the spaceport. First just listening to the stories of the older spacemen
+and running errands for them, then lending a helping hand wherever he
+could, and finally becoming a rigger and mechanic. This all preceded his
+years as an enlisted spaceman and his eventual appointment to Space
+Academy. His big heart and honesty, his wild enthusiasm for any kind of
+rocket power had won him many friends.
+
+"Is Mr. Keene around?" asked Astro.
+
+"He's with a customer right now," replied Agnes. "He'll be out in a
+minute." Her eyes swept past Astro to Tom and Roger who were standing in
+the doorway. "Who are your friends?"
+
+"Oh, excuse me!" mumbled Astro. "These are my unit mates, Cadet Corbett
+and Cadet Manning."
+
+Before Tom could acknowledge the introduction, Roger stepped in front of
+him and sat on the edge of the desk. Looking into her eyes, he
+announced, "Tell you what, Astro, you and Tom go hunting. I've found all
+I could ever want to find right here. Tell me, my little space pet, are
+you engaged for dinner tonight?"
+
+Agnes looked back into his eyes innocently. "As a matter of fact I am."
+Then, grinning mischievously, she added, "But don't let that stop you."
+
+"I wouldn't let a tyranno stop me," bragged the blond-haired cadet.
+"Tell me who your previous engagement is with and I'll get rid of him in
+nothing flat!"
+
+The girl giggled and looked past Roger. He turned to see a tall, solidly
+built man in coveralls scowling at him.
+
+"Friend of yours, Agnes?" the newcomer asked.
+
+"Friend of Astro's, Roy," said Agnes. "Cadet Manning, I'd like you to
+meet my brother, Roy Keene."
+
+Roger jumped up and stuck out his hand. "Oh--er--ah--how do you do,
+sir?"
+
+"Quite well, Cadet," replied Keene gruffly, but with a slight twinkle in
+his eye. He turned to Astro and gripped the big cadet's hand solidly.
+"Well, Astro, it's good to see you. How's everything going at Space
+Academy?"
+
+"Swell, sir," replied Astro, and after introducing Tom and bringing
+Keene up to date on his life history, he explained the purpose of their
+visit. "We're on summer leave, sir, and we'd like to go hunting
+tyrannosaurus. But what we need most right now is a jet boat. We'd like
+to rent one, or if you've got something cheap, we'd buy it."
+
+Keene rubbed his chin. "I'm afraid I can't help you, Astro. There's
+nothing available in the shop right now. I'd lend you my Beetle, but one
+of the boys has it out on a three-day repair job."
+
+Astro's face fell. "Oh, that's too bad." He turned to Tom and Roger.
+"Well, we could drop in from a stratosphere cruiser and then work our
+way back to the nearest colony in three or four weeks."
+
+"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Keene. "I've got an idea." He turned and
+called to a man standing on the other side of the hangar, studying a
+radar scanner for private yachts. "Hey, Rex, mind coming over here a
+minute."
+
+The man walked over. He was in his late thirties, tall and
+broad-shouldered, his hair was almost snow-white, contrasting sharply
+with his deeply tanned and handsome features.
+
+"This is the _Polaris_ unit from Space Academy, Rex," said Keene. "Boys,
+meet Rex Sinclair." After the introductions were completed, Keene
+explained the cadets' situation. Sinclair broke into a smile. "It would
+be a pleasure to have you three boys as my guests!"
+
+"Guests!" exclaimed Tom.
+
+Sinclair nodded. "I have a plantation right on the edge of the jungle
+belt. Things get pretty dull down there in the middle of the summer. I'd
+be honored if you'd use my home as a base of operations while you hunt
+for your tyrannosaurus. As a matter of fact, you'd be helping me out.
+Those brutes destroy a lot of my crops and we have to go after them
+every three or four years."
+
+"Well, thanks," said Tom, "but we wouldn't want to impose. We'd be happy
+to pay you--"
+
+Sinclair held up his hand. "Wouldn't think of it. Do you have your
+gear?"
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Astro. "Arms, synthetics, the works. Everything but
+transportation."
+
+"Well, that's sitting out on the spaceport. That black space yacht on
+Ramp Three." Sinclair smiled. "Get your gear aboard and make yourselves
+at home. I'll be ready to blast off in half an hour."
+
+Astro turned to Keene. "Thanks a lot, sir. It was swell of you to set us
+up this way."
+
+Keene slapped him on the shoulder. "Go on. Have a good time."
+
+Shaking hands all around and saying quick good-bys, the three boys
+hurried out to stow their gear aboard Sinclair's luxurious space yacht.
+While Roger and Tom relaxed in the comfortable main cabin, Astro hurried
+below to inspect the power deck.
+
+Roger laughed as the big cadet disappeared down the hatch. "That guy
+would rather play with a rocket tube than do anything else in the
+universe!"
+
+"Yes," said Tom. "He's a real lucky guy."
+
+"How?"
+
+"Ever meet anyone that didn't love that big hick?"
+
+"Nope," said Roger with a sly grin. "And that goes for me too! But don't
+you ever tell him!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Major Connel had been waiting to see the Solar Alliance Delegate from
+Venus for three hours. And Major Connel didn't like to wait for anyone
+or anything. He had read every magazine in the lavish outer office atop
+the Solar Guard Building in downtown Venusport, drunk ten glasses of
+water, and was now wearing a path in the rug as he paced back and forth
+in front of the secretary who watched him shyly.
+
+The buzzer on the desk finally broke the silence and the girl answered
+quickly as Connel stopped and glared at her expectantly. She listened
+for a second, then replacing the receiver, turned to the seething Solar
+Guard officer and smiled sweetly. "Delegate James will see you now,
+Major."
+
+"Thank you," said Connel gruffly, trying hard not to take his impatience
+out on the pretty girl. He stepped toward an apparently solid wall that
+suddenly slid back as he passed a light beam and entered the spacious
+office of E. Philips James, Venusian Delegate to the Grand Council of
+the Solar Alliance.
+
+E. Philips James was a small man, with small hands that were moving
+nervously all the time. His head was a little too large for his narrow
+body that was clothed in the latest fashion, and his tiny black mustache
+was carefully trimmed. As Connel stalked into the room, James bounced
+out of his chair to meet him, smiling warmly.
+
+"Major Connel! How delightful to see you again," he said, extending a
+perfumed hand.
+
+"You could have seen me a lot sooner," growled Connel. "I've been
+sitting outside for over three hours!"
+
+James lifted one eyebrow and sat down without making any comment. A true
+diplomat, E. Philips James never said anything unless it was absolutely
+necessary. And when he spoke, he never really said very much. He sat
+back and waited patiently for Connel to cool off and get to the point of
+his call.
+
+In typical fashion, Connel jumped to it without any idle conversational
+prologue. "I'm here on a security assignment. I need confidential
+information."
+
+"Just one moment, Major," said James. He flipped open his desk intercom
+and called to his secretary outside. "Record this conversation, please."
+
+"Record!" roared Connel. "I just told you this was secret!"
+
+"It will be secret, Major," assured James softly. "The record will go
+into the confidential files of the Alliance for future reference. A
+precaution, Major. Standard procedure. Please go on."
+
+Connel hesitated, and then, shrugging his shoulders, continued, "I want
+to know everything you know about an organization here on Venus known as
+the Venusian Nationalists."
+
+James's expression changed slightly. "Specific information, Major? Or
+just random bits of gossip?"
+
+"No rocket wash, Mr. James. Information. Everything you know!"
+
+"I don't know why you've come to me," replied James, visibly annoyed at
+the directness of the rough spaceman. "I know really very little."
+
+"I'm working under direct orders of Commander Walters," said Connel
+grimly, "who is also a delegate to the Solar Council. His position as
+head of the Solar Guard is equal to yours in every respect. This request
+comes from his office, not out of my personal curiosity."
+
+"Ah, yes, of course, Major," replied James. "Of course."
+
+The delegate rose and walked over to the window, seemingly trying to
+collect his thoughts. After a moment he turned back. "Major, the
+organization you speak of is, so far as I know, an innocent group of
+Venusian farmers and frontier people who meet regularly to exchange
+information about crops, prices, and the latest farming methods. You
+see, Major"--James's voice took on a slightly singsong tone, as though
+he were making a speech--"Venus is a young planet, a vast new world,
+with Venusport the only large metropolis and cultural center. Out in
+the wilderness, there are great tracts of cultivated land that supply
+food to the planets of the Solar Alliance and her satellites. We are
+becoming the breadbasket of the universe, you might say." James smiled
+at Connel, who did not return the smile.
+
+"Great distances separate these plantations," continued James. "Life is
+hard and lonely for the Venusian plantation owner. The Venusian
+Nationalists are, to my knowledge, no more than a group of landowners
+who have gotten together and formed a club, a fraternity. It's true they
+speak the Venusian dialect, these groups have taken names from the old
+Venusian explorers, but I hardly think it is worth while investigating."
+
+"Do they have a headquarters?" Connel asked. "A central meeting place?"
+
+"So far as I know, they don't. But Al Sharkey, the owner of the largest
+plantation on Venus, is the president of the organization. He's a very
+amiable fellow. Why don't you talk to him?"
+
+"Al Sharkey, eh?" Connel made a mental note of the name.
+
+"And there's Rex Sinclair, a rather stubborn individualist who wrote to
+me recently complaining that he was being pressured into joining the
+organization."
+
+"What kind of pressure?" asked Connel sharply.
+
+James held up his hand. "Don't get me wrong, Major. There was no
+violence." The delegate suddenly became very businesslike. "I'm afraid
+that's all the information I can give you, Major." He offered his hand.
+"So nice to see you again. Please don't hesitate to call on me again for
+any assistance you feel we can give you."
+
+"Thank you, Mr. James," said Connel gruffly and left the office, a frown
+creasing his forehead. Being a straightforward person himself, Major
+Connel could not understand why anyone would hesitate about answering a
+direct question. He didn't for a moment consider the delegate anything
+but an intelligent man. It was the rocket wash that went with being a
+diplomat that annoyed the ramrod spaceman. He shrugged it off. Perhaps
+he would find out something from Al Sharkey or the other plantation
+owner, Rex Sinclair.
+
+When he crossed the slidewalk and waited at the curb for a jet cab,
+Connel suddenly paused and looked around. He felt a strange excitement
+in the air--a kind of tension. The faces of passing pedestrians seemed
+strained, intense, their eyes were glowing, as though they all were in
+on some huge secret. He saw groups of men and women sitting in open
+sidewalk cafés, leaning over the table to talk to each other, their
+voices low and guarded. Connel shivered. He didn't like it. Something
+was happening on Venus and he had to find out what it was before it was
+too late.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 5
+
+
+"Wow!" exclaimed Roger.
+
+"Jumping Jupiter!" commented Tom.
+
+"Blast my jets!" roared Astro.
+
+Rex Sinclair smiled as he maneuvered the sleek black space yacht in a
+tight circle a thousand feet above the Titan crystal roof of his
+luxurious home in the heart of the wild Venusian jungle.
+
+"She's built out of Venusian teak," said Sinclair. "Everything but the
+roof. I wanted to keep the feeling of the jungle around me, so I used
+the trees right out of the jungle there." He pointed to the sea of dense
+tropical growth that surrounded the house and cleared land.
+
+The ship nosed up for a thousand yards and then eased back, smoothly
+braked, to a concrete ramp a thousand yards from the house. The
+touchdown was as gentle as a falling leaf, and when Sinclair opened the
+air lock, a tall man in worn but clean fatigues was waiting for them.
+
+"Howdy, Mr. Sinclair," he called, a smile on his lined, weather-beaten
+face. "Have a good trip?"
+
+"Fine trip, George," replied Sinclair, climbing out of the ship. "I want
+you to meet some friends of mine. Space Cadets Tom Corbett, Roger
+Manning, and Astro. They're going to stay with us during their summer
+leave while they hunt for tyranno. Boys, this is my foreman, George
+Hill."
+
+The boys shook hands with the thick-set, muscular man, who smiled
+broadly. "Glad to meet you, boys. Always wanted to talk to someone from
+the Academy. Wanted to go there myself but couldn't pass the physical.
+Bad eyes."
+
+Reaching into the ship, he began lifting out their equipment. "You chaps
+go on up to the house now," he said. "I'll take care of your gear."
+
+With Sinclair leading the way, the boys slowly walked up a flagstone
+path toward the house, and they had their first chance to see a Venusian
+plantation home at close range.
+
+The Sinclair house stood in the middle of a clearing more than five
+thousand yards square. At the edges, like a solid wall of green
+vegetation, the Venusian jungle rose more than two hundred feet. It was
+noon and the heat was stifling. They were twenty-six million miles
+closer to the sun, and on the equator of the misty planet. While Astro,
+George, and Sinclair didn't seem to mind the temperature, Tom and Roger
+were finding it unbearable.
+
+"Can you imagine what it'll be like in the house with that crystal
+roof!" whispered Roger.
+
+"I'll bet," replied Tom. "But as soon as the sun drops out of the
+zenith, it should cool off some."
+
+When the group stepped up onto the porch, two house servants met them
+and took their gear. Then Sinclair and the foreman ushered the cadets
+inside. They were surprised to feel a distinct drop in temperature.
+
+"Your cooling unit must be pretty large, Mr. Sinclair," commented Tom,
+looking up at the crystal roof where the sun was clearly visible.
+
+Sinclair smiled. "That's special crystal, mined on Titan at a depth of
+ten thousand feet. It's tinted, and shuts out the heat and glare of the
+sun."
+
+George then left to lay out their gear for their first hunt the next
+morning, and Sinclair took them on a tour of the house. They walked
+through long corridors looking into all the rooms, eventually winding up
+in the kitchen, and the three boys marveled at the simplicity yet
+absolute perfection of the place. Every modern convenience was at hand
+for the occupant's comfort. When the sun had dropped a little, they all
+put on sunglasses with glareproof eye shields and walked around the
+plantation. Sinclair showed them his prize-winning stock and the vast
+fields of crops. Aside from the main house, there were only four other
+buildings in the clearing. They visited the smallest, a cowshed.
+
+"Where do your field hands live, Mr. Sinclair?" asked Tom, as they
+walked through the modern, spotless, milking room.
+
+"I don't have any," replied the planter. "Do most of the work with
+machinery, and George and the houseboys do what has to be done by hand."
+
+As they left the shed and started back toward the main house they came
+abreast of a small wooden structure. Thinking they were headed there,
+Roger started to open the door.
+
+"Close that door!" snapped Sinclair. Roger jerked back. Astro and Tom
+looked at the planter, startled by the sharpness in his voice.
+
+Sinclair smiled and explained, "We keep some experiments on different
+kinds of plants in there at special low temperatures. You might have let
+in hot air and ruined something."
+
+"I'm sorry, sir," said Roger. "I didn't know."
+
+"Forget it," replied the planter. "Well, let's get back to the house.
+We're having an early dinner. You boys have to get started at four
+o'clock in the morning."
+
+"Four o'clock!" exclaimed Roger.
+
+"Why?" asked Tom.
+
+"We have to go deep into the thicket," Astro explained, using the local
+term for the jungle, "so that at high noon we can make camp and take a
+break. You can't move out there at noon. It gets so hot you'd fall on
+your face after fifteen minutes of fighting the creepers."
+
+"Everything stops at noon," added Sinclair. "Even the tyrannosaurus. You
+have to do your traveling in the cool of the day, early and late. Six
+hours or so will take you far enough away from the plantation to find
+tracks, if there are any."
+
+"Tell me, Mr. Sinclair," asked Roger suddenly, "is this the whole
+plantation?" He spread his hands in a wide arc, taking in the clearing
+to the edge of the jungle.
+
+Sinclair grinned. "Roger, it'd take a man two weeks to go from one
+corner of my property to another. This is just where I live. Three years
+ago I had five hundred square miles under cultivation."
+
+Back in the house, they found George setting the table on the porch and
+his wife busy in the kitchen. Mrs. Hill was a stout woman, with a
+pleasant face and a ready smile. With very little ceremony, the cadets,
+Sinclair, George, and his wife sat down to eat. The food was simple
+fare, but the sure touch of Mrs. Hill's cooking and the free use of
+delicate Venusian jungle spices added exotic flavor, new but immensely
+satisfying to the three hungry boys, a satisfaction they demonstrated by
+cleaning their plates quickly and coming back for second helpings.
+Astro, of course, was not happy until he had polished off his fourth
+round. Mrs. Hill beamed with pleasure at their unspoken compliment to
+her cooking.
+
+After the meal, Mrs. Hill stacked the dishes and put them into a small
+carrier concealed in the wall. Pressing a button, near the opening, she
+explained, "That dingus takes them to the sink, washes them, dries them,
+and puts everything in its right place. That's the kind of modern living
+I like!"
+
+As the sun dropped behind the wall of the jungle and the sky darkened,
+they all relaxed. Sinclair and George smoked contentedly, Mrs. Hill
+brought out some needle point, and the three cadets rested in
+comfortable contour chairs. They chatted idly, stopping only to listen
+to the wild calls of birds and animals out in the jungle as George, or
+Sinclair, identified them all. George told of his experiences on
+tyrannosaurus hunts, and Astro described his method of hunting as a boy.
+
+"I was a big kid," he explained. "And since the only way of earning a
+living was by working, I found I could combine business with pleasure. I
+used to hitch rides over the belt and parachute in to hunt for baby
+tyrannos." He grinned and added, "When I think back, I wonder how I ever
+stayed in one piece."
+
+"Land sakes!" exclaimed Mrs. Hill. "It's a wonder you weren't eaten
+alive! Those tyrannos are horrible things."
+
+"I was almost a meal once," confessed Astro sheepishly, and at the
+urging of the others he described the incident that had cured him of
+hunting alone in the jungles of Venus with only a low-powered shock
+blaster.
+
+"If I didn't get it at the base of the brain where the nerve centers
+aren't so well protected with the first shot, I was in trouble," he
+said. "I took a lot of chances, but was careful not to tangle with a
+mama or papa tyrannosaurus. I'd stalk the young ones. I'd wait for him
+to feed and then let him have it. If I was lucky, I'd get him with one
+shot, but most of the time I'd just stun him and have to finish him off
+with a second blast. Then I'd skin him, take the hams and shoulders, and
+get out of there fast before the wild dogs got wind of the blood. I'd
+usually hunt pretty close to a settlement where I could get the meat
+frozen. After that, I'd just have to call a couple of the big
+restaurants in Venusport and get the best price. I used to make as much
+as fifty credits on one kill."
+
+"How would you get the meat to Venusport?" asked Roger, who, for all his
+braggadocio, was awed by his unit mate's calm bravery and skill as a
+hunter.
+
+"The restaurant that bought it would send a jet boat out for it and I'd
+ride back with it. After a while the restaurant owners got to know me
+and would give me regular orders. I was trying to fill a special order
+on that last hunt."
+
+"What happened?" asked Tom, equally impressed with Astro's life as a boy
+hunter.
+
+"I had just about finished hunting in a section near a little settlement
+on the other side of Venus," began the big cadet, "but I thought there
+might be one more five-hundred-pound baby around, so I dropped in."
+Astro paused and grinned. "I didn't find a baby, I found his mother! She
+must have weighed twenty-five or thirty tons. Biggest tyranno I've ever
+seen. She spotted me the same time I saw her and I didn't even stop to
+fire. I never could have dented her hide. I started running and she came
+after me. I made it to a cave and went as far back inside as I could.
+She stuck her head in after me, and by the craters of Luna, she was only
+about three feet away, with me backed up against a wall. She tried to
+get farther in, opened her mouth, and snapped and roared like twenty
+rocket cruisers going off at once."
+
+[Illustration: "_She tried to get farther into the cave._"]
+
+Tom gulped and Roger's eyes widened.
+
+"I figured there was only one thing to do," continued Astro. "Use the
+blaster, even though it couldn't do much damage. I let her have one
+right in the eye!" Astro shook his head and laughed. "You should have
+seen her pull her head out of that cave! I couldn't sleep for months
+after that. I used to dream that she was sticking her head in my window,
+always getting closer."
+
+"Did the blaster do any damage at all?" asked Sinclair.
+
+"Oh, yes, sir," said Astro. "I was close enough for the heat charge from
+the muzzle to get her on the side of the head. Nothing fatal, but she's
+probably still out there in the jungle more ugly than ever with half a
+face."
+
+The group fell silent, each thinking of how he would have reacted under
+similar conditions; each silently thankful that it hadn't happened to
+him. Finally Mrs. Hill rose and said good night, and George excused
+himself to take a last look at the stock. Remembering their early call
+for the next morning, the cadets said good night to Sinclair and retired
+to their comfortable rooms. In bed at last, each boy stretched full
+length on his bed and in no time was sound asleep.
+
+It was still dark, an hour and a half before the sun would burst over
+the top of the jungle, when Sinclair went to the cadets' room to rouse
+them. He found them already up and dressed in their jungle garb. Each
+boy was wearing skin-tight trousers and jerseys made of double strength
+space-suit cloth and colored a dark moldy green. A hunter dressed in
+this manner and standing still could not be seen at twenty paces. The
+snug fit of the suit was protection against thorns and snags that could
+find no hold on the hard, smooth-surfaced material.
+
+After a hearty breakfast the three cadets collected their gear, the
+paralo-ray pistols, the shock rifles, and the small shoulder packs of
+synthetic food and camping equipment. Each boy also carried a two-foot
+jungle knife with a compass inlaid in the handle. A helmet of clear
+plastic with a small mesh-covered opening in the face covered each boy's
+head. Dressed as they were, they could walk through the worst part of
+the jungles and not get so much as a scratch.
+
+"Well," commented Sinclair, looking them over, "I guess you boys have
+everything. I'd hate to be the tyranno that crosses your path!"
+
+The boys grinned. "Thanks for everything, sir," said Tom. "You've been a
+lot of help."
+
+"Think nothing of it, Tom. Just bring back a pair of tyranno scalps!"
+
+"Where are Mr. and Mrs. Hill?" asked Astro. "We'd like to say good-by to
+them."
+
+"They left before you got up," replied Sinclair. "They're taking a few
+days off for a visit to Venusport."
+
+The boys pulled on their jungle boots. Knee-length and paper-thin, they
+were nonetheless unpenetrable even if the boys should step on one of the
+needle-sharp ground thorns.
+
+They waved a last good-by to their host, standing on the steps of the
+big house, and moved across the clearing to the edge of the jungle wall.
+
+As the cadets approached the thick tangle of vines, the calls and
+rustling noises from the many crawling things hidden in the forbidding
+thicket slowly died down. They walked along the edge of the tangle of
+jungle creepers until they found an opening and stepped through.
+
+[Illustration: _They were completely surrounded by the jungle_]
+
+After walking only ten feet they were completely surrounded by the
+jungle and could not even see the clearing they had just left. It was
+dark, the network of vines, the thick tree trunks and rank growing
+vegetation shutting out the sun, leaving the interior of the jungle
+strangely plunged in gloom. Astro moved ahead, followed by Roger, with
+Tom bringing up the rear. They followed the path they had entered, as
+far as it went, and then began cutting their way through the underbrush,
+stopping only to cut notches in the trees to mark their passage.
+
+Their long-bladed knives slicing through vines and brush easily, Tom,
+Roger, and Astro hacked their way deeper and deeper into the mysterious
+and suffocating green world.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 6
+
+
+"I guess that's the Sharkey place over there," mumbled Major Connel to
+himself, banking his jet launch over the green jungles and pointing the
+speedy little craft's nose toward the clearing in the distance. The
+Solar Guard officer wrenched the scout around violently in his approach.
+He was still boiling over the Venusian Delegate's indifference toward
+his mission.
+
+The launch skimmed the jungle treetops and glided to a perfect stop near
+the largest of a group of farm buildings. Cutting the motors, Connel sat
+and waited for someone to appear. He sat there for ten minutes but no
+one came out to greet him. Finally he climbed out of the launch and
+stood by the hatch, peering intently at the buildings around him, his
+eyes squinting against the glare of the fiery sun overhead. The
+plantation seemed deserted. Reaching back into the launch and pulling
+out a paralo-ray gun, he strapped its reassuring bulk to his side and
+stepped toward the building that was obviously the main house. Nothing
+else moved in the hot noon sun.
+
+As he strode purposefully toward the house, eyes alert for any sign of
+life, he thought for a moment everyone might be taking a midday nap.
+Many of the Venusian colonists adapted the age-old custom of the tropics
+to escape the intense heat of midday. But he dismissed the thought
+immediately, realizing that his approach in the jet would have awakened
+the deepest of sleepers.
+
+Entering the house, he stopped in the spacious front hall and called:
+
+"Hello! Anybody home? Halloo!"
+
+The only answer was the echo of his own voice, vibrating through the
+large rooms.
+
+"Funny," muttered the spaceman. "Why is this place deserted?"
+
+He walked slowly through the house, opening doors and looking into all
+the rooms, searching the whole place thoroughly before returning to the
+clearing. Going to the nearest of the outbuildings, he opened one of the
+wide doors and stared into the gloomy interior. With his experienced eye
+he saw immediately that the building had been used to house a large jet
+craft. There was the slightly pungent odor of jet fuel, and on the floor
+the tire marks of a dolly used to roll the craft out to the launching
+strip. He followed the tracks outside and around to the side of the
+building where he saw the dolly. It was empty.
+
+Shaking his head grimly, Connel made a quick tour of the remaining
+buildings. They were all deserted but the last one, which seemed to be
+built a little more sturdily than the others. Unlike the others, it was
+locked. He looked for a window and discovered that the walls were solid.
+There were no openings except the locked door. He hesitated in front of
+the door, looking down at the ground for a sign of what might have been
+stored in the building. The surrounding area revealed no tracks. He
+pulled out a thick-bladed pocketknife and stepped to the lock, then
+suddenly stopped and grinned.
+
+"Great," he said to himself. "A Solar Guard officer about to break into
+private property without a warrant. Fine thing to have known back at the
+Academy!"
+
+He turned abruptly and strode back to the scout. Climbing into the
+craft, he picked up the audioscriber microphone and recorded a brief
+message. Removing the threadlike tape from the machine, he returned to
+the house and left it on the spool of the audioscribe-replay machine
+near the front door.
+
+A few moments later the eerie silence of the Sharkey plantation was once
+again shattered by the hissing roar of jets as the launch took off and
+climbed rapidly over the jungle. Air-borne, Connel glanced briefly at a
+chart, changed course, and sent the launch hurtling at full speed across
+the jungle toward the Sinclair plantation.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"How far do you think we've come?" asked Tom sleepily.
+
+Astro yawned and stretched before answering. "I'd say about fifteen
+miles, Tom."
+
+"Seems more like a hundred and fifteen," moaned Roger who was sprawled
+on the ground. "I ache all over. Start at the top of my head and work
+down, and you won't find one square inch that isn't sore."
+
+Tom grinned. He was tired himself, but the three-day march through the
+jungle had been three of the most exciting days in his life. Coming from
+a large city where he had to travel two hours by monorail to get to open
+green country, the curly-haired cadet found this passage through the
+wildest jungle in the solar system new and fascinating. He had seen
+flowers of every color in the spectrum, some as large as himself; giant
+shrubs with leaves so fine that they looked like spider webs; Venusian
+teakwood trees fifty to a hundred feet thick at the base with some
+twisted into strange spirals as their trunks, shaded by another larger
+tree, sought a clear avenue to the sun. There were bushes that grew
+thorns three inches long, hard as steel and thin as needles; jungle
+creepers, vines two and three feet thick, twisting around tree trunks
+and strangling them. He saw animals too, all double the size of anything
+on Earth because of the lighter Venusian gravity; insects the size of
+rats, rats the size of dogs, and wild dogs the size of ponies. Up in the
+trees, small anthropoids, cousins to the monkeys of Earth, scampered
+from limb to limb, screaming at the invaders of their jungle home.
+Smooth-furred animals that looked like deer, their horns curling
+overhead, scampered about the cadets like puppies, nuzzling them,
+nipping at their heels playfully, and barking as though in laughter when
+Astro roared at them for getting in the way.
+
+But there were dangerous creatures in the jungle too; the beautiful but
+deadly poisonous brush snakes that lurked unseen in the varicolored
+foliage, striking out at anything that passed; animals resembling
+chipmunks with enlarged razor-sharp fangs, whose craving for raw meat
+was so great that they would attack an animal ten times its size;
+lizards the size of elephants with scales like armor plate that rooted
+in swampy ground for their food, but which would attack any intruder,
+charging with amazing speed, their three horns poised; and, finally,
+there were the monsters of Venus--giant beasts whose weights were
+measured in tons, ruled over by the most horrible of them all--the
+tyrannosaurus.
+
+Fights to death between the jungle creatures were common sights for the
+boys during their march. They saw a weird soundless fight between a
+forty-foot snake and a giant vulture with talons nearly two feet across
+and a beak resembling a mammoth nutcracker. The vulture won,
+methodically cutting the reptile's body into sections, its beak slicing
+through the snake as easily as a knife going through butter.
+
+More than once Astro spotted a dangerous creature, and telling Roger and
+Tom to stand back, he would level his shock rifle and blast it.
+
+So far they had seen nothing of their prey--the tyrannosaurus. Tracks
+around the steaming swamps were as close as they had come. Once, late in
+the evening of the second day they caught a fleeting glimpse of a
+plant-eating brontosaurus lumbering through the brush.
+
+All three of the boys had found it difficult to sleep in the jungle. The
+first two nights they had taken turns at staying on guard and tending
+the campfire. Nothing had bothered them, and on the third night out,
+they decided the fire would be enough to scare off the jungle animals.
+It was risky, but the continual fight through the jungle underbrush had
+tired the three boys to the bone and the few hours they stood guard were
+sorely missed the next day, so they decided to chance it.
+
+Roger was already asleep. Astro had just finished checking his rifle to
+be ready for instant fire, when Tom threw the last log on the campfire
+and crawled into his sleeping bag.
+
+"Think it'll be all right, Astro?" asked Tom. "I'm not anxious to wake
+up inside one of these critter's stomachs."
+
+"Most of them have never seen fire, Tom," Astro said reassuringly. "It
+scares them. Besides, we're getting close to the big stuff now. You
+might see a tyranno or a big bronto any time. And if they come along,
+you'll hear 'em, believe me. They're about as quiet as a squadron of
+cruisers on battle emergency blasting off from the Academy in the middle
+of the night!"
+
+"O.K.," replied Tom. "You're the hunter in this crew." Suddenly he
+laughed. "You know I really got a bang out of the way Roger jumped back
+from that waddling ground bird yesterday."
+
+Astro grinned. "Yeah, the one thing in this place that's as ferocious as
+a kitten and he pulls his ray gun like an ancient cowboy!"
+
+A very tired voice spoke up from the other sleeping bag. "Is that so!
+Well, when you two brave men came face to face with that baby lizard on
+a tree root, you were ready to finish your leave in Atom City!" Roger
+unzipped the end of the bag, stuck his blond head out, and gave his unit
+mates a sour look. "Sack in, will you? Your rocket wash is keeping me
+awake!"
+
+Laughing, Astro and Tom nodded good night to each other and closed their
+sleeping bags. The jungle was still, the only movement being the leaping
+tongues of flame from the campfire.
+
+An hour later it began to rain, a light drizzle at first that increased
+until it reached the steady pounding of a tropical downpour. Tom awoke
+first, opening the flap of his sleeping bag only to get his face full of
+slimy water that spilled in. Spluttering and coughing he sat up and saw
+that the campfire was out and the campsite was already six inches deep
+in water.
+
+"Roger, Astro!" he called and slapped the nearest sleeping bag. Astro
+opened the flap a little and peered out sleepily. Instantly he rolled
+out of the bag and jumped to his feet.
+
+"Wake Roger up!" he snapped. "We've got to get out of here!"
+
+"What's the matter?" Roger mumbled through the bag, not opening it. "Why
+the excitement over a little rain?"
+
+"The fire's out, hotshot," said Astro. "It's as dark as the inside of a
+cow's number-four belly. We've got to move!"
+
+"Why?" asked Tom, not understanding the big cadet's sudden nervous
+excitement. "What's the matter with staying right where we are? Why go
+trooping around in the dark?"
+
+"We can't light a fire anywhere," added Roger, finally sticking his head
+out of his sleeping bag.
+
+"We've got to get on high ground!" said Astro, hurriedly packing the
+camping equipment. "We're in a hollow here. The rain really comes down
+on Venus, and in another hour this place will be a pond!"
+
+Sensing the urgency in Astro's voice, Roger began packing up his
+equipment and in a few moments the three boys had their gear slung over
+their shoulders and were slogging through water already knee-deep.
+
+"I still don't see why we have to go tracking through the jungle in the
+middle of the night," grumbled Roger. "We could climb up a tree and wait
+out the storm."
+
+"You'd have to wait long after the rain stops," replied Astro. "There is
+one thing in this place nothing ever gets enough of, and that's water.
+Animals know it and hang around all the water holes. If a small animal
+tries to get a drink, he more than likely winds up in something's
+stomach. When it rains like this, hollows fill up like the one we just
+left, and everything within running, hopping, and crawling distance
+heads for it to get a bellyful of water. In another hour our camp will
+be like something out of a nightmare, with every animal in the jungle
+coming down for a drink and starting to fight one another."
+
+"Then if we stayed there--" Roger stopped.
+
+"We'd be in the middle of it," said Astro grimly. "We wouldn't last two
+minutes."
+
+Walking single file, with Astro in the lead, followed by Roger and then
+Tom, they stumbled through the pitch-black darkness. Astro refused to
+shine a light, for fear of being attacked by a desperate animal, more
+eager for water than afraid of the light. They carried their shock
+blasters cocked and ready to fire. The rain continued, increasing in
+fury until they were enveloped in a nearly solid wall of water. In a
+little while the floor of the jungle became one continuous mudhole, with
+each step taking them ankle-deep into the sucking mud. Their climb was
+uphill, and the water from above increased, washing down around them in
+torrents. More than once one of the cadets fell, gasping for breath,
+into the dirty water, only to be jerked back to more solid footing by
+the other two. Stumbling, their hands groping wildly in the dark, they
+pushed forward.
+
+They were reaching higher ground when Astro stopped suddenly.
+
+"Listen!" he whispered hoarsely.
+
+The boys stood still, the rain pounding down on their plastic headgear,
+holding rifles ready and straining their ears for some sound other than
+the drumming of rain.
+
+"I don't hear anything," said Roger.
+
+"_Shhh!_" hissed Astro.
+
+They waited, and then from a distance they heard the faint crashing of
+underbrush. Gradually it became more distinct until there was no
+mistaking its source. A large monster was moving through the jungle near
+them!
+
+"What is it?" asked Tom, trying to keep his voice calm.
+
+"A big one," said Astro. "A real big one. And I think it's heading this
+way!"
+
+"By the craters of Luna!" gasped Roger. "What do we do?"
+
+"We either run, or stay here and try to blast it."
+
+"Whatever you say, Astro," said Roger. "You're the boss."
+
+"Same here," said Tom. "Call it."
+
+Astro did not answer right away. He strained his ears, listening to the
+movements of the advancing monster, trying to ascertain the exact
+direction the beast was taking. The noise became more violent, the
+crashing more sharply defined as small trees were crushed to the ground.
+
+"If only I knew exactly what it is!" said Astro desperately. "If it's a
+tyranno, it walks on its hind legs and has its head way up in the trees,
+and could pass within ten feet of us and not see us. But if it's a
+bronto, it has a long snakelike neck that he pokes all around and he
+wouldn't miss us at a hundred feet!"
+
+"Make up your mind quick, big boy," said Roger. "If that thing gets any
+closer, I'm opening up with this blaster. He might eat me, but I'll sure
+make his teeth rattle first!"
+
+The ground began to shake as the approaching monster came nearer. Astro
+remained still, ears straining for some sound to indicate exactly what
+was crashing down on them.
+
+Above them, the shrill scream of an anthropoid suddenly pierced the dark
+night as its tree home was sent crashing to the ground. There was a
+growing roar and the crashing stopped momentarily.
+
+"Let's get out of here," said Astro tensely. "That's a tyranno, but he's
+down on all fours now, looking for that monkey! Keep together and make
+as little noise as you can. No talking. Keep your blasters and emergency
+lights ready. If he discovers us, you shine the light on his face Roger,
+and Tom and I will shoot. O.K.?"
+
+Tom and Roger agreed.
+
+"All right," said Astro, "let's go--and spaceman's luck!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 7
+
+
+"What can I do for you, Officer?"
+
+Connel heaved his bulk out of the jet launch and looked hard at the man
+standing in front of him. "You Rex Sinclair?"
+
+Sinclair nodded. "That's right."
+
+Connel offered his hand. "Major Connel, Solar Guard."
+
+"Glad to meet you," replied the planter, gripping the spaceman's hand.
+"Have something to cool you off."
+
+"Thanks," said Connel. "I can use it. Whew! Must be at least one twenty
+in the shade."
+
+Sinclair chuckled. "This way, Major."
+
+They didn't say anything more until Connel was resting comfortably in a
+deep chair, admiring the crystal roof of Sinclair's house. After a
+pleasant exchange about crops and problems of farming on Venus, the
+gruff spaceman squared his back and stared straight at his host. "Mr.
+James, the Solar Delegate, told me you've resisted pressure to join the
+Venusian Nationalists."
+
+Sinclair's expression changed slightly. His eyebrows lifting
+quizzically. "Why--yes, that's true."
+
+"I'd like you to tell me what you know about the organization."
+
+"I see," mused Sinclair. "Is that an order?" he added, chuckling.
+
+"That's a request. I'd like to learn as much about the Nationalists as
+possible."
+
+"For what purpose?"
+
+Connel paused and then said casually, "A spot check. The Solar Guard
+likes to keep its eyes open for trouble."
+
+"Trouble?" exclaimed Sinclair. "You're not serious!"
+
+Connel nodded his head. "It's probably nothing but a club. However, I'd
+like to get some facts on it."
+
+"Have you spoken to anyone else?" asked Sinclair.
+
+"I just came from the Sharkey plantation. It's deserted. Not a soul
+around. I'll drop back by there before I return to Venusport." Connel
+paused and looked squarely at Sinclair. "Well?"
+
+"I don't know much about them, Major," replied the planter. "It always
+seemed to me nothing more than a group of planters getting together--"
+
+Connel cut him off. "Possibly, but why didn't you join?"
+
+"Well--"
+
+"Aren't all your friends in it?"
+
+"Yes, but I just don't have time. I have a big place, and there's only
+me and my foreman and housekeeper now. All the field hands left some
+time ago."
+
+"Where'd they go?"
+
+"Venusport, I guess. Can't get people to farm these days."
+
+"All right, Mr. Sinclair," declared Connel, "let's lay our cards on the
+table. I know how you must feel talking about your friends, but this is
+really important. Vitally important to every citizen in the Solar
+Alliance. Suppose the Nationalists were really a tight organization with
+a purpose--a purpose of making Venus independent of the Solar Alliance.
+If they succeeded, if Venus did break away, Mercury might follow, then
+Mars--the whole system fall apart--break up into independent states. And
+when that happens, there's trouble--customs barriers, jealousies,
+individual armies and navies, and then, ultimately, a space war. It's
+more than just friendship, Sinclair, it's the smallest crack in the
+solid front of the Solar Alliance, but it's a crack that _can_ be opened
+further if we don't stop it now."
+
+Sinclair was impressed. "Very well, Major, I'll tell you everything I
+know about them. And you're right, it is hard to talk about your
+friends. I've grown up here in the Venusian jungle. I helped my father
+clear this land where the house is built. Most of the men in the
+Nationalists are friends of mine, but"--he sighed--"you're right, I
+can't allow this to happen to the Solar Alliance."
+
+"Allow what to happen?" asked Connel.
+
+"Just what you said, about Venus becoming an independent state."
+
+"Tell me all you know," said Connel.
+
+"The group began to form about three years ago. Al Sharkey came over
+here one night and said a group of the planters were getting together
+every so often to exchange information about crops and farming
+conditions. I went a few times, we all did, on this part of Venus. At
+first it was fun. We even had picnics and barn dances every three or
+four weeks. Then one night someone suggested we come dressed in old
+costumes--the type worn by our forefathers who founded Venus."
+
+Connel nodded.
+
+"Well, one thing led to another," continued Sinclair. "They started
+talking about the great history of our planet, and complaining about
+paying taxes to support the Solar Alliance. Instead of opening up new
+colonies like the one out on Pluto, we should develop our own planet.
+We stopped dancing, the women stopped coming, and then one night we
+elected a president. Al Sharkey. The first thing he did was order all
+members to attend meetings in the dress of our forefathers. He gave the
+organization a name, the Venusian Nationalists. Right after that, I
+stopped going. I got tired of listening to speeches about the wonderful
+planet we live on, and how terrible it was to be governed by men on
+Earth, millions of miles away."
+
+"Didn't they consider that they had equal representation in the Solar
+Alliance Chamber?" asked Connel.
+
+"No, Major. There wasn't anything you could say to any of them. If you
+tried to reason with them, they called you a--a--" Sinclair stopped and
+turned away.
+
+"What did they call you?" demanded Connel, getting madder by the minute.
+
+"Anyone that disagreed with them was called an Earthling."
+
+"And you disagreed?" asked Connel.
+
+"I quit," said Sinclair stoutly. "And right after that, I started losing
+livestock. I found them dead in the pens, poisoned. And some of my crops
+were burned."
+
+"Did you protest to the Solar Guard?"
+
+"Of course, but there wasn't any proof any one of my neighbors had done
+it. They don't bother me any more, but they don't speak to me either.
+It's as though I had a horrible disease. There hasn't been a guest in
+this house in nearly two years. Three space cadets are the first
+visitors here since I quit the organization."
+
+"Space Cadets?" Connel looked at the planter quizzically.
+
+"Yes, nice young chaps. Corbett, Manning, and a big fellow named Astro.
+They're out in the jungle now hunting for tyrannosaurus. I met them
+through a friend in Venusport and invited them to use my house as a base
+of operations. Do you know them?"
+
+Connel nodded. "Very well. Finest cadet unit at the Academy. How long
+have they been in the jungle?"
+
+"About four and a half days now."
+
+"Hope they get themselves a tyranno. But at the same time"--Connel
+couldn't help chuckling--"if they do, Space Academy will never hear the
+end of it!"
+
+Suddenly the hot wilting silence around the house was shattered by a
+thunderous roar. Connel jumped up, followed Sinclair to the window, and
+stared out over the clearing. They saw what appeared to be a
+well-organized squadron of jet boats come in for a landing with near
+military precision. The doors opened quickly and men poured out onto the
+dusty field. They were dressed alike in coveralls with short
+quarter-length space boots and round plastic crash helmets. Each man
+carried a paralo-ray gun strapped to his hips. The uniforms were a
+brilliant green, with a white band across the chest. The men formed
+ranks, waited for a command from a man dressed in darker green, and then
+marched up toward the house.
+
+"By the craters of Luna!" roared Connel. "Who are they?"
+
+"The Nationalists!" cried Sinclair. "They threatened to burn down my
+house and destroy my farm if I wrote that letter to the delegate.
+They've come to carry out their threat!"
+
+Connel pulled the paralo-ray gun from his hip and gripped it firmly. "Do
+you want those men in your house?" he asked Sinclair.
+
+"No--no, of course not!"
+
+"Then you have Solar Guard protection."
+
+"How--?" Sinclair asked. "There are no Solar Guardsmen around here!"
+
+"What in blazes do you think I am, man!" roared Connel as he lunged for
+the door and stepped out onto the porch. The men were within a hundred
+feet of the porch when they saw Connel. The Solar Guard officer spread
+his legs and stuck out his jaw, his paralo-ray gun leveled. "The first
+one of you tin soldiers that puts a foot on these steps gets frozen
+stiffer than a snowball on Pluto! Now stand where you are, state your
+business, and then _blast off_!"
+
+"Halt!" The leader of the column of men held up his hand. Connel saw
+that the plastic helmets were frosted over, except for a clear band
+across the eye level. All of the faces were hidden. The leader stepped
+forward, his hand on his paralo-ray gun. "Greetings, Major Connel."
+
+Connel snorted. "If you'd take off that Halloween mask, I might know who
+I'm talking to!"
+
+"My name is Hilmarc."
+
+"Hilmarc?"
+
+"Yes. I am the leader of this detachment."
+
+"Leader, huh?" grunted Connel. "Leader of what? A bunch of little tin
+soldiers?"
+
+"You shall see, Major." Hilmarc's voice was low and threatening.
+
+"I'm going to count to five," announced Connel grimly, lifting his
+paralo-ray gun, "and if you and your playmates aren't back in your
+ships, I start blasting."
+
+"That would be unwise," replied Hilmarc. "Your one gun against all of
+ours."
+
+Connel grinned. "I know. It's going to be a whale of a fight, isn't it?"
+Then, without pause, he shouted, "_One--two--three--four--five!_"
+
+He opened fire, squeezing the trigger rapidly. The first row of
+green-clad men were immediately frozen. Dropping to one knee, the
+spaceman again opened fire, and men in the second row stiffened as they
+tried to return the fire.
+
+"Fire! Cut him down!" roared Hilmarc frantically.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The men broke ranks and the area in front of Sinclair's house crackled
+with paralo-ray gunfire. Darting behind a chair, Connel dropped to the
+floor, his gun growing hot under the continuous discharge of paralyzing
+energy. In a matter of moments the Solar Guard officer had frozen nearly
+half of the attacking troop, their bodies scattered in various
+positions. Suddenly his gun spit fire and began to smoke. The energy
+charge was exhausted. Connel jumped to his feet and snapped to
+attention. He knew from experience that if being hit was inevitable, the
+best way to receive the charge was by standing at attention, taking the
+strain off the heart. He faced the clearing and a dozen shots of
+paralyzing energy hit him simultaneously. He became rigid and the short
+furious battle was over.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+One of the green-clad men released Hilmarc from the effects of Connel's
+ninth shot and he stepped forward to stare straight into Connel's eyes.
+"I know you can hear me, Major. I want to compliment you on your
+shooting. But your brave resistance now is as futile as the resistance
+of the entire Solar Guard in the near future." Hilmarc smiled
+arrogantly and stepped back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I will attend to
+the business I came here for--to take care of a weakling and an
+informer!" He turned and shouted to his men. "You have your orders! Get
+Sinclair and then burn everything in sight."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"Astro, Tom," gasped Roger. "I--I can't go on."
+
+The blond-haired cadet fell headlong to the ground, almost burying
+himself in the mud. Tom and Astro turned without a word, and gripping
+Roger under each arm, helped him to his feet. Behind them, the thunder
+of the stalking tyrannosaurus came closer, and they forced themselves to
+greater effort. For two days they had been running before the monster.
+It was a wild flight through a wild jungle that offered them little
+protection. And while their fears were centered on the brute behind
+them, their sleepy, weary eyes sought out other dangers that lay ahead.
+More than once they stopped to blast a hungry, frightened beast that
+barred their path, leaving it for the tyrannosaurus and giving
+themselves a momentary respite in their flight.
+
+Astro led the way, tirelessly slashing at the vines and creepers with
+his jungle knife, opening the path for Roger and Tom. The Venusian cadet
+was sure that they were near the clearing around the Sinclair
+plantation. Since early morning he had seen the trail markers they had
+left when they started into the jungle. The cadets knew that if they
+didn't reach the clearing soon they would have to stand and fight the
+terrible thing that trailed them. During the first wild night, they had
+stumbled into a sinkhole, and as Tom wallowed helplessly in the
+clinging, suffocating mud, Astro and Roger stood and fought the giant
+beast. The shock rifles cracked against the armorlike hide of the
+monster, momentarily stunning him, but in the darkness and rain, they
+were unable to get a clear head shot. When Tom finally pulled himself
+out of the mudhole, they struggled onward through the jungle, with only
+one shot left in each blaster.
+
+"How much farther, Astro?" asked Tom, his voice weak with fatigue. "I'm
+starting to fold too."
+
+"Not too far now, Tom," the big cadet assured him. "We should be hitting
+the clearing soon now." He turned and looked back. "If we could only get
+a clear shot at that brute's head!"
+
+"Hang on, Roger," said Tom. "Just a little more now."
+
+Roger didn't answer, merely bobbing his head in acknowledgment.
+
+Behind them, the crashing thunderous steps seemed to be getting closer
+and Astro drove himself harder, slashing at the vines and tangled
+underbrush, sometimes just bursting through by sheer driving strength.
+But the heavy-footed creature still stalked them ponderously.
+
+Suddenly Astro stopped and sniffed the air. "Smoke!" he cried. "We're
+almost there!"
+
+Tom and Roger smiled wanly and they pushed on. A moment later the giant
+cadet pointed through the underbrush. "There! I see the clearing!
+And--by the stars--there's a fire! The house is burning!"
+
+Forgetting the danger behind them, the three boys raced toward the
+clearing. Just before they emerged from the jungle, they stopped and
+stood openmouthed with astonishment, staring at the scene before them.
+
+"By the craters of Luna!" gasped Astro. "Look!"
+
+The outbuildings of the plantation were burning furiously, sending up
+thick columns of smoke. The wind blew the dense fumes toward them and
+they began to cough and gag. Through the smoke they saw a strange array
+of jet craft in the clearing. Then suddenly their attention was jerked
+back to another danger. The tyrannosaurus was nearly upon them.
+
+"Run!" roared Astro. He broke for the clearing, followed by Roger and
+Tom. Once in the open, the boys ran several hundred yards to the nearest
+jet craft, and safely in the hatch, turned to see the monster come to
+the edge of the clearing and stop. They saw the brute clearly for the
+first time.
+
+It stood up on its hind legs, standing almost a hundred feet high. It
+moved its flat, triangular-shaped head in a slow arc, peering out over
+the clearing. The smoke billowed around it. It snorted several times in
+fear and anger. Astro looked at it, wide-eyed, and finally spoke in awed
+tones. "By the rings of Saturn, it is!"
+
+"Is what?" asked Tom.
+
+"The same tyranno I blasted when I was a kid, the one that trapped me in
+the cave!"
+
+"Impossible!" snorted Roger. "How can you tell?"
+
+"There on the head, the scars--and that eye. That's the mark of a
+blaster!"
+
+"Well, I'll be a rocket-headed Earthworm!" said Tom.
+
+The smoke thickened at the moment, and when it cleared again, the great
+beast was gone. "I guess the smoke chased him away," said Astro.
+"Smoke!" He whirled around. With the threat of the tyrannosaurus gone,
+they could face the strange happenings around the clearing.
+
+"Come on," said Tom. He started for the burning buildings in back of the
+house.
+
+Just at that moment a group of the green-clad men came around the side
+of the house. Astro grabbed Tom by the arm and pulled him back.
+
+"What's going on here? All these ships, buildings burning, and those men
+dressed in green. What is it?"
+
+The three boys huddled behind the jet and studied the scene.
+
+"I don't get it," said Tom. "Who are those men? They almost look as if
+they're soldiers of some kind, but I don't recognize the uniform."
+
+"Maybe it's the fire department," suggested Roger.
+
+"Wait a minute!" roared Tom suddenly. "There on the porch! Major
+Connel!"
+
+"Omigosh!" said Astro. "It is, but what's the matter with him? Why is he
+standing there like that?"
+
+"He's been paralo-rayed!" exclaimed Roger. "See how still he is!
+Whatever these jokers in uniforms are, they're not friendly!" He raised
+his shock rifle. "This last shot in my blaster should--"
+
+"Wait a minute, Roger," said Tom, "don't go off half-cocked. We can't do
+much with just three shots. We'd better take over one of these ships.
+There must be guns aboard."
+
+"Yeah," said Astro. "How about that big one over there?" He pointed to
+the largest of the assembled crafts.
+
+"O.K.," said Tom. "Sneak around this side and make a dash for it."
+
+Gripping their rifles, they slipped around the stern of the small ship,
+and keeping a wary eye on the milling men around the front of the
+building, they dashed toward the bigger ship.
+
+On the porch of the main house, Major Connel, every muscle in his body
+paralyzed, saw the three cadets dart across the field and his heart
+skipped a beat. Immediately before him, two of the green-clad men were
+holding Sinclair while Hilmarc addressed him arrogantly.
+
+"This is just the beginning, Sinclair. Don't try to cross us again.
+Neither you nor anyone else can stop us!" He whirled around and faced
+Connel. "And as for you and your Solar Guard, Major Connel, you can
+tell them--"
+
+Hilmarc's tirade was suddenly interrupted by a shrill whistle and the
+glare of a red flare overhead. There was a chorus of shouts as the men
+ducked for cover.
+
+A voice, Connel recognized as Tom's, boomed out over the loud-speaker of
+the large jet ship near the edge of the clearing. "Now hear this! You
+are covered by an atomic mortar. Drop your guns and raise your hands!"
+
+The men stared at the ship, confused, but Hilmarc issued a curt command.
+"Return to the ships!"
+
+"But--but he'll blast us," whined one of the men. "He'll kill us all."
+
+"You fool!" roared Hilmarc. "It must be a friend of Connel's or
+Sinclair's. He won't dare fire an atomic shell near this house, for fear
+of killing his friends! Now get aboard your ships and blast off!"
+
+From their ship, Tom, Roger, and Astro saw the men scatter across the
+field, and realizing their bluff had failed, they opened fire with the
+paralo-ray guns. But their range was too far. In a few moments the
+clearing around the Sinclair home was alive with the coughing roar of
+the jets blasting off.
+
+As soon as they were alone, Sinclair snatched up an abandoned ray gun
+and released the major from the charge. Connel immediately jumped for
+another gun. But then, as the jets started to take off, he saw that it
+would be useless to pursue the invaders. Thankful that the cadets had
+arrived in time, he trotted across the clearing to meet them as they
+climbed wearily from the remaining jet ship.
+
+"By the craters of Luna," he roared good-naturedly, "you three
+space-brained idiots had me scared! I thought you would really let go
+with that mortar!"
+
+Tom and Roger grinned, relieved to find the spaceman unhurt, while
+Astro looked off at the disappearing fleet of ships.
+
+"What's happened, sir?" asked Tom. "What's it all about?"
+
+"Haven't time to explain now," said Connel. "I just want you three to
+know you got back here in time to save the rest of this man's property."
+He turned toward Sinclair, who was just approaching. "Did you recognize
+any of them?" he asked the planter.
+
+Sinclair shook his head. "I thought I did--by their voices, I mean. But
+I couldn't see anyone through that frosted headgear they were wearing."
+
+"Well, they left a ship. We'll find out who that belongs to," said
+Connel. "All right, Corbett, Manning, Astro. Stand by to blast off!"
+
+"Blast off?" exclaimed Roger. "But we're on leave, sir!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Not any more, you're not!" snapped Connel. "You're recalled as of now!
+Get this ship ready to blast off for Venusport in five minutes!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 8
+
+
+"Are you sure they went south, Astro?"
+
+Major Connel was examining a map of the Southern Hemisphere of Venus.
+The three cadets were grouped around him in the small control room of
+the jet ship.
+
+"I think so, sir," replied Astro. "I watched them circle and then climb.
+There would be no reason to climb unless they were going over the
+mountains."
+
+"What do you think, Tom?" asked Connel.
+
+"I don't know, sir. The map doesn't show anything but jungle for about a
+thousand square miles. Unless there's a secret base somewhere between
+here and there"--he placed his fingers on the map where the Sharkey and
+Sinclair plantations were marked--"I don't see where they could have
+gone."
+
+"Well, that must be the answer, then," sighed the gruff spaceman. "Our
+alert to the patrol ships in this area narrows it down. Nothing was
+spotted in the air. And they couldn't have blasted off into space. All
+their ships were low-flying stuff."
+
+Blasting off from the Sinclair plantation immediately, the three cadets
+and the major had hoped to find the operations base of the green-clad
+invaders, but the ships had disappeared. The ship they had captured
+proved to be a freighter with no name and all identifying marks removed.
+They had asked the Solar Guard ship registry in Venusport to check on
+the vessel's title but so far had received no answer.
+
+Now blasting back to Venusport at full speed, Connel told the boys the
+real nature of his mission to Venus. The boys were shocked, unable to
+believe that anyone, or any group of persons, would dare to buck the
+authority of the Solar Guard. Yet they had seen with their own eyes a
+demonstration of the strength of the Nationalists. Roger had sent a
+top-secret teleceiver message to Commander Walters at Space Academy,
+requesting an immediate conference with Connel, and had received
+confirmation within a half-hour.
+
+"I think Captain Strong will be along too," said Roger to Tom after
+Connel had retired to a compartment with a recorder to transcribe a
+report of the affair at Sinclair's. "The message said we were to prepare
+a full report for consideration by Commander Walters, Professor Sykes,
+and Captain Strong."
+
+"Boy," said the curly-haired cadet, "this thing is too big for me to
+swallow. Imagine a bunch of dopes dressing up in uniforms and burning a
+guy's buildings because he wrote a letter to his delegate!"
+
+"I'd hate to be a member of that organization when Commander Walters
+gets through with them," said Roger in a slow drawl. "And particularly
+the guy that ordered Connel blasted with that ray gun. Ten shots at
+once! Wow! That guy must have nerves made of steel!"
+
+Within an hour the jet freighter was circling Venusport and was given
+priority clearance for an immediate landing. Immediately upon landing,
+the ship swarmed with Solar Guardsmen, grim-faced men assigned to guard
+it, while technicians checked the ship for identification. The three
+boys were still wearing the jungle garb when they presented themselves
+to Major Connel with the request for a little sleep.
+
+"Take an aspirin!" roared Connel. "We've got important work to do!"
+
+"But, sir," said Roger, his eyes half-closed, "we're dead on our feet!
+We've been out in the jungle for three days and--"
+
+"Manning," interrupted the spaceman, "everything you saw during that
+business back at Sinclair's might be valuable. I'm sorry, but I'll have
+to insist that you talk to the Solar Guard security officers first. As
+tired as you are, you might forget something after a heavy sleep."
+
+There was little else the boys could do but follow the burly officer out
+of the ship to a well-guarded jet cab which took them through the
+streets of Venusport to the Solar Guard headquarters.
+
+They rode the elevator to the conference room in silence, each boy
+feeling at any moment that he would collapse from exhaustion. In the
+long corridor they passed tough-looking enlisted guardsmen who were
+heavily armed, and before being allowed into the conference room, they
+were scrutinized by a burly officer. Finally inside, they were allowed
+to sit down in soft chairs and were given hot cups of tea to drink while
+precise, careful interrogators took down the story of their first
+meeting with the Venusian Nationalists. They were forced to repeat
+details many times, in the hope that something new might be added.
+Groggy after nearly two hours of this, the boys felt sure that the time
+had come for them to be allowed to get some sleep, but after the last
+question from the interrogators, they were ushered into the presence of
+Commander Walters, Major Connel, Professor Sykes, Captain Strong, and
+several recording secretaries. Before the conference began, Delegate E.
+Philips James arrived with his personal secretary. He offered his
+excuses for being late and took his place at the long table. Tom shot a
+glance at the secretary. The man looked vaguely familiar to him. The
+cadet tried to place him, but he was so tired that he could not think.
+
+"Major Connel," began Commander Walters abruptly, "what do you consider
+the best possible move for the Solar Guard to make? Under the present
+circumstances, do you think we should undertake a full-scale
+investigation? We talked to Al Sharkey, and while he admits being head
+of an organization known as the Venusian Nationalists, he denies any
+knowledge of any attack on Sinclair such as you describe. And he claims
+to have been in Venusport when the incident happened."
+
+Connel thought a moment. "I don't know about Sharkey, but I don't think
+a public investigation should be made yet. I think it would arouse a lot
+of speculation and achieve no results."
+
+"Then you think we should move against them merely on the basis of this
+encounter at the Sinclair plantation," asked E. Philips James in his
+smoothest manner.
+
+Connel shook his head. "I think our best bet is to locate their base. If
+we can nail them with solid evidence, we'll have a good case to present
+before the Grand Council of the Solar Alliance."
+
+"I agree with you, Major." James smiled. Behind him, his secretary was
+busy transcribing the conversational exchange on his audioscriber.
+
+"What would you require to locate the base?" asked Walters.
+
+"I haven't worked out the details yet," said Connel, "but a small
+expedition into the jungle would be better than sending a regiment of
+guardsmen, or a fleet of ships."
+
+"Do you have any idea where the base might be?" Sykes suddenly spoke up.
+"Most of those men were supposed to be planters who know the jungle
+well. Isn't it possible that they might have their base well hidden and
+a small party, such as you suggest, could cover too little ground?"
+
+Connel turned to Astro. "Astro, do you know that section of the belt?"
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Astro. "I hunted all over that area when I was a
+boy." The big cadet went on to explain how he had become so familiar
+with the jungle, and described briefly their experience with the
+tyrannosaurus. All of the men at the table were impressed by his
+knowledge of jungle lore.
+
+"I gather you plan to take these cadets on your expedition, Major,"
+commented James.
+
+"Yes, I do. They work well together and have already been in the
+jungle," answered Connel.
+
+"What do you three boys think of the idea?" asked Walters. "I don't have
+to remind you that you'll be up against two kinds of danger: the jungle
+itself, and the Nationalists."
+
+"We understand, sir," replied Tom, without even waiting for his unit
+mates' quick nods.
+
+"There's another factor," Captain Strong broke in. "You'll be giving up
+your leave. There won't be any extra time off. Should this mission be
+completed before the next term at the Academy begins, fine. But if not,
+you'll have to return to work immediately."
+
+"We understand that too, sir," said Tom. "We're willing to do anything
+we can. And if I might offer a personal opinion"--he glanced at Astro
+and Roger--"I think the _Polaris_ unit appreciates the seriousness of
+the situation and we agree with the major. A small party, especially
+ours, since we're already established as hunters, would be less suspect
+than a larger one."
+
+"I think we all agree that the _Polaris_ unit is qualified for the
+mission, Corbett," said Walters, who saw through Tom's eagerness to be
+assigned to go with the major.
+
+The meeting broke up soon afterward. Connel remained with Strong and
+Walters to work out the details of the mission and to draft a top-secret
+report to the Grand Council of the Solar Alliance.
+
+The three weary cadets were quartered in the finest hotel in Venusport
+and had just stumbled into bed when the room teleceiver signal buzzed.
+Tom shuffled over to the screen near the table where the remains of a
+huge supper gave mute evidence of their hunger. Switching on the
+machine, he saw Strong's face come into focus.
+
+"I hope you boys aren't too comfortable," announced Strong. "I'm afraid
+the sleep you're so hungry for will have to wait. This is an emergency!"
+
+"Oh, no!" groaned Roger. "I can't understand why emergencies come up
+every time I try to pound the pillow!"
+
+Astro fell back onto his bed with the look of a martyred saint and
+groaned.
+
+"What is it, sir?" asked Tom, who was as tired as the others.
+Nonetheless he felt the urgency in Strong's voice.
+
+"You blast off in half an hour," said the Solar Guard captain. "The
+_Polaris_ has been refitted and you're to check her over before
+returning to Sinclair's. Everything has been prepared for you. Get
+dressed and you'll find a jet cab waiting for you in front of the hotel.
+I had hoped to see you again before you left, but I've been ordered
+back to the Academy with Commander Walters. We've got to report to the
+Solar Council, personally."
+
+"O.K., sir," said Tom, then smiled and added, "We're sorry your fishing
+was interrupted."
+
+"I wasn't catching anything, anyway." Strong laughed. "I've got to go.
+See you back at the Academy. Spaceman's luck!"
+
+"Same to you, sir," replied Tom. The screen blurred and the image faded
+as the connection was broken. Tom turned to face his sleepy-eyed unit
+mates. "Well, I guess we'd better take another aspirin. It looks like a
+hard night!"
+
+Hastily donning fresh jungle gear supplied the night before in
+anticipation of the mission, the three cadets trouped wearily out of
+their rooms and rode down to the lobby in the vacuum elevator. They
+walked across the deserted lobby as though in a trance and outside to
+the quiet street. A jet cab stood at the curb, the driver watching them.
+He whistled sharply and waved at them. "Hey, cadets! Over here!"
+
+Still in a fog, the three cadets climbed into the back seat, flopping
+into the soft cushions with audible groans as the cab shot away from the
+hotel and sped into the main highway which led to the spaceport.
+
+The traffic was light and the cab zoomed along at a smooth, fast clip,
+lulling the boys into a fitful doze. But they were rudely awakened when
+the car spun into a small country lane and the driver slammed on the
+brakes. He whirled around and grinned at them over a paralo-ray pistol.
+"Sorry, boys, the ride ends here. Now climb out and start stripping."
+
+The three sleepy cadets came alive instantly. Without a word they moved
+in three different directions simultaneously. Tom dived for one door,
+Astro the other, while Roger flopped to the floor. The driver fired,
+missing all of them, and before he could fire again he was jerked out
+of his seat and held in a viselike grip by Astro. Tom quickly wrenched
+the paralo-ray gun from his hand.
+
+"All right, you little space crawler," growled Astro, "start talking!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Take it easy, Astro," said Tom. "How do you expect him to talk when
+you've got him around the Adam's apple!"
+
+"Yeah, you big ape," said Roger in a slow drawl. "Find out what he has
+to say before you twist his head off!"
+
+Astro released the man, pushing him against the cab door and pinning him
+there.
+
+"Now let's have it," he growled. "What's this all about?"
+
+"I didn't mean any harm," whined the cab driver. "A guy calls me and
+says for me to meet three Space Cadets."
+
+"What guy?" snapped Tom.
+
+"A guy I once knew when I was working the fields in the jungle belt. I
+worked on a plantation as a digger."
+
+"What's his name?" asked Roger.
+
+"I don't know his name. He's just a guy. He calls me and says it's worth
+a hundred credits to pick up three Space Cadets from the hotel and hold
+'em for an hour. I figured the best way to hold you would be to make you
+take your clothes off."
+
+"What did he look like?" asked Roger.
+
+"A little guy, with a bald head and a limp. That's all I know--honest."
+
+"A limp, eh?" asked Tom. "A little fellow?"
+
+"How little?" asked Astro, getting the drift of Tom's question.
+
+"Real little. About five feet maybe, not much more'n that!"
+
+The three boys looked at each other and nodded.
+
+"The guy we bought our jungle gear from in the pawnshop!" exclaimed
+Astro.
+
+"Yeah," said Tom. "It sure sounds like him. But why would he want to
+stop us? And more important, who told him that Captain Strong was
+sending a cab for us?"
+
+They turned back to the cab driver for further explanation, but the man
+was now actually crying with fright.
+
+"We won't get anything more out of this little creep," said Astro.
+"Let's just turn him over to the Solar Guard at the spaceport. They'll
+know how to handle him."
+
+"Right," Tom agreed. "We've lost enough time as it is."
+
+"No, no--please!" moaned the cabman. "Lemme go! Take the cab. Drive it
+to the spaceport and just leave it, but please don't turn me over to
+the Solar Guard. If I'm seen with them, I'll be--" Suddenly the man
+darted to one side, eluded Astro's lunge, and scampered away. In a
+moment he was swallowed up in the darkness.
+
+"Boy," breathed Astro, "he was sure scared of something!"
+
+"Yes," said Tom. "And I'm beginning to get a little scared myself!"
+
+The cadets climbed into the cab and roared off toward the spaceport,
+each boy with the feeling that he was sitting on a smoldering volcano
+that was suddenly starting to erupt around him.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 9
+
+
+"Rocket cruiser _Polaris_ to Solar Guard Venusport! Request emergency
+relay circuit to Commander Walters en route Earth!"
+
+On the radar bridge of the _Polaris_, Roger Manning spoke quickly into
+the teleceiver microphone. Just a few minutes before the giant spaceship
+had blasted off from Venusport, heading for the Sinclair plantation,
+Major Connel had ordered Roger to get in touch with Walters to report
+the latest security leak. On the control deck the major paced back and
+forth restlessly as Tom guided the _Polaris_ on its short flight.
+
+"I'll find the spy in the Solar Guard if I have to tear Venusport apart
+piece by piece!" fumed Connel.
+
+"What about that jet freighter we took away from the Nationalists, sir?"
+asked Tom. "Did you ever find out where it came from?"
+
+Connel nodded. "It was an old bucket on the Southern Colonial run. She
+was reported lost last year. Somehow those jokers got hold of her and
+armed her to the teeth."
+
+"You think maybe the crew could have mutinied, sir?"
+
+"It's highly possible, Corbett," answered Connel, and glanced around.
+"If they have any other ships of that size, the _Polaris_ will be able
+to handle them."
+
+"Yes, sir." Tom smiled. "The repair crew did a good job on her." The
+cadet paused. "Do you suppose one of the Nationalists planted that bomb
+on her fin?"
+
+"No doubt of it," replied Connel. "And it seems to tie in with a rather
+strange thing that happened in the Venusian Delegate's office the day
+before it happened."
+
+"What was that, sir?" asked Tom.
+
+"Three priority orders for seats aboard a Venusport--Atom City express
+were stolen. Before a check could be made, the ship had made its run and
+the people using the priorities were gone. They must have been the ones
+that bumped you off your seats."
+
+"How do you think that ties in with the bomb on the _Polaris_, sir?"
+
+"We're trying to figure that out now," said Connel. "If only we knew
+what they looked like it would help. The girl at the ticket office
+doesn't remember them and neither does the ship's stewardess."
+
+"But we saw them, sir!" exclaimed Tom.
+
+"You what!" roared Connel.
+
+"Yes, sir. We were standing there at the ticket counter when they called
+for their tickets."
+
+"Do you think you'd recognize them again?"
+
+"I'll say!" asserted Tom. "And I'm sure Astro and Roger would, too. We
+were so mad, we could have blasted them on the spot."
+
+Connel turned to the intercom and shouted, "Manning, haven't you got
+that circuit through yet?"
+
+"Working on it, sir." Roger's voice was smooth and unruffled over the
+intercom. "I'm in contact with the commander's ship now. They're calling
+him to the radar bridge now."
+
+Tom suddenly jumped out of his seat as though stung. "Say! I saw one of
+the fellows again too!"
+
+Connel whirled quickly to face the young cadet. "Where?" he demanded.
+"Where did you see him?"
+
+"I--I'm trying to remember." Tom began pacing the deck, snapping his
+fingers impatiently. "It was sometime during the past few days--I know
+it was!"
+
+"In Venusport?" demanded Connel, following Tom around the deck.
+
+"Yes, sir--"
+
+"Before or after your trip into the jungle?"
+
+"Uhh--before, I think," Tom replied hesitantly. "No. No. It was after we
+came back."
+
+"Well, out with it, Corbett!" exploded the major. "When? Where? You
+didn't do that much visiting! You were too tired to move!"
+
+"That's just it, sir," said Tom, shaking his head. "I was so tired
+everything was a blur. Faces are all mixed up. I--I--" The boy stopped
+and put his hands to his head as though trying to squeeze the one vital
+face out of his hazy memory.
+
+Connel kept after him like a hungry, stalking animal. "Where, Corbett?
+When?" he shouted. "You've got to remember. This is important! Think,
+blast you!"
+
+"I'm trying, sir," replied the cadet. "But it just won't come to me."
+
+The buzz of the intercom suddenly sounded and Connel reluctantly left
+Tom to answer it. Roger's voice crackled over the speaker. "I have
+Commander Walters now, sir. Feeding him down to the control-deck
+teleceiver."
+
+"Oh, all right," replied Connel and turned to Tom. "Come on, Corbett. I
+want you to report to the commander personally."
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Tom, walking slowly to the teleceiver. "I'm sorry I
+can't remember where I saw that man."
+
+"Forget it," Connel said gruffly. "It'll come to you again sometime." He
+paused and then added as gently as he could, "Sorry I blasted you like
+that."
+
+When Commander Walters' face appeared on the teleceiver screen, Connel
+reported the incident of the cab driver and the news that Tom, Roger,
+and Astro had seen the three men who had taken the priorities on the
+_Venus Lark_.
+
+"Just a minute," said Walters. "I'll have a recorder take down the
+descriptions."
+
+Connel motioned to Tom, who stepped before the screen. When he saw
+Walters nod, he gave a complete description of the three men he had seen
+in the Atom City spaceport.
+
+"Let's see, now," said Walters, after Tom had concluded his report. "The
+man who asked for the tickets was young, about twenty-two, dressed in
+Venusian clothing, dark, six feet tall, weighed about one hundred and
+fifty pounds. Right?"
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Tom.
+
+Connel suddenly stepped before the screen to interject, "And Corbett saw
+him in Venusport again sometime during the last two days."
+
+"Really? Where?"
+
+Connel glanced at Tom and then replied hurriedly, "Well, he can't be
+sure, sir. We rushed him around pretty fast and he saw a lot of people.
+But at least we know he's in Venusport somewhere."
+
+"Yes," nodded Walters. "That's something to work on, at least. And you
+have nothing more to add to the descriptions of the other two, Corbett?"
+
+"Not anything particular, sir," said Tom. "They were dressed in
+Venusian-type clothes also, but we didn't get a close look at them."
+
+"Very well," said Walters. "Proceed with your mission, Major. I'll have
+an alert sent out for the cab driver, and I'll have the owner of the
+pawnshop picked up. There must be someone on the Solar Delegate's staff
+who stole those priorities. We'll start searching there first, and if we
+come up with anyone who can't explain his absence from Venusport at the
+time the priorities were used, and fits Corbett's description, we'll
+contact you. End transmission!"
+
+"End transmission!" repeated Connel. The screen blanked out and Roger's
+voice came over the intercom immediately. "We'll be over Sinclair's in
+three minutes," he called. "Stand by."
+
+Tom turned to the controls and in exactly two minutes and fifty seconds
+the clearing surrounding Sinclair's home and the burned outbuildings
+came into view. Working effortlessly, with almost casual teamwork, the
+three cadets brought the giant spaceship to rest in the middle of the
+clearing. As the power was cut, the cadets saw George and Mrs. Hill
+jumping into a jet car and speeding out to greet them.
+
+After Tom introduced Connel to the couple, the major questioned them
+closely about their absence during the attack by the shock troops.
+
+"Mr. Sinclair often gives us time off for a trip into Venusport,"
+explained Hill. "It gets pretty lonely out here."
+
+"Is Mr. Sinclair in now?" asked Connel.
+
+"No, he isn't," replied the plantation foreman. "He's on his weekly trip
+around the outer fields. I don't expect him back for another day or
+two."
+
+"For goodness sakes," exclaimed Mrs. Hill, "you can ask your questions
+just as easily and a darn sight more comfortably in the house! Come on.
+Let's get out of the sun."
+
+The small group climbed into the jet car and roared off across the
+clearing toward the house. The lone building left standing by the
+Nationalists looked strange amid the charred ruins of the other
+buildings. In the house, the three cadets busied themselves with
+home-baked apple pie which the housekeeper had brought out, while Connel
+was telling George of the attack on the plantation.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"I've known about them all along, of course," said the foreman. "But I
+never paid any attention to them. I just quit, like Mr. Sinclair, when
+they started all that tomfoolery about wearing uniforms and stuff."
+
+"Well," said Connel, accepting a wedge of pie at Mrs. Hill's insistence,
+"now they've made the wrong move. Burning Sinclair's property and
+attacking an officer of the Solar Guard is going too far."
+
+"What are you going to do about it?" asked George.
+
+"I'm not at liberty to say, Mr. Hill," replied Connel. "But I can tell
+you this. When any person, or group of persons, tries to dictate to the
+Alliance, the Solar Guard steps in and puts a stop to it!"
+
+Suddenly the silence of the jungle clearing was shattered by the roar of
+a single jet craft coming in for a landing. Without looking out the
+window, George smiled and said, "There's Mr. Sinclair now! I know the
+sound of his jets."
+
+The group crowded out onto the front porch while George took the jet car
+and drove off to pick up his employer. A few moments later Sinclair was
+seated before Connel, wiping his sweating brow and accepting a cool
+drink from Mrs. Hill.
+
+"I was on my way to the north boundary when I saw your ship landing,"
+explained Sinclair. "At first I thought it might be those devils coming
+back, but then I saw the Solar Guard insigne on the ship and figured it
+might be you." He looked at Connel closely. "Anything new, Major?"
+
+"Not yet," replied Connel. "But you can rest assured that you won't be
+bothered by them again."
+
+Sinclair paused, eying the major speculatively. "You know, as soon as
+you left, I went over to talk to Al Sharkey. I was plenty mad and really
+blasted him, but he swears that he was in Venusport at the time and
+doesn't know a thing about the raid."
+
+Connel nodded. "That's true. We checked on him. But while he might not
+have been in on the raid itself, there's nothing that says he didn't
+order it done!"
+
+"I doubt it," said Sinclair, with a queer apologetic note in his voice.
+"I'm inclined to believe that it was nothing more than a bunch of the
+younger, more hotheaded kids in the organization. As a matter of fact,
+Sharkey told me he was quitting as president. Seems you fellows in
+Venusport scared him plenty. Not only that, but I heard him calling up
+the other planters telling them what happened and every one of them is
+chipping in to rebuild my plantation."
+
+Connel looked at the planter steely-eyed. "So you think it was done by a
+bunch of kids, huh?"
+
+Sinclair nodded. "Wouldn't be surprised if they're not scared too!"
+
+"Well, you are entitled to your opinion, Mr. Sinclair. And if the other
+planters are going to rebuild your buildings, that's fine and charitable
+of them." Suddenly Connel's voice became harsh. "That does not, however,
+erase the fact that a group of uniformed men, armed with paralo-ray guns
+and with ships equipped with blasters, attacked you! Atomic blasters,
+Mr. Sinclair, are not bought at the local credit exchange. They are made
+exclusively for the Solar Guard! That bunch of hotheaded kids, as you
+call them, are capable of attacking any community--even ships of the
+Solar Guard itself! That is a threat to the peace of the solar system
+and must be stopped!"
+
+Sinclair nodded quickly. "Oh, I agree, Major, I agree. I'm just saying
+that--"
+
+Connel stopped him. "I understand, Mr. Sinclair. You're a peaceful man
+and want to keep your life peaceful. But my job is to ensure that peace.
+As long as a group of militant toughs like we had here are on the loose,
+you won't have peace. You'll have pieces!"
+
+Tom, Roger, and Astro, sitting quietly and listening, felt like standing
+up and cheering as the major finished.
+
+"I know you can't tell me what you're going to do, Major Connel," said
+the planter, "but I hope that you'll allow me to help in any way I can."
+
+Connel hesitated before answering. "Thank you, Mr. Sinclair. But I'm not
+here officially now." And then he added, "Nor in regard to the
+Nationalists."
+
+Sinclair's eyes lit up slightly. "Oh?"
+
+"No. As you know, the cadets had quite a time with a tyrannosaurus. They
+wounded it and it might still be dangerous. That is, more dangerous than
+normally. I've got orders to track him down and finish him off."
+
+"But I thought you said you were going to put a stop to this business
+with the Nationalists," said the planter.
+
+"I said the Solar Guard would, Sinclair."
+
+"Oh, yes," mumbled Sinclair, "the Solar Guard. Of course."
+
+Connel got up abruptly. "I would appreciate it if you would look after
+our ship, though," he said. "I don't think we'll be longer than a week.
+Shouldn't be hard to track a tyrannosaurus, especially if it's wounded."
+
+"I suppose you have all the equipment you need," said Sinclair.
+
+"Yes, thank you," replied Connel. Then, thanking Mrs. Hill for the
+refreshments, the burly spaceman and the three cadets said good-by and
+left the house.
+
+An hour later, ready to strike off into the jungle, the Solar Guard
+officer took four of the latest model shock rifles out of the arms
+locker of the _Polaris_ and gave one to each boy with extra ammunition.
+"Never go after a giant with a popgun," he said. "It's a wonder you
+didn't kill yourselves with those old blasters you used, let alone kill
+a tyranno."
+
+The three cadets examined the rifles closely and with enthusiasm.
+
+"These are the latest Solar Guard issue," said Connel. "When you pull
+that trigger, you release a force three times greater than anything put
+into a rifle before."
+
+Then, checking the _Polaris_ and cutting all power, Connel removed the
+master switch and hid it. "That's so no one will get any bright ideas
+while we're gone," he explained as the boys watched curiously.
+
+"You think someone might try to steal her, sir?" asked Tom.
+
+"You never can tell, Corbett," answered Connel noncommittally.
+
+Once again the three boys moved across the clearing toward the jungle
+wall. Astro took the lead as before, followed by Roger and Tom, and
+Connel brought up the rear. They moved directly to the spot where they
+had last seen the tyrannosaurus, found the trampled underbrush and
+massive tracks, and moved purposefully into the dank, suffocating green
+world.
+
+The trail was plain to see. Where the boys once had to hack their way
+through the thick underbrush, the monster had created a path for them.
+The three cadets felt better about being back in the jungle with more
+reliable equipment and joked about what they would do to the
+tyrannosaurus when they saw it again.
+
+"I thought you were supposed to be the home-grown Venusian hick that
+could manage in the jungle like that fairy-tale character, Tarzan,"
+Roger teased Astro.
+
+"Listen, you sleepwalking space Romeo," growled Astro, "I know more
+about this jungle than you could learn in ten years. And I'm not foolish
+enough to battle with a tyranno with the odds on his side. I ran for a
+good reason!"
+
+"Boy, did you run!" taunted Roger. "You were as fast as the _Polaris_ on
+emergency thrust!"
+
+"Knock off that rocket wash!" roared Connel. "The Nationalists might
+have security patrols in this area. They could hear you talking and
+blast you before you could bat an eyelash! Now keep quiet and stay
+alert!"
+
+The three cadets quieted down after that, walking carefully, stepping
+around dead brush that might betray their presence. After working their
+way along the tyrannosaurus's trail for several hours, Connel called a
+halt, and after a quick look at his compass, motioned for them to cut
+away from the monster's tracks.
+
+"We'll start working around in a circle," he said. "One day east, one
+south, west, and north. Then we'll move in closer to the heart of the
+circle, and repeat the same procedure. That should cover a lot of ground
+in eight days. If anything's moving around out here, besides what should
+be here, we'll find it. From now on, we'll have a scout. Astro, you know
+the jungle, you take the point, about five hundred yards ahead. If you
+see anything, signs of a patrol or any danger from the jungle, fall back
+and report. Don't try to do anything yourself. Four guns in a good
+position are better than one popping off by itself."
+
+"Aye, aye, sir," said Astro. With a quick nod to Tom and Roger, he moved
+off through the jungle. In ten feet he was invisible. In thirty seconds
+his footsteps were lost in the thousands of jungle sounds around them.
+
+"I'll take the lead now," said Connel. "Corbett, you bring up the rear.
+All right, move out!"
+
+From above, in the leafy roof covering the jungle; from the side, in the
+thick tangle of vines; and from below, in the thorny underbrush, the
+eyes of living things, jungle things, followed the movements of the
+three spacemen, perhaps wondering if these new beasts were a threat to
+their lives.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 10
+
+
+"Hal-loo-ooo!"
+
+Astro's voice boomed out over the tops of the trees, where the birds
+fluttered in sudden fright. It echoed through the darkness around him,
+where smaller creatures crawled and slithered into the protection of
+their holes. The voice of the big cadet was loud, but it was not loud
+enough for his mates to hear.
+
+Astro was lost.
+
+He couldn't understand how it had happened. Over and over during the
+past six hours he had retraced his steps mentally, trying to visualize
+the trail, trying to locate the telltale marks he had made with his
+jungle knife, and so find Major Connel, Tom, and Roger. It was dark now
+and the big cadet had to face the dangerous jungle alone. He laughed
+ironically. Connel had given him the point because he knew the jungle!
+And now he was lost.
+
+Astro was a little frightened too. It was his frank realization of
+trouble that made him afraid. He knew what was in the jungle, and though
+he had been there alone before, he had never been in it as deeply as
+this, nor had he ever been lost in the nightmarish place after sundown.
+
+While he was desperately anxious to find his unit mates, he had not
+fired his rifle. The threat of exposing his position to a possible
+Nationalist patrol prevented him from signaling with the blaster or even
+from building a fire. During the last hours of the day, when the
+suspicion that he was lost became a concrete fact, the big cadet had
+been reluctant even to yell. Now, with pitch-black night closing around
+him, he dared to call, hoping it would be heard and recognized by his
+friends, or if not, considered the howl of a jungle beast by an enemy
+patrol should one be near.
+
+He stood with his back against the rough bark of a teakwood tree to
+protect his rear and to face out toward the pitch-black night. More than
+once the big cadet felt the sudden ripple of a crawling thing moving
+around him, across his toes or down the tree trunk. There was a sudden
+thrashing in the underbrush near by and he brought the shock rifle up
+quickly, ears tuned for the growl, or scream, or hiss of an attacking
+beast.
+
+The luminous dial of his watch showed it to be three thirty in the
+morning, two and a half hours to go before the sun would drive the
+fearful darkness away. He had been calling every five minutes. And every
+time he shouted, the movements in the darkness around him increased.
+
+"Hal-loo-ooo!"
+
+He waited, turning his head from one side to the other, intent on the
+sounds that came from a distance; the answering call of the waddling
+ground bird that had confused him at first until he recognized it; the
+shrill scream of the tiny swamp hog; the distant chattering of the
+monkeylike creatures in the treetops. But there was no sound from a
+human throat.
+
+Astro called again and again. The seconds dragged by into minutes, the
+minutes into an hour, and then two hours, and finally, as every muscle
+in his body ached from standing backed up to the tree all night and
+holding his rifle on alert, the gray murky dawn broke over the jungle
+and he began to see the green of the jungle around him. When the sun at
+last broke over the Venusian horizon, the night's frost on the leaves
+and bushes danced and glittered like jewels.
+
+He washed his face in a near-by pool, careful not to drink any of the
+water. He opened a can of synthetic food, and after eating his fill,
+cleared away the brush down to the naked black soil and banking it high
+on all sides he stretched full length on the ground. He dared not sleep.
+Hungry animals were moving about freely now. A paralo-ray gun and the
+rifle, both cocked and ready to fire, were held in his hands. He relaxed
+as completely as he could, idly watching the mother of a brood of the
+anthropoids scamper through the branches of the trees overhead, bringing
+her squalling young their breakfast. An hour later, refreshed, he
+started through the jungle again, eyes open for signs of recent
+activity, human activity, for the big cadet wanted to return to his
+comrades.
+
+Stopping occasionally to climb a tree, Astro searched the sky above the
+treetops for smoke that would mark a campsite. He felt that sure if
+there was any, he would find Roger, Tom, and Connel, since a Nationalist
+patrol wouldn't advertise its presence in the jungle. But there were no
+smoke signs. The top of the jungle stretched green and still as far as
+he could see, steaming under the burning rays of the sun.
+
+Astro knew that it would be impossible to spend another night like the
+first in the jungle, so after searching through the forest until three
+in the afternoon, he stopped, opened another can of synthetic food, and
+ate. He was used to being alone now. The first wave of fear had left
+him and he was beginning to remember things he knew as a young boy;
+jungle signs that warned him of dangers, the quick identification of the
+animal cries, and the knowledge of the habits of the jungle creatures.
+
+After eating, he took his jungle knife and hacked at a long, tough vine,
+yanking it down from its lofty tangle. He started weaving it into a
+tight oblong basket and two hours later, just before the sun dropped
+into the jungle for the night, he was finished. He had a seven-foot bag
+woven tightly and pulled together with a small opening at one end. Just
+before the sky darkened, the big cadet crawled into this makeshift
+sleeping bag, pulled the opening closed with a tight draw cord, and in
+thirty seconds was asleep. Nothing would be able to bite through the
+tough vine matting, and the chances of a larger beast accidentally
+stepping on him were small. Nevertheless, Astro had pulled the bag close
+to a huge tree and placed it deep between the swollen roots.
+
+He awoke with a start. The ground was shaking violently. He was sweating
+profusely and judged that it must be late in the morning with the sun
+beating directly on him. Carefully he opened the end of the makeshift
+sleeping bag and peered out. He gasped and reached for his shock rifle,
+bringing it up into firing position. The sight that confronted him was
+at once horrifying and fascinating. A hundred yards away, a giant snake,
+easily a hundred feet long and five feet thick, was wrapped around a
+raging tyrannosaurus. The monsters were in a fight to death. Astro
+shuddered and pulled back into the bag, keeping the blaster aimed at the
+two struggling beasts.
+
+[Illustration: _Astro kept his blaster aimed at the monsters_]
+
+The big cadet deduced that the snake must have been surprised in its
+feeding by the tyrannosaurus, and was trying to defend itself. There
+wasn't a living thing in the jungle that would deliberately attack a
+tyrannosaurus. Only man, with his intelligence and deadly weapons,
+could win over the brute force and cunning of the jungle giant. And even
+that had failed with this monster. Astro quickly saw it was the same
+beast that had chased the three cadets out of the jungle!
+
+With three coils wrapped around the tyrannosaurus's body, the snake was
+trying to wrap a fourth around its neck and strangle it, but the monster
+was too wily. Rearing back, it suddenly fell to the ground, its weight
+crushing the three coils around its middle. The snake jerked
+spasmodically, stunned, as the tyrannosaurus scrambled up again. The
+ground trembled and branches were ripped from near-by trees. All around
+the jungle had been leveled. Everything fell before the thrashing
+monsters.
+
+Recovering, the snake's head darted in again, trying to circle the
+tyrannosaurus's head and complete the last and fatal coil, but the giant
+beast lunged, its massive jaws snapping, and the snake drew back.
+Suddenly its tail lashed out and circled the left legs of the
+tyrannosaurus. Astro could see the beast straining against the sudden
+pressure, at the same time alert for the swooping head of the snake. The
+pressure on the leg was too great, and the beast fell to the ground,
+giving the snake a momentary advantage. Its head darted in again, but
+the tyrannosaurus drew its head into its narrow shoulders, then shot out
+again as the snake missed. Astro saw the snake quiver and jerk back as
+the tyrannosaurus clamped its jaws closed and bit a chunk out of the
+green, scaly body.
+
+The snake had enough. It wanted to get away, to slip to the top of the
+tallest tree in the forest, out of reach of the tyrannosaurus, and wait
+for the wound to heal or for death to come. It unwound in a maddened
+convulsive movement and slithered toward the tree where Astro lay. But
+the monster was after it, immediately grabbing it by the tail and
+jerking it back. The snake was forced to turn and fight back.
+
+Astro knew that if the snake could get away it would head for the
+teakwood above his head, the highest tree around, and the tyrannosaurus
+would stamp the ground around its base into powder. He had to move!
+
+A hundred feet to the left was a wild thicket of ground thorns, their
+needlelike tips bristling. Even the snake would stay away from them. It
+was his only chance should the snake get loose from the tyrannosaurus
+again. Making up his mind quickly, the cadet opened the end of the
+sleeping bag and shoved his weapons out before him. Then hugging the
+ground, he dashed across the clearing. This gave the tyrannosaurus its
+final advantage. The snake pulled back, momentarily attracted by Astro's
+move, and the tyrannosaurus struck, catching the snake just behind the
+head in a grip of death.
+
+The thorns ripped at Astro's tight-fitting jungle dress, tearing into
+his flesh as he dove into the thicket. But once inside the cadet lay
+still, pointing his rifle at the tyrannosaurus who was methodically
+finishing off the giant snake. In a few seconds the snake was dead and
+the tyrannosaurus began to feast.
+
+Astro stayed in the thicket, watching the monster devour nearly all of
+the dead reptile foe and then rise up and move off through the jungle.
+Astro knew that in no time the scavengers of the jungle would be
+swarming over the remains of the snake. Once again he had to move.
+
+Getting out of the thicket was painful. From every direction the thorns
+jabbed at him, and but for the toughness of his jungle suit, Astro would
+have been ripped to shreds. After easing his way back into the
+clearing, the cadet pulled out the remains of his jungle pack. He then
+saw that his suit was torn to ribbons, and the many slashes on his chest
+and arms were bleeding profusely. The scent of the blood would attract
+the carnivorous creatures, so he stripped off the bloody jungle suit,
+dropping it back in the thicket, and hurried away. A short time later he
+came to a water hole where he sponged himself off and applied medication
+from his emergency kit to the scratches. Finished, he took stock. The
+night's sleep had refreshed him, and except for the loss of his
+protective clothing, he was in good shape. He shouldered the pack,
+strapped the paralo-ray gun to his hips, and gripping the rifle tightly,
+he moved off through the jungle once more. He decided to follow the
+tyrannosaurus. The beast would leave a path for him, saving him the
+effort of hacking his way through the vines and creepers, and should an
+enemy patrol be out, it would stay away from the tyrannosaurus. Finally,
+he knew Tom, Roger, and Connel would go after the beast if they saw it.
+
+The sun shone down on the half-naked giant moving through the jungle, a
+new white-skinned animal who was braver than the rest, a creature who
+dared to trail the king of the jungle.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"It's all my fault!" said Connel disgustedly. "I should have been able
+to read his trail signs."
+
+Tom did not answer. He pulled the straps of his jungle pack tighter and
+slung it over his shoulder. Roger stood to one side, watching Major
+Connel. Both boys sensed what was coming.
+
+"Well, this is the last day we can spend searching for him," said
+Connel. "We've already lost two days."
+
+Roger glanced at Tom and said casually, "It wouldn't hurt to keep our
+eyes open for signs of him, would it, sir?"
+
+"Now listen, boys," said Connel firmly, "I know how you feel about
+Astro. I have to admit I have a liking for the lad myself. But we've
+been sent out here to locate the base of operations of the Nationalists.
+The best way to do that is to work around the jungle in a given area. We
+haven't done that so far. We've put all our time and effort into a
+random search for Astro. We can't signal him, build a fire, shoot off a
+blaster--or use any of the simple communication devices. We have to work
+under cover, for fear of giving away our presence here in the jungle."
+He slung his gear over his shoulder and added, "We'll continue our
+search for Astro until noon and then we simply will have to abandon it.
+And stop worrying about him. He's a big strong lad and he's been in this
+jungle alone before. I have every confidence that he can make his way
+back to Sinclair's plantation safely."
+
+The Solar Guard officer paused and looked at the two downcast cadets
+before him. "None of that sulking business!" he growled. "You're cadets
+on an urgent mission. Now move out. I'll take the point first and you
+bring up the rear, Corbett." Without another word, the burly spaceman
+turned and moved off through the jungle.
+
+Roger hung back to talk to Tom. "What do you think, Tom?"
+
+Tom shook his head before answering. "He's right, Roger. We're on a job.
+It's the same here in the jungle as it is in space. We know that
+something is liable to happen to any one of us at any time. And the
+mission always comes first."
+
+Roger nodded. "Sure, that's the way it is in the book. But this is
+real. That big hick might be hurt--or trapped. Maybe he needs our help!"
+
+"I know how you feel, Roger," replied Tom. "I want to take off and hunt
+for Astro myself, but Connel needs us. Don't forget that bunch of guys
+in uniforms back at Sinclair's. Commander Walters and the others don't
+hold conferences like that one back in Venusport for the fun of it. This
+is serious."
+
+Roger shrugged and started off after Connel, Tom following slowly
+behind. Their march through the jungle was made in silence, each hoping
+for a miracle. But as the sun grew higher and the deadline hour of noon
+approached, they steeled themselves to the fact that they might never
+see the Venusian cadet again. A short time later, when Tom was taking
+his turn at cutting the trail through the brush, he broke through into a
+clearing. He stopped and called out, "Major! Roger! Quick!"
+
+Connel and the blond-haired cadet rushed forward, stopping beside Tom to
+stare in amazement. Before them, a large area of the jungle was pounded
+down and lying amidst the tangle of giant creepers and uprooted bushes
+was the remains of a giant snake.
+
+"By the rings of Saturn!" gasped Connel, walking forward to inspect the
+clearing. Tom and Roger followed, breaking to the side, their rifles at
+ready. The two boys had become jungle-wise quickly and knew that death
+lurked behind the wall of green surrounding the cleared area.
+
+"It must have been some fight!" Connel pointed to the tracks of the
+tyrannosaurus. "The tyranno must have stumbled on the snake while it was
+feeding," said Connel. "Otherwise it would have lit out for that tree
+over there." He pointed to the giant teakwood that Astro had slept
+under. The three spacemen saw the makeshift sleeping bag at the same
+time.
+
+"Major! Look!" cried Tom and raced to the base of the tree.
+
+"It's Astro's, all right," said Connel, examining the woven bag. "I
+wonder if he was here when those two things were going after each
+other."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Roger in a choked whisper, "he was." He pointed to the
+ragged remains of Astro's jungle suit dangling on the near-by thornbush.
+The blood was stiff on the material.
+
+The three Earthmen stared at the suit, each too horrified to speak.
+
+Connel's face was set in hard lines as he finally found his voice and
+growled, "Our search is over. Let's get back to our job."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 11
+
+
+It was not until late the same afternoon that Astro, following the trail
+of the tyrannosaurus, realized that the giant beast was seriously hurt.
+At first the traces of blood on the ground and underbrush were slight,
+but gradually the blood spots became more profuse and the trail was
+covered with huge blotches of red. The Venusian cadet grew more
+cautious. The tyrannosaurus would be ten times as dangerous now. And it
+might be close by, lying in the jungle, licking its wounds.
+
+As the sun began to sink in the western Venusian sky, Astro began to
+think about the coming night. He would have to hole up. He couldn't
+chance stumbling into the beast in the dark. But it would also mean
+taking time to make another sleeping bag. Suddenly he saw a movement in
+the brush to his left. He dropped to the ground and aimed the shock
+rifle in that direction, eyes probing the green tangle for further
+movement.
+
+"Make one move and you'll die!" a harsh voice cut through the jungle.
+Astro remained still, his eyes darting to left and right, trying to
+locate the owner of the voice.
+
+"Throw down your gun and stand up with your hands over your head!" came
+another voice, this one immediately behind him.
+
+[Illustration: _His eyes probed the jungle for further movement_]
+
+A patrol! Astro swore at himself for blindly walking into a trap and
+dropped his gun. He stood up and raised his hands over his head, turning
+slowly.
+
+"Don't turn around! Stand still!"
+
+Astro stopped.
+
+He could hear the rustle of movement in the underbrush behind him and
+then someone called, "Circle around to the right. Spread out and see if
+there are any others!"
+
+Off to the side, he could hear the crashing of footsteps moving away in
+the jungle.
+
+"All right," continued the unknown voice, "drop that paralo-ray pistol
+to the ground. But no smart tricks. We can see you and you can't see us,
+so take it easy and do as we say."
+
+Astro lowered his hands and unbuckled the gun belt, letting it fall to
+the ground. There was a sudden burst of movement behind him and powerful
+arms gripped his wrists. Within seconds his hands were tied quickly and
+expertly, and he was spun around to face his captors.
+
+There were ten men, all dressed in the same green uniforms and plastic
+headgear he had seen at the Sinclair plantation. They stood in a
+semicircle around him, their guns leveled at his naked chest. The leader
+of the party nudged the nearest man and commented, "Never thought I'd
+see any animal like this in the jungle!" The other men laughed
+appreciatively.
+
+"Who are you?" the leader demanded. "What are you doing here?"
+
+"My name is Astro," replied the big cadet boldly. "I'm a Space Cadet,
+_Polaris_ unit, Space Academy, U.S.A. I'm here in the jungle with the
+rest of my unit hunting tyrannosaurus."
+
+"Tyranno, eh?" queried the man. "How long have you been trailing this
+one?"
+
+"Just today. I saw him fight a big snake and lost my jungle gear in a
+thicket where I was hiding. I was separated from my space buddies two
+days ago."
+
+"Say, Helia," suddenly called one of the other men, "he sounds like a
+Venusian."
+
+"Is that true?" asked the leader. "Are you from Venus?"
+
+Astro nodded. "Venusport."
+
+"Then why are you in Space Academy?"
+
+"I want to be a spaceman."
+
+"Why didn't you go to school on Venus, instead of Earth. We have good
+space schools here."
+
+"I want a commission in the Solar Guard. You can only get that through
+the Academy," replied Astro stoutly.
+
+"Solar Guard!" snorted the leader, and then turned to the nearest man,
+speaking rapidly in a strange tongue.
+
+For a moment the language confused Astro, then he recognized it as the
+ancient Venusian dialect. He understood it and started to answer, but
+then, on second thought, he decided not to reveal his knowledge of the
+language.
+
+The leader turned back to Astro and asked a question.
+
+Astro shook his head and said, "If you're talking to me, you have to
+speak English. I know that's the Venusian dialect you're speaking, but I
+never learned it."
+
+The leader's fist shot out and crashed against Astro's jaw. The big
+cadet rocked back with the punch and then he lunged forward, straining
+against his bonds.
+
+"Why, you--!" he exploded angrily.
+
+"That was for not being a true Venusian!" snapped the leader. "Every son
+of Venus should understand his mother tongue!"
+
+Astro bit his lip and fell silent.
+
+The leader turned away, and shouting a command, started off through the
+jungle. Astro knew that the patrol had been ordered to move out, but he
+stood still, waiting for them to push him. They did. A hard jab in his
+naked side with the butt of a gun sent him stumbling forward in the
+center of the patrol.
+
+Well, there was one consolation, he thought grimly. At least he wouldn't
+have to spend the night out in the jungle alone again!
+
+Astro had expected a long march, but to his surprise, he was pushed
+along a well-worn jungle trail for only three hundred yards in from the
+tyrannosaurus's track. Finally they stopped before a huge teakwood tree.
+The leader pounded his rifle butt on the trunk three times.
+
+Mystified, Astro watched a small section of the trunk open to reveal a
+modern vacuum-tube elevator shaft. He was pushed inside with the men of
+the patrol and the tree-trunk door was closed. The leader pushed a lever
+and the car dropped so suddenly that Astro nearly lost his balance. He
+judged that they must have fallen two hundred feet when the car stopped
+and another door opened. He was pushed out into a high-vaulted tunnel
+with cement walls.
+
+"Hurry up!" snapped the leader.
+
+The big cadet moved along the tunnel, followed by the patrol, turning
+from one tunnel into another, all of them slanting downhill. Astro
+guessed that he was being taken to some subterranean cave. He asked his
+captors where they were taking him.
+
+"Don't talk!" snapped one of the men at his side.
+
+"This jungle will be swarming with Solar Guardsmen once they discover
+I'm lost," said Astro. "Who are you and what are you holding me prisoner
+for?" The big cadet decided it would be better to feign ignorance of the
+existence of the rebel organization.
+
+"Let the Solar Guard come!" snapped the leader. "They'll find something
+they never expected."
+
+"But what do you want with _me_?" asked the cadet.
+
+"You'll know soon enough!"
+
+They had been walking for nearly an hour and the tunnels still slanted
+downward but more sharply now. Turning into a much larger tunnel than
+any of the rest, Astro noticed a huge door on one side. Through its
+crystal-covered ports he saw racks of illegal heat blasters and
+paralo-ray guns. A man stepped out of the door, and raising his hand in
+a form of salute, called out a few words in the Venusian tongue. Astro
+recognized it as a greeting, "Long live Venusians!" and suppressed a
+smile.
+
+One by one, the men of the patrol handed over their rifles and ray guns,
+while the man in the armory checked off their names. Then they all
+removed their knee-length jungle boots and traded their plastic helmets
+for others of the same design but of a lighter material. Each man turned
+his back while switching helmets, obviously to avoid being recognized by
+any of the others, since the new helmet was also frosted except for a
+slit at eye level. Wearing the lighter headgear and common street shoes,
+the men continued their march through the tunnel. They passed into a
+still larger tunnel, and for the first time, Astro could see daylight.
+As they drew nearer to the mouth of the tunnel, the cadet could see
+outside, and the scene before him made him gasp for breath.
+
+A full twenty miles long and fifteen miles wide, a canyon stretched
+before him. And it seemed to the big cadet that every square inch of the
+canyon floor was occupied by buildings and spaceships. Hundreds of
+green-clad men were moving around the ships and buildings.
+
+"By the craters of Luna!" gasped Astro as the patrol paused in the mouth
+of the tunnel. "What--what is this?"
+
+"The first city of Venus. True Venus. Built by Venusians with Venusian
+materials only!" said the leader proudly. "There's the answer to your
+Solar Guard!"
+
+"I don't understand," said Astro. "What are you going to do?"
+
+"You'll see." The man chuckled. "You'll see. Move on!"
+
+As they trooped out of the tunnel and down into the canyon they passed
+groups of men working on the many ships. The cadet recognized what they
+were doing at once. The unmistakable outlines of gun ports were being
+cut into the sides of several bulky space freighters. Elsewhere, the
+steady pounding of metal and grinding of machinery told the cadet that
+machine shops were going at full blast. He noticed a difference between
+the men of the patrol and the workers. Neither spoke to the other. In
+fact, Astro saw that it was rarely that a worker even glanced at them as
+they passed by.
+
+Up ahead, Astro saw a huge building, wide and sprawling but only a few
+stories high. It was nearly dark now and lights began to wink on in the
+many windows. He guessed that he was being taken to the building and was
+not surprised when the leader pulled him by the arm, guiding him toward
+a small side door. There was a curious look about the building and the
+cadet couldn't figure out what it was. Glancing quickly at the wall as
+he passed through the door, he nearly burst out laughing. The building
+was made of wood! He guessed that the rebels were using materials at
+hand rather than importing anything from outside planets. And since
+Venus was largely a planet of jungles and vegetation, with few large
+mineral deposits, wood would be the easiest thing to use.
+
+The inside of the building was handsomely decorated and designed. He saw
+walls covered with carvings, depicting old legends about the first
+colonists. He shook his head. "Boy," he thought, "they sure go for the
+Venusian stuff in a big way!"
+
+"All right!" snapped the leader. "Stop here!"
+
+Astro stood before a huge double door that had been polished to a
+brilliant luster. The cadet waited for the leader to enter, but the
+Nationalist stood perfectly still, eyes straight ahead. Suddenly the
+doors swung open, revealing a huge chamber, at least a hundred and fifty
+feet long. At the far end a man dressed in white with a green band
+across his chest sat in a beautifully carved chair. Arrayed on either
+side of him were fifty or more men dressed in various shades of green.
+The man in white lifted his hand and the patrol leader stepped forward,
+pushing Astro before him. They walked across the polished floor and
+stopped ten feet away from the man in white, the patrol leader bowing
+deeply. Astro glanced at the men standing at either side of the man in
+white. The bulge of paralo-ray pistols was plainly visible beneath their
+flowing robes.
+
+The man in white lifted his hand in the salute Astro had seen before.
+Then the patrol leader straightened up and began to speak rapidly in the
+Venusian dialect. Translating easily, Astro heard him report his
+capture. When he concluded, the man in white looked at Astro closely and
+spoke three words. Astro shook his head.
+
+"He does not speak our mother tongue, Lactu," volunteered the patrol
+leader.
+
+The man in white nodded. "How is it," he said in English, "that you are
+a native-born Venusian and do not speak the language of your planet?"
+
+"I was an orphan. I had very little formal education," said Astro. "And
+as long as we're asking questions around here, how about my asking a
+few? Who in space are you? What's the idea of holding me a prisoner?"
+
+"One question at a time, please, brother Venusian," said the man in
+white. "And when you address me, my name is Lactu."
+
+"Lactu what?" asked Astro belligerently.
+
+"Your own name should tell you that we on Venus only have one name."
+
+"Never mind that rocket wash!" barked Astro. "When do I get out of
+here?"
+
+"You will never leave here as you came," said Lactu quietly.
+
+"What does that mean?" demanded the cadet.
+
+"You have discovered the existence of our base. Ordinarily you would
+have been burned to a crisp and left in the jungle. Fortunately, you are
+a Venusian by birth, and therefore have the right to join our
+organization."
+
+"What does that mean?"
+
+"It means," said Lactu, "that you will take an oath to fight until death
+if necessary to free the planet Venus and the Venusian citizens from the
+slavery of the Solar Alliance and--"
+
+"Awright, buster!" roared Astro. "I've had enough of that rocket wash! I
+took an oath of allegiance to the Solar Guard and the Solar Alliance, to
+uphold the cause of peace throughout the universe and defend the
+liberties of the planets. Your idea is to destroy peace and make slaves
+out of the people of Venus--like these dummies you've got here!" Astro
+gestured contemptuously at the men standing on both sides of Lactu. "I
+don't want any part of you, so start blasting!" continued the big cadet,
+his voice booming out in the big room. "But make it good, 'cause I'm
+tough!"
+
+There was a murmur among the men and several put their hands on the
+butts of their paralo-ray guns. Even the calm expression in Lactu's eyes
+changed.
+
+"You are not afraid of us, are you?" he asked in a low, almost surprised
+tone of voice.
+
+"You, nor anything that crawls in the jungle like you!" shouted Astro.
+"If you're not happy with the way things are run on Venus, why don't
+you take your beef to the Solar Alliance?"
+
+"We prefer to do it our way!" snapped one of the men near Lactu. "And as
+for you, a few lashes with a Venusian wet whip will teach you to keep a
+civil tongue!"
+
+Astro turned around slowly, looking at each of the men individually. "I
+promise you," he said slowly, "the first man who lays a whip on me will
+die."
+
+"And who, pray, will do the killing?" snorted a short, stout figure in
+the darkest of the green uniforms. "You? Hardly!"
+
+"If it isn't me"--Astro turned to face the man--"it will be any one of a
+thousand Space Cadets."
+
+"You have a lot of confidence in yourself and your friends," said Lactu.
+"Death apparently doesn't frighten you."
+
+"No more than it does any man of honor," said the cadet. "I've faced
+death before. As for my friends"--Astro shrugged and grinned--"touch me
+and wait for what happens. And by the stars, mister, you can depend on
+it happening!"
+
+"Enough of this, Lactu!" said a man near the end of the group. "We have
+important business to conduct. Take this foolish boy out and do away
+with him!"
+
+Lactu waved his hand gently. "Observe, gentlemen, here is the true
+spirit of Venus. This boy is not an Earthman, nor a Martian. He is a
+Venusian--a proud Venusian who has drifted with the tides of space and
+taken life where he found it. Tell me honestly, gentlemen, what would
+you have thought of Astro, a Venusian, if he had acted any differently
+than he has? If he had taken an oath he does not believe and groveled at
+our feet? No, gentlemen, to kill this proud, freeborn Venusian would be
+a crime. Tell me, Astro, do you have any skills?"
+
+"I can handle nuclear materials in any form."
+
+"We are wasting time, Lactu!" exclaimed one of the men suddenly. "Settle
+with this upstart later. Now let us take a vote on the issue before us.
+The ship is waiting to blast off for Mercury. Do we ask for her
+assistance, or not?"
+
+There was a loud murmur among the assembled men, and Lactu held up his
+hand. "Very well, we will vote. All in favor of asking the people of
+Mercury to join our movement against the Alliance will say aye!"
+
+"Aye," chorused the men.
+
+"Against?"
+
+Lactu looked around, but there was no reply.
+
+Lactu turned back to Astro. "Well, Venusian, this is your last chance to
+join forces with us and to fight for your mother planet."
+
+"Go blast your jets!" snapped Astro. Immediately Lactu's eyes became
+hard steely points.
+
+"That was your last chance!" he said. "Take him out and kill him!"
+
+The door suddenly burst open and a green-clad trooper raced across the
+bare floor, bowing hastily before Lactu. "Forgive this interruption,
+Lactu," he said breathlessly. "There are men in the jungle headed for
+the canyon rim. Three of them!"
+
+Lactu turned to Astro. "Your friends, no doubt!" He snapped an order.
+"Capture them and bring them to me. And as for you, Astro, we are in
+need of capable men to build war heads for our space torpedoes. To
+ensure the safety of your friends, I would advise your working for us.
+If not, your friends will die before another night falls."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 12
+
+
+"You're right, Tom," said Major Connel. "They must be around here
+somewhere. Start looking. If they're not here, it may mean he's still
+alive."
+
+It was Tom who had thought of looking for Astro's weapons. Refusing to
+believe that his unit mate had been killed, the curly-haired cadet was
+examining the torn jungle suit when the idea occurred to him.
+
+Quickly Roger, Connel, and Tom spread out over the trampled area,
+searching the underbrush for Astro's paralo-ray pistol or shock rifle.
+Connel examined the underbrush and vines closely for scorch marks made
+by the blaster. Finding none, he rejoined the boys.
+
+"Well?" he asked.
+
+"Nothing, sir," replied Roger.
+
+"Can't find them, Major," said Tom.
+
+Connel smacked his fists together and spoke excitedly. "I'm sure Astro
+wouldn't be caught unawares by a couple of things like a snake or a
+tyrannosaurus without putting up a fight. If he was attacked suddenly,
+he would have fired at least one shot, and if it went wild, it would
+have burned the vines and brush around here. You didn't find his
+weapons, and there are no scorched areas. I'll stake my life on it,
+Astro's alive!"
+
+Roger's and Tom's faces brightened. They knew Connel had no proof, but
+they were willing to believe anything that would keep their hopes for
+their giant unit mate alive.
+
+"Now," said Connel, "assuming he is not dead, and that he is somewhere
+in the jungle, we have to figure out what he would do."
+
+Roger was thoughtful a moment. "How long would he last without his
+jungle suit, sir?"
+
+"What do you mean?" asked Connel.
+
+Tom's eyes lit up. "If he's alive, sir, then he's probably following a
+path or trail that would keep him away from heavy underbrush," he said.
+
+Connel thought a moment. "There's only one trail away from here." He
+turned and pointed to the trail made by the tyrannosaurus. "That one."
+
+The three spacemen stared at the wide path left by the huge beast.
+Connel hesitated. "It's due north," he said finally. "We've come a full
+day west and should be making a turn north. We'll follow the
+tyrannosaurus's trail for a full day."
+
+Roger and Tom grinned. They knew Connel was making every effort to find
+Astro, while still keeping his mission in mind.
+
+The three spacemen moved along the trail quickly, eyes alert for any
+sign Astro might have left. Connel saw the great bloodstains left by the
+tyrannosaurus and cautioned the two cadets. "This tyranno is wounded
+pretty badly. It might be heading back for its lair, but it might not
+make it, and stop along the way. Be careful and keep your eyes open for
+any sign that he might have--"
+
+Connel was stopped by Tom's sudden cry. "Major! Look!"
+
+Connel turned and stared. A thousand yards ahead of them on the broken
+trail they saw the monstrous bulk of a tyrannosaurus emerge from the
+gloom.
+
+"By the rings of Saturn," breathed Connel, "that's the one!"
+
+The great beast spotted the three Earthmen at the same instant. It
+raised itself on its hind legs, and shaking its massive head in anger,
+started to charge down its own trail toward them.
+
+"Disperse!" cried Connel. "Take cover!"
+
+Tom and Roger darted to one side of the trail while Connel dived for the
+other. Taking cover behind a tree, the boys turned and pointed their
+rifles down the trail. They saw that the tyrannosaurus had already
+covered half the distance between them.
+
+"Aim for the legs!" shouted Connel, from his place of concealment.
+"Don't try for a head shot! He's moving too fast! Give it to him in the
+legs. Try to cut him down!"
+
+Roger and Tom lay flat on the ground and trained their rifles on the
+approaching beast.
+
+"I'll take the right leg," said Roger. "You take the left, Tom."
+
+"On target!" replied Tom, squinting through the sight.
+
+"Ready!" Connel's voice roared across the trail.
+
+Only a hundred and fifty feet away the tyrannosaurus, hearing Connel's
+voice, suddenly stopped. Its head weaved back and forth as though it
+suspected a trap.
+
+"Fire!" roared Connel.
+
+Tom and Roger fired together, but at the same moment the monster lunged
+toward Connel's position. Both shots missed, the energy charges merely
+scorching its sides.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The tyrannosaurus roared with anger and turned toward the boys, head
+down and the claws of its short forelegs extended.
+
+At that moment Connel opened fire, aiming for the monster's vulnerable
+neck. But it was well protected behind its shoulders and the spaceman
+only succeeded in drawing the beast's attention back to himself.
+
+At this instant Tom and Roger opened fire again, sending violent shock
+charges into the beast's hide. Caught in the withering cross fire, it
+turned blindly on the boys and charged at them. The two cadets fired
+coolly, rapidly, unable to miss the great bulk. The air became acrid
+with the sharp odor of ionized air. Maddened now beyond the limits of
+its endurance, hit at least twenty times and wild with pain, the great
+king of the Venusian jungle bore down on the two cadets.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Roger and Tom saw that their fire was not going to stop the
+tyrannosaurus's charge. They were pouring a nearly steady stream of fire
+into the monster now, while on the other side of the trail Connel was
+doing the same, raking the monstrous hulk from the forelegs to the
+hindquarters.
+
+The boys jumped back, Tom still facing the beast and firing his rifle
+from the waist. But Roger stumbled in the tangle of the underbrush and
+fell backward, dropping his rifle. The beast's head swooped low, jaws
+open.
+
+Seeing Roger's danger, Tom jumped downward again without hesitation and
+fired point-blank at the beast's scaly head, only ten feet away.
+
+The monster roared in sudden agony and pulled back, jerking his head up
+against a thick branch of the tree overhead. The limb tore loose under
+the impact and fell crashing to the ground on top of Roger.
+
+From behind, Connel stepped closer to the tyrannosaurus and fired from a
+twenty-five-foot range. It wavered and stumbled back, obviously mortally
+wounded. From both sides Tom and Connel poured their weapons' power into
+the giant beast. Blinded, near death, the monster wavered uncertainly.
+Bellowing in fear and pain, it turned and lumbered back down the trail.
+
+Connel and Tom watched it until they were certain it could not attack
+them without warning again, and then they hurried to Roger. The heavy
+tree limb had landed across his back, pinning him to the ground.
+
+"Roger!" yelled Tom. "Roger, are you all right?"
+
+The blond-haired cadet didn't answer. Grabbing a stout branch lying on
+the ground near by, Connel and Tom worked it beneath the limb which lay
+across Roger's body and pried it up.
+
+"I've got it," said Connel, holding the weight of the limb on his
+shoulder. "Pull him out!"
+
+Tom quickly pulled the unconscious cadet clear and laid him on the
+ground. Dropping the limb, Connel bent down to examine the boy. He ran
+his fingers along Roger's spine, feeling the bones one by one through
+the skin-tight jungle suit. Finally he straightened and shook his head.
+"I can't tell anything," he said. "We'll have to take him back to
+Sinclair's right away." He stood up. "I'll make a stretcher for him.
+Meanwhile, you go after that tyranno and finish him off. He's pretty
+far gone, but you never can tell."
+
+"Aye, aye, sir," replied Tom. He picked up his rifle and reloaded it,
+checking it carefully. He repeated the precaution with Roger's blaster.
+
+"Hurry up," urged Connel, already reaching for a suitable branch. "Time
+means everything now."
+
+"Be right back, sir," replied Tom. And as he walked away, he looked back
+at the unconscious form of his unit mate. He could not help reflecting
+on the bitter fact that already two members of the expedition were in
+danger, and they were no closer to their goal of finding the
+Nationalists' hidden base.
+
+Moving carefully, one of the two rifles slung over his shoulder, the
+other in his hand ready for use, Tom followed the trail of the
+tyrannosaurus. Two thousand yards farther along he saw a place where the
+monster had fallen and then struggled back to its feet to stagger on.
+Rounding a turn in the trail, Tom stopped abruptly. Before him, not a
+hundred feet away, the beast lay sprawled on the ground. The area all
+around was devoid of any vegetation. It was trampled down to the black
+soil. Tom deduced that it was the beast's lair. He pressed forward
+cautiously until he was a scant thirty feet away, and crouched between
+the roots of a huge tree where he would be protected should the monster
+be able to rise and fight again.
+
+Sighting carefully on the base of the monster's neck, he squeezed the
+trigger of the shock rifle. A full energy charge hit the tyrannosaurus
+in its most vulnerable spot. It jerked under the sudden blast,
+involuntarily tried to rise to its feet, and then fell back, the ground
+shaking under the impact of its thirty tons. Then, after one convulsive
+kick with its hind legs that uprooted a near-by tree, the beast
+stiffened and lay still.
+
+Tom waited, watching the beast for signs of life. After five minutes he
+stepped forward cautiously, his rifle ready. He circled the
+tyrannosaurus slowly. The great bulk towered above him, and the cadet's
+eyes widened in amazement at the size of the fallen giant. Stopping at
+its head, which was as wide as he was tall, Tom looked at the jaws and
+teeth that had torn so many foes into bloody bits, and shook his head.
+He had come to the jungle to kill just such a beast. But with Astro
+missing and Roger unconscious the thrill of victory was somehow missing.
+He turned and headed back down the trail.
+
+Connel had finished the litter by the time Tom returned, and the officer
+was leaning over the blond-haired cadet, examining his back again.
+
+"We'd better move out right away, Tom," said Connel. "I still can't tell
+what's wrong. It may be serious, and then it may be nothing more than
+just shock. But we can't take a chance."
+
+Tom nodded. "Very well, sir." He adjusted his shoulder pack, slung both
+rifles over his shoulder, and started to pick up his end of the litter
+when suddenly the jungle silence was shattered by a deafening roar.
+Connel jumped to his feet!
+
+"Corbett!" he cried. "That's a rocket ship blasting off!"
+
+"It sure sounded like it, sir," replied Tom.
+
+"And I'll stake my life it's not more than a half mile away!"
+
+The two men jumped out into the trail and scanned the sky. The
+unmistakable roar of a spaceship echoed through the jungle. The ship was
+accelerating, and the reverberations of the rocket exhaust rolled over
+the treetops. Suddenly a flash of gleaming metal streaked across the sky
+and Connel roared.
+
+"We've found it, Corbett!" He slapped the cadet on the back. "The
+Nationalists' base! We've found it!"
+
+Tom nodded, a half-smile on his face. "We sure have, Major." He
+hesitated a moment. "You know, sir, if Roger is really badly hurt we
+might not make it back to Sinclair's in time, so--" He stopped.
+
+"I know what you're thinking, Tom," said the officer, "and I agree. But
+one of us has to go back with the information."
+
+"You go, sir," said Tom. "I'll take Roger and--"
+
+"You can't carry him alone--"
+
+"I can make it somehow," protested Tom.
+
+Connel shook his head. "I'll help you."
+
+"You mean, you're going to allow yourself to be captured too?"
+spluttered Tom.
+
+"Not quite." Connel smiled. "But a good intelligence agent gets as much
+information as he can. And he gets correct information! I'll help you
+get him to the base and you can take him on in for medical attention.
+I'll get back to Sinclair's later."
+
+Tom tried to protest, but the burly spaceman had turned away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 13
+
+
+"Stand where you are!"
+
+Tom and Major Connel stiffened and looked around, the unconscious form
+of Roger stretched between them on the litter. From the jungle around
+them, green-clad Nationalists suddenly emerged, brandishing their guns.
+
+"Put Roger down," muttered Connel quietly. "Don't try anything."
+
+"Very well, sir," replied Tom, and they lowered the litter to the ground
+gently.
+
+"Raise your hands!" came the second command from a man who appeared
+directly in front of them.
+
+Standing squarely in front of them, the little man said something in the
+Venusian dialect and waited, but Connel and Tom remained silent.
+
+"I guess you don't speak the Venusian tongue," he sneered. "So I'll have
+to use the disgusting language of Earth!" He looked down at the
+unconscious form of Roger. "What happened to him?"
+
+"He was injured in a fight with a tyrannosaurus," replied Connel. "May I
+remind you that you and these men are holding guns on an officer of the
+Solar Guard. Such a crime is punishable by two years on a prison
+asteroid!"
+
+"You'll be the one to go to prison, my stout friend!" The man laughed.
+"A little work in the shops will take some of that waistline off you!"
+
+"Are you taking us prisoner?"
+
+"What do you think?"
+
+"I see." Connel seemed to consider for a moment. "Who are you?" he
+asked.
+
+"I am Drifi, squad officer of the jungle patrol."
+
+"Connel, Senior Officer, Solar Guard," acknowledged Connel. "If we are
+being held prisoner, I wish to make a request."
+
+"Prisoners don't make requests," said Drifi, and then added
+suspiciously, "What is it?"
+
+"See that this man"--Connel indicated Roger--"is given medical attention
+at once."
+
+Drifi eyed the major cautiously.
+
+"I make this request as one officer to another," said Connel. "A point
+of honor between opponents."
+
+Drifi's eyes gleamed visibly at the word _officer_, and Tom almost
+grinned at Connel's subtle flattery.
+
+"You--and you," snapped Drifi at the green-clad men around them, "see
+that this man is taken to the medical center immediately!" Two men
+jumped to pick up the litter.
+
+"Thank you," said Connel. "Now will you be so kind as to tell me what
+this is all about?"
+
+"You'll find out soon enough. We have a special way of treating spies."
+
+"Spies!" roared Connel. The officer sounded so indignant that Tom was
+almost fooled by his tone. "We're hunters! One of our party is lost here
+in the jungle. We were searching for him when we were attacked by a
+tyrannosaurus. During the fight, this man was injured. We're not spies!"
+
+Drifi shrugged his shoulders, and barking a command to his men, turned
+into the jungle. Connel and Tom were forced to follow.
+
+They were taken to the giant teakwood that Astro had seen, and Tom and
+Connel watched silently as the door opened, revealing the vacuum tube.
+The men crowded into the car and it dropped to the lower level.
+
+Following the same twisting turns in the tunnels, Tom and Connel were
+brought to the armory and saw the men surrender their weapons and change
+their helmets and shoes. They tried desperately to get a look at the
+faces of the men around them while the headgear was being changed, but,
+as before, the men were careful to keep their faces averted.
+
+Continuing down the tunnel, Connel tried to speak to Drifi again. "I
+would appreciate it greatly, sir," he said in his most formal military
+manner, "if you could give me any news about the other man of our party.
+Have you seen him?"
+
+Drifi did not answer. He marched stiffly ahead, not even bothering to
+look at Connel.
+
+As they neared the exit, Connel drifted imperceptibly closer to Tom and
+whispered out of the side of his mouth, "Keep your eyes open for ships.
+Count as many as you can. How many are armed, their size, and so on.
+Look for ammunition dumps. Check radar and communications installations.
+Get as much information as you can, in case only one of us can escape."
+
+"Yes, sir," whispered Tom. "Do you think they might have Astro?"
+
+"It's a good guess. We were following the tyrannosaurus's trail when
+they caught us, and I'm pretty sure Astro had been doing the same
+thing."
+
+"Stop that talking!" snapped Drifi, suddenly whirling on them. "You," he
+shouted at one of the guards, "get up here and keep them apart!"
+
+A guard stepped quickly between Tom and Connel, and the conversation
+ended.
+
+At the exit Connel and Tom stopped involuntarily at the sight before
+them. Astro had entered the canyon near twilight, but the two spacemen
+got a view of the Nationalists' base under the full noon sun. Connel
+gasped and muttered a space oath. Tom turned halfway to his superior and
+was starting to speak when both were shoved rudely ahead. "Keep moving,"
+a guard growled.
+
+As they walked, their eyes flicked over the canyon, alert for details.
+Tom counted the ships arrayed neatly on the spaceport some distance
+away, then counted others outside repair shops with men scurrying over
+them like so many ants. Near the center of the canyon the bare trunk of
+a giant teakwood soared skyward, a gigantic communications tower. Tom
+scanned the revolving antenna, and from its shape and size deduced the
+power and type of radar being used at the base. He admitted to himself
+that the Nationalists had the latest and best. Connel was busy too,
+noting buildings of identical design scattered around the canyon floor
+that were too small to be spaceship hangars or storage depots. He
+guessed that they were housings for vacuum-tube elevator shafts that led
+to underground caves.
+
+The canyon echoed with the splutter of arc welders, the slow banging of
+iron workers, the cough and hissing of jet sleds, the roar of activity
+that meant deadly danger to the Solar Alliance. Connel noticed as he
+moved across the canyon floor that the workers were in good spirits. The
+morale of the rebels, thought the space officer, was good! Too good!
+
+At a momentary halt in their march, when Drifi stopped to speak with a
+sentry, Tom and Connel found an opportunity to speak again.
+
+"I've counted a dozen big converted freighters on the blast ramps, sir,"
+whispered Tom hurriedly. "Three more being repaired, nearly finished,
+and there are about fifty smaller ships, all heavily armed."
+
+"That checks with my count, Tom," replied Connel hurriedly. "What do you
+make of the radar?"
+
+"At least as good as we have!"
+
+"I thought so, too! If a Solar Guard squadron tried to attack this base
+now, they'd be spotted and blasted out of space!"
+
+"What about stores, sir?" asked Tom. "I didn't see anything like a
+supply depot."
+
+Connel told him of the small buildings which he believed housed the
+elevator shafts to underground storerooms. "Only one thing is missing!"
+he concluded.
+
+"What's that, sir?"
+
+"The nuclear chambers where they produce ammunition for their fleet."
+
+"It must be underground too, sir," said Tom. "There isn't a building in
+the canyon that's made of concrete and steel."
+
+"Right. Either that, or it's back up there in the cliffs in one of those
+tunnels!" The officer snorted. "By the stars, Corbett, this place is an
+atom bomb ready to go off in the lap of the Solar Alliance."
+
+"What are we going to do, sir?" asked Tom. "So far, it looks as if it's
+going to be tough to get out again."
+
+"We'll have to wait for a break, Tom," sighed Connel.
+
+"I hope they've taken good care of Roger," said the cadet in a low
+voice. "And I hope they've got Astro."
+
+"Watch it," warned Connel. "Drifi's coming back. Remember, if we're
+separated and you do manage to escape, get back to Sinclair's. Contact
+Commander Walters and tell him everything that's happened. The code
+name for direct emergency contact through Solar Guard communications
+center in Venusport is Juggernaut!"
+
+"Juggernaut!" repeated Tom in a whisper. "Very well, sir. But I sure
+hope we aren't separated."
+
+"Well have to take what comes. _Sh!_ Here he comes."
+
+"All right, let's go," said the patrol leader.
+
+They continued across the canyon until they reached a four-story wooden
+structure without windows. Drifi opened a small door and motioned them
+inside.
+
+"What is this?" Connel demanded.
+
+"This is where you'll stay until Lactu sends for you. Right now, he is
+in conference with the Division Leaders."
+
+"Divisions of what? Ships? Men?" asked Connel offhandedly, trying not to
+show any more than idle curiosity.
+
+"You'll find out when the Solar Guard comes looking for a fight," said
+Drifi. "Now get in there!"
+
+Tom and Connel were shoved inside and the door closed behind them. It
+was pitch black, and they couldn't see an inch in front of their faces.
+But both Tom and Connel knew instantly that they were not alone.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"Come on. Gimme that wrench!" barked Astro. The little man beside him
+handed up the wrench and leaned over the side of the engine casing to
+watch Astro pull the nut tight. "Now get over there and throw on the
+switch," snapped the big cadet.
+
+The little man scurried over to one side of the vast machine shop and
+flipped on the wall switch. There was an audible hum of power and then
+slowly the machine Astro had just worked on began to speed up, soon
+revving up to ten thousand revolutions per minute.
+
+"Is it fixed?" demanded the shop foreman, coming up beside Astro.
+
+"Yeah, she's fixed. But I don't work on another job until you give me
+another helper. That asteroid head you gave me doesn't know a--" Astro
+stopped. Something out beyond the double doors caught his eye. It was
+the sight of Tom and Connel entering the wooden building.
+
+"What's the matter with him?" demanded the foreman.
+
+"Huh? What? Oh--ah--well, he's O.K., I guess," Astro stammered. "It's
+just that he's a little green, that's all."
+
+"Well, get to work on that heater in chamber number one. It's burned a
+bearing. Change it, and hurry up about it!"
+
+"Sure--sure!" The big cadet grinned.
+
+"Say, what's the matter with you?" asked the foreman, staring at him
+suspiciously.
+
+"I'm O.K.," replied Astro quickly.
+
+The foreman continued to stare at Astro as the big cadet turned to his
+assistant nonchalantly. "Come on, genius, get that box of tools over to
+the heater!" he shouted. As he turned away, the foreman nodded to the
+green-clad guard, who followed closely behind Astro, his hand on the
+butt of his paralo-ray gun.
+
+Seeing the little assistant struggling with the heavy box, Astro stopped
+and picked it out of his arms with one hand. Grinning, he held it
+straight out and then slowly brought it around in a complete circle over
+his head, still holding it with only one hand. The guard's eyes widened
+behind his plastic helmet at this show of strength.
+
+"You're very strong, Astro," he said, "but you are altogether too
+contemptuous of a fellow Venusian." He nodded to the small assistant.
+
+"That's right," said Astro. His grin hardened and he leaned forward
+slightly, balancing on the balls of his feet. "That goes for you and
+every other green space monkey in this place. Drop that ray gun and I'll
+tie you up in a knot!"
+
+Frightened, the guard pulled the paralo-ray gun out of its holster, but
+Astro quickly stepped in and sank his fist deep into the guard's
+stomach. The man dropped like a stone. Astro grinned and turned his back
+to walk toward the heater. He heard the other workers begin to chatter
+excitedly, but he didn't pay any attention to them.
+
+"Astro! Astro!" His little assistant ran up beside him. "You hit a
+division guard!"
+
+"I did, huh?" replied the big cadet in an innocent tone. "What kind of a
+division?"
+
+"Don't you know? Venus has been divided into areas called divisions.
+Each division has a chief, and every Venusian citizen in that division
+is under his personal jurisdiction."
+
+"Uh-huh," said Astro vaguely. He climbed up on to the machine and began
+taking off the outer casing.
+
+"The best men in the division are made the Division Chief's personal
+guards."
+
+"What happens to the second and third and fourth best men?"
+
+"Well, they're given jobs here according to their knowledge and
+capacities."
+
+"What was your job before you came here?"
+
+"I was a field worker on my chief's plantation."
+
+"Why did you join?" asked Astro. "Did you think it better to have
+Venusians ruling Venus, instead of belonging to the Solar Alliance?"
+
+"I didn't think about it at all," admitted the little man. "Besides, I
+didn't join. I was recruited. My chief just put me on a ship and here I
+am."
+
+"Well, what do you think of it, now that you're here?" asked Astro. He
+began running his fingers along a few of the valves, apparently paying
+no attention to the guard who was just now staggering to his feet.
+
+The little assistant paused and considered Astro's question. Finally he
+replied weakly, "I don't know. It's all right, I guess. It's better here
+in the shops than in the caves where the others go."
+
+"Others? What others?"
+
+"Those that don't like it," replied the man. "They're sent to the
+caves."
+
+"What caves?"
+
+"Up in the cliff. The tunnels--" He suddenly stopped when an angry shout
+echoed in the machine shop. The guard Astro had hit rushed up. He turned
+to several workmen near by. "Take this blabbering idiot to the caves!"
+he ordered angrily.
+
+Astro slowly climbed down from the machine and faced the guard
+menacingly. As the guard's finger tightened on the trigger of his
+paralo-ray gun, the foreman suddenly rushed up and knocked the gun out
+of his hand. "You fool! You stiffen this man and we'll be held up in
+production for hours!"
+
+"So what!" sneered the guard.
+
+"Lactu and your Division Chief will tell you so what!" barked the
+foreman. He turned to Astro. "And as for you, if you try anything like
+that again, I'll--"
+
+"You won't do a thing," said Astro casually. "I'm the best man you've
+got and you know it. Lactu knows it too. So don't threaten me and keep
+these green space jerks away from me! I'll fix your machines, because I
+want to, not because you can make me!"
+
+The foreman eyed the big cadet curiously. "Because you want to? You've
+changed your tune since you first came here."
+
+"Maybe," said Astro. "Maybe I like what I see around here. It all
+depends."
+
+"Well, make up your mind later," barked the foreman. "Now get that
+machine fixed!"
+
+"Sure," said Astro simply, turning back to the machine and starting to
+whistle. Strangely enough, he was happy. He was a prisoner, but he felt
+better than he had in days. Just knowing that Tom and Major Connel were
+right across the canyon gave him a surge of confidence. Working over the
+machine quickly, surely, the big cadet began to formulate a plan. Now
+was the time! They were together again. Now was the time to escape!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 14
+
+
+"Put your back against the door, Tom!" snapped Connel. "Quickly!"
+
+Tom felt the powerful grip of the Solar Guard officer's fingers on his
+arm as he was pulled backward. He closed his eyes, then opened them,
+hoping to pierce the darkness, but he saw nothing. Beside him, he could
+sense the tenseness in Connel's body.
+
+There was a rustle of movement to the right of them.
+
+"Careful, Tom," cautioned Connel. "To your right!"
+
+"I hear it, sir," said Tom, turning toward the noise and bracing
+himself.
+
+"My name is Connel," the burly spaceman suddenly spoke up in loud tones.
+"I'm an official in the Solar Guard! Whoever you are, speak up! Identify
+yourself."
+
+There was a moment of silence and then a voice spoke harshly in the
+darkness.
+
+"How do we know you're a Solar Guard officer? How do we know you're not
+a spy?"
+
+"Do you have any kind of light?" asked Connel.
+
+"Yes, we have a light. But we are not going to give away our positions.
+We know how to move in here. You don't."
+
+"Then how do you expect me to prove it?"
+
+"The burden of proof lies with you."
+
+"Have you ever heard of me?" asked Connel after a pause.
+
+"We know there is an officer in the Solar Guard named Connel."
+
+"I am that officer," asserted Connel. "I was sent into the jungle to
+find this base, but one of our party was injured and we were captured by
+a patrol."
+
+Tom and Connel heard voices whispering in the darkness and then a loud
+order.
+
+"Lie down on the floor, both of you!"
+
+The two spacemen hesitated and then got down flat on their backs.
+
+"Close your eyes and lie still. One of us here knows what Connel looks
+like. I hope for your sake that you're telling the truth. If you're
+not--" The voice stopped but the threat was plain.
+
+"Do as they say, Tom," said Connel.
+
+The cadet closed his eyes and he heard the shuffle of feet around them.
+Suddenly there was a flash of light on his face but he kept his eyes
+tightly closed. The light moved away, but he could tell that it was
+still burning.
+
+"It's Connel, I think," said a high-pitched voice directly over them.
+
+"Are you sure?"
+
+"Pretty sure. I met him once in Atom City at a scientific meeting. He
+was making a speech with a Professor Sykes."
+
+"That's right," said Connel, hearing the remark. "I was there."
+
+"Do you remember meeting a man from Venus wearing a long red robe?"
+asked the high-pitched voice.
+
+Connel hesitated. "No," he said. "I only remember talking to three men.
+Two were from Venus and one was from Mars. But neither of the two from
+Venus wore a red robe. They wore purple--"
+
+"He's right," acknowledged the voice. "This is Connel."
+
+"Open your eyes," said the first voice.
+
+Connel and Tom opened their eyes and in the light of a small hand torch
+they saw two gaunt faces before them. The tallest of the men stuck out a
+bony hand. "My name is Carson." They recognized his voice as the one
+that had spoken first. "And this is Bill Jensen," he added.
+
+"This is Tom Corbett, Space Cadet," said Connel. He glanced around the
+room, and in the weak reflected light of the torch, saw almost fifty men
+crouched against the walls, each of them holding a crude weapon.
+
+"You'll understand our caution, Major," said Carson. "Once before we had
+a plan to escape and a spy was sent in. As you see, we didn't escape."
+
+"Neither did the spy," commented Jensen grimly.
+
+"How long have you been here?" asked Connel.
+
+"The oldest prisoner has been here for three years," replied Carson. And
+as the other men began to gather around them, Connel and Tom saw that
+they were hardly more than walking skeletons. Their cheeks were hollow,
+eyes sunk in their sockets, and they wore little more than rags.
+
+"And there's no way to escape?" asked Tom.
+
+"Three guards with blasters are stationed on the other side of that
+door," said Carson. "There is no other entrance or exit. We tried a
+tunnel, but it caved in and after that they put in a wooden floor." He
+stamped on it. "Teak. Hard as steel. We couldn't cut through."
+
+"But why are you being held prisoners?" asked Connel.
+
+"All of us joined the Nationalists believing it was just a sort of
+good-neighbor club, where we could get together and exchange ideas for
+our own improvement. And when we found out what Lactu and the Division
+Chiefs were really up to, we tried to quit. As you see, we couldn't. We
+knew too much."
+
+"Blasted rebels!" muttered Connel. "The Solar Guard will cool them off!"
+
+"I'm afraid it's too late," said Carson. "They're preparing to strike
+now. I've been expecting it for some time. They have enough ships and
+arms to wipe out the entire Solar Guard garrison here on Venus in one
+attack!" He shook his head. "After that, with Solar Guard ships and
+complete control of the planet--" He paused and sighed. "It will mean a
+long, bloody space war."
+
+Tom and Connel plied the prisoners with questions and soon began to get
+a complete picture of the scope of the Nationalist movement.
+
+"Lactu and his commanders should be sent to a prison asteroid for life,"
+said Carson, "for what they have done to former Nationalists."
+
+"Hundreds of unsuspecting Venusians have been brought here under the
+guise of helping to free Venus. But when they come and recognize what
+Lactu really intends to do, they want to quit. But it's too late, and
+they're sent to the caves."
+
+Tom looked at the gaunt man fearfully. There was something in his voice
+that sent a chill down his spine.
+
+"They are driven like cattle into the canyon walls," continued Carson.
+"There they are forced to dig the huge underground vaults for storage
+dumps. They are beaten and whipped and starved."
+
+"Why aren't you in the caves then?" asked Connel.
+
+"Some of us were," replied Carson. "But each of us here owns land and it
+is necessary to keep us alive to send back directives to our bankers and
+foremen to give aid in one form or another to Sharkey and the Division
+Chiefs."
+
+"I see," said Connel. "If you were to die, then your property would be
+out of their reach."
+
+"Exactly," said Carson.
+
+"Is Sharkey the real leader of the movement?"
+
+"I don't believe so. But then, no one knows. That's the idea of the
+frosted helmets. If you don't know who a man is, you can liquidate him
+without conscience. He may be your closest friend, but you would never
+know it."
+
+"The blasted space crawlers!" growled Connel. "Well, they'll pay!"
+
+"You have a plan?" asked Carson eagerly.
+
+"No," said Connel slowly, "but at least we all have more of a chance
+now."
+
+"How?" asked Carson.
+
+"The Solar Guard sent us here to find this base. If we don't return, or
+send some sort of message back within a reasonable time, this jungle
+will be swarming with guardsmen!"
+
+Carson looked a little disappointed. "We shall see," he said.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+There were three things on Astro's mind as twilight darkened into night
+over the canyon. One, he had to find out why Roger wasn't with Tom and
+Connel when they were taken into the building; two, he had to figure out
+a way to contact Tom and Connel; and finally, he had to escape himself,
+or help Tom and Connel escape.
+
+The big cadet finished the last job in the machine shop. It had taken
+very little time, but the big cadet had lingered over it, trying to find
+answers to his three problems. Around him, the workers were leaving
+their benches and lathes, to be replaced by still others. A twelve-hour
+shift was being used by the Nationalists in their frantic preparations
+for an attack on the Venusport garrison of the Solar Guard. Astro
+finally dropped the last wrench into the tool kit and straightened up.
+He stretched leisurely and glanced over at his guard. The man was still
+rubbing his stomach where Astro had hit him, and he watched the big
+cadet with a murderous gleam in his eye.
+
+"All finished," said Astro. "Where and when do I eat?"
+
+"If I had my way, you wouldn't," sneered the guard.
+
+"Either I knock off and eat," said Astro confidently, "or I call the
+foreman and you talk to Lactu."
+
+"Feeling pretty big, aren't you?" growled the guard. "I haven't
+forgotten that punch in the stomach."
+
+"Why, I hardly touched you," said Astro in mock surprise.
+
+The guard glared at him, muttered an oath, and turned away. Astro could
+see that he was boiling, almost out of his mind with helpless,
+frustrated anger, and suddenly the young cadet realized how he would be
+able to move about the base freely. Grinning, he walked arrogantly in
+front of the guard and out of the shop into the dark Venusian night. It
+was very warm and many of the workers had stripped down to their
+trousers. He passed the open doorway of a large tool shop and glanced
+inside. It was empty. The men had apparently gone to eat. He suddenly
+stopped, turned to the guard, and growled, "If you want to settle our
+differences now, we can step inside."
+
+The guard hesitated and glared at Astro. "When I settle with you, big
+boy, you'll know about it."
+
+"What's the matter with right now?" asked Astro. "Yellow?" He turned and
+walked into the tool shop without looking back. The guard rushed after
+him. But the big cadet had carefully gauged the distance between them,
+and when he heard the rushing steps of the guard immediately behind him,
+he suddenly spun around, swinging a roundhouse right, catching the guard
+in the pit of the stomach again. The man stopped dead in his tracks. His
+eyes bulged and glazed, and he dropped to the floor like a stone. Astro
+pulled the man to the corner of the empty shop, removed the plastic
+helmet, and then tied and gagged him. He pulled the helmet over his own
+head, nearly tearing one ear off, grabbed the gun and stepped back
+outside. He stood in front of the door and glanced up and down the area
+between the buildings. Fifty feet away a group of men were working over
+a tube casing, but they didn't even look up.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Staying in the shadows, he walked down the lane, moving carefully. The
+plastic helmet would keep him from being recognized right away, but to
+complete his plan, he needed one of the green uniforms of the guards.
+
+Deciding it would be too risky to walk around the base, he crouched
+behind a huge crate of machinery at the head of the lane. Sentries were
+constantly patrolling the area and he was certain that one would pass by
+soon. He only hoped the man would be big enough. Fifteen minutes later
+the cadet heard footsteps in a slow measured tread. He peered around the
+edge of the crate and silently breathed a thankful prayer. It was a
+green-clad guard, and luckily, almost as big as he was.
+
+Crouching in the shadow of the crate, Astro tensed for the attack. It
+had to be quick and it had to be silent. He couldn't club the guard
+because of his helmet. He would have to get him around the throat to
+choke off any outcry.
+
+The slow steps came nearer and the big cadet raised himself on the balls
+of his feet, ready to spring. When the guard's shadow fell across him,
+Astro leaped forward like a striking tiger.
+
+The guard didn't have a chance. Astro's arm coiled around his throat and
+the cry of alarm that welled up within him died down in a choking gasp.
+Within seconds he was unconscious and the big cadet had dragged him
+behind the crate. He stripped him of his uniform, bound and gagged him
+with his own rags, and crammed him into the crate. Then, protected by
+the helmet and green uniform and carrying the blaster, the cadet stepped
+out confidently and strode down the lane.
+
+He went directly to the building he had seen Tom and Connel enter, and
+walked boldly up to the guard lounging in front of the door.
+
+"You're relieved," said Astro in the Venusian dialect. "They want you up
+in the caves." The cadet had no idea where the caves were, but he knew
+that they couldn't be near by and it would be some time before an alarm
+could be sounded.
+
+"The caves?" asked the guard. "Who said so?"
+
+"The chief. He wants you to identify somebody."
+
+"Me? Identify someone? I don't understand." The guard was puzzled. "What
+section of the caves?"
+
+"The new section," said Astro quickly, figuring there must be a new and
+an old section because he had heard a guard refer to the old one.
+
+"Up by the jungle tunnels?"
+
+Astro nodded.
+
+"Must be more of those Solar Guardsmen," said the guard, relaxing. "We
+have two of them in here, another in the hospital, and one of them
+working in the machine shop."
+
+Hospital! Astro gulped. That would be Roger. But he dared not ask too
+many questions. "What's going to happen to them?" he asked casually.
+
+"I don't know," said the guard, "but I wish we'd hurry up and attack
+Venusport. I'm getting tired of living out here in the jungle."
+
+"Me too," said Astro. "Well, you'd better get going."
+
+The guard nodded and started to walk away. Suddenly Astro stiffened. Two
+other guards were rounding the corner of the building. He called to the
+departing guard quickly. "Who's on duty with you tonight?"
+
+"Maron and Teril," replied the guard, and then strode off into the
+darkness.
+
+"So long," said Astro, turning to face the two men walking toward him.
+He would have to get rid of them.
+
+"Hello, Maron, Teril," he called casually. "Everything quiet?"
+
+"Yes," replied the shorter of the two, as they stopped in front of
+Astro, "no trouble tonight."
+
+"Well, there's trouble now!" growled Astro. He brought up the blaster
+and cocked it. "Make one wrong move, and you're dead little space birds!
+Get over there and open that door!"
+
+Stunned, both men turned to the door without a protest and Astro took
+their guns. "Open up!" he growled.
+
+The men slid the heavy bar back and pushed the door open.
+
+"Get inside!" ordered Astro. The two men stumbled inside. Astro stepped
+to the door. "Tom! Major!"
+
+There was a cry of joy from the blackness within and Astro recognized
+Tom.
+
+"Astro!" roared Connel, rushing up. "What in the stars--?"
+
+"Can't talk now," said Astro. "Here. Take these blasters and then tie
+these two up. Close the door, but leave it open a crack. We can talk
+while I stay outside and keep watch. If there isn't a guard out here, it
+might mean trouble."
+
+"Right," said Connel. He took the blasters, tossing one over to Tom.
+"Blast it, I never felt anything so good in my life!" He closed the
+door, leaving it open an inch.
+
+"Why is Roger in the hospital?" asked Astro quickly.
+
+Connel told him of the fight with the tyrannosaurus and Roger's injury,
+ending with their capture by the patrol.
+
+"You know what's going on here, Major?" asked Astro.
+
+"I sure do," said Connel. "And the sooner we blast them, the happier
+I'll be."
+
+"One of us will have to escape and get back to the _Polaris_ to contact
+Commander Walters," said Astro. "But they've got radar here as good as
+ours. That has to be put out of commission or they can blast any
+attacking fleet."
+
+"You're right," said Connel grimly, and turned back into the room.
+"Tom!" he called.
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Tom, coming up to the door.
+
+"Since Astro and I speak Venusian--" said Connel, and then added when
+Tom gasped, "Yes, I speak it fluently, but I kept it a secret. That
+means you're the one to go. Astro and I will have more of a chance here.
+You escape and return to the _Polaris_. Contact Commander Walters. Tell
+him everything that's happened. We'll give you thirty-six hours to make
+it. At exactly noon, day after tomorrow, we'll knock out their radar."
+
+"But how, sir?" asked Tom.
+
+"Never mind. We'll figure out something. Just get back to the _Polaris_
+and tell the Solar Guard to attack at noon, day after tomorrow. If you
+don't and the fleet attacks earlier, or later, they'll be wiped out."
+
+"What about you, sir?" asked Tom.
+
+"If you get back in time, we'll be all right. If not, then this is
+good-by. We'll hold out as long as we can, but that can't be forever.
+We're fighting smart, determined men, Tom. And it's a fight to the
+finish. Now hurry up and get into one of those uniforms."
+
+While Tom turned back inside to put on the uniform, Connel returned to
+Astro outside the door. "Think we can do it, Astro?"
+
+"I don't see why not, sir," replied the big cadet.
+
+A moment later Tom returned, dressed in one of the guard's green uniform
+and wearing a helmet. Carson was with him, similarly clad. "Astro better
+show me the way out of the base," said Tom. "Carson will stand guard
+until he gets back."
+
+"Good idea," said Connel. Tom and Carson slipped out the door.
+
+"All set, Astro?" asked Tom.
+
+"Yeah, there's only one thing wrong," replied the big cadet.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Connel.
+
+"I don't know the way out of the base."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 15
+
+
+"I can tell you the way out of the base."
+
+Adjusting the plastic helmet over his head, Carson stepped up close to
+Astro and Tom and spoke confidently. "It's very simple."
+
+"Whew!" exclaimed Tom. "I thought we'd have to go fumbling around."
+
+Carson pointed through the darkness. "Follow this lane straight down
+until you come to a large repair lock. There's a space freighter on the
+maintenance cradle outside. You can't miss it. Turn left and follow a
+trail to the base of the canyon wall. There are jungle creepers and
+vines growing up the side and you can climb them easily."
+
+Tom nodded and repeated the directions, then turned to Astro. "Maybe
+you'd better stay here, Astro. I can make it alone."
+
+"No." Connel spoke sharply from the doorway. "Astro speaks Venusian. If
+you're stopped, he can speak for you. You'd give yourself away."
+
+"Very well, sir," said Tom. "I guess that is best. Ready to go, Astro?"
+
+"Ready," replied the big cadet.
+
+"Good-by, Major," said Tom, reaching into the doorway to shake hands
+with Connel. "I'll try my best."
+
+"It's a matter of life and death, Tom." Connel's voice was low and
+husky. "Not our lives, or the lives of a few people, but the life and
+death of the Solar Alliance."
+
+"I understand, sir." Tom turned to Astro and the two cadets marched off
+quickly.
+
+They had no difficulty finding the giant ship on the cradles outside the
+repair shop and quickly turned toward the base of the cliff. Twenty
+minutes later they had left the center of activity and were close to the
+canyon wall. They were congratulating themselves on their luck in not
+being stopped or questioned when suddenly they saw a guard ahead of them
+on sentry duty.
+
+"Ill take care of him," whispered Astro. "You hide here in the shadows,
+and when I whistle, you start climbing. Then I'll cover you from there
+until you get to the top. Got it?"
+
+"Right!" The two cadets shook hands briefly. Each knew that there was no
+need to speak of their feelings. "Take care of Roger," said Tom. "We
+don't know how badly he's been injured."
+
+"I'll see to him," said Astro. "Watch me now and wait for my whistle."
+He turned away and then paused to call back softly, "Spaceman's luck,
+Tom."
+
+"Same to you, Astro," replied Tom, and then crouched tensely in the
+shadows.
+
+The big cadet walked casually toward the sentry, who spotted him
+immediately and brought his gun up sharply, calling a challenge in the
+Venusian tongue.
+
+"A friend," replied Astro in the same dialect.
+
+The sentry lowered the gun slightly. "What are you doing out here?" he
+asked suspiciously.
+
+"Just taking a walk," said Astro. "Looking for something."
+
+"What?" asked the sentry.
+
+"Trying to make a connection."
+
+"A connection? What kind of connection?"
+
+"This kind!" said Astro suddenly, chopping the side of his hand down on
+the sentry's neck, between the helmet and his uniform collar.
+
+The sentry fell to the ground like a poleaxed steer and lay still. Astro
+grinned, then turned and went whistling off into the darkness. Twenty
+feet away Tom heard the signal and hurried to the base of the cliff. He
+grabbed a thick vine and pulled himself upward, hand over hand. Halfway
+up he found a small ledge and stopped to rest. Below him, he could see
+Astro hurrying back toward the center of the base. The dim lights and
+the distant hum of activity assured him that so far his escape was
+unnoticed. He resumed his climb, and fifteen minutes later the
+curly-haired cadet stood on the canyon rim. After another short rest he
+turned and plunged into the jungle.
+
+Tom knew that as long as he kept the planet of Earth over his right
+shoulder, while keeping the distant star of Regulus ahead of him, he was
+traveling in the right direction to Sinclair's plantation. He stopped to
+check his bearings often, occasionally having to climb a tree to see
+over the top of the jungle. He ignored the threat of an attack by a
+jungle beast. For some reason it did not present the danger it had when
+he had first entered the jungle, seemingly years before. Under pressure,
+the cadet had become skilled in jungle lore and moved with amazing
+speed. He kept the blaster ready to fire at the slightest movement, but
+fortunately during the first night he encountered nothing more dangerous
+than a few furry deerlike animals that scampered behind him off the
+trail.
+
+Morning broke across the jungle in a sudden burst of sunlight. The air
+was clear and surprisingly cool, and Tom felt that he could make the
+Sinclair plantation by nightfall if he continued pushing full speed
+ahead.
+
+He stopped once for a quick meal of the last of the synthetics that he
+had stuffed in his pocket from his shoulder pack, and then continued in
+a steady, ground-eating pace through the jungle. Late in the afternoon
+he began to recognize signs of recent trail blazing, and once he cut
+across the path Astro had made. He wondered if the trail was one Astro
+had cut while he was lost, or previously. He finally decided to go ahead
+on his own, since he had managed to come this far without the aid of any
+guide markers.
+
+As the darkening shadows of night began to spread over the jungle the
+young cadet began to worry. He had been allowed thirty-six hours to make
+it back to the _Polaris_, communicate with Commander Walters, and tell
+him the position of the base, and Tom had to allow time for the Solar
+Guard fleet to assemble and blast off, so that it would arrive at the
+base at exactly noon on the next day. He had to reach the Sinclair
+plantation before nightfall or the fleet would never make it.
+
+Suddenly to his left he heard a noisy crashing of underbrush and the
+roar of a large beast. Tom hesitated. He could hide; he could fight; or
+he could break to his right and try to escape. The beast growled
+menacingly. It had picked up his scent. Tom was sure it was a large
+beast on the prowl for food, and he decided that he could not waste time
+hiding, or risk being injured in a battle with the jungle prowler. He
+quickly broke to his right and raced through the jungle. Behind him, the
+beast picked up the chase, the ground trembling with its approach. It
+began to gain on him. Tom was suddenly conscious of having lost his
+bearings. He might be running away from the clearing!
+
+Still he ran on, legs aching and lungs burning. He charged through the
+underbrush that threatened any moment to trip him. When he was almost at
+the point of complete exhaustion, and ready to turn and face the beast
+behind him, he saw something that renewed his spirit and sent new
+strength through his body. Ahead through the vines and creepers, the
+slender nose of the _Polaris_ was outlined against the twilight sky.
+
+Disregarding the beast behind him, he plunged through the last few feet
+of jungle undergrowth and raced into the clearing around the Sinclair
+home. Behind him, the beast suddenly stopped growling, and when Tom
+reached the air lock of the _Polaris_, he saw that the beast had turned
+back, reluctant to come out of the protection of the jungle.
+
+Tom pulled the air-lock port open and was about to step inside when he
+heard a harsh voice coming from the shadow of the port stabilizer.
+
+"Just stop right where you are!"
+
+Tom jerked around. Rex Sinclair stepped out of the shadow, a paralo-ray
+gun in his hand.
+
+"Mr. Sinclair!" cried Tom, suddenly relieved. "Boy, am I glad to see
+you!" He jumped to the ground. "Don't you recognize me? Cadet Corbett!"
+
+[Illustration: _"Mr. Sinclair!" cried Tom, suddenly relieved_]
+
+"Yes, I recognize you," snarled Sinclair. "Get away from that air lock
+or I'll blast you!"
+
+Tom's face expressed the confusion he felt. "But, Mr. Sinclair, you're
+making a mistake. I've got to get aboard and warn--" He stopped. "What's
+the idea of holding a paralo ray on me?"
+
+"You're not warning anybody!" Sinclair waved the gun menacingly. "Now
+get over to the house and walk slowly with your hands in the air or I'll
+freeze you solid!"
+
+Stunned by this sudden turn of events, Tom turned away from the air
+lock. "So you're one of them, too," said Tom. "No wonder we were caught
+in the jungle. You knew we were looking for the base."
+
+"Never mind that," snapped Sinclair. "Get into the house and make it
+quick!"
+
+The young cadet walked slowly toward the house. He saw the charred
+remains of the burned outbuildings and nodded. "So it was all an act,
+eh? You had your buildings burned to throw us off the track. Small price
+to pay to remain in the confidence of the Solar Guard."
+
+"Shut up!" growled Sinclair.
+
+"You might be able to shut me up, but it'll take a lot more than a bunch
+of rabble rousers to shut up the Solar Guard!"
+
+"We'll see," snapped Sinclair.
+
+They reached the house and Tom climbed the steps slowly, hoping the
+planter would come close enough for a sudden attack, but he was too
+careful. They moved into the living room and Tom stopped in surprise.
+George Hill and his wife were tied hand and foot to two straight-backed
+chairs.
+
+Tom gasped. "George! Mrs. Hill!"
+
+George Hill strained against his bonds and mumbled something through the
+gag in his mouth, but Tom couldn't understand what he was trying to say.
+Mrs. Hill just looked at the planter with wide, frightened eyes. The
+cadet whirled around angrily. "Why, you dirty little space rat!"
+
+Sinclair didn't hesitate. He squeezed the trigger of his paralo-ray gun
+and Tom stiffened into rigidity.
+
+The planter dropped the ray gun into a chair and leisurely began to tie
+the hands and feet of the immobilized cadet.
+
+"Since you can hear me, Corbett," said Sinclair, "and since you are
+powerless to do anything about what I'm about to tell you, I'm going to
+give you a full explanation. I owe it to you. You've really worked for
+it."
+
+Unable to move a muscle, Tom nevertheless could hear the planter
+clearly. He mentally chided himself at his stupidity in allowing himself
+to be captured so easily.
+
+Sinclair continued, "My original invitation to you and your friends, to
+use my home as a base for your hunting operations was sincere. I had no
+idea you were in any way connected with the investigation the Solar
+Guard was planning to make into the Nationalist movement."
+
+Tom was completely bound now, and the planter stepped back, picked up
+the ray gun, and flipping on the neutralizer, released the cadet from
+the effects of the ray charge. Tom shuddered involuntarily, his nerves
+and muscles quivering as life suddenly flowed into them again. He
+twisted at the bonds on his wrists, and to his amazement found them
+slightly loose. He was sure he could work his hands free, but decided to
+wait for a better opportunity. He glanced at the clock on the wall near
+by and saw that it was nine in the evening. Only fifteen hours before
+the Solar Guard must attack!
+
+Sinclair sat down casually in a chair and faced the cadet. George and
+Mrs. Hill had stopped struggling and were watching their employer.
+
+"Do you know anything about the bomb we found on the _Polaris_ on our
+trip to Venus?" asked Tom.
+
+"I planned that little surprise myself, Corbett," said Sinclair.
+"Unfortunately our agents on Earth bungled it."
+
+"It seems to me that was pretty stupid. There would have been another
+man sent in Major Connel's place, and we were warned that something big
+was in the wind."
+
+"Ah, quite so, Corbett," said Sinclair. "But the destruction of the
+_Polaris_ would have caused no end of speculation. There would have been
+an investigation which would have temporarily removed the spotlight from
+the Nationalist movement. That would have given us ample time to
+complete our preparations for the attack."
+
+"Then you knew," said Tom bitterly, "when Major Connel, Roger, Astro,
+and I left here that we were going to be captured."
+
+"Well, that was one of the details of the final plan. Personally, I
+hoped that you and your nosy major would meet a more dramatic and
+permanent end in the jungle."
+
+"What are you going to do with us?" asked Tom, glancing at George and
+his wife. "And what do Mr. and Mrs. Hill have to do with your scheme?"
+
+"Unfortunately they discovered who I am, and of course had to be taken
+care of. As to your eventual disposition, I haven't had time to think
+about that."
+
+"Well, you'd better start thinking," said Tom. "And you'd better do a
+good job when you attack the Solar Guard. Perhaps you don't know it,
+Sinclair, but the whole pattern of the Solar Guard is one of defense. We
+do not invite attack, but are prepared for it. And we have the power to
+counterattack!"
+
+"When we get through with your Solar Guard, Corbett," sneered Sinclair,
+"there won't be anything left but smoldering heaps of junk and the dead
+bodies of stupid men!"
+
+The buzz of a teleceiver suddenly sounded in another part of the house
+and Sinclair left the room quickly. When he was sure the planter was out
+of earshot, Tom turned to George and whispered, "I think I can work my
+hands loose. Where can I find a ray gun?" George began to mumble
+frantically but Tom couldn't understand him, and the sound of returning
+footsteps silenced Hill. The planter strode back into the room,
+hurriedly putting on the green uniform of the Nationalists. "I've just
+received word of a speed-up in the preparations for our attack," he
+said. "Soon, Corbett--soon you will see what will happen to the Solar
+Guard!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 16
+
+
+"Bring that dirty little space crawler in here!"
+
+Captain Strong had never seen Commander Walters so angry. The cords
+stood out in his neck and his face was red with fury as he paced up and
+down the Solar Guard office in Venusport. "A spy," he roared. "A spy
+right in the heart of our organization!" He shook his head.
+
+The door opened and two burly Solar Guardsmen entered, saluted, and
+turned to flank the doorway, hands on their paralo-ray pistols. The
+private secretary of E. Philips James shuffled in slowly, followed by
+two more guards. Walters stepped up to the thin, intense young man and
+glared at him. "If I had my way, I'd send you out to the deepest part of
+space and leave you there!"
+
+The man bit his lip but said nothing.
+
+"Where is your secret base?" demanded Walters.
+
+"I don't know," replied the secretary nervously.
+
+"Who told you to intercept this message from Mercury?" Walters tapped a
+paper on his desk. "Who gave you your orders?"
+
+"I receive orders on an audioceiver in my home," answered the man, a
+slight quaver in his voice. "I have never seen my superior."
+
+"And you followed the Nationalist movement blindly, doing whatever they
+told you, without question, is that it?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Yes, _sir_!" roared Walters.
+
+"Yes, sir," corrected the secretary.
+
+"Who told you to forge those orders for priority seats on the _Venus
+Lark_?"
+
+"My superior," said the man.
+
+"How did you know Major Connel was coming here to investigate the
+Nationalists?"
+
+"I read the decoded message sent to the Solar Delegate, Mr. James."
+
+"Who told you to send men to bomb the _Polaris_?"
+
+"My superior," said the man.
+
+"Your superior--your superior!" Walters' voice was edged with contempt.
+"What else has your superior told you to do?"
+
+"A great many things," said the young man simply.
+
+Walters studied the thin face and then turned to Captain Strong.
+"There's only one thing to do, Steve. There's no telling how many of
+these rats are inside our organization. Relieve every civilian in any
+position of trust and put in our own man. I'll make a public teleceiver
+broadcast in half an hour. I'm declaring martial law."
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Strong grimly.
+
+"If you hadn't been in the code room when this message from Mercury came
+in, we would never have known the Nationalists were trying to get the
+Mercurians to join them in their attack on us until it was too late.
+It's the only break we've had, so far, learning that the Mercurians are
+still decent, loyal Solar citizens. I hate to think of what would have
+happened if they hadn't warned us."
+
+"He very nearly got away with it, sir," said Strong. "If I hadn't heard
+the signal for a top-secret message come through on the coding machine,
+I never would have suspected him. He tried to hide it in his tunic. He
+also confessed to trying to kidnap the cadets when he heard me tell them
+that a cab would be waiting for them."
+
+"Well, we know now," said Walters. He turned to one of the guardsmen.
+"Sergeant, I'm holding you personally responsible for this man."
+
+"Aye, aye, sir," said the guard, stepping toward the secretary, but
+Walters stopped him and addressed the man.
+
+"I'll give you one last chance to tell me where your base is and how
+many ships you have," he said.
+
+The secretary looked down at his feet and mumbled, "I don't know where
+the base is, and I don't know how many ships there are."
+
+"Then what does this list we found in your tunic mean?" snapped Strong.
+"These are the names of ships that have been lost in space."
+
+"I don't know. That list was sent to me over the audioceiver by my
+superior. I was to relay it to Mercury should they accept our proposal
+to join forces against--" He stopped.
+
+"Get him out of my sight!" barked Walters.
+
+The guards closed in around the little man and he slowly shuffled out of
+the office.
+
+"I wonder how many more there are like him in our organization, Steve?"
+The commander had turned to the window and was staring out blindly.
+
+"I don't know, sir," replied Strong. "But I think we'd better be
+prepared for trouble."
+
+"Agreed," said Walters, turning to the Solar Guard captain. "What do you
+suggest?"
+
+"Since we don't know how many ships they have, where their base is, or
+when they plan to attack, I suggest putting the Venus squadrons in
+defense pattern A. Meanwhile, call in three additional squadrons from
+Mars, Earth, and Luna. That way, we can at least be assured of an even
+fight."
+
+"But we don't know if they'll attack here on Venus. Suppose we weaken
+Earth's fleet and they attack there?" Walters paused, looking troubled.
+Then he sighed. "I guess you're right. Put the plan into effect
+immediately. It's the only thing we can do."
+
+At exactly midnight every teleceiver on Venus was suddenly blacked out
+for a moment and then came into focus again to reveal the grim features
+of Commander Walters.
+
+In homes, restaurants, theaters, arriving and departing space liners, in
+every public and private gathering place, the citizens of Venus heard
+the announcement.
+
+"As commander in chief of the Solar Guard, I hereby place the entire
+planet of Venus under martial law. All public laws are suspended until
+further notice. All public officials are hereby relieved of their
+authority. A ten P.M. until six A.M. curfew will go into effect
+immediately. Anyone caught on the streets between these hours will be
+arrested. An attack is expected on the city of Venusport, as well as
+other Venusian cities, momentarily. Follow established routine for such
+an occurrence. Obey officers and enlisted men of the Solar Guard who are
+here on Venus to protect you and your property. That is all!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In the living room of Sinclair's house Tom waited impatiently for the
+sound of Sinclair's yacht taking off before attempting to free himself
+from the rope on his wrists. But when a half-hour had passed with no
+sound from outside, he decided not to waste any more time.
+
+Relaxing completely, the curly-haired cadet began working his wrists
+back and forth in the loop of rope. It was slow, painful work, and in no
+time the skin was rubbed raw. George and Mrs. Hill watched him,
+wide-eyed. They saw the skin of his wrists gradually turn pink, then
+red, as the cadet pulled and pushed at the rope. A half-hour had passed
+before he felt the rope slipping down over the widest part of his hand.
+Slowly, so as not to lose the precious advantage, he pulled with all his
+strength, unmindful of the pain. He heard a sharp gasp from Mrs. Hill
+and then felt the rope become damp. His wrists were bleeding. But at the
+same time he felt the rope slipping over his hands. He gave a quick tug
+and the rope slipped off and dropped to the floor, a bloody tangle. He
+spun around and untied the foreman and his wife quickly, removing the
+gags from their mouths gently.
+
+"Your wrists!" cried Mrs. Hill.
+
+"Don't worry about them, ma'am," said Tom. He looked at Hill. "How long
+have you been tied up?"
+
+"Just about an hour before you came," answered the foreman. "I found
+Sinclair in front of a teleceiver in his room. It's in a secret panel
+and I didn't know it was there. I waited and heard him talking to
+someone in Venusian. But he spotted me and pulled a ray gun."
+
+"Do you know where he's gone?" asked Tom.
+
+"No, but I sure wish I did!" said the burly foreman stoutly. "I have
+something to settle with him."
+
+"That'll have to wait until the Solar Guard is finished with him. Come
+on!" Tom started toward the door.
+
+"Where are we going?" asked Hill.
+
+"To the _Polaris_! I've got to warn the Solar Guard of their plans.
+They're going to attack the Venusport garrison and take over Venus!"
+
+"By the stars!" gasped Mrs. Hill. "Here I've been feeding that man all
+these years and didn't know I was contributing to a revolution!"
+
+Tom was out of the door and running toward the _Polaris_ before she had
+finished talking. George followed right behind him.
+
+As the cadet raced across the dark clearing one hope filled his
+mind--that the _Polaris_ would be in the same condition in which they
+had left it.
+
+The port was still open where Sinclair had caught him and he climbed
+inside the giant ship quickly. As soon as he entered, he snapped on the
+emergency lights and searched the ship carefully. After examining every
+compartment, and satisfied that there was no one aboard, he made his way
+back to the radar bridge. There, he saw immediately why Sinclair had
+felt free to leave the ship. All radar and communications equipment had
+been completely smashed.
+
+The young cadet returned to the control deck and called down to George
+Hill, waiting in the air lock. "George! Get Mrs. Hill aboard quickly.
+We're blasting off!"
+
+"Blasting off?" the foreman called back. "But I thought you were going
+to contact Venusport!"
+
+"I can't," replied Tom. "Sinclair has smashed the communications and the
+radar. We'll have to take our information to Venusport in person. I only
+hope he's left the rockets and atomic motors alone."
+
+"How about using the teleceiver in the house?" asked the foreman,
+climbing up to the control deck.
+
+"Can't take a chance," said Tom. "This is top secret. They might have
+the teleceiver tapped."
+
+"Do you know how to handle this ship alone?" asked George, glancing
+around at the great control board. "I don't know anything about a ship
+this size."
+
+"I can handle it," said Tom. "Get Mrs. Hill aboard!"
+
+"Here I am, Tommy," said Mrs. Hill, climbing up into the control deck.
+"I have some bandages and salve for your wrists."
+
+"There's no time, Mrs. Hill," said Tom. "We've got to--"
+
+"Nonsense!" she interrupted firmly. "You just give me your hands. It'll
+take only a minute!"
+
+Tom reluctantly held out his wrists and Mrs. Hill expertly applied the
+salve and bandaged the cadet's raw wrists. Admittedly feeling better,
+Tom turned to the master switch and found it missing. For a second panic
+seized him, until he remembered that Major Connel had hidden it. He felt
+under the pilot's chair and breathed easier, pulling out the vital
+instrument.
+
+"Better get into acceleration chairs," said Tom, strapping himself into
+his seat. "This might be a rough take-off."
+
+"Watch yourself, Tom," cautioned George. "We aren't afraid for
+ourselves, but you've got to get to Venusport!"
+
+"If he's left the power deck alone, everything will be O.K."
+
+The young cadet stretched out a trembling hand and switched on the
+automatic firing control. Then, crossing his fingers, he flipped on the
+main generator and breathed easier as the steady hum surged through the
+ship. He thought briefly of Astro and Roger, wishing his two unit mates
+were at their stations, and then switched on the power feed to the
+energizing pumps. There was a second's wait as the pressure began to
+build, and he watched the indicator over his head on the control panel
+carefully. When it had reached the proper level, he switched in the
+reactant feed, giving it full D-12 rate. He glanced at the astral
+chronometer over his head automatically and noted the time.
+
+"Stand by!" he called. "Blast off minus five--four--three--two--one
+--_zero_!"
+
+He threw the master switch and a roaring burst of power poured into
+the main tubes. The ship bucked slightly, raised itself from the
+ground slowly, and then suddenly shot upward. In less than a minute
+the _Polaris_ had cleared atmosphere and Tom turned on the
+artificial-gravity generators. He made a quick computation on the
+planetary calculator, fired the port steering rockets, and sent the
+ship in a long arching course for Venusport. Then, unstrapping himself,
+he turned to see how Mr. and Mrs. Hill had taken the blast-off.
+
+The foreman and his wife were shaking their heads, still in acceleration
+shock, and Tom helped them out of their cushions.
+
+"Oh, my! Do you boys have to go through this all the time?" Mrs. Hill
+asked. "It's a wonder to me how a human body can take it."
+
+"I feel pretty much the same way," muttered George.
+
+"A cup of hot tea will fix you up fine," Tom reassured them, and leaving
+the ship on automatic control, he went into the small galley off the
+control deck and brewed three cups of tea. In a few moments the elderly
+couple felt better, and Tom told them of the Nationalists' base and
+Connel's plan to wreck the radar station at noon the next day. Both Mr.
+and Mrs. Hill were shocked at the scope of the Nationalists' plan.
+
+"Well, they bit off more than they could chew when they decided to buck
+the Solar Guard," asserted Tom. "When Commander Walters gets finished
+with them, Sinclair and the rest won't have anything left but memories!"
+
+"Tell me something, Tom," said George, looking at the control panel
+thoughtfully. "Have you figured out how you're going to land this ship
+alone and with no radar?"
+
+"I'll have to use the seat of my pants." Tom smiled, and turned back to
+his seat. George and his wife looked at each other and quickly strapped
+themselves into their acceleration cushions.
+
+A few moments later Tom began braking the ship with the nose rockets. It
+made a slow-climbing arc over the spaceport and then settled slowly,
+tailfirst. The stern teleceiver was out of order, and the young cadet
+had to rely entirely on "feel," to get the _Polaris_ in safely. He had
+calculated his rate of fall, the gravity of Venus, and the power of the
+rockets, and was dropping at a predetermined rate. At the critical point
+he increased power on the drive rockets, continuing to fall slowly until
+he felt the jarring bump of the directional fins touching the ground.
+
+"Touchdown!" he roared triumphantly.
+
+He closed the master switch and turned to look at the smiling faces of
+Mr. and Mrs. Hill.
+
+"That was fine, Tom," said George, "but I don't want to do it again."
+
+"Don't be a scaredy cat, George Hill!" taunted Mrs. Hill. "Tom handles
+this ship as if he were born on it."
+
+Tom grinned. "We'd better hurry up. There must be something going on.
+There aren't any lights on here at the spaceport and all the
+administration buildings are dark."
+
+He hurried to the air lock and swung it open, jumping lightly to the
+ground.
+
+"Halt!" growled a rough voice. "Get your hands in the air and stay right
+where you are!"
+
+Puzzled, Tom did as he was told, announcing, "I'm Space Cadet Tom
+Corbett, _Polaris_ unit. I request immediate transportation to Commander
+Walters. I have important information for him."
+
+He was momentarily blinded by the glare of a ring of lights around him,
+and when he finally could see, he found himself in the middle of a squad
+of Solar Guardsmen in battle dress.
+
+"What's the password?" asked a tough sergeant whose shock rifle was
+aimed right at Tom's midsection.
+
+"Juggernaut!" replied Tom quietly.
+
+The word sent the sergeant into a frenzy of action. "Peters, Smith, get
+the jet car around here!"
+
+"What's up, Sergeant?" asked Tom. "Why is everything so dark?"
+
+"Martial law!" replied the guardsman. "Curfew from ten until six."
+
+"Whew!" gasped Tom. "It looks as if I just made it!"
+
+As George and Mrs. Hill climbed out of the air lock, a jet car raced up
+and skidded to a stop in front of them. A moment later Tom and the
+couple, accompanied by two of the guardsmen, were speeding through the
+dark and empty streets of Venusport. The car was stopped once at a
+mid-town check point, and Tom had to repeat the password. They picked up
+another jet car, full of guardsmen as escorts, and with the echo of the
+exhausts roaring in the empty avenues, they sped to central Solar Guard
+headquarters.
+
+Tom had never seen so many enlisted guardsmen in one spot before except
+on a parade ground. And he noted with a tinge of excitement that each
+man was in battle dress. Arriving at headquarters, they were whisked to
+the top floor of the building and ushered into Commander Walters'
+office. The commander smiled broadly as the young cadet stepped to the
+front of his desk and saluted smartly.
+
+"Cadet Corbett reporting, sir," he said.
+
+In a moment the office was filled with men; E. Philips James, the Solar
+Delegate, Captain Strong, fleet commanders, and officers of the line.
+
+"Make your report, Cadet Corbett," said Walters.
+
+Tom spoke quickly and precisely, giving full details on the location of
+the base, the approximate number of fighting ships, the armament of
+each, the location of supply dumps, and finally of Major Connel's plan
+to sabotage the radar at noon the following day. Then, one by one, each
+official asked him questions pertinent to their tasks. Fleet commanders
+asked about the ships' speed, size, armor; Strong inquired about the
+stores and supporting lines of supply; Walters asked for the names of
+all people connected with the movement. All of these questions Tom
+answered as well as he could.
+
+"Well, gentlemen," said Walters, "thanks to Corbett and the others on
+this mission, we have all the information we need to counter the
+Nationalists. I propose to follow Major Connel's plan and attack the
+base at noon tomorrow. Squadrons A and B will approach from the south
+and east at exactly noon. Squadrons C, D, and E will come in from the
+north and west as a second wave at 1202. The rest of the fleet will go
+in from above at 1205. Supporting squadrons are now on their way from
+Earth and Mars. Blast off at six hundred hours. Spaceman's luck!"
+
+"Good work, Tom," said Strong, when the conference broke up.
+
+"Yes, sir," said Tom. "But I can't help worrying about Roger and Astro
+and Major Connel. What's going to happen to them, sir?"
+
+Strong hesitated. "I don't know, Tom. I really don't know."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 17
+
+
+"What time is it, Astro?"
+
+"Exactly eleven o'clock, sir."
+
+"All set?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"You know what to do. Move out!"
+
+Astro and Major Connel were crouched behind a pile of fuel drums piled
+near the communications and radar building in the heart of the
+Nationalists' base. Above them, the gigantic tree used as the radar
+tower rose straight into the Venusian morning sky.
+
+After helping Tom to escape, Astro had returned to the prison building
+for Connel and was surprised to find the place surrounded by green-clad
+Nationalist guards. Rather than attempt to release Connel then, Astro
+hid and waited for the time set to wreck the radar communications of the
+enemy. During the second day, he had successfully eluded the many
+patrols looking for him. Once from a hiding place he overheard one of
+the men mention Connel. He took a daring chance and approached the
+patrol openly. Speaking the Venusian dialect, he learned that Connel had
+escaped. That news sent the cadet on a different game of hide-and-seek
+as he prowled around the base searching for the Solar Guard officer. He
+had found him hiding near the radar tower, and they spent the night
+close to the communications building waiting for the time to strike.
+
+Their plan was simple. Astro would enter the building from the front,
+while Connel would enter from the rear. Astro would draw attention to
+himself, and while the guards inside the building were busy dealing with
+him, Connel would come upon them from behind, knock them out of action,
+and then destroy the radar equipment.
+
+The two spacemen gave no thought to their own safety. They were
+concerned only with accomplishing their objective. Having no way of
+knowing whether Tom had made it back to Venusport or whether their
+destruction of the communications center would be of any value, they
+nevertheless had to proceed on the assumption that Tom had gotten
+through.
+
+Astro crawled behind the drums and stopped twenty feet from the door to
+wait for several Nationalist officers to leave. They finally got into a
+jet car and roared away. Astro nodded to the major waiting to edge
+around to the rear and then headed for the main entrance.
+
+Connel saw Astro making his way to the front door and hurried around to
+complete his part of the mission. He waited exactly three minutes,
+gripped his shock rifle firmly, and then crossed over to the rear of the
+building and stepped inside.
+
+Once inside, the major found it difficult to keep from bursting into
+laughter. The large ground-floor room was a frenzy of brawling, yelling,
+shouting Nationalist guards trying to capture the giant cadet. Astro was
+standing in the middle of the floor, swinging his great hamlike fists
+methodically, mowing down the guards like tenpins. Two of them were on
+his back, trying to choke him, while others crowded in from all sides.
+But they could not bring the cadet down. Astro saw Connel, shook
+himself, and stood free.
+
+"Stand back!" roared Connel. "The first one of you green monkeys that
+makes a move will have his teeth knocked out! Now line up over there
+against the wall--and I mean fast!"
+
+The sudden attack from the rear startled the Nationalist guards, and
+they milled around in confusion. There was no confusion, however, when
+Connel fired a blast over their heads. Astro grabbed a paralo-ray gun
+and opened up on the guards. A second later the squad of Nationalists
+were frozen in their tracks.
+
+Once the men were no further danger to them, Connel and Astro locked the
+front and rear doors and then raced up the stairs that led to the main
+radar and communications rooms on the second floor.
+
+"You start at that end of the hall, I'll start here!" shouted Connel.
+"Smash everything you see!"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir." Astro waved his hand and charged down the hall. He
+exploded into a room, firing rapidly, and an electronics engineer froze
+in a startled pose in front of his worktable. The big cadet gleefully
+swung a heavy chair across the table of delicate electronic instruments,
+and smashed shelves of vital parts, pausing only long enough to see if
+he had left anything unbroken. He rushed out into the hall again. At the
+other end he heard Connel in action in another room. Astro grinned. It
+sounded as if the major was having a good time. "Well," thought the big
+cadet, "I'm not having such a bad time myself!"
+
+The next room he invaded contained the radar-control panel, and the big
+cadet howled with glee as he smashed the butt of his paralo-ray gun into
+the delicate vacuum tubes, and ripped wires and circuits loose.
+
+Suddenly he stopped, conscious of someone behind him. He spun around,
+finger starting to squeeze the trigger of his gun, and then caught
+himself just in time. Major Connel was leaning against the doorjamb, a
+wide grin on his face.
+
+"How're you doing?" he drawled.
+
+"Not bad," said Astro casually. "Be a lot of work here, fixing these
+things, eh?" He grinned.
+
+"What time is it?" asked Connel.
+
+Astro looked at his watch. "Twenty to twelve."
+
+"We'd better clear out of here and head for the jungle."
+
+Astro hesitated. "You know, sir, I've been thinking."
+
+"If you have an idea, spill it," said the major.
+
+"How about releasing the prisoners, taking over a ship, and blasting
+off?"
+
+"And have the Solar Guard fleet blast us out of the skies? No, sir! Come
+on, we've got to get moving!"
+
+"We could still try to release Carson and the others," said Astro
+stoutly.
+
+"We can try all right, but I don't think we'll be very successful."
+
+The two spacemen returned to the first floor of the building and headed
+for the rear door without so much as a look at the line of frozen guards
+along the wall. Once outside, they skirted the edge of the building,
+staying close to the hedge, and then struck out boldly across the canyon
+floor toward the prison building. They were surprised to see that their
+smashing attack had gone unnoticed, and Connel reasoned that the
+constant roar of activity in the canyon had covered the sounds of their
+raid.
+
+"We'll have to hurry, sir," said Astro as they turned into the lane
+leading to the prison. "Ten minutes to twelve."
+
+"It's no good, Astro," said Connel, suddenly pulling the cadet back and
+pointing to the building. "Look at all the guards--at least a dozen of
+them."
+
+Astro waited a second before saying grimly, "We could try, sir."
+
+"Don't be a pigheaded idiot!" roared Connel. "Nothing will happen to
+those men now, and in five minutes there'll be so much confusion around
+here that we'll be able to walk over and open the door without firing a
+shot!"
+
+Suddenly there was an explosive roar behind them and they spun around.
+On the opposite side of the canyon three rocket ships were hurtling
+spaceward.
+
+"They must have spotted our fleet coming in," said Connel, a puzzled
+frown on his face.
+
+"But how could they?" asked Astro. "We knocked out their radar!"
+
+Connel slammed his fist into the palm of his hand. "By the stars, Astro,
+we forgot about their monitoring spaceship above the tower! When we
+knocked out the main station here in the canyon, it took over and warned
+the base of the attack!"
+
+From all sides the canyon reverberated with the roaring blasts of the
+Nationalist fleet blasting off. Around them, the green-clad rebels were
+running to their defense posts. Officers shouted frantic orders and
+workers dropped tools to pick up guns. The building that held Carson and
+the other planters was suddenly left alone as the guards hurried to
+ships and battle stations.
+
+Connel counted the number of ships blasting off and smiled. "They don't
+stand a chance! They're sending up only two heavy cruisers, four
+destroyers, and about twenty scouts. The Solar Guard fleet will blast
+them into space dust."
+
+Astro jumped up and started to run.
+
+"Hey, Astro! Where are you going?" shouted Connel.
+
+"To find Roger!" Astro shouted in reply. "I'll meet you back here!"
+
+"Right!" shouted Connel, settling back into concealment. There was no
+need to release the planters in the guardhouse now. Connel was satisfied
+that in a few moments the rebellion against the Solar Alliance would be
+defeated. He smiled in prospect of seeing a good fight.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"Bandit at three o'clock--range twenty miles!" Aboard the command ship
+of the first group of attacking Solar Guard squadrons, Captain Strong
+stood in the middle of the control deck and watched the outline of an
+approaching Nationalist cruiser on the radar scanner. The voice of the
+range finder droned over the ship's intercom.
+
+"Change course three degrees starboard, one degree down on ecliptic
+plane," ordered Strong calmly.
+
+"Aye, aye, sir," replied Tom at the controls.
+
+"Main battery, stand by to fire." Strong watched the enemy ship closely.
+
+"Aye, aye!" came the answer over the intercom.
+
+"Approaching target!" called the range finder. "Closing to fifty
+thousand yards--forty thousand--"
+
+"_Pleiades_ and _Regulus_," Strong called the other two ships of his
+squadron. "Cut in on port and starboard flanks. Squadron B, stand by!"
+
+Abrupt acknowledgment came over the audioceiver as the cruisers deployed
+for the attack.
+
+"Twenty-three thousand yards, holding course." The range-finder's voice
+was a steady monotone.
+
+"Stand by to fire!" snapped Strong.
+
+"Two bandits at nine o'clock on level plane of ecliptic!" came the
+warning from the radar bridge.
+
+Before Strong could issue an order countering the enemy move, the voice
+of the commander of the _Pleiades_ came in over the audioceiver, "Our
+meat, Strong, you take care of the big baby!"
+
+On the scanner screen Strong saw the trails of two space torpedoes erupt
+from the side of the _Pleiades_, followed immediately by two more from
+its flanking ship, the _Regulus_. The four missiles hurtled toward the
+two enemy destroyers, and a second later two brilliant flashes of light
+appeared on the scanner. Direct hits on the two destroyers!
+
+"Range--ten thousand feet," came the calm voice over the intercom,
+reminding Strong of the enemy cruiser.
+
+"Arm war heads!" snapped Strong over the intercom, and, on the gun deck,
+men twirled the delicate fuses on the noses of the space torpedoes and
+stepped back.
+
+"On target!" called the range finder.
+
+"Full salvo--fire!" called Strong, and turned to Tom quickly.
+"Ninety-degree turn--five degrees up!"
+
+The Solar Guard cruiser quivered under the recoil of the salvo and then
+bucked under the sudden change of course to elude the torpedoes fired by
+the enemy a split second later.
+
+As the Solar Guard cruiser roared up in a long arc, eluding the enemy
+torpedoes, the Nationalist ship maneuvered frantically to evade the
+salvo of war heads, but Strong had fired a deadly pattern. In a few
+seconds the enemy ship was reduced to space junk.
+
+Concentrating on the control panel, Tom had been too busy maneuvering
+the giant ship to see the entire engagement, but he heard the loud
+exulting cries of the gun crew over the intercom. He looked up at
+Strong, and the Solar Guard captain winked. "One down!"
+
+"Here come squadrons C, D, and E, sir," said Tom, indicating the radar.
+"Right on time." He glanced at the astral chronometer over his head.
+"Two minutes after twelve."
+
+"It doesn't look as if we'll need them, Tom," said Strong. "The
+Nationalists got only two cruisers and four destroyers off the ground.
+We've already knocked out one of their cruisers and two destroyers, and
+Squadron B is taking on the second cruiser and its destroyer escorts
+now!" He turned to the radar scanner and saw the white evenly spaced
+blips that represented Squadron B enveloping the three enemy ships. The
+bulky converted cruiser was maneuvering frantically to get away. But
+there was no escape. In a perfectly co-ordinated action the Solar Guard
+ships fired their space torpedoes simultaneously. The three Nationalist
+ships exploded in a deadly flash of fire.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Don't tell me that's all they've got!" exclaimed Strong. "Why, we
+still have the rest of the fleet coming in at 1205!"
+
+Suddenly Tom froze in his seat. Before him on the radar scanner he saw a
+new cluster of white blips, seemingly coming from nowhere. They were
+enemy ships, hurtling spaceward to meet the Solar Guard fleet. "Captain
+Strong! Look! More of them. From secret ramps in the jungle!"
+
+"By the craters of Luna!" roared the Solar Guard captain. "Attention!
+Attention! All ships--all ships!" he called into the fleet intercom.
+"This is Strong aboard command ship. Bandit formation closing fast.
+Regroup! Take tight defensive pattern!"
+
+As the Solar Guard squadrons deployed to meet this new attack, Tom felt
+a chill run down his spine. The mass of ships blasting to meet them
+outnumbered them by almost three to one. And there were more ships
+blasting off from the secret ramps in the jungle! He had led the Solar
+Guard into a trap!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 18
+
+
+"Fire at will! Fire at will!"
+
+Aboard the command ship, Captain Strong roared the order to the rest of
+the fleet, and the individual ship commanders of the Solar Guard vessels
+broke formation and rocketed into the mass of Nationalist ships, firing
+salvo after salvo of space torpedoes. But it was a losing battle. Time
+and again, Strong and Tom saw Solar Guard ships hemmed in by three and
+four Nationalists' vessels, then blasted into oblivion.
+
+Strong had ordered Tom to maneuver the command ship at will, seeking
+targets, yet still keeping from being a target, and the young cadet had
+guided the powerful ship through a series of maneuvers that had even
+surprised the experienced Solar Guard officer.
+
+"Where's the rest of the fleet?" roared Strong. "Why aren't they here
+yet?"
+
+"I don't know, sir," replied Tom, "but if they don't show up soon, there
+won't be much left to save!"
+
+"Bandits dead ahead," droned the voice from the radar bridge calmly,
+"trying to envelop us."
+
+Tom's hand shot out for the intercom to relay orders to the power deck
+and glanced quickly at the scanner. He almost cheered. "Steve--I mean,
+Captain Strong. The rest of the fleet! It's coming in! Attacking from
+top-side!"
+
+"By the craters of Luna, you're right!" yelled the young Solar Guard
+captain, as he saw the white blips on the scanner screen. "O.K., it's
+time to stop running and fight!"
+
+The Solar Guard reinforcements swooped down on the fighting ships with
+dazzling speed, and the sky over the jungle belt of Venus base was so
+thick with zooming, firing, maneuvering ships that observers on the
+ground couldn't tell one ship from another. For an hour the battle
+raged. During the seesawing back and forth it seemed as if all ships
+must be blasted into space junk. Finally the superior maneuvering and
+over-all spacemanship of the Solar Guard vessels began to count heavily,
+and the Nationalist ships began to plunge into the jungle or drift
+helplessly out into space. Reforming, the Solar Guard ships encircled
+the enemy in a deadly englobement pattern, and wheeling in great
+co-ordinated arcs through space, sent combined volleys of torpedoes
+crashing into the enemy ships. The space battle was over, a complete
+Solar Guard victory.
+
+Strong called to the remaining ships of his fleet, "Take formation K.
+Land and attack the enemy base according to prearranged order. The enemy
+fleet is destroyed, but we still have a big job to do."
+
+"What happens now, sir?" asked Tom, relaxing for the first time since
+the space battle had begun.
+
+"We try to destroy their base and put an end to this rebellion as
+quickly as possible," replied Strong coldly.
+
+One by one, the ships of the Solar Guard fleet landed around the rim of
+the canyon base. Troop carriers, that had stood off while the space
+battle raged, disgorged hundreds of tough Solar Guard Marines, each
+carrying shock rifles, paralo-ray pistols, and small narco grenades
+that would put an enemy to sleep in five seconds. A half-hour later,
+after the last Nationalist ship had been blasted out of the skies, the
+rim of the canyon was alive with Solar Guardsmen waiting to go into
+action. Many had comrades in the Solar Guard ships lost in the space
+fight and they were eager to avenge their friends.
+
+"How many ships did we lose, sir?" asked Tom, after the squadron
+commanders had made their reports to Captain Strong.
+
+"Forty," said Strong grimly. "But the entire Nationalist fleet was wiped
+out. Thank the universe that their radar was knocked out, or we would
+have been completely wiped out."
+
+"Thank Astro and Major Connel for that, sir," said Tom with the first
+smile on his face in days. "I knew none of those green jokers could stop
+those two!"
+
+"I've got to report to Commander Walters and the Solar Alliance, Tom.
+You take a squad of men and move out. Your job is to find Astro, Roger,
+and Major Connel."
+
+"Thank you, sir!" said Tom happily.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Down in the canyon, Major Connel had waited as long as he dared for
+Astro to return with news of Roger. From his position, the tough
+spaceman could not tell how the gigantic space battle had ended until he
+saw the Solar Guard troop carriers land on the rim of the canyon above.
+Satisfied, he decided that it was time to move.
+
+[Illustration: _The Solar Guard troops landed on the rim of the canyon_]
+
+He stood up, careful not to expose himself, since fighting had broken
+out among the workers. Every street, shop, and corner would bring
+dangers, and having stayed alive this far, Connel wanted to reach the
+Solar Guard forces and continue the fight alongside his friends. Astro
+was nowhere in sight when the major moved cautiously down a side
+alley, and he was beginning to think that Astro had not escaped from the
+base with Roger, when he saw the big cadet suddenly appear around a
+corner running as hard as he could. A few seconds later three green-clad
+Nationalist guards rounded the corner and pounded after him.
+
+Astro saw Connel and ducked behind an overturned jet car, yelling, "I'm
+unarmed! Nail them, Major!"
+
+In a flash Connel dropped to the pavement, and firing from a kneeling
+position, cut the Nationalists down expertly. When the last of the enemy
+was frozen, Connel rushed to Astro's side.
+
+"What about Roger?" he asked.
+
+"I couldn't reach him," replied Astro. "The sick bay's in the main
+administration building and that's so well guarded it would take a full
+company to break in."
+
+Connel nodded grimly. "Well, the best thing for us to do is get more men
+and then tackle it."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Astro. "I think we'd better head for the canyon walls
+on the west. The Marines are pouring down that side."
+
+"Let's go," grunted the major, and led the way down the narrow lane. But
+when they reached the open area beyond the repair shops they saw that
+the Nationalist guards had thrown up barriers in the streets and were
+preparing defenses against frontal assault.
+
+"Maybe we'd better stay where we are, sir," the big cadet said, after
+scanning the Nationalist defenses. "We'd never be able to get through
+now."
+
+"Ummmh," mused Connel. "You're right. Maybe we can be of more use
+striking behind the lines."
+
+Astro grinned. "That's just what I was thinking, sir." He pointed to a
+near-by barrier set up in the middle of the street. "We could pick off
+the men behind that--"
+
+"Look out!" roared Connel. Behind them, five Nationalist guards had
+suddenly appeared. But they were more surprised than Astro and Connel,
+and the big cadet took advantage of it by charging right into them.
+
+It was a short but vicious fight. There was no time to aim or fire a
+paralo-ray gun. It was a matter of bare knuckles and feet and knees and
+shoulders. One by one, the green-clad men were laid low, and finally,
+Connel, out of breath, turned to grin at Astro.
+
+"Feel better," he gasped, "than I've felt in weeks!"
+
+Astro grinned. One of Connel's front teeth was missing. Astro leaned
+against the wall and pointed to the canyon wall where the columns of
+Solar Guard Marines were making their way down into the base under heavy
+covering fire from above. "Won't be long now!"
+
+"Come on," said Connel. "They'll probably send scouts out ahead of those
+columns and we can make contact with them over there." He pointed toward
+a high tangle of barbed wire set up in the middle of the near-by street.
+Astro nodded, and exchanging his broken ray gun for one belonging to a
+fallen Nationalist, raced to the edge of the barrier with the major.
+They crouched and waited for the first contact by the Marines.
+
+"They shouldn't be too long now," said Connel.
+
+"No more than a minute, sir," said Astro, pointing to a running figure
+darting from one protective position to another.
+
+"You, there!" shouted a familiar voice. "Behind that barrier!"
+
+Astro glanced at Connel. "Major, that sounds like--!"
+
+"Come out with your hands in the air and nothing will happen to you!"
+the voice called again.
+
+"By the stars, you're right!" yelled Connel. "It's Corbett!"
+
+Astro jumped up and yelled, "Tom! Tom! You big space-brained jerk! It's
+me, Astro!"
+
+Behind the corner of a house, Tom peered cautiously around the edge and
+saw the big cadet scramble over the tangle of barbed wire with Connel
+right behind him. Tom held up his hand for the squad in back of him to
+hold their fire and stepped out to meet his friends. "Major! Astro!"
+
+The three spacemen pounded each other on the back while the patrol of
+Marines watched, grinning. "Where's Roger?" asked Tom finally.
+
+Astro quickly told him of the heavily guarded administration building.
+
+"Is he all right?" asked Tom.
+
+"No one knows," replied Connel. "We haven't been able to get any news of
+him at all."
+
+"I'm going after him," said Tom, his jaw set. "No telling what they'll
+try to do with him when they see their goose is cooked."
+
+"I'll go with you," said Astro.
+
+"No, you stay here with Major Connel," said Tom. "I think it would be
+better if just one tried it, with the rest creating a diversion on the
+other side."
+
+"Good idea," said Connel. He turned to the rest of the patrol. "Men,
+there's an injured Space Cadet in the sick bay of the main building.
+He's the third member of the _Polaris_ unit and has contributed as much
+to victory in this battle as any of us. We've got to get him out of the
+hands of the Nationalists before something happens to him. Are you
+willing to try?"
+
+The Marines agreed without hesitation.
+
+"All right," said Connel, "here's what we'll do." Quickly the major
+outlined a plan whereby Tom would sneak through the lines of the
+Nationalists around the administration building, while the rest of them
+created a diversionary move. It was a daring plan that would require
+split-second timing. When they were all agreed as to what they would do
+and the time of the operation was set, they moved off toward the
+administration building. The rebellion was over, defeated. Yet the
+Nationalist leaders were still alive. They were desperate men and Roger
+was in their hands. His life meant more to Tom Corbett and Astro than
+the smashing victory of the Solar Guard, and they were prepared to give
+their own lives to save his.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 19
+
+
+"Ready?" asked Connel.
+
+"All set, sir," replied Tom.
+
+"Remember, we'll open up in exactly five minutes and we'll continue to
+attack for another seven minutes. That's all the time you have to get
+inside, find Roger, and get out again."
+
+"I understand, sir," replied Tom.
+
+"Move out," said Connel, "and spaceman's luck!"
+
+With a last quick glance at Astro who gave him a reassuring nod, Tom
+dropped to his knees and crawled out from behind their hidden position.
+Dropping flat on his stomach, he inched forward toward the
+administration building. All around him ray guns and blasters were
+firing with regularity as the columns of Marines advanced from all sides
+of the canyon toward the center, mopping up everything in front of them.
+The roof of the administration building seemed a solid sheet of fire as
+the Nationalist leaders fought back desperately.
+
+He reached the side of the building that was windowless, and scrambled
+toward the back door without interference. There he saw five green-clad
+men, crouched behind sandbags, protecting the rear entrance. Glancing at
+his watch he saw the sweeping hand tick off the last few seconds of his
+allotted time. At the exact instant it hit the five-minute mark, there
+was a sudden burst of activity at the front of the building. Connel and
+the Marine patrol had opened fire in a mock attack. The men guarding the
+rear left their barricade and raced into the building to meet the new
+assault.
+
+Without a second's hesitation, Tom jumped toward the door. He reached
+up, found it unlocked, and then with his ray gun ready, kicked the door
+open. He rushed in and dived to the floor, ray gun in his hand, ready to
+freeze anything or anyone in sight.
+
+The hall was empty. In the front, the firing continued and the halls of
+the building echoed loudly with the frantic commands of the defenders.
+Gliding along the near wall, Tom moved slowly forward. Before him, a
+door was ajar and he eased toward it. On tiptoe the curly-haired cadet
+inched around the edge of the door and glanced inside. He saw a
+Nationalist guard on his hands and knees loading empty shock rifles. Tom
+quickly stepped inside and jammed his gun in the man's back. "Freeze!"
+he said between his teeth.
+
+The trooper tensed, then relaxed, and slowly raised his hands.
+
+"Where's the sick bay?" demanded Tom.
+
+"On the second floor, at the end of the hall."
+
+"Is that where you're keeping Cadet Manning?" demanded Tom.
+
+"Yes," replied the man. "He's--"
+
+Tom fired before the trooper could finish. It was rough, but he knew he
+had to act swiftly if he was to help Roger. The trooper was frozen in
+his kneeling position, and Tom scooped up a loaded shock rifle before
+slipping back into the hall. It was still empty. The firing outside
+seemed to be increasing.
+
+He located the stairs, and after a quick but careful check, started up,
+heart pounding, guns ready. On the second floor he glanced up and down
+the hall, and jumped back into the stair well quickly. Firing from an
+open window, three troopers were between him and the only door at the
+end of the hall. Not sure if Roger was in that room or not, Tom had to
+make sure by looking. And the only way he could do that was to eliminate
+the men in his way. He dropped to one knee and took careful aim with the
+ray pistol. It would be tricky at such long range, but should the
+paralo-ray fail, the cadet was prepared to use the shock rifle. He
+fired, and for a breathless second waited for the effects of the ray on
+the troopers. Then he saw the men go rigid and he smiled. Three hundred
+feet with a ray pistol was very fancy shooting!
+
+He raced for the door. As he entered the room, he saw a figure stretched
+out on the floor. He stopped still, cold fear clutching at his heart.
+
+"Roger!" he called. The blond-haired cadet didn't move. Tom jumped to
+his unit mate's side and dropped to one knee beside him. It was dark in
+the room and he couldn't see very well, but there was no need for light
+when he felt Roger's pulse.
+
+"Frozen, by the stars!" he exclaimed. He stepped back, flipped the
+neutralizer switch on his ray gun, and fired a short burst. Almost
+immediately Roger groaned, blinked his eyes, and sat up.
+
+"Roger! Are you all right?" asked Tom.
+
+"Yeah--sure. I'm O.K.," mumbled his unit mate. "Those dirty space rats.
+They didn't know what to do with me when the Marines landed, so they
+froze me. They were scared to kill me. Afraid of reprisals."
+
+"They sure used their heads that time," said Tom with a grin. "How's
+your back?"
+
+"Fine. I just wrenched it a little. It's better now. But never mind me.
+What's going on? Where's Astro and Major Connel? And how did you get
+here?"
+
+Tom gave him a quick run-down on everything that had happened,
+concluding with, "Major Connel and Astro, with a patrol of Solar Guard
+Marines, are outside now drawing the Nationalist fire. Time's running
+out on us fast. Think you can walk?"
+
+"Spaceboy," replied Roger, "to get out of this place I'd crawl on my
+hands and knees!"
+
+"Then come on!" Tom gave the shock rifle to his unit mate and stepped
+back into the hall. It was quiet. Tom waved at Roger to follow and
+slipped down the hall toward the stairs. Outside, the Marine patrol
+continued firing, never letting up for a second. The two boys reached
+the stairs and had started down when Tom grabbed Roger by the arm.
+"There's someone moving around down there!"
+
+They hugged the wall and held their breath. Tom glanced at his watch.
+Only forty-five seconds to go before the Marines would stop firing and
+retire. They had to get out of the building!
+
+"We'll have to take a chance, Roger," murmured Tom. "We'll try to rush
+them and fight our way out."
+
+"Don't bother!" said a harsh voice behind them. The two cadets spun
+around and looked back toward the second floor. Standing at the top of
+the stairs, Rex Sinclair scowled down at them, ray guns in each hand,
+leveled at the two cadets.
+
+"By the craters of Luna!" cried Roger. "You!"
+
+"That's one of the things I forgot to tell you, Roger," said Tom wryly.
+"Sinclair belongs to this outfit too!"
+
+"Belongs!" roared Roger. "Look at that white uniform he's wearing! This
+yellow rat is Lactu, the head of the whole Nationalist movement!"
+
+Tom gaped at the white-clad figure at the head of the stairs. "The
+leader!" he gasped.
+
+"Quite right, Corbett," replied Sinclair quietly. "And if it hadn't been
+for three nosy cadets, I would have been the leader of the whole planet.
+But it's finished now. All that is left for me is escape. And you two
+are going to help me do just that!"
+
+Roger suddenly dropped to one knee and leveled the blaster. But the
+Nationalist leader was too quick. His paralo-ray crackled and Roger was
+frozen solid.
+
+"Why, you--!" roared Tom.
+
+"Drop your gun, Corbett," warned Sinclair, "and take that blaster away
+from him."
+
+"I'll get you, Sinclair," said Tom through clenched teeth, "and when I
+do--"
+
+"Stop the talk and get busy!" snapped Sinclair.
+
+Tom took the blaster out of Roger's paralyzed hands and dropped it on
+the floor. Still holding one ray gun on Tom, Sinclair flipped on the
+neutralizer of the other gun and released Roger again.
+
+"Now get moving down those stairs!" ordered Sinclair. "One more funny
+move out of either of you and I'll do more than just freeze you."
+
+"What are you going to do with us?" asked Roger.
+
+"As I said, you are going to help me escape. This time the Solar Guard
+has won. But there are other planets, other people who need strong
+leadership and who like to put on uniforms and play soldier. People will
+always find reason to rebel against authority, and I will be there to
+channel their frustrations into my own plans. Perhaps it will be Mars.
+Or Ganymede. Or even Titan. Another name, another plan, and once again
+the Solar Guard will have to fight me. Only next time, I assure you, it
+is I who will win!"
+
+"There won't be any next time," growled Roger. "You're washed up now.
+This base is swarming with Marines. How do you think you're going to get
+out of here?"
+
+"You shall see, my friend. You shall see!"
+
+Sinclair motioned them toward a door on the ground floor. "Open it!"
+demanded Sinclair. Tom opened it and stepped inside. It was a cleaner's
+closet, crammed with old-fashioned mops and pails and dirty rags.
+Sinclair pushed Roger inside and was about to follow when several
+green-clad guards came running down the hall toward them.
+
+"Lactu! Lactu!" they shouted frantically. "They're pouring into the
+base! The Solar Guard--they've got us surrounded!"
+
+"Keep fighting!" snapped Sinclair. "Don't surrender! Inflict as much
+damage as possible!"
+
+"Where--where are you going?" asked one of the men, looking at the
+closet speculatively.
+
+"Never mind me!" barked Sinclair. "Do as I tell you. Fight back!"
+
+"It looks like we're losing a leader," observed another of the men
+slowly. "You wouldn't be running out on us, would you, Lactu?"
+
+Sinclair fired three quick blasts from the ray guns, freezing the men
+solid, and then turned back to Tom and Roger. "Stay in that closet and
+do as I tell you."
+
+Inside the closet, Sinclair kicked a pail out of the way and barked,
+"Remove the loose plank in the floor and drop it on the floor."
+
+Tom felt around until he found the loose board and lifted it up.
+
+"What's down there?" asked Roger.
+
+"You'll see," said Sinclair. "Now step back, both of you!"
+
+Tom and Roger backed up and watched while Sinclair bent over the hole
+in the floor. He felt around inside with one hand and appeared to turn
+something. Suddenly the wall opposite the two cadets slid back to reveal
+a narrow flight of stairs leading down. Sinclair motioned with his gun
+again. "Get going, both of you."
+
+Tom stepped forward, followed by Roger, and they started down the
+stairs. At the bottom they found themselves in a narrow tunnel about
+four hundred feet underground. The floor of the tunnel slanted downward
+sharply.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"At the end of this tunnel," announced Sinclair, "is a clearing and in
+that clearing is a spaceship. It is nearly three miles from the canyon.
+By the time the Solar Guard learns of my absence, we shall be lost in
+space."
+
+"We?" asked Tom. "You're taking us with you?"
+
+"But of course," said Sinclair. "How else would I assure myself that
+the Solar Guard will not harm me unless I take two of their most honored
+Space Cadets with me?"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"It's been fifteen minutes," announced Connel, "and they haven't come
+out yet. There's only one thing to do. Take that building and find out
+what's happened."
+
+The major was crouched behind a wrecked jet car, staring at the
+administration building.
+
+"I can get that Marine captain over to our left to co-ordinate an attack
+with us, sir," suggested Astro.
+
+"It's risky," said Connel. "They still have a lot of men in there. But
+if we wait for another column to reach us, it might be too late. All
+right, Astro, tell him we're attacking in ten minutes and ask him to
+give us all the help he can."
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Astro, and flopped to the ground to worm his way
+toward the head of the Marine column on the left.
+
+It took the cadet nearly five minutes to cover the hundred yards between
+the two Solar Guard positions. Several times the firing became so heavy
+that the cadet was forced to remain still on the ground while rifle and
+ray-gun fire crackled over his head. He made it finally, several Marines
+coming out to help him over the top of the barrier. Gasping for breath,
+the big cadet asked to see the commanding officer.
+
+A grimy, tired-looking officer turned and walked over to the cadet.
+
+"Astro!"
+
+"Captain Strong!"
+
+"Where's Tom and Roger and Major Connel?" demanded Strong.
+
+Astro told the captain of Tom's attempt to save Roger and that nothing
+had been heard from him since. "Major Connel wants us to attack
+together," Astro continued. "He's jumping off in four minutes!"
+
+"Right!" snapped Strong. He turned to a young Solar Guard officer
+waiting respectfully near by. "You take them in, Ferris. Full frontal
+attack. Don't use blasters unless you have to. Take as many prisoners as
+possible."
+
+"Very well, sir," replied the lieutenant.
+
+"I'll go back to the other position with Cadet Astro. Start your attack
+as soon as you see Major Connel and his men go in."
+
+"Got it, sir," said the lieutenant.
+
+Strong and Astro made their way back to Connel's position quickly, and
+after a brief but hearty handclasp, the two officers began plotting the
+last assault against the Nationalists' stronghold. While other Marine
+columns were wiping up small groups of rebels fighting from disabled
+spaceships, repair shops, and other buildings, Strong's column had been
+driving straight for the heart of the base. The administration building
+was the last barrier between them and complete victory over the rebels.
+
+Strong and Connel spoke briefly of Tom and Roger, neither wanting to
+voice his inner fears in front of Astro. The Nationalists previously had
+shown little regard for human life. Now, with their backs to the wall,
+Connel and Strong knew that if Tom and Roger were captured, they might
+be used as hostages to ensure safe passage for some of the rebels.
+
+"Let's go," said Connel finally. "Tom and Roger will be expecting us."
+He forced himself to grin at Astro, but the giant cadet turned and faced
+the building grimly. Connel lifted his hand, took a last look up and
+down the line of waiting Marines, then brought his hand down quickly.
+"Over the top. Spaceman's luck!" he shouted.
+
+The Marines vaulted over the top of their defense position and charged
+madly toward the building, all guns blazing. The Nationalists returned
+the fire, and for the first few seconds it seemed that the world had
+suddenly gone mad. Strong found himself shouting, running, and firing in
+a red haze. Astro was roaring at the top of his lungs, and Connel just
+charged ahead blindly. Marines began to drop on all sides, cut down by
+the withering fire. Then, when it appeared that they would have to fall
+back, the main column, led by the Solar Guard lieutenant, broke through
+the last barricade and swarmed into the building.
+
+Five minutes later the battle was over. The last remnants of the
+Nationalists had been defeated and the green-clad troopers were herded
+into the streets like cattle. Strong and Connel, followed by Astro,
+charged through the building like wild bulls searching for Tom and
+Roger.
+
+"No sign of them," said Strong finally. "They must have slipped out
+somehow."
+
+"No!" roared Connel. "They've been taken out of here as hostages. I'll
+bet my life on that. There must be a secret way out of here!"
+
+"Come on," said Strong. "Let's find it." Suddenly he stopped. "Look!
+Those three troopers outside that door! They're frozen! Let's have a
+look there first!"
+
+They rushed over to the closet where the three Nationalists had been
+frozen by Sinclair.
+
+Strong stopped and gasped. "By the craters of Luna, it's Sharkey!"
+
+"Sharkey? Who's that?" asked Astro.
+
+"Supposed to be the leader of the Nationalists," said Connel.
+
+Strong quickly released Sharkey from the paralo-ray effects and the man
+shuddered so violently from the reaction that Astro had to grab him to
+keep him from falling down.
+
+"Where are Corbett and Manning?" demanded Connel.
+
+"Lactu ... he took them both in there ... through a secret passageway."
+Sharkey pointed to the closet with a trembling finger.
+
+Strong jumped for the closet door and jerked it open. He saw the open
+wall and the stairs leading down. "Come on! This way!"
+
+Connel ran wildly into the closet, followed by Astro. Suddenly the big
+cadet stopped, turned, and fired point-blank at the figurehead of the
+Nationalist rebellion. Sharkey once again grew rigid.
+
+The two Solar Guard officers raced down the stairs into the tunnel and
+ran headlong through the darkness. Time was precious now. The lives of
+Tom and Roger might be lost by a wasted second.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 20
+
+
+"What's that noise, Tom?"
+
+The two cadets were walking through the tunnel when they heard the
+strange booming roar. Behind them, Sinclair overheard Roger's whispered
+question and laughed. "That is the sound of the slaves being fed their
+lunch. They do not know yet that there has been a battle and soon
+they'll be free!"
+
+"Slaves!" gasped Roger. "What kind of slaves?"
+
+"You shall see. Keep going!" Sinclair prodded the cadets with his ray
+gun. The tunnel had grown larger and the downward slant of the floor
+lessened as they pressed forward. The noise ahead of them grew louder
+and stronger and now they could distinguish occasional words above the
+din.
+
+"We must pass through the big vault where the slaves are working," said
+Sinclair. "I would advise you to keep your mouths shut and do as I say!"
+
+Neither Tom nor Roger answered, keeping their eyes straight ahead.
+
+The tunnel suddenly cut sharply to the right and they could see a blaze
+of light in front of them. The two boys stopped involuntarily, and then
+were nudged forward by Sinclair's guns. Before them was a huge cavern
+nearly a thousand yards high and three thousand yards across,
+illuminated by hundreds of torches. Along one side of the cave a line of
+men were waiting to have battered tin plates filled from a huge pot at
+the head of the line. The men were in rags, and every one of them was
+hardly more than skin and bones. At strategic places around the cavern,
+Nationalist guards kept their guns trained and ready to fire. They
+brought up their guns quickly as Tom and Roger entered, and then lowered
+them again as Sinclair appeared. Every eye turned to the Nationalist
+leader as he marched across the floor of the cave, Tom and Roger walking
+before him.
+
+"You see," said Sinclair, "these wretched fools thought my organization
+was a utopia until they learned that I was no better for them than the
+Solar Guard. Unfortunately they learned too late and were sent here to
+dig underground pits for my spaceships and storage dumps."
+
+The small column of three marched across the floor of the cave toward
+another small tunnel on the opposite side. The slaves were absolutely
+still, and the guards smiled a greeting at their leader when he passed
+them.
+
+Sinclair ignored them all. "Beyond that tunnel," he continued, pointing
+to the small opening ahead of them, "there is a spaceship. We will board
+that ship and blast off. The three of us. Where we will go, I haven't
+decided yet. Perhaps a long trip into deep space until the Solar Guard
+has forgotten about you and me and the Nationalists. Then we will
+return, as I said before, to Mars, or perhaps Ganymede, and I will start
+all over again."
+
+"You're mad!" said Tom through clenched teeth. "Crazy as a space bug!"
+
+"We shall see, Corbett. We shall see!"
+
+Suddenly Roger broke away and raced toward the mass of slaves. He
+shouted wildly, "Get the guards! The Nationalists are beaten! The base
+in the canyon has been destroyed! Hurry! Rebel!"
+
+The emaciated men milled around the cadet, all asking questions at once.
+
+Sinclair signaled to the guards. "Shoot him down!" Four guards took
+careful aim.
+
+"Roger! Look out!" warned Tom.
+
+Roger whirled around in time to see the guards about to fire. He dived
+for a mound of dirt and hid behind it. The energy shock waves licked at
+the sand where he had stood a second before. Roger got up and ran for
+better cover, the guards continuing to fire at him. Then, around the
+cadet, the slave workers began to come alive. Some hurled stones at the
+guards, others began climbing up the sides to the ledges where the
+guards stood. Taking in the situation at a glance, Sinclair shoved the
+ray gun in Tom's back and snarled, "Get going!"
+
+The young cadet had no alternative. He turned and marched hurriedly
+across the floor toward the small tunnel ahead of him. Several slave
+workers tried to attack Sinclair, but in their weakened condition, they
+were no match for the alert Nationalist leader who froze them instantly
+with his paralo-ray gun.
+
+Roger saw Tom heading for the tunnel and made a sudden dash for
+Sinclair. But the rebel leader heard the pounding of footsteps and
+turned to fire at Roger as the cadet sailed through the air in a flying
+tackle. The jolting ray hit him squarely and he landed on the ground
+with a thud a few feet from Sinclair, completely immobilized again.
+
+Tom tried to seize the momentary advantage, but once again Sinclair was
+quicker and forced Tom back into the small opening of the tunnel.
+
+Around them, the slave workers were being whipped into a frenzy after
+months of stored-up hatred for their guards. Hundreds of them were
+climbing up toward the guards' posts, unmindful of the deadly fire
+pouring down on them.
+
+"Get in there quick!" demanded Sinclair. He shoved Tom through the small
+opening, and after a quick glance over his shoulder at the surging
+slaves, followed the cadet.
+
+Sinclair flashed a light ahead of them and Tom saw the reflection of a
+bright surface. In the distance he recognized the outlines of a
+spaceship.
+
+"Keep moving!" ordered Sinclair. "You're my protection in getting out of
+here, and if I have to freeze you and carry you aboard, that's just what
+I'll do! Now get moving!"
+
+Tom walked to the air lock of the ship, Sinclair right in back of him.
+The rebel leader pressed an outside button in the ship's stabilizer fin
+and the port swung open slowly. "Get in!" growled Sinclair.
+
+Tom stepped into the ship and waited. Sinclair climbed in in back of him
+and closed the air lock.
+
+"Through that hatch," said Sinclair, motioning toward the iron ladder,
+"and keep your hands in the air."
+
+"How do you think you're going to get through the Solar Guard fleet
+that's standing off above the canyon?" asked Tom casually. "As soon as
+they see this ship blast off, you'll have a hundred atomic war heads
+blasting after you!"
+
+"Not as long as I have you!" sneered Sinclair. "You're my protection!"
+
+"You're wrong," said Tom. "They'll open fire, anyway."
+
+"That's the chance I've got to take," said Sinclair. "Now climb up to
+the control deck and get on the audioceiver. You're going to tell them
+you're aboard!"
+
+Tom walked ahead of the rebel leader toward the control deck, his mind
+racing. He knew that Sinclair was going through with his plan and he
+also knew that the Solar Guard would not pay any attention to anything
+he had to say. If, after three warnings, Sinclair didn't brake jets and
+bring his ship to a stop, he would be blasted out of space. He had to do
+something.
+
+"Where's the communicator?" asked Tom.
+
+"Over by the radar scanner." Sinclair eyed him suspiciously. "Remember,
+Corbett, your life depends on this as much as mine. If you don't
+convince them you're worth saving by letting me get away, you're a dead
+pigeon!"
+
+"You don't have to tell me," said Tom. "I know when I'm licked."
+
+Sinclair took his position in the pilot's chair, facing the control
+panel. For a brief moment his back was to Tom as he bent over to turn on
+the generators. Tom took a deep breath and lurched across the deck. But
+Sinclair turned and saw him coming, and jerked up the ray gun. He wasn't
+able to get clear in time. Tom's fingers circled the barrel of the gun
+as Sinclair fired. The barrel grew hot as Sinclair fired repeatedly.
+Tom's fingers were beginning to blister under the intense heat, but he
+held on. With his other hand he reached up for the rebel's throat.
+Sinclair grabbed his wrist and, locked together, they rolled around on
+the deck.
+
+[Illustration: _Sinclair wasn't able to get clear in time_]
+
+Sinclair continued to fire the ray gun and Tom's fingers were burning
+with pain from the heat. Suddenly the cadet let go the gun, spun around,
+and jerked Sinclair off balance. He swung his free hand as hard as he
+could into the rebel's stomach. Sinclair doubled over and staggered
+back, dropping the gun. Tom was on top of him like a shot, pounding
+straight, jolting rights and lefts to the man's head and stomach. But
+Sinclair was tough. He twisted around, and quick as a cat, jumped to his
+feet. Then, stepping in, he rapped a solid right to Tom's jaw. The cadet
+reeled back, nearly falling to the deck. Sinclair was in on top of him
+in a flash, pounding his head and body with vicious smashing blows.
+
+Tom fell to the floor under the savagery of the rebel leader's attack.
+Sinclair lifted his foot to kick the cadet as Tom's fingers tightened
+around the barrel of the discarded ray gun. He brought it up sharply
+against the planter's shin and he staggered back in pain. Tom took
+careful aim. He fired the gun. Nothing happened. The gun was empty.
+
+Sinclair rushed the cadet again, but Tom stepped aside and swung the
+heavy gun with all his might. The metal smashed against Sinclair's head
+and he sank to the deck, out cold.
+
+The last rebel of Venus had been defeated.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"We found Roger trying to keep the slaves away from the guards," said
+Strong. "They were ready to tear them apart!"
+
+"Can't say that I blame them," snorted Connel. "Some of those poor
+devils had been working in the caves for three years!"
+
+Tom, Roger, and Astro sat sprawled in chairs in one of the offices of
+the Nationalist headquarters listening to Strong and Major Connel sum up
+the day's battle. The entire army of Nationalist guards, Division
+Chiefs, and workers had been rounded up and put aboard the troop
+carriers to be taken to a prison asteroid. Each individual rebel would
+be dealt with under special court proceedings to be established by Solar
+Alliance decree later.
+
+"There are still some things I don't understand," said Astro. "How did
+they know you were going to investigate them in the first place?"
+
+"After our meeting with Commander Walters," said Connel, "we sent a
+special coded message to the Solar Alliance Delegate here on Venus. His
+secretary intercepted the message, used stolen priorities for himself
+and two assistants to get to Earth and back on an express space liner
+without being missed."
+
+"The secretary!" shouted Tom. "That's the same fellow I saw in Atom City
+when we were bumped out of our seats on the _Venus Lark_!"
+
+Roger looked up at Tom with a scowl. "A fine time to remember!"
+
+Strong grinned. "We discovered him, Tom, when that attempt was made to
+kidnap you by the cab driver. We also picked up the owner of the
+pawnshop."
+
+"The most amazing thing about this space joker, Sinclair," commented
+Connel, "was the way he had everyone fooled. I couldn't figure out how
+he was able to get around so quickly until I learned about those
+buildings."
+
+"What buildings?" asked Tom, suddenly remembering how the rebel leader
+had disappeared so quickly and quietly when he was being held captive
+with Mr. and Mrs. Hill in the Sinclair home.
+
+"Every one of the important members of the organization, the Division
+Chiefs, they called themselves, had a small shack on his property near
+the edge of the jungle. It was nothing more than a covering for a shaft
+that led to a tunnel, which, in turn, led to other tunnels under the
+jungle and eventually connected with one leading right into the base."
+
+"You mean," said Astro, "they have underground tunnels all through the
+jungle?"
+
+"That's right," asserted Connel. "If they had been prepared for our
+attack, they could have beaten the pants off us. Not only in space, but
+on the ground. They could have run circles around us in those tunnels. I
+got suspicious when I found a hut at the Sharkey place with no windows
+in it."
+
+"Say, remember the time Sinclair barked at me for going near that shack
+on his place when we first arrived?" said Roger.
+
+Connel grinned. "I'll bet you a plugged credit that if you had opened
+that door you'd have been frozen stiffer than a snowman on Pluto."
+
+"Well, anyhow," said Tom happily, "we got what we came after."
+
+"What was that?" asked Strong.
+
+"A tyrannosaurus!" replied the curly-haired cadet.
+
+"And that's another thing," said Connel. "That tyrannosaurus we killed
+was a pet of the Nationalists. I don't mean a household pet, but it
+fitted into their plans nicely. The tyranno's lair was near the top of
+that canyon. Any time a stray hunter came along, the tyrannosaurus would
+scare him away. So when you three came along and said you were
+deliberately hunting for a tyrannosaurus, they got worried."
+
+"Worried?" asked Roger. "Why?"
+
+"They thought you were actually hunting or investigating them, and when
+I started nosing around, they were sure. That's why Sinclair ordered his
+boys to burn down his plantation--to try to throw us off the track. So
+you see," Connel concluded, "your summer leave really started the ball
+rolling against them."
+
+"Summer leave!" shouted Roger. "What day is it?"
+
+"The twenty-ninth of August," replied Strong.
+
+"Oh, no!" moaned the blond-haired cadet. "We start back to class in
+three days!"
+
+"Three days!" roared Astro. "But--but it'll take three days to write up
+our reports of everything that's happened! We won't have any time for
+fun!"
+
+"Fun!" snorted Connel. "Fun is for little boys. You three space-brained,
+rocket-headed idiots are spacemen!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+    |                                                              |
+    |                      Transcriber's Note                      |
+    |                                                              |
+    | One instance of "nearby" was changed to "near-by" to conform |
+    |        with the hyphenation in the rest of the text.         |
+    |                                                              |
+    |             The following typos were corrected:              |
+    |                                                              |
+    |                    Get         "Get                          |
+    |                    it          It                            |
+    |                    get's       gets                          |
+    |                    surpressed  suppressed                    |
+    |                    order       ordered                       |
+    |                                                              |
+    +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Revolt on Venus, by Carey Rockwell
+
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