"Fire!" bawled Major Savage to his crew of gunners.
At the other end of the field one of the remaining two undamaged rocket
destroyers blasted off to battle the invading spaceship.
Tom and Roger had been on a tour of the great central tower with Major
Savage when the attack came and had been ordered to find safety in the
open fields. The major knew the tower would be one of the first targets.
Sprawled on the ground behind a bunker, they saw the major, his space
jacket torn from his back, standing in the middle of the field, quietly
issuing orders to scarlet-clad spacemen, desperately trying to organize
the penal asteroid's defenses.
The spaceship, which had somehow managed to penetrate the tight radar
warning screen around the prison, had struck with merciless precision.
Again and again, its atomic blasters had found the most important
installations and had wiped them out. The first target, after the tower
had been shattered, was the underground launching ramps for the
asteroid's small fleet of rocket destroyers. But even after a direct
hit, the guards were able to ready two ships to fight the attacking
spaceship. The first was already diving in, her small one-inch blasters
firing repeatedly.
Suddenly, Lieutenant Williams, in command of the second ship, came
racing up to Major Savage, to report that his radarman had been hit and
the ship couldn't blast off.
"Here's where I get into the act!" Roger jumped up immediately, and with
a brief "So long, spaceman" to Tom, raced off to join Lieutenant
Williams.
"Spaceman's luck," yelled Tom as the officer and the cadet ran toward
the waiting ship.
Looking skyward again, Tom saw the first destroyer diving toward the
attacking spaceship, trying to get in range with her lighter armament.
Suddenly there was a burst of brilliant light. The lighter ship had been
completely destroyed by a direct hit.
Sick with horror, Tom looked away and watched the ship Roger had joined
blast off under full acceleration. It roared spaceward in a straight
line, disappearing at incredible speed.
Meanwhile, the invader continued to blast relentlessly.
One--two--three--four--automatic reload--one--two--three--four, reload.
Over and over, firing at seemingly peaceful fields of grass, only to
strike an armory, space cradle, or supply depot buried underneath the
ground. Suddenly it changed its course and trained its guns skyward. Tom
looked up and saw a tiny flyspeck roaring straight down at the ship. It
was Lieutenant Williams' rocket destroyer, with Roger on the radar
bridge, in a suicidal attempt to destroy the invader. But the larger
ship was ready. The two forward blasters opened fire. A flaming ball of
light exploded near the stabilizer of the destroyer and it fell off
course to float helplessly in free-fall orbit around the asteroid. Still
lying on the ground, Tom sighed with relief. At least Roger was all
right.
Then the young cadet saw the invading spaceship move away from the area
around the tower toward the horizon not too far away on the small
planetoid. He followed it with his eyes and saw it suddenly land near a
cluster of white prisoner huts. Tom gasped as the reason for the attack
became clear.
"Major! Major! Major Savage!" he called as he raced across the field.
But the major was nowhere to be seen. A guard carrying a medical kit
hurried past him and Tom grabbed him by the arm.
"Major Savage! Where is he?"
The guard pointed to a near-by stretcher and Tom saw the unconscious
figure of the major sprawled on the plastic frame.
"But--but the prisoners are getting away!" yelled Tom.
"I can't do anything about it. I've got wounded men to care for!" The
man jerked away and disappeared in the smoky, choking dust.
The curly-haired space cadet, his face blackened from the smoke, his
lungs crying for fresh air, started across the blast-pitted field,
looking for help. But there was none to be had. Suddenly he wheeled in
the direction of the spaceship and started to run toward it.
As soon as the young cadet had left the smoking area around the wrecked
tower, he realized that it was the only section of the small satellite
that had suffered attack. Ahead, he could see the prisoners in their
white suits crowding around the stabilizer air lock of the invading
ship.
Tom dropped to his stomach and watched the knot of men. Suddenly the
air-lock portal slid open. There was a loud cheer and the prisoners
began scrambling aboard.
Tom knew he would have to move fast. Taking a dangerous chance, he rose
to a half-crouch and dashed to one of the small white huts only a
hundred feet away. With a final glance at the thinning crowd of escaping
men around the ship, he ran straight for an open window, diving headlong
through it.
Inside, Tom waited breathlessly for a shout or warning that he had been
seen, but none came. He glanced through the window and saw that only
seven or eight men remained outside the port. He turned away quickly and
began searching the hut.
He found what he was looking for rolled up on the bed where its owner
had used it as an extra pillow. He shook out the prison suit of white
coveralls, stripped off his own blue cadet's uniform, and hurriedly put
on the distinctive prison gear. It was a little large for him and he
rolled up the sleeves and trouser legs, hoping no one would notice in
the excitement. Then, with a deep breath, he stepped out of the hut into
full view of the prisoners still left at the air lock.
"Hey, wait for me!" he yelled, running for the ship.
The men paid no attention in their haste to get aboard the ship. When
Tom reached the air lock, there were only two left. He slapped the
nearest man on the back.
"Pal, I've been waiting for this a long time!"
"Yah," the man answered, "me too!" Then he looked at Tom closely. "Say,
I've never seen you around here before!"
"I just got in on the supply ship last week. They kept me in the tower
for a while," Tom replied.
"Oh, well," said the man, "they ain't keepin' anybody there anymore!"
"Come on you guys," snarled a heavy-set man in the air lock above them.
"We ain't got all day!"
Tom looked up, and without being told, he felt he was looking into the
face of Bull Coxine. And when the other prisoner spoke, he was certain.
"Yeah, Bull," said the man. "Comin', comin'!" He reached up and Bull
grabbed his outstretched hand. When Bull pulled, the man literally
leaped through the air into the air lock.
"All right, space crawler," roared Bull to Tom, "you're next!" The big
man stuck out his hand. Tom gulped. For one desperate second he thought
of turning and running away.
"Well?" growled Bull. "You coming or ain't cha?"
"You're blasted right I'm coming," said Tom. "This is one time the Solar
Guard is taking it on the chin. And, crawler, am I happy to see it!"
He grabbed Bull's hand and was lifted as easily as if he had been a
feather. Coxine dropped him on the deck and turned away without a word
to disappear inside the ship.
As he looked around, Tom suddenly felt a cold shiver run through his
body. He felt as if he had signed his own death warrant. There was no
mistake about it. The ship was the same one he had watched night after
night at the exposition on Venus. And the names of the two owners
exploded in his brain. "Wallace and Simms!"
He turned to jump out of the air lock, but it slid closed in front of
him. He was trapped.
* * * * *
Sprawled on the ground in front of one of the white houses near the
tower perimeter, Captain Strong stirred, shook his head, and painfully
rose to a half-crouch. With eyes still dulled by shock, he looked around
to see Astro lying unconscious a few feet away. His brain still reeling
from the effects of Coxine's sneak attack, he staggered over to his
knees beside him.
"Astro, Astro--" Strong called. "Astro, snap out of it!"
The big Venusian moaned and opened his eyes. He sat bolt upright.
"Captain Strong! What happened?"
"I'm not too sure, Astro," said Strong. "All I remember is Coxine
slugging me."
As they struggled to their feet, they suddenly noticed the towering
columns of smoke rising into the air.
"By the rings of Saturn!" gasped Strong. "Look, Astro!"
"Blast my jets!" cried the big cadet. "What--what could have happened?"
The two spacemen stood gaping at the shattered remains of the tower and
the smoldering area around it. In the distance, scarlet-clad guardsmen
moved dazedly around the wreckage and above them a rocket destroyer was
blasting on one jet, coming in for a touchdown.
"Astro," said Strong grimly, "I don't know how it could have happened,
but the prison asteroid has been attacked. A rocket-blasting good job of
it! Come on! We've got to get over there!"
"Yes, sir," said Astro. As they started running toward the field, he
searched the figures moving about in the distance for two familiar blue
uniforms. "I don't see Roger or Tom, sir," he said hesitantly. "Do you
think--?"
"We'll just have to wait and see," interrupted Strong grimly. "Come on,
step it up!"
As the two spacemen approached the smoking ruins of the underground
cradles, ammunition dumps, and repair shops, they passed groups of men
digging into the rubble. In sharp contrast to the careful scrutiny they
had received when they first arrived at the prison, no one noticed them
now. Strong stepped up to a man in a torn and dirty sergeant's uniform.
"What happened?" he asked.
The man turned and looked at Strong and Astro. Aside from the swollen
bump on the Solar Guard captain's head and the bruise on the cadet's
neck there were no signs of their having been in the attack. When the
guardsman finally replied, there was a sharp edge to his voice. "I
thought _everyone_ knew we were attacked, _sir_!" He turned back to a
detail of men who were watching. But Strong pulled the man up sharply.
"Attention!" he barked. The sergeant and the crew came to stiff
attention. Strong stepped forward and looked the guardsman straight in
the eye. "Under any other circumstances, Sergeant," snapped Strong, "I'd
have your stripes and throw you in the brig for your insolence! Now I
want a clear account of what happened. And I want it blasted _quick_!"
"Yes, sir!" stammered the guardsman, realizing he had gone too far. He
hurriedly gave a detailed description of the battle, ending with a
report that Major Savage had been injured and that Lieutenant Williams
was now in command of the prison.
"Where will I find Lieutenant Williams?" asked Strong.
"At the rocket destroyer, sir. It just landed."
"Very well, Sergeant!" said Strong, adding in a gentler tone, "I realize
you've had a rough time of it, so we'll forget what just happened. Get
back to your work."
As Astro followed the Solar Guard captain toward the rocket ship he saw
a familiar figure standing near the air lock. A boy with close-cropped
blond hair and wearing cadet blues.
"Roger!" yelled Astro joyfully. "Captain Strong, look! It's Roger!"
They quickened their pace and were soon beside the small space vessel
that had been blasted out of commission before it could fire a shot.
While Roger was telling them of having volunteered for radar operations
aboard the ship and of their being disabled by a near miss, Lieutenant
Williams suddenly appeared in the air lock and saluted smartly.
"Major Savage has been injured, sir," said Williams. "Since you are the
highest ranking officer on the asteroid, are there any orders?"
"I'm not acquainted with your men, or your prison, Williams," replied
Strong. "I'll accept the command as a formality but appoint you my chief
aid. Carry on and do anything necessary to get things cleared away."
"Very well, sir," said Williams.
"Have communications been destroyed?"
"Yes, sir. Communications was located in the tower, but Cadet Manning
has converted the equipment on ship for long-range audio transmission."
"Very good!" said Strong. "As soon as you get a chance, I want you to
make out a full report on the attack, including your personal opinion of
who attacked us and why."
"I don't know who manned that ship, sir," said Williams, "but I can tell
the reason all right. Every prisoner on the asteroid has escaped!"
"Yes," mused Strong. "I thought that would be the answer. But how did
that ship get through your defenses?"
"Captain Strong," said Williams grimly, "I don't think there is any
question about it. Someone broke the asteroid code. The attacking ship
identified itself as the regular supply ship."
"A Solar Guardsman?" asked Strong.
"No, sir," said Williams. "I'd bet anything that none of our men would
do that!"
"Then who?" asked Strong.
"Only one man would be smart enough to get the code and break it, and
then sneak it off to the attacking ship!"
"Who?" asked Strong.
"Bull Coxine!" answered the young officer through clenched teeth.
They were interrupted by a guardsman. "Sir, we found this in prison hut
twenty-four."
"What is it?" asked Strong.
Astro's eyes suddenly widened and he stepped forward. "Why,
that's ... that's Tom's uniform!" he stammered.
"Tom!" gasped Strong. "But where is he?"
"We've searched the immediate area, sir," replied the guardsman. "Cadet
Corbett isn't here."
"Are you sure?" demanded Strong.
"Yes, sir," said the guardsman stoutly.
Strong took the uniform and examined it carefully. Then he turned to
Roger and snapped, "Prepare the audioceiver for immediate transmission
to Space Academy, Manning. Astro! Get aboard our ship. Check her for
damage and let me know how soon we can blast off!"
The two cadets saluted and raced for the small spaceship.
Thoughtfully holding Tom's uniform in his hand, Strong turned back to
Williams. "I'm going to leave as soon as I can, Williams. I'll tell
Space Academy about the attack and see that a relief ship is sent out to
you right away. Meantime, I'm leaving you in command." He paused and
looked at Tom's uniform again. "If Cadet Corbett isn't on the asteroid,
he must be on the attacking ship with the prisoners. The only question
now is, do they know it?"
"You mean he smuggled himself aboard?" asked Williams.
"I'm almost sure of it!" said Strong. "And if he _is_, he's going to try
to get some sort of message out. I've got to be ready to pick it up."
Strong paused and looked up at the sky overhead, still thick with smoke.
"And if he does ask for help, I'm going to answer him with the biggest
fleet of spaceships he'll ever see in his life!"