CHAPTER 16
Under the tremendous drive of the stern rockets, the silver shipsuddenly hurtled forward as if shot out of a cannon. The dangerous tubeslid out of the stern of the ship and was quickly left behind as the_Lady Venus_ sped in the opposite direction.
"That's it," yelled Tom, "hold full space speed! We dumped the tube, butwe're still close enough for it to blow us from here to Pluto!"
"I tracked it on the radar, Tom," yelled Roger. "I think we're farenough away to miss--"
At that moment a tremendous flash of light filled the radar scanner asthe mass exploded miles to the rear of the _Lady Venus_.
"There it goes!" shouted Roger.
"Great jumping Jupiter," yelled Tom, "and we're still in one piece! Wedid it!"
From the power deck, Astro's bull-like roar could be heard through thewhole ship.
"Gimme an open circuit, Tom," said Astro. "I want to operate the airblowers down here and try to get rid of some of that radiation. I haveto get into the control chamber and see what's going on."
Tom flipped a switch on the board and set the ship on automatic flight.Then, turning to the teleceiver, he switched the set on.
"_Lady Venus_ to _Polaris_--" said Tom, "come in, _Polaris_--come in!"
" ... Strong here on the _Polaris_!" the officer's voice crackled overthe speaker. "By the rings of Saturn, I should log you threespace-brained idiots for everything in the book!" Strong's facegradually focused on the teleceiver screen and he stared at Tom coldly."That was the most foolish bit of heroics I've ever seen and if I had myway I'd--I'll--well--" The captain's glare melted into a smile. "I'llspend the rest of my life being known as the skipper of the threeheroes! Well done, Corbett, it was foolish and dangerous, but welldone!"
Tom, his face changing visibly with each change in Strong's attitude,finally broke out into a grin.
"Thank you, sir," said Tom, "but Astro and Roger did as much as I did."
"I'm sure they did," replied Strong. "Tell them I think it was one ofthe--the--" he thought a moment and then added, "darndest, most foolishthings--most--"
"Yes, sir," said Tom, trying hard to control his face. He knew themoment for disciplining had passed, and that Captain Strong was justoverwhelmed with concern for their safety.
"Stand by the air locks, Corbett, we're coming aboard again. We'repretty cramped for space here on the _Polaris_."
Just then Astro yelled up from the power deck.
"Hey, Tom!" he called. "If Captain Strong is thinking about puttingthose passengers back aboard, I think you'd better tell him about theradiation. I haven't been able to flush it all out yet. And since weonly have three lead-lined suits...." He left the statement unfinished.
"I get you, Astro," replied Tom. He turned back to the teleceiver andfaced Strong. "Astro says the ship is still hot from radiation, sir. Andthat he hasn't been able to flush it out with the blowers."
"Ummmmh," mused Strong thoughtfully. "Well, in that case, stand by,Corbett. I'll get in touch with Commander Walters right away."
"Very well, sir," replied Tom. He turned from the teleceiver and climbedup to the radar deck.
"Well, hot-shot," said Roger, "looks like you've made yourself a herothis trip."
"What do you mean by that, Roger?"
"First, you run off with top honors on the space maneuvers, and now yousave the ship and have Strong eating out of your hand!"
"That's not very funny, Roger," said Tom.
"I think it is," drawled Roger.
Tom studied the blond cadet for a moment.
"What's eating you, Roger? Since the day you came into the Academy,you've acted like you hated every minute of it. And yet, on the otherhand, I've seen you act like it was the most important thing in yourlife. Why?"
"I told you once, Corbett," said Roger with the sneering air which Tomknew he used when he was on the defensive, "that I had my own specialreasons for being here. I'm _not_ a hero, Corbett! Never was and neverwill be. You're strictly the hero type. Tried and true, a thousand justlike you all through the Academy and the Solar Guard. Strong is a herotype!"
"Then what about Al James?" asked Tom. "What about that time in AtomCity when you defended the Academy?"
"Uh-uh," grunted Roger, "I wasn't defending the Academy. I was justavoiding a fight." He paused and eyed Tom between half-closed lids."You'll never do anything I can't, or won't do, just as well, Tom. Thedifference between us is simple. I'm in the Academy for a reason, aspecial reason. You're here, like most of the other cadets, because youbelieve in it. That's the difference between you, me and Astro. Youbelieve in it. I don't--I don't believe in anything but Roger Manning!"
Tom faced him squarely. "I'm not going to buy that, Roger! I don't thinkthat's true. And the reasons I don't believe it are many. You have achip on your shoulder, yes. But I don't think you're selfish or that youonly believe in Manning. If you did, you wouldn't be here on the _LadyVenus_. You had your chance to escape back in the rocket tube, but you_came back_, Roger, and you made a liar out of yourself!"
"Hey, you guys!" yelled Astro, coming up behind them. "I thought we leftthat stuff back at the Academy?"
Tom turned to face the power-deck cadet. "What's cooking below, Astro?Were you able to get rid of the radiation?"
"Naw!" replied the cadet from Venus. "Too hot! Couldn't even open thehatch. It'll take a special job with the big equipment at the spaceshipyards. We need their big blowers and antiradiation flushers to cleanthis baby up."
"Then I'd better tell Captain Strong right away. He's going to get intouch with Commander Walters at the Academy for orders."
"Yeah, you're right," said Astro. "There isn't a chance of getting thosepeople back aboard here now. Once we opened up that outer control deckto dump that tube, the whole joint started buzzing with radioactiveelectrons."
Tom turned to the ladder leading to the control deck and disappearedthrough the hatch, leaving Astro and Roger alone.
"What was that little bit of space gas about, Roger?"
"Ah--nothing," replied Roger. "Just a little argument on who was thebiggest hero." Roger smiled and waved a hand in a friendly gesture. "Tomwon, two to one!"
"He sure handled that control deck like he had been born here, allright," said Astro. "Well, I've got to take a look at those motors.We'll be doing something soon, and whatever it is, we'll need thosepower boxes to get us where we want to go."
"Yeah," said Roger, "and I've got to get a course and a position." Heturned to the chart screen and began plotting rapidly. Down on thecontrol deck, Strong was listening to Tom.
" ... and Astro said we'd need the special equipment at the spaceshipyards to clean out the radiation, sir. If we took passengers aboardand it suddenly shot up--well, we only have the three lead-lined suitsto protect us."
"Very well, Corbett," replied Strong. "I've just received orders fromCommander Walters to proceed to Mars with both ships. I'll blast off nowand you three follow along on the _Lady Venus_. Any questions?"
"I don't have any, sir," Tom said, "but I'll check with Roger and Astroto see if they have any."
Tom turned to the intercom and informed the radar and power-deck cadetsof their orders, and asked if there were any questions. Both repliedthat everything on the ship was ready to blast off immediately. Tomturned back to the teleceiver.
"No questions, sir," reported Tom. "We're all set to blast off."
"Very well, Corbett," said Strong. "I'm going to make as much speed aspossible to get these people on Mars. The crew of the _Lady Venus_ willtake over the radar and power decks."
"O.K., sir, and spaceman's luck!" said Tom. "We'll see you on Mars!"
Tom stood beside the crystal port on the control deck and watched therocket cruiser _Polaris_' stern glow red from her jets, and then quicklydisappear into the vastness of space, visible only as a white blip onthe radar scanner.
"Get me a course to Mars, Roger," said Tom. "Astro, stand by to blastoff with as much speed as you can safely get out of this old
wagon, andstand by for Mars!"
The two cadets quickly reported their departments ready, and followingthe course Roger plotted, Astro soon had the _Lady Venus_ blastingthrough space, heading for Mars!
Mars, fourth planet in order from the Sun, loomed like a giant red gemagainst a perfect backdrop of deep-black space. The _Lady Venus_,rocketing through the inky blackness, a dull red glow from her threeremaining rockets, blasted steadily ahead to the planet that wascrisscrossed with wide spacious canals.
"Last time I was on Mars," said Astro to Tom and Roger over a cup oftea, "was about two years ago. I was bucking rockets on an old tubcalled the _Space Plunger_. It was on a shuttle run from the Martiansouth pole to Venusport, hauling vegetables. What a life! Burning up onVenus and then freezing half to death at the south pole on Mars." Astroshook his head as the vivid memory took him back for a moment.
"From what I hear," said Tom, "there isn't much to see but the fewcities, the mountains, the deserts and the canals."
"Yeah," commented Roger, "big deal! Rocket into the wild depths of spaceand see the greatest hunk of wasteland in the universe!"
The three boys were silent, listening to the steady hum of the rockets,driving them forward toward Mars. For four days they had traveled on the_Lady Venus_, enjoying the many luxuries found on the passenger ship.Now, with their destination only a few hours away, they were having alight snack before making a touchdown on Mars.
"You know," said Tom quietly, "I've been thinking. As far back as thetwentieth century, Earthmen have wanted to get to Mars. And finally theydid. And what have they found? Nothing but a planet full of dry sand, afew canals and dwarf mountains."
"That's exactly what I've been saying!" said Roger. "The only man whoever got anything out of all this was the first man to make it to Marsand return. He got the name, the glory, and a paragraph in a historybook! And after that, nothing!" He got up and climbed the ladder to theradar deck, leaving Astro and Tom alone.
Suddenly the ship lurched to one side.
"What's that?" cried Tom.
A bell began to ring. Then another--and then three more. Finally theentire ship was vibrating with the clanging of emergency bells.
Astro made a diving leap for the ladder leading down to the power deck,with Tom lunging for the control board.
Quickly Tom glanced about the huge board with its many different gaugesand dials, searching for the one that would indicate the trouble. Hiseye spotted a huge gauge. A small light beside it flashed off and on."By the moons of Jupiter, we've run out of reactant fuel!"
"Tom!--Tom!" shouted Astro from the power deck. "We're smack out ofreactant feed!"
"Isn't there any left at all?" asked Tom. "Not even enough to get usinto Marsopolis?"
"We haven't enough left to keep the generator going!" said Astro."Everything, including the lights and the teleceiver, will go anyminute!"
"Then we can't change course!"
"Right," drawled Roger. "And if we can't change course, the one we're onnow will take us straight into Mars's gravity and we crash!"
"Send out an emergency call right away, Roger," said Tom.
"Can't, spaceboy," replied Roger in his lazy drawl. "Not enough juice tocall for help. Or haven't you noticed you're standing in the dark?"
"But how--how could this happen?" asked Tom, puzzled. "We were onlygoing at half speed and using just three rockets!"
"When we got rid of that hot tube back in space," explained Astrogrimly, "we dumped the main reactant mass. There isn't a thing we cando!"
"We've got one choice," said Tom hollowly. "We can either pile out now,in space suits and use the jet boat, and hope for someone to pick us upbefore the oxygen gives out, or we can ride this space wagon right onin. Make up your minds quick, we're already inside Mars's gravity pull!"
There was a pause, then Astro's voice filled the control deck. "I'llride this baby right to the bottom. If I'm going to splash in, I'll takeit on solid ground, even if it is Mars and not Venus. I don't want towash out in space!"
"That goes for me, too," said Roger.
"O.K.," said Tom. "Here we go. Just keep your fingers crossed that wehit the desert instead of the mountains, or we'll be smeared acrossthose rocks like applesauce. Spaceman's luck, fellas!"
"Spaceman's luck, both of you," said Astro.
"Just plain ordinary luck," commented Roger, "and plenty of it!"
The three boys quickly strapped themselves into acceleration seats, withTom hooking up an emergency relay switch that he could hold in his hand.He hoped he would remain conscious long enough to throw the switch andstart the water sprinkler in case the ship caught fire.
The _Lady Venus_ flashed into the thin atmosphere from the void of spaceand the three cadets imagined that they could hear the shriek of theship as it cut through the thin air. Tom figured his speed rapidly, andcounting on the thinness of the atmosphere, he estimated that it wouldtake eleven seconds for the ship to crash. He began to count.
" ... One--two--three--four--five--" he thought briefly of his familyand how nice they had been to him " ... six--seven--eight--nine--ten--"
The ship crashed.