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| Transcriber's Note |
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| There is no evidence that the U.S. copyright on this |
| publication was renewed. |
| |
| Several obvious typographical errors were corrected, one |
| possible typographical error was left as is, and hyphenation |
| was standardized. A list of these items may be found at the |
| end of the text. Words and phrases surrounded by _'s _like |
| this_ are in italics in the original text. |
| |
| Although the cover page includes the title "STAND BY FOR |
| MARS!" that book is not included in this e-text. |
| |
| Enjoy! |
| |
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DANGER IN DEEP SPACE
THE TOM CORBETT
SPACE CADET STORIES
By Carey Rockwell
STAND BY FOR MARS!
DANGER IN DEEP SPACE
[Illustration]
A TOM CORBETT Space Cadet Adventure
DANGER IN
DEEP SPACE
By CAREY ROCKWELL
WILLY LEY Technical Adviser
GROSSET & DUNLAP _Publishers_ New York
COPYRIGHT, 1953, BY
ROCKHILL RADIO
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
_Illustrations by_
LOUIS GLANZMAN
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ILLUSTRATIONS
_Frontispiece_
The three weary cadets assembled on the control deck 13
The junior spaceman maneuvered the great rocket ship
toward the air lock 36
The jet cab raced along the highway to Venusport 54
Tom could see two space-suited figures floating effortlessly 76
Mason was frozen into a rigid statue, unable to move 133
"Remember," Astro cautioned, "set the fuse for two hours" 161
Landing, they would tumble out of the jet boat and begin
their frantic digging 180
"I know we're going to be sent to the prison asteroid and
we deserve it," said Loring 206
DANGER IN DEEP SPACE
CHAPTER 1
"Stand by to reduce thrust on main drive rockets!" The tall,
broad-shouldered officer in the uniform of the Solar Guard snapped out
the order as he watched the telescanner screen and saw the Western
Hemisphere of Earth looming larger and larger.
"Aye, aye, Captain Strong," replied a handsome curly-haired Space Cadet.
He turned to the ship's intercom and spoke quickly into the microphone.
"Control deck to power deck. Check in!"
"Power deck, aye," a bull-throated voice bellowed over the loud-speaker.
"Stand by rockets, Astro! We're coming in for a landing."
"Standing by!"
The Solar Guard officer turned away from the telescanner and glanced
quickly over the illuminated banks of indicators on the control panel.
"Is our orbit to Space Academy clear?" he asked the cadet. "Have we been
assigned a landing ramp?"
"I'll check topside, sir," answered the cadet, turning back to the
intercom. "Control deck to radar deck. Check in!"
"Radar bridge, aye," drawled a lazy voice over the speaker.
"Are we cleared for landing, Roger?"
"Everything clear as glass ahead, Tom," was the calm reply.
"We're steady on orbit and we touch down on ramp seven. Then"--the voice
began to quicken with excitement--"three weeks' liberty coming up!"
The rumbling voice of the power-deck cadet suddenly broke in over the
intercom. "Lay off that space gas, Manning. Just see that this space
wagon gets on the ground in one piece. Then you can dream about your
leave!"
"Plug your jets, you big Venusian ape man," was the reply, "or I'll turn
you inside out!"
"Yeah? You and what fleet of spaceships?"
"Just me, buster, with my bare hands!"
The Solar Guard officer on the control deck smiled at the young cadet
beside him as the good-natured argument crackled over the intercom
speaker overhead. "Looks like those two will never stop battling,
Corbett," he commented dryly.
"Guess they'll never learn, sir," sighed the cadet.
"That's all right. It's when they stop battling that I'll start getting
worried," answered the officer. He turned back to the controls. "One
hundred thousand feet from Earth's surface! Begin landing procedure!"
As Cadet Tom Corbett snapped orders into the intercom and his unit-mates
responded by smooth co-ordinated action, the giant rocket cruiser
_Polaris_ slowly arched through Earth's atmosphere, first nosing up to
lose speed and then settling tailfirst toward its destination--the
spaceport at Space Academy, U.S.A.
Far below, on the grounds of the Academy, cadets wearing the green
uniforms of first-year Earthworms and the blue of the upper-classmen
stopped all activity as they heard the blasting of the braking rockets
high in the heavens. They stared enviously into the sky, watching the
smooth steel-hulled spaceship drop toward the concrete ramp area of the
spaceport, three miles away.
[Illustration: SPACE ACADEMY U.S.A.]
In his office at the top of the gleaming Tower of Galileo, Commander
Walters, commandant of Space Academy, paused for a moment from his
duties and turned from his desk to watch the touchdown of the great
spaceship. And on the grassy quadrangle, Warrant Officer Mike McKenny,
short and stubby in his scarlet uniform of the enlisted Solar Guard,
stopped his frustrating task of drilling newly arrived cadets to watch
the mighty ship come to Earth.
Young and old, the feeling of belonging to the great fleet that
patrolled the space lanes across the millions of miles of the solar
system was something that never died in a true spaceman. The green-clad
cadets dreamed of the future when they would feel the bucking rockets in
their backs. And the older men smiled faintly as memories of their own
first space flight came to mind.
Aboard the _Polaris_, the young cadet crew worked swiftly and smoothly
to bring their ship to a safe landing. There was Tom Corbett, an average
young man in this age of science, who had been selected as the
control-deck and command cadet of the _Polaris_ unit after rigid
examinations and tests. Topside, on the radar bridge, was Roger Manning,
cocky and brash, but a specialist in radar and communications. Below, on
the power deck, was Astro, a colonial from Venus, who had been accused
of cutting his teeth on an atomic rocket motor, so great was his skill
with the mighty "thrust buckets," as he lovingly called the atomic
rockets.
Now, returning from a routine training flight that had taken them to the
moons of Jupiter, the three cadets, Corbett, Manning, and Astro, and
their unit skipper, Captain Steve Strong, completed the delicate task of
setting the great ship down on the Academy spaceport.
"Closing in fast, sir," announced Tom, his attention focused on the
meters and dials in front of him. "Five hundred feet to touchdown."
"Full braking thrust!" snapped Strong crisply.
Deep inside the _Polaris_, braking rockets roared with unceasing power,
and the mighty spaceship eased itself to the concrete surface of the
Academy spaceport.
"Touchdown!" yelled Tom. He quickly closed the master control lever,
cutting all power, and sudden silence filled the ship. He stood up and
faced Strong, saluting smartly.
"Rocket cruiser _Polaris_ completes mission"--he glanced at the astral
chronometer on the panel board--"at fifteen thirty-three, sir."
"Very well, Corbett," replied Strong, returning the salute. "Check the
_Polaris_ from radar mast to exhaust ports right away."
"Yes, sir," was Tom's automatic answer, and then he caught himself. "But
I thought--"
Strong interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "I know, Corbett, you
thought the _Polaris_ would be pulled in for a general overhaul and you
three would get liberty."
"Yes, sir," replied Tom.
"I'm not sure you won't get it," said Strong, "but I received a message
last night from Commander Walters. I think the _Polaris_ unit might have
another assignment coming up!"
"By the rings of Saturn," drawled Roger from the open hatch to the radar
bridge, "you might know the old man would have another mission for us!
We haven't had a liberty since we were Earthworms!"
"I'm sorry, Manning," said Strong, "but you know if I had my way, you'd
certainly get the liberty. If anyone deserves it, you three do."
By this time Astro had joined the group on the control deck.
"But, sir," ventured Tom, "we've all made plans, I mean--well, my folks
are expecting me."
"_Us_, you mean," interrupted Roger. "Astro and I are your guests,
remember?"
"Sure, I remember," said Tom, smiling. He turned back to Captain Strong.
"We'd appreciate it if you could do something for us, sir. I
mean--well, have another unit assigned."
Strong stepped forward and put his arms around the shoulders of Tom and
Roger and faced Astro. "I'm afraid you three made a big mistake in
becoming the best unit in the Academy. Now every time there's an
important assignment to be handed out the name of the _Polaris_ unit
sticks out like a hot rocket!"
"Some consolation," said Roger dourly.
Strong smiled. "All right, check this wagon and then report to me in my
quarters in the morning. You'll have tonight off at least. Unit
_dis_-missed!"
The three cadets snapped their backs straight, stood rigid, and saluted
as their superior officer strode toward the hatch. His foot on the
ladder, he turned and faced them again.
"It's been a fine mission. I want to compliment you on the way you've
handled yourselves these past few months. You boys are real spacemen!"
He saluted and disappeared down the ladder leading to the exit port.
"And that," said Roger, turning to his unit-mates, "is known as the
royal come-on for a dirty detail!"
"Ahhh, stop your gassing, Manning," growled Astro. "Just be sure your
radar bridge is O.K. If we do have to blast out of here in a hurry, I
want to get where we're supposed to be going!"
"You just worry about the power deck, spaceboy, and let little Roger
take care of his own department," replied Roger.
Astro eyed him speculatively. "You know the only reason they allowed
this space creep in the Academy, Tom?" asked Astro.
"No, why?" asked Tom, playing along with the game.
"Because they knew any time the _Polaris_ ran out of reactant fuel we
could just stick Manning in the rocket tubes and have him blow out some
of his special brand of space gas!"
"Listen, you Venusian throwback! One more word out of you and--"
"All right, you two!" broke in Tom good-naturedly. "Enough's enough!
Come on. We've got just enough time to run up to the mess hall and grab
a good meal before we check the ship."
"That's for me," said Astro. "I've been eating those concentrates so
long my stomach thinks I've turned into a test tube."
Astro referred to the food taken along on space missions. It was
dehydrated and packed in plastic containers to save weight and space.
The concentrates never made a satisfactory meal, even though they
supplied everything necessary for a healthful diet.
A few moments later the three members of the _Polaris_ stood on the main
slidewalk, an endless belt of plastic, powered by giant subsurface
rollers, being carried from the spaceport to the main academy
administration building, the great gleaming Tower of Galileo.
Space Academy, the university of the planets, was set among the low
hills of the western part of the North American continent. Here, in the
nest of fledgling spacemen, boys from Earth and the colonies of Venus
and Mars learned the complex science that would enable them to reach
unlimited heights; to rocket through the endless void of space and visit
new worlds on distant planets millions of miles from Earth.
This was the year 2353--the age of space! A time when boys dreamed only
of becoming Space Cadets at Space Academy, to learn their trade and
later enter the mighty Solar Guard, or join the rapidly expanding
merchant space service that sent out great fleets of rocket ships daily
to every corner of the solar system.
As the slidewalk carried the three cadets between the buildings that
surrounded the grassy quadrangle of the Academy, Tom looked up at the
Tower of Galileo dominating the entire area.
"You know," he began haltingly, "every time I go near this place I get a
lump in my throat!"
"Yeah," breathed Astro, "me too."
Roger made no comment. His eyes were following the path of the giant
telescope reflector that moved in a slow arc, getting into position for
the coming night's observations. Tom followed his gaze to the massive
domed building, housing the giant one-thousand-inch reflector.
"You think we'll ever go as far into the deep with a rocket ship as we
can see with the big eye?" he asked.
"I dunno," replied Roger. "That thing can penetrate other star systems
in our galaxy. And that's a long way off!"
"Nearest thing to us is Alpha Centauri in our own galaxy, and that's
twenty-three and a half million million miles away," commented Astro.
"That's not so far," argued Tom. "Only a few months ago the Solar
Alliance sent out a scientific exploration to take a look at that baby."
"Musta been some hop," commented Roger.
"Hey!" cried Tom suddenly. "There's Alfie Higgins!" He pointed in the
direction of another slidewalk moving at right angles to their own. The
cadet that he singled out on the slidewalk was so thin and small he
looked emaciated. He wore glasses and at the moment was absorbed in a
paper he held in his hand.
"Well, what do you know!" cried Astro. "The Brain!"
Roger punched Astro in the mid-section. "If you were as smart as he is,
you big grease monkey, you'd be O.K."
"Nah!" replied Astro. "If I was as smart as Alfie, I'd be scared. And
besides, what do I need to be smart for? I've got you, haven't I?"
When they drew near the other slidewalk, the three members of the
_Polaris_ unit skipped lightly over and jostled their way past other
riders to the slightly built cadet.
"Alfie!" Tom yelled and slapped the cadet on the back. Alfie turned, his
glasses knocked askew by Tom's blow, and eyed the three _Polaris_
members calmly.
"It gives me great pleasure to view your countenances again, Cadets
Corbett, Manning, and Astro," he said solemnly, nodding to each one.
Astro twisted his face into a grimace. "What'd he say, Roger?"
"He's happy to see you," Roger translated.
"Well, in that case," beamed Astro, "I'm happy to see you too, Alfie!"
"What's the latest space dope around the Academy, Alfie?" asked Tom.
"What's this?" he indicated the paper in Alfie's hand.
"By the sheerest of coincidences I happen to have a copy of your new
assignment!" replied Alfie.
Tom, Roger, and Astro looked at each other in surprise.
"Well, come on, spaceman," urged Roger. "Give us the inside info. Where
are we going?"
Alfie tucked the paper in his inside pocket and faced Roger. He cleared
his throat and spoke in measured tones. "Manning, I have high regard for
your personality, your capabilities, and your knowledge, all of which
makes you an outstanding cadet. But even you know that I occupy a
position of trust as cadet courier for Commander Walters and the
administrative staff. I am not at liberty to mention anything that I
would have occasion to observe while in the presence of Commander
Walters or the staff. Therefore, you will please refrain from
questioning me any further regarding the contents of these papers!"
Roger's jaw dropped. "Why, you human calculator, you were the one who
brought it up in the first place! I oughta knock off that big head of
yours!"
Tom and Astro laughed.
"Lay off, Roger," said Tom. "You ought to know Alfie couldn't talk if he
wanted to! We'll just have to wait until Captain Strong is ready to tell
us what our next assignment will be!"
By this time the slidewalk had carried them to the front of the main
dormitory, and the wide doors were crowded with members of the Space
Academy Corps heading in for the evening meal. From all corners of the
quadrangle, the slidewalks carried Earthworms in their green uniforms,
upper-class cadets in deep blue, enlisted spacemen in scarlet red, and
Solar Guard officers in their striking uniforms of black and gold.
Chatting and laughing, they all were entering the great building.
The _Polaris_ unit was well known among other cadet units, and they were
greeted heartily from all sides. As Astro and Roger joked with various
cadet units, forming up in front of the slidestairs leading down to the
mess halls, Alfie turned to take a slidestairs going up. Suddenly he
stopped, grabbed Tom by the shoulders, and whispered in his ear. Just as
abruptly he turned and raced up the ascending slidestairs.
"What was that about?" asked Roger, as Tom stood staring after the
little cadet.
"Roger--he--he said our next assignment would be one of the great
experiments in space history. Something to be done that--that hasn't
ever been done before!"
"Well, blast my jets!" said Astro. "What do you suppose it is?"
"Ahhh," sneered Roger, "I'll bet it's nothing more than taking some
guinea pigs to see how they react to Jovian gravity. That's never been
done before either! Why can't we get something exciting for a change?"
Tom laughed. "Come on, you bloodthirsty adventurer, I'm starved!"
But Tom knew that Alfie Higgins didn't get excited easily, and his eyes
were wide and his voice trembled when he had whispered his secret to
Tom.
The _Polaris_ unit was due to embark on a great new adventure!
[Illustration]