"There--there!" shouted Captain Stefens into the mike aboard the jet
boat circling around the station. "I think I see something bearing about
seventy degrees to my left and up about twenty on the ecliptic! Do you
see it, Scotty?"
Tom, in the bucket seat of the jet boat, strained his eyes but was
unable to see over the control board.
Terry Scott, in a second jet boat ten miles away, answered quickly,
"Yes, I think I see it, sir."
"Good!" shouted Stefens. "Maybe we've found something."
He spoke to Tom over his shoulder, keeping his eye on the floating
objects in the black void of space. "Come to the starboard about
one-quarter full turn, Corbett, and hold it. Then up, about twenty-five
degrees."
"Aye, aye, sir," said Tom. He began to maneuver the small gnat-sized
space craft to the proper position.
"That's good!" shouted Stefens. "Now hold that. Let me see. I think
we've hit pay dirt."
From the right, Tom could see the red flash of the rockets of Terry
Scott's jet boat, which Astro had volunteered to pilot, coming into
view. As soon as order had been restored aboard the station, search
parties had been sent out to look for survivors.
Carefully Tom slowed the space craft in response to Stefens' brief
commands and soon came to a dead halt in space. There, hovering right
above them, visible through the crystal dome of the jet boat, Tom could
see two space-suited figures floating effortlessly. A moment later
Scott's craft came alongside, and the two small ships were lashed
together with magnetic lines. Tom and Stefens hurriedly pulled on their
space helmets. They adjusted the valves regulating the oxygen supply in
their suits, and Stefens slipped back the sliding top of the jet boat.
Out on the hull he secured a line to a projecting ring, and ordering Tom
to stand by, he pushed himself off the ship into the bottomless void of
space.
The line trailing behind him, Stefens drifted toward the two helpless
figures. He reached them in less than a minute, secured the line to
their belts, and signaled Tom to haul in.
Near by, Terry Scott and Astro watched as the three figures were pulled
to safety.
Quickly the top of the jet boat was closed, oxygen pressure in the craft
was restored, and the four men took off their helmets.
"Whew!" said Loring. "I sure want to thank you for pulling us out of the
deep!"
"We sure do, sir!" added Mason. Then, with a quick look at Loring, he
asked softly, "Were there any other survivors?"
Stefens' face was grim. "Not one. After we untangled the mess, we found
bodies of two men. It was pretty bad. A little later something was
spotted on the radar, and we hoped there might be survivors. Luckily for
you, we came to look!"
[Illustration: _Tom could see two space-suited figures floating
effortlessly_]
"By the rings of Saturn," swore Loring softly, "Jardine and Bangs were
brave men. They practically forced us to pile out when they saw they
were going to crack up." He turned to Mason. "Didn't they, Al?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure brave men," Al Mason agreed.
"Nothing to be done for them now, of course," said Stefens. "What
happened?" He paused, and then added, "You don't have to tell me if you
don't want to before you make out your report, but I'd sure like to
know."
"I don't really know what happened, sir," said Loring. "We had made a
deal for a ride back to Earth with Jardine and were sleeping back on the
cargo deck. All of a sudden, Jardine came running in. Told us we were
about to pile into the station and for us to suit up and get out. We
asked him about himself, but he said he was going to stay and try to
save the ship. We piled out, and--well, we saw the whole thing from out
here. Like a big splash of light. It must have been pretty bad on the
station, eh?"
"Plenty bad, but thanks to Cadet Corbett here, there wasn't a single
injury. He warned everybody to get off that side of the station. A lot
of damage but no casualties."
"Don't you have any idea what made the ship crash?" asked Tom quietly.
Loring looked at Tom but spoke to Stefens. "I told you all I know, sir.
Can I expect to be questioned by everyone in the Solar Guard. Including
cadets?"
Stefens bristled. "It was a civil question, Loring," he said stiffly,
"but you don't have to say anything if you don't want to!"
Loring and Mason had not expected such a strong defense of the cadet,
and Loring was quick to make amends. "I'm sorry--I guess I'm still a
bit shaken up," he muttered.
Stefens grunted.
"It wasn't pretty, you know, watching that ship go up and not be able to
do anything about it," Loring continued plaintively. "Jardine and
Bangs--well, they're--they _were_ sorta friends of mine."
They were silent all the way back to the station, each with his own
thoughts--Stefens puzzling over the cause of the crash, Loring and Mason
exchanging quick furtive glances and wondering how long their story
would hold up, and Tom wondering how much Roger's changing the power
circuits on the radar had to do with the crash of the ship.
"That's right," snapped Connel to the two enlisted spacemen. "I said I
wanted the radar section of the communications deck closed and sealed
off until further investigations. You can hook up and use one of the
monitors in the traffic control meantime."
The two red-clad spacemen turned and walked away. Stefens stood to one
side.
"Don't you think that's carrying things a little too far, sir?" he asked
Connel.
"I'm doing this as much to protect Cadet Manning as I am to prosecute
him! I want to be sure there was no connection between the crash of the
_Annie Jones_ and his tampering with the radar circuits!" Connel
replied.
"I guess you're right, sir," replied Stefens. "Those two survivors,
Loring and Mason, are having coffee in the mess if you want to talk to
them."
"Did they change their story?" asked Connel.
"None at all. They were hooking a ride back to Atom City, and they were
asleep in the cargo hold. Jardine, one of the pilots, came in and told
them to pile out. They did."
"Ummmmh," mused Connel. "I know those two, Loring and Mason. Had a
little trouble with them recently on a trip to Tara. Suspended their
papers. So if they were just hooking a ride, it might be they're telling
the truth!"
"I have a report here on the damage to the station, sir, if you'd like
to listen to it," said Stefens, handing his superior a spool of
audiotape.
"Good! Did you make out the report yourself?" asked Connel.
"Yes, sir. With the assistance of Terry Scott and Cadet Corbett."
"Good lad, that Corbett," said Connel and paused. "The whole unit is
good! If it weren't for that hare-brained Manning, I'd say they had as
bright a future in the Solar Guard as any unit I've seen!"
"I'll buy that, sir!" said Stefens with a smile. "That Corbett picked up
traffic-control operations like a duck takes to water. And it's been a
long time since Jenledge on the power deck raved about a cadet the way
he does about Astro."
Connel smiled. He was reluctant to press for an investigation of the
radar deck, knowing that if he did, it would mean a damaging black mark
against Manning. But justice was justice, and Connel came closer to
worshiping justice than anything else in space!
Connel placed the spool of tape in the audiograph and settled in a chair
to listen. He didn't like the entire affair. He didn't like to think of
losing a cadet of Manning's ability because of one stupid mistake. He
had recommended a thorough investigation. There was no other way. If
Manning was cleared of the responsibility for the crash, he was free,
and it would not show up against his record. If he wasn't, however, then
he'd have to pay. Yes, thought Connel to himself, as Stefens' voice
began to crackle harshly on the audiograph, if Manning was guilty, then
Manning would most certainly pay. Connel would see to that.
Deep in the heart of the space station, Loring and Mason were huddled
over steaming cups of coffee whispering to each other cautiously.
"Want more coffee, Mason?" asked Loring.
"Who wants coffee when there's going to be a Solar Guard investigation?"
whined Mason. "Suppose they find out something?"
"Relax, will ya?" muttered Loring reassuringly. "Connel doesn't suspect
a thing. Besides, he has that cadet under arrest!"
"Yeah," argued Mason, "but you don't know those guys at Space Academy.
All this honor stuff! It's not like a regular investigation. They don't
stop digging until they dig up _real facts_! They'll find out we stowed
away and ..."
Loring calmly added cream and sugar to his coffee. "They can't prove a
thing. Jardine and Bangs are dead, and the ship's nothing but a pile of
junk."
"They'll find out, I tell you, and now we've got murder on our hands!"
A door behind Mason suddenly opened and Stefens appeared.
"Shut up, you fool!" Loring hissed. He turned blandly to face Stefens.
"Well, Captain, glad you came. I wanted to talk to you about getting us
transportation back to Venusport."
"You'll have to wait for the jet liner from Earth," said Stefens. "See
me in about two hours. Right now, I've got to make arrangements for the
investigation of the crash."
"Sure, sir," said Loring. "Ah--say, Captain, what do you expect the
investigation to turn up?"
"The true facts," replied Stefens. "Whether the crash was due to the
negligence of Cadet Manning or something that happened on the ship."
"Then you really think the cadet may be responsible?" asked Loring
softly.
"He admits to negligence, and the _Annie Jones_ is a lot of evidence,"
said Stefens with a shrug, and walked out.
"There's our answer!" said Loring triumphantly. "Come on!"
"Where are we going?" asked Mason.
"We're going to have a little talk with our fall guy!"
"Ahhh, sit down, Roger," said Astro. "Everything will be O.K."
"Yeah," agreed Tom. "You're just wearing out the deck and your nerves
walking back and forth like that. Everything will be O.K." Tom tried
hard to keep any apprehension out of his voice.
"Nothing will make those two guys on the spaceship O.K.," said Roger. He
kicked viciously at a stool and sat down on the side of his bunk.
Since the crash, Roger had been confined to his quarters, with Tom and
Astro bringing him his meals. Tom had watched his unit-mate grow more
and more bitter over the turn of events and was afraid Roger would do
something rash.
The central communicator over the door suddenly buzzed, and the three
cadets waited for the announcement.
"... Cadets Corbett and Astro report to rocket cruiser _Polaris_ for
indoctrination on hyperdrive--on the double--by order of Major Connel."
Tom and Astro got up. Astro found it hard to hide his eagerness to begin
indoctrination on hyperdrive, and it was only his deep concern for Roger
that kept him from letting out one of his bull-throated bellows.
"Take it easy, Roger," said Tom. "The investigation will be over and
we'll be on our way to Tara before you know it."
"Yeah, you space Romeo," growled Astro, "crawl in the sack and rest your
bones. You're lucky you can miss this."
Roger managed a weak smile. "I'll be O.K. Go ahead and learn about that
hyperdrive before you explode."
There was an awkward moment while the three cadets stared at one
another. The deep friendship between them didn't need to be expressed in
words. Abruptly, Tom and Astro turned and left the room.
Roger stared at the closed door for a moment and then flopped on his
bunk. He closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. Whatever happened, he
thought, it wouldn't do any good to knock himself out.
As he lay there thinking back to the first months at Space Academy when
he had met Tom and Astro, he heard a knock on the door and he turned to
see the steel hatch slide back stealthily. He jumped up.
Loring stuck his head inside the door. "You alone, Manning?" he asked.
"Yeah. Who're you?" asked Roger.
"My name's Loring, and this is my space buddy, Al Mason. We were on the
_Annie Jones_."
Roger's eyes lighted up. "Then you know I'm not responsible for the
crash!" said Roger.
"I wouldn't say that, kid," said Loring grimly. "I wouldn't say that at
all."
"What do you mean?" demanded Roger.
"A shame"--Loring shook his head--"young fella like you winding up on
the prison asteroid."
"Prison asteroid?" asked Roger stupidly.
"Yeah," grunted Loring. "Have you ever seen one of them joints, Manning?
They work from noon to midnight. Then they give you synthetic food to
eat, because it costs too much to haul up solid grub. Once you've been
on the prison rock, you can't ever blast off again. You're washed up as
a spaceman. Think you'll like that?"
"Why--why--what's that got to do with me?" asked Roger.
"Just this, kid. After the investigation they'll find out your
radarscope wasn't working right. Then they'll come to me and ask me what
happened aboard the _Annie Jones_."
"Well," demanded Roger, "what did happen?"
Loring glanced at Mason. "Just this, kid. Jardine and Bangs were on the
teleceiver and the radar for fifteen minutes trying to pick up your
beam. But there wasn't any, because you had it fouled up!"
Roger sat down on the side of the bunk and stared at the two men. If
what they said was true, Roger knew there could only be one outcome to
the investigation.
"Why are you telling me this?" asked Roger quietly.
"Very simple. I don't like to see _anyone_ go to the prison rock!"
"Are you"--Roger hesitated--"are you suggesting that I escape?"
Loring and Mason got up and walked to the door. Loring turned back to
face Roger. "I'm not suggesting anything, Manning," he said. "You're a
big boy and should know what's good for you. But"--he paused and
measured his words carefully--"if I were you, I wouldn't wait around for
Connel or anyone else to blast my life to pieces by sending me to a
prison for one little mistake!"
The hatch slid closed behind the two spacemen.
Roger stood up and began packing a small spaceman's bag. There was a jet
liner coming in from Atom City that would make a stop at Venusport. He
glanced at his watch. Thirty minutes. He didn't have much time.
[Illustration]