CHAPTER 17
The subdued whine of the hyperdrive filled the power deck and made Rogerwince as he stepped through the hatch and waved at Astro. He climbeddown the ladder and stopped beside the big Venusian who stood strippedto the waist, watching the pressure gauges on the power-deck controlboard.
"Hiya, Roger," said Astro with a big grin.
"Hello, Astro," replied Roger and sat down on a stool near by.
"Excuse me a minute, hot-shot," said Astro. "Gotta check the bafflingaround reaction tube three." The big cadet hurriedly donned a lead-linedprotective suit and entered the reaction chamber. After a moment hereappeared and took off the suit. He poured a glass of water, handed itto Roger, and poured another for himself.
"Gets pretty hot down here," he said. "I don't like to use the airconditioner when I'm on hyperdrive. Sucks my power output and reducespressure on the oxygen pumps."
Roger nodded absently at the needlessly detailed explanation. Astrolooked at him sharply. "Say, what's eating you?"
"Honestly, Astro," said Roger, "I've never felt more miserable in mylife."
"Don't let it get you down, Roger," said Astro. "The major said it was amistake anyone could make."
"Yeah," flared Roger, "but have you seen the way he just--_talks_?"
"Talks?" asked Astro blankly.
"Yeah, talks," said Roger. "No yelling, or blasting off, or handing outdemerits like they were candy. Nothing! Why he hasn't even chewed Alfieout since we left Junior. He just sits in his quarters."
Astro understood now and nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, you'reright. I'd rather have him fusing his tubes than the way he is now."
"Tom must feel pretty rotten, too," said Roger. "I haven't seen much ofhim either."
"Or Alfie," put in Astro. "Neither of them have done anything but work.I don't think either of them has slept since we left Tara."
"It's all my fault!" said Roger. "I'm nothing but a loudmouthed bag ofspace gas--with an asteroid for a head!" He got up and lurched toward theladder.
"Hey, where you going?" yelled Astro.
"Almost forgot," yelled Roger from the top of the ladder. "I've got tofeed our prisoners a meal. And the way I feel, I'd like to shove it downtheir throats!"
Roger went directly to the galley off the control deck and prepared ahasty meal for Loring and Mason. He piled it on a tray and went below tothe brig.
"All right, Loring," he growled, "come and get it!"
"Well, well, well," sneered Loring. "Where's the big Manning spirit? Youboys are kinda down since you blew that little operation, huh?"
"Listen, you space crawler," said Manning coldly, "one more word out ofyou and I'll bring you out in the passageway and pound that head ofyours into space junk!"
"I wish you'd try that, you little squirt!" snarled Loring. "I'd breakyou in two!"
"O.K., pal," said Roger, "I'm going to give you that chance!" He openedthe door to the cell and Loring stepped out. Holding the paralo-ray gunon him, Roger relocked the door. Left inside, Mason stuck his face closeto the grille.
"Give it to him, Loring," he hissed. "Take him apart!"
Roger threw the paralo-ray gun in the corner of the passageway and facedthe heavier spaceman. He held his arms loosely at his side, and hebalanced on the balls of his feet. A slight smile played at the cornersof his mouth.
"Start breaking, Loring," he said quietly.
"Why, you--" snarled Loring and rushed in. He swung wildly for Roger'shead, but the cadet slipped inside the punch and drove a hard right toLoring's mid-section. The prisoner doubled over, staggered back, andslowly straightened up. Roger's lips were drawn tightly in a grimace ofcold anger. His eyes were shining hard and bright. He stepped in quicklyand chopped two straight lefts to Loring's jaw, then doubled thespaceman up again with a hard right to the heart. Loring gasped andtried to clinch. But Roger threw a straight jolting right to his jaw.The prisoner slumped to the floor, out cold. The fight was finished.
Roger went over, picked up the paralo-ray gun, and opened the cell dooragain.
"All right, Mason," he said coldly, "drag him inside. And if you want totry me for size, just say so."
Mason didn't answer. He merely hurried out, and grabbing Loring by thefeet, dragged him inside. Roger slammed the door and locked it.
Rubbing his knuckles and feeling better than he had felt for days, hestarted back to the radar bridge. As he neared Major Connel's quarters,he heard Connel's voice. He stopped and listened outside the door.
"It's a beautiful job of calculation, Tom," Connel was saying. "I don'tsee how you and Higgins could have done it in so short a time. Andwithout an electronic computer to aid you. Beautiful job--reallyexcellent--but I'm afraid it's too risky."
"I've already talked to Astro and Mr. Shinny, sir," said Tom, "andthey've volunteered. I haven't spoken to Roger yet, but I'm sure he'dbe willing to try."
Roger stepped through the door.
"Whatever it is," said Roger, "I'm ready."
"Eavesdropping on your commanding officer," said Connel, eying theblond-headed cadet speculatively, "is a very serious offense."
"I just happened to hear my name mentioned, sir," replied Roger with asmile.
Connel turned back to Tom. "Go over that again, Tom."
"Well, sir," said Tom, "Junior's falling into the sun at a speed oftwenty-two miles a second right now. But we could still land a jet boaton Junior, set up more nuclear explosions to blast him out of the sun'sgrip, and send him on his way to our solar system. We wouldn't get asmuch speed as before, but we'd still save the copper."
By this time, Astro and Shinny had joined the group and were standingoutside the door in the passageway, listening silently.
Connel tugged at his chin. "Let's see," he said, "if we could get backto Tara in three days ..." He looked up at Astro. "Do you think youcould get us back in three days, Astro?"
"Major Connel, for another crack at Junior," roared the big Venusian,"I'd get you back in a day and a half!"
"All right," said Connel. "That's one problem. But there are others."
"What, sir?" asked Tom.
"We have to prepare reactant fuses and we have to build new reactorunits. If we could do that--"
"If Astro can get us back," said Shinny, "and Roger and this smart youngfeller here, Alfie, can make up some fuses, I'll build them thereunits. After all, Astro showed me how once. I guess I can follow hisorders!"
"Good!" said Connel. "Now there is the element of time. How much timewould we need on Junior?" He looked at Tom.
"Let me answer this way, sir," said Tom. "We'd only have two hours toplant the reaction charges and trigger them, but that should be enough."
"Why so close, Tom?" asked Roger.
"It has to be," answered Tom. "We know what the pull of the sun is, andthe power of the jet boat. When the sun's pull becomes greater than theescape speed of the jet boat, the boat would never clear. It would keepfalling into the sun. I've based this figure on reaching Junior at thelast possible moment."
"It'd take at least five men to set up the five explosions we need,"mused Connel. "That means one of us will have to stay on the _Polaris_."
There was an immediate and loud chorus of "Not me!" from everyone.
"All right," said Connel, "we'll draw numbers. One, two, three, four,five, and six. The man who draws number six will stay with the_Polaris_. All right?"
"Yes, sir," said Tom, glancing around. "We agree to that."
Connel went to his desk and wrote quickly on six slips of paper. Hefolded each one, dumped them in his cap, and offered it to Astro.
"All right, Astro," said Connel, "draw!"
Astro licked his lips and stuck in his big paw. The Venusian fingeredseveral, then pulled out a slip of paper. He opened it and read aloud."Number two! I go!" He turned and grinned at the others.
Connel offered his cap to Alfie. Alfie dipped in two fingers and pulledout a slip. "Number four! I go!" he squealed.
Roger and Shinny dre
w numbers one and three. Tom looked at the major."Go ahead, Corbett," said Connel.
"After you, sir," said Tom.
"I said draw one!" roared Connel.
"Yes, sir," said Tom. He reached in and quickly pulled out one of thetwo remaining slips.
"Number six," he said quietly. "I stay."
Connel, not bothering to open the last one, slapped the hat on his headand turned away.
"But, sir," said Tom, "I--ah--"
Connel cut him off with a wave of his hands. "No _buts_!" He turned tothe others. "Manning, Higgins! Get me a course back to Junior and makeit clean and straight. Astro, Shinny, stand by on the power deck forcourse change. Tom, get on the control deck. We're going back to snatcha hot copper filling right out of a sun's teeth!"
Once again the energy of the six spacemen was burned in twenty-four hourstretches of improvisation and detailed calculations. Roger and Alfieredesigned the fuse to ensure perfect co-ordination of the explosions.Astro and Shinny surpassed their previous efforts by putting enoughpower in the five small reaction units to more than do the job required.Tom, standing long watches on the control deck, devoted his spare timeto the torturous equations that would mean failure or success to thewhole project. And Major Connel, alert and alive once more, drove hiscrew toward greater goals than it had achieved before.
Nearly three days later, the _Polaris_ appeared over the twin oceans ofTara and glided into an orbit just beyond the pull of the planet'sgravity. Aboard the spaceship, last-minute preparations were made by thered-eyed spacemen.
In constant contact with Space Academy, using the resources of theAcademy's scientific staff to check the more difficult calculations, thesix men on the _Polaris_ worked on.
Connel appeared on the radar bridge and flipped on the long-rangescanner.
"Have to find out where Junior is," he said to Roger and Alfie.
"That doesn't work, sir," said Roger.
"What do you mean it doesn't work?" exploded Connel.
"Junior's falling into the sun, sir. The radiations are blocking it outfrom our present position."
"Couldn't we move to another position?" asked the officer.
"Yes, sir," said Roger, "we could. But to do that would take extra time,and we haven't got it."
"Then how are you going to find Junior?" asked Connel.
"Alfie's busy with a special scanner, sir, one that's especiallysensitive to copper. Since the sun is composed mostly of gas, with thisfilter only Junior will show up on the screen."
"By the rings of Saturn," exclaimed Connel, "you mean to tell me thatAlfie Higgins is building a new radar scanner, just like that?"
"Why, yes, sir," answered Roger innocently. "Is there something wrongwith that?"
"No--no--" said Connel, backing off the bridge. "Just--just go right on.You're doing fine! Yessirree, fine!" He literally ran from the bridge.
"Most humorous of you, Manning," said Alfie, smiling.
"I'll tell you something funnier than that," said Roger. "I feel thesame way he does. Is there anything you _can't_ do, Alfie?"
Alfie thought a moment. "Yes, there is," he said at last.
"What?" demanded Roger.
"I can't--shall I say?--make as much progress as you do with--er--spacedolls."
Roger's jaw dropped. "Space dolls! You mean--girls?"
Alfie nodded his head.
"Listen," said Roger, "when we get Junior on his way home, and we getback to the Academy, I promise you I'll show you how to really blastyour jets with the space lovelies in Atom City!"
Alfie put out his hand seriously. "And if you do that for me, Roger,I'll show you how to use the new electronic brain they recently acquiredat the Academy. Only one other person can operate it. But you definitelyhave the potential."
Roger stared at him stupidly. "Huh? Yeah. Oh, sure!"
Gradually the mass of data was brought together and co-ordinated, andfinally, as Tom stood beside him, Major Connel checked over hiscalculations.
"I can't see a thing wrong with it, Tom," Connel said at last. "I guessthat's it. Figuring we land on Junior at exactly seventeen hundredhours, we'd reach the point of no return exactly two hours later."
"Shall I alert stations to blast off for Junior?" asked Tom.
"Yes," said Connel, "bring the _Polaris_ to dead ship in space aboutthree hundred miles above Junior. That's when we'll blast off in jetboats."
"Yes, sir," said Tom. His eyes bright, he turned to the intercom. "Allright, you space babies," he announced, "this is it. Stand by to blastJunior. Here we come!"