Roger flipped off the teleceiver. He stared at the darkened screen and
began estimating the chances of success for a plan he had in mind.
Deciding that, regardless of what happened, he had to take over the
ship, he got up and turned toward the hatch and the gun locker. He
stopped cold. Loring stood framed in the doorway, a paralo-ray gun in
each hand.
"Just stand right where you are, spaceboy!" snapped Loring. "You want
ten minutes, huh? Ten minutes for what? I thought there was something
funny going on when we missed the _Polaris_ with that bomb!"
"You knew all along I didn't have anything to do with that crash back on
the station, didn't you?" shouted Roger. His eyes blazed angrily.
"Yeah. So what?" growled Loring. "Hey, Mason," he yelled over his
shoulder, "get up here in a hurry! We gotta work fast!"
"What are you going to do?" asked Roger.
"You're still valuable to us, Manning," said Loring with a crooked grin.
"You're going to ensure our getting what we came after!"
Mason stepped through the door. "Yeah, Loring?"
Loring quickly told him of Roger's attempt to work with Connel.
"Take our spaceboy down below and lock him in a storage compartment." He
handed over one of the paralo-ray guns, and Mason shoved the muzzle into
Roger's stomach.
"Get moving, Manning!" he snarled. "I'd like nothing better than to let
you have it right now!"
Roger smiled, knowing Mason still harbored a grudge for the beating he
had taken earlier on the trip.
"When you have him locked up, get back on the control deck," said
Loring. "We're going to do some old-fashioned bargaining with
'Blast-off' Connel!"
"Bargaining?" exclaimed Roger.
"Yeah! One slightly used Space Cadet for what we came after--the copper
satellite!"
"Connel won't bargain," said Roger. "Not for me, not for anything. You
don't know him!"
"I know this, Manning!" said Loring. "I'm going to get on the teleceiver
and tell Connel that if he doesn't blast away from here _right now_,
you're a dead Space Cadet!" He jerked his head toward the door. "All
right, take him below and tell Shinny to stand by on the power deck. In
case Connel won't bargain, we'll have to make a run for it!"
"Right," said Mason as he shoved the paralo-ray gun deeper into Roger's
stomach. "Move, Manning!"
Roger climbed down the ladder and through the long passageway of the
_Space Devil_. He passed Shinny on the way down.
"What's going on here?" demanded Shinny, seeing Mason with the
paralo-ray gun.
"We missed with the bomb," said Mason, "and Connel raised ship. He's
ready to blast us if we don't surrender right away. Loring's trying to
make a deal with him."
"What kind of a deal?" asked Shinny.
"Hot-shot Manning for the satellite!"
"He hasn't told you everything, Mr. Shinny," said Roger in his casual
drawl. "They are the ones who caused the crash of the _Annie Jones_ and
the deaths of Jardine and Bangs. They framed me!"
"Then," mused Shinny, "you're cleared?"
"Yeah," growled Mason, "he's cleared! Cleared for a long swim in space
if Connel doesn't do what Loring tells him! Get in there!" Mason shoved
Roger into the cramped storage compartment. He locked the door and
turned to Shinny.
"Loring wants you to stand by the power deck in case Connel won't play
ball. We might have to make a run for it."
"Yeah, yeah," said Shinny, "I'll stand by the power deck."
Mason turned and walked away. Shinny followed him, a curious gleam in
his eyes.
Up on the control deck, Loring was twisting the dials in front of the
teleceiver screen.
"_Space Devil_ to _Polaris_--_Space Devil_ to _Polaris_--come in,
_Polaris_." He twisted another dial and watched the darkened screen
anxiously. After a moment the screen blurred, and Tom's face gradually
came into sharp focus.
"Loring!" gasped Tom. "Where's Roger?"
"Never mind him, you punk!" snarled Loring. "Tell that fatheaded Connel
I wanta talk to him! Make it fast!"
Tom's face disappeared to be replaced by the raging features of Major
Connel. "You murdering space rat!" he roared. "I've given you two
minutes to surrender and, by the craters of Luna, you've only got thirty
seconds left!"
"It'll only take ten seconds to tell you that if you don't get outta
here Cadet Manning gets blasted!"
"What?" roared Connel.
"That's right," snarled Loring. "You're the one that's got thirty
seconds to get out of here, or Manning takes a swim in space!"
"Why, you--" Connel's face was twisted with rage. "You can't threaten
me!"
"I ain't threatening you," said Loring, "_I'm telling you!_ If you don't
get started, you'll never see Manning again. Or if you do, you won't
recognize him! Now make up your mind, Connel!"
The Solar Guard officer hesitated. "Give me two minutes," he said, "and
I'll call you back. Two minutes."
"Two minutes," repeated Loring, "and if I don't hear from you by then,
or if you try any funny stuff, Manning gets it!"
Aboard the _Polaris_, the screen darkened, and Connel, his fists
clenched, turned to Tom.
"We're helpless, Tom," he said softly. "Now that we have proof of
Roger's innocence, I have to do everything in my power to save him."
Tom didn't say anything. Suddenly Connel smashed one huge fist into
another. "But by the blessed rings of Saturn, when I _do_ get my hands
on that Loring, I'll--I'll--" He broke off suddenly and turned back to
the teleceiver. "I'm going to do what he wants, Tom. Roger's life is
worth a dozen like Loring, and we'll have to take a chance that Loring
will keep his word. After all," continued the big officer softly, "our
mission is complete. We've tested the transmitter and found it to be
more than we expected. No real reason why we should stay around here any
longer."
"Yes, sir," stammered Tom. "Sir, I--I--"
Connel waved him silent with his hand. "You don't need to say anything,
Tom. It's just one of those things. Still I can't help wondering what
they came out here for." He turned to the dials on the teleceiver and
began twisting them. "I'll call him, and you stand by to blast out of
here."
Nicholas Shinny sat on the power deck and listened to Loring issue
orders over the intercom.
"I don't know if Connel will go for it, or not," said Loring, "but just
in case he doesn't, we gotta get outta here fast! You got that, Shinny?"
"Yeah," answered Shinny, "I got it!"
"Mason," yelled Loring, "you take over on the radar bridge!"
"All ready up here," said Mason.
"Well, be sure we've got a clear trajectory out. Better take us into the
sun Alpha Centauri. That way, maybe they'll miss us on their radar. The
sun will show all sorts of blips on their screen."
"O.K.," said Mason. "You think he'll go for it?"
"I don't know," answered Loring, "but if he doesn't, it's going to be
space dust for Manning."
Shinny got up and walked around the deserted power deck. His legs felt
weak. The plan he had made was a desperate one. Over and over, he
checked the operation in his mind. It would have to be quick, sure, and
sudden. That was the only thing that would ensure success. "Yes, sir,"
he thought, "if we can surprise 'em, we can get away with it." He dug
out a piece of chewing tobacco, took a bite, eyed the remaining piece,
and then shoved the whole thing in his mouth. His cheek bulged.
He went to the intercom and flipped it on. "Hey, Loring," he yelled.
"I've got to check the timer on number-three rocket. She's not acting
just right. It'll take me about a minute."
"O.K.," came Loring's reply, "but make it snappy."
The timers were to the left of the control board, but Shinny turned to
the right and the ladder leading to the lower deck. He eased the hatch
open, glanced around, and then climbed down quickly. He stopped at a
locker, opened the doors quietly, and took out two paralo-ray guns and
two rifles. Then, closing the doors, he made his way to the opposite
side of the ship.
"Hey, Manning!" he whispered through the closed storeroom hatch. "Can ya
hear me?"
"Who is it?" asked Roger.
"Me--Shinny," hissed the wizened spaceman. He opened the hatch and Roger
quickly stepped out.
"What's the idea?" gasped Roger when Shinny shoved a rifle and pistol
into his hands.
"I ain't got time to explain now," said Shinny. "We've got to hurry if
we're going to take over this tub."
Roger's eyes glowed. "You mean--"
"Never mind what I mean," said Shinny. "Just listen. Loring's on the
control deck and Mason's on the radar bridge. Loring's just talked to
Connel. He's trying to make him blast outta here. If Connel doesn't,
Loring's going to dump you in space!"
"Yeah, I know. That murdering space crawler!" snarled Roger. He gripped
the rifle tightly. "I'll blast him--"
"Now wait a minute," hissed Shinny. "You go up and get Loring, see? Make
it look like you got out by yourself. If you can handle him, O.K. I'll
stay in back, and if anything goes wrong, I'll back you up!"
"Fine," said Roger. He patted the spaceman on the back and smiled.
"Don't worry, Mr. Shinny, nothing will go wrong!"
"Watch your step. That Loring is a smart cookie!"
Roger turned into the passageway and made his way silently to the
control-deck hatch. He peered around the edge of the hatch and saw
Loring sitting in front of the teleceiver screen, his back toward Roger.
The cadet quickly stepped into the control room, leveled the rifle, and
said quietly, "All right, Loring, keep your hands in view!"
Loring spun around and stared openmouthed at Roger. "Mann--" he gasped.
"Yeah, me!" said Roger. "Call Mason and tell him to come down here on
the double. But one wrong move, Loring, and I'll give you a quick freeze
with this ray gun!"
Moving slowly, Loring turned to the intercom and flipped the switch.
"Hey, Mason," he yelled. "Come down here a minute, will ya?"
"What do you want?" growled Mason. "I've got to figure out this course."
Roger stepped close to Loring, raising the gun.
Loring licked his lips and turned back to the intercom. "Don't gimme any
back talk! I said get down here!"
Suddenly the teleceiver came to life. "_Polaris_ to _Space Devil_! Come
in, Loring! This is Major Connel on the _Polaris_ calling Loring on the
_Space Devil_!"
The suddenness of the voice startled Roger, and for a split second he
took his eyes off Loring. In that instant Loring leaped for the boy,
grabbing at the rifle. The quickness of his lunge caught Roger off guard
and he was thrown back against the bulkhead, but he held onto the rifle
as Loring tried to twist it out of his grasp.
"What th--" cried Mason from the ladder leading to the radar bridge.
When he saw Roger and Loring struggling, he grabbed for the paralo-ray
gun at his side. Just at that moment Shinny stepped through the hatch
and fired his rifle. Mason was frozen into a rigid statue, unable to
move.
"All right, Loring," yelled Shinny, "step back or I'll blast you like I
did Mason!"
Roger wrenched the rifle out of Loring's grasp and stepped back. "Good
work, Mr. Shinny!" he said to the little spaceman. "You sure figured it
right!"
"Attention! Attention! This is Connel on the _Polaris_. Come in,
Loring ..."
Shinny looked over at Roger and winked. "Better answer him, while I get
this joker locked up." He motioned to Loring who stood backed up against
the bulkhead, his hands high over his head.
"You dirty double-crossing space rat!" he snarled at Shinny.
"Now, now, none of that," said Shinny, leveling the rifle. "If you get
too noisy, I'll freeze you like I did Mason to keep your trap shut!"
Loring cast a sidelong glance at Mason, who stood as if carved out of
marble. The effects of the ray blast were devastating, having paralyzed
his entire nervous system. While the victim was still able to breathe
and his heartbeat remained normal, he was unable to move so much as an
eyelid. The gun was developed after all lethal weapons had been outlawed
by the Solar Alliance. Though any victim could be released from its
paralyzing effect by a neutralizing charge from the same gun, while
under its power the victim was reduced to a state of mild hysteria. He
was able to hear, see, and think, but not to act. When released, it was
not unusual to see a man crumple to the floor from exhaustion.
[Illustration: _Mason was frozen into a rigid statue, unable to move_]
Loring marched meekly in front of Shinny to the storage room that had
held Roger. The cadet spaceman remained on the control deck. He twisted
the dials of the teleceiver and spoke into the mike.
"_Space Devil_ to Major Connel. Come in! This is Manning on the _Space
Devil_ calling Major Connel ..."
"Manning!" shouted Connel. "I thought you were a prisoner!"
"Ah, it was nothing, skipper," said Roger blandly. "I just took over the
ship--with a little help, of course!"
"A little help?" asked Connel. "From whom?"
Roger then gave the officer a complete review of what had happened to
him since leaving the space station, finishing with Shinny's aid in his
escape.
"Why would he want to help you?" asked Connel.
"I don't know, sir," replied Roger.
"Well, never mind," said Connel. "I suppose you two can handle that ship
all right between you. Land on Tara as soon as you can. I'll get the
details then!"
"Aye, aye, sir," replied Roger. Then, just before breaking contact, he
yelled into the mike, "Hey, Astro--Tom! See ya in a few minutes!"
As the teleceiver screen darkened, Shinny reappeared. He had released
Mason from the effects of the ray charge, and both Mason and Loring were
safe in the storage room. He walked over and slapped Roger on the back.
"Well, it looks like we did it, sonny boy!" he said.
Roger turned to look at the wizened spaceman who still was chewing on
the plug of tobacco. "What made you do this for me, Mr. Shinny?" asked
Roger quietly.
"Tell ya a little secret," said Shinny, with a merry twinkle in his eye.
"I was in the Solar Guard for twenty years. Enlisted man. Got into an
accident and hurt my leg, but it wasn't in the line of duty, so I was
tossed out without a pension. Ever since then I been kinda bitter, you
might say. And, strangely enough, it was Major Connel that kicked me
out."
"But you--you--" gasped Roger.
"Let's just say," said Shinny with a smile, "that once you're a Solar
Guardsman, you're always a Guardsman. Now, how about getting this wagon
down to Tara?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," said Roger absently, his eyes trailing after the
small limping figure. Once a Solar Guardsman, always a Guardsman, he
thought. Smiling, he turned to the control board. He felt the same way.
He was a Guardsman, and it was good to be back home!
[Illustration]