CHAPTER 10
"Stop your ship and be recognized!"
The rasping voice on the audioceiver was sharp. A command to be obeyed.
Tom turned away from the control board and looked at Strong who wasalready reaching for the ship's intercom.
"Full braking rocket thrust, Astro," he yelled into the microphone, "andmake it quick or we'll all be blasted into protons!"
Tom and the captain gripped their chairs tightly as the ship buckedagainst the deceleration force of the powerful braking rockets.Gradually the freighter _Dog Star_ slowed and came to a dead stop inspace.
"Hey!" yelled Astro over the intercom from the power deck. "What's goingon up there?"
"We've just entered the outer circle of defense on the prison asteroid,Astro," replied Strong. "We have to stop so they can sweep us with theirradar and identify the ship."
"But I sent them a message in Solar Guard code that we were coming,"interjected Roger who was listening from the radar bridge.
"They still have to make sure it's us," said Strong.
"Identify yourselves!" commanded the voice over the audioceiver again.
"This is space freighter _Dog Star_ under temporary command of CaptainStrong of the Solar Guard," answered Strong.
"What's your business here?" demanded the voice again.
"Interrogation of one of your prisoners. We have sent a coded message,under code Z for Zebra to your prison commandant, Major Alan Savage. Ifyou'll check with him, you'll find everything in order," said Strong.
"Very well," replied the voice crisply, and then added, "Remain whereyou are. Do not move from your present position or attempt to send anymessages. If you fail to comply with these conditions you will beblasted!"
"Very well," said Strong, "conditions are understood."
"Boy," chimed in Roger, as he climbed down the ladder from the radarbridge, "they sure don't want any company here."
"And for good reason," said Strong. "The most vicious criminals in thewhole universe are confined here. Every one of them is capable ofcommitting any crime in the solar code. And most of them have. The menhere are the worst. They have refused psychotherapeutic readjustment tomake them into new men."
"But I thought they had to go through it, sir?" said Tom.
"No," replied Strong. "Even criminals have certain rights in oursociety. They can either remain criminals and stay here, or bepsychoadjusted and given new personalities. The ones that refuse are theones on this Rock."
"You mean," gasped Roger, "that the men on this asteroid deliberatelychose to remain criminals?"
"Yes, Manning," said Strong. "Rather than become healthy citizens of thesystem, they prefer to stay here and waste their lives in isolation withno hope of ever returning to society."
"Can they change their minds after they get here?" asked Tom.
"Any time. But when they get this far, they usually stay here. The menon Prison Rock didn't surrender easily. They are the toughest, mostruthless men in the universe."
"Attention! Freighter _Dog Star_! Attention!" the audioceiver raspedinto life again. "You have been given temporary clearance. A spacelaunch will ferry you to the asteroid. You are warned that any weaponsdiscovered on your person, or acts that may be construed as providingaid and comfort to the inmates of this prison, will be consideredtreason against the Solar Alliance and you will be subject to immediatedisciplinary action."
Tom and Roger glanced at each other, a worried look in their eyes.Strong just smiled. "Don't worry, boys. That little speech is read toevery visitor to the asteroid."
"Just the same, sir," said Roger huskily, "I would prefer to remainaboard the _Dog Star_ and give you, Tom, and Astro the pleasure of thevisit."
Strong laughed. "They won't let you, Roger. They'll send up a crew ofguards to search the ship. And the way these boys search makes a customsinspection look like a casual glance."
"Attention _Dog Star_!" A younger voice suddenly came in on theaudioceiver. "This is Lieutenant Williams aboard the space launch. Weare approaching your starboard catapult deck. Please open the air lockand take us aboard."
"They sure don't waste any time," commented Tom as he turned to theaudioceiver. "Freighter _Dog Star_, Cadet Tom Corbett to LieutenantWilliams," he called, "the air lock is open and the catapult deck isready to receive you." At the same time, the young cadet turned thevalve that would open the outer air lock to the jet-boat deck.
Five minutes later, the ship was swarming with tight-lipped enlistedSolar Guardsmen, who spoke to Strong and the cadets with cool courtesy.These were men who signed up for two years as guards on the Rock aftercompeting with thousands of other enlisted men. A guard on the Rock waspaid triple wages for the two-year isolation. But more than anything elsethe right to wear the bright white patch with a paralo-ray gun in thecenter denoting their service as guards on the Rock was prestige enviedeven by commissioned officers of the Solar Guard.
After what Tom thought to be the most thorough search he had ever seenwas over, Lieutenant Williams reported to the control deck where Strongand the cadets had been politely but firmly detained. He informed themthat they were now ready to blast off to the Rock, adding that a moredetailed search of the area between the ship's outer and inner hullswould be conducted after they had gone.
"You mean," said Tom, amazed, "that you actually search the four inchesbetween the two hulls? What in the universe could we possibly hide inthere?"
"I don't know, Corbett," replied Williams. "We've never found anythingthere." He turned to Strong and smiled. "But there's always a firsttime, isn't there, sir?"
"Yes, of course," agreed Strong. "You do a thorough job, Williams. Verygood indeed!"
"Thank you, sir," said Williams. "You know, we've heard about you andthe _Polaris_ unit here on the Rock." He turned to Tom, Roger, andAstro. "We have a stereo of that mercuryball game you played at theAcademy when you were Earthworms."
"What?" cried Tom. "You mean that game was recorded?"
"It sure was," said Williams. "But we've seen it at least fifty times."
"Well, blast my jets!" said Astro in amazement.
The game was one that the cadets had played when they first entered theAcademy. It had done much to unify the boys into a fighting team.
An enlisted sergeant suddenly appeared, snapping to attention in frontof Lieutenant Williams. "Ready to blast off, sir," he said.
"Very well," said Williams, then turned to Strong and the cadets."Follow me, please."
In a few moments the space launch was blasting away from the freighterand heading for a tiny planetoid in the distance. As they drew near,Strong and the cadets peered out of the ports to get a view of theprison, but were disappointed when Williams ordered the ports covered.
He smiled apologetically at Strong and explained, "All approaches aresecret, sir. We can't allow anyone to see where our defenses arelocated."
"You fellows certainly believe in keeping prisoners in and visitorsout!" commented Strong.
"Anyone interested in coming to the Rock, sir," said Williams, "is undernatural suspicion."
The three cadets gulped, duly impressed with the severity of the prisonroutine.
Soon they felt the unmistakable jar and bump of the small space vesseltouching the surface of the planetoid. The jets cut out suddenly andWilliams stood up.
"Please follow me. Do not speak to anyone, and do not stop walking. Keepyour hands in front of you and maintain a distance of ten feet betweenyou and the man in front of you."
He walked through the open hatch where a hard-faced enlisted guardsmanstood rigidly, holding a paralo-ray gun at the ready.
With a quick nod to the cadets Strong followed Williams through thehatch. At ten-foot intervals they followed him out of the hatch, withTom bringing up the rear and the enlisted guardsman behind him.
As Tom stepped out onto the surface of the asteroid he wasn't quite surewhat he expected to see, but he certainly wasn't ready for the sightthat greeted his eyes.
A
s far as he could see, there was grass, spotted with small one-storybuildings. To the left was a single towering structure built of Titancrystal and on top of it was the largest atomic blaster he had everseen. He turned to ask the guardsman about the gun but was motionedahead with a curt, "No questions. Keep walking."
Tom continued to walk. He noticed that they were heading for the tower.As he drew nearer, he could see men walking around a narrow catwalk atthe top. They all carried paralo-ray rifles with miniature grids mountedon the barrel. Inside the rifle was a tiny radar direction finder. Itwas a simple but effective control against escaping prisoners. Each ofthe inmates of the Rock wore small metal disks welded to a thin chainaround their waists. The disk was sensitive to radar impulses, and withno more effort than snapping a thumb catch on the rifle, the guard couldlocate and paralyze the nearest disk-wearing inmate.
Tom was so full of questions it was necessary for the guard to warn himagain, only this time in sharper tones.
Entering the tower, they were scrutinized and cleared by an electronicbeam that passed through their bodies and indicated any metal they mightcarry. Once through this last barrier, they were escorted to aslidestairs, where Williams left them.
Throughout the entire procedure few words had passed between the cadets.Now left alone on the stairs, they couldn't contain themselves and thecomments and questions tumbled out.
"Did'ja see that blaster on top of this place?" Roger blurted out.
"Those radar-controlled paralo-ray rifles are really something!" saidAstro.
"The thing I want to know," said Tom, "is where are the prisoners? Ihaven't seen one yet."
"And you're not likely to, either, Cadet Corbett!" said a gruff voiceabove them. They turned to see a heavy-set man wearing the uniform of amajor in the Solar Guard, standing on the floor above them. Theslidestairs carried them to his level and Captain Strong hopped off andextended his hand in greeting.
"Major Savage!" he explained. "Good to see you again!"
"Same here," said Savage, returning Strong's firm handclasp. He turnedand faced the cadets. "So this is the _Polaris_ unit, eh?" He smiled."We've really enjoyed the stereo of that game of mercuryball you playedback at the Academy."
"Thank you, sir," said Tom. "Lieutenant Williams has already told us howmuch he liked it."
"Come into my quarters and relax. I imagine you could do with some goodsolid food after those synthetics on your trip."
"We certainly could, sir," said Strong.
They followed the big man through a sliding panel into a suite ofcomfortably furnished rooms. Five minutes later, the cadets and theofficers were enjoying their first hot meal in a week. As they ate,Major Savage brought up the purpose of their visit. "So you've come totalk to Bull Coxine, eh?"
"Yes," nodded Strong. "And I don't imagine he has developed anyaffection for me."
"No, I wouldn't say he has," replied Savage. "In fact, I don't thinkBull has any affection for anyone, not even himself. Why do you want tosee him, anyway?"
Strong quickly summarized the theft of the adjustable light-key and theunsuccessful search for Wallace and Simms, concluding finally with theknowledge of Coxine's association with Wallace.
"I'm hoping Coxine will give me a lead to Wallace's whereabouts," saidStrong.
"Well, you can ask him," shrugged the major. "But personally, I don'tthink you're going to get any further than saying hello. If he'll evenlet you say that. He hates you, Strong. Hates you in a way I've neverseen a man hate before. When you talk to him, be careful."
"I will," said Strong grimly.
"Don't let him get near you. He's the strongest man I've ever seen. Cameblasted near choking a guard to death with one hand when he escaped. Hecould break a man's neck with both hands."
Strong smiled. "Evidently, Major, you haven't noticed the size of CadetAstro. I'll take him along with me for protection." He looked at Astro,who flushed in quick embarrassment.
"Very well, Strong," said Savage. "I'll have a jet car brought around.You can go right down to his hut."
"Er--may I ask a question, sir?" asked Tom.
The major smiled. "Go right ahead, Corbett."
"It's about this whole setup," explained Tom. "I was expecting fencesand prisoners and--well, most anything but green grass and small whitebuildings!"
"The little huts you saw," replied the major, "are as much of a prisonas we have. Each hut holds one prisoner. He has all the necessaryfurniture, in addition to audioceivers and story spools which he canchange once a week. He also has basic garden equipment. All prisonersgrow everything they eat. Each man is dependent on himself and isrestricted to the hut and the area around it. If he comes within twomiles of the tower, the guards will pick him up on radar and order himback. If he comes within one mile, they fire without further warning.Only one man has ever escaped. Coxine. And that was because we had asick man on guard duty, or he never would have made it. He overpoweredthe guard, took his uniform, and stowed away on a supply ship. We caughthim a year later."
"Didn't your radar pick up the disk he was wearing, sir?" asked Roger.
"That method of protection was only installed a few months ago," saidthe major.
"And the prisoners just sit there--in those little huts?" asked Astro.
"Yes, Astro!" said the major with a tone of finality in his voice. "Theyjust sit. This is the end of the line."
The three cadets looked at each other and secretly vowed never to take achance of doing anything that would send them to the Rock.
Five minutes later, Strong was driving a jet car along a narrow pavedroad toward one of the white huts. Astro sat beside him grimly silent,his hands balled into tight hamlike fists. They rounded a curve andStrong pulled up in front of the house. As they climbed out of the car,they could see the trim neat lanes of the little garden with carefullyprinted signs on each row indicating what was growing. They started forthe house and then stopped short. Bull Coxine stood in the doorway,watching them.
Dressed in the snow-white coverall of the prison garb, Coxine faced themsquarely, his thick trunklike legs spread wide apart. He was a giant ofa man with long heavily muscled arms that dangled from a huge pair ofshoulders. His jet-black hair was a tangled unkempt mass, and his facewas scarred and lined. Eyes blazing with unconcealed hatred he waitedfor Captain Strong to make the first move.
"Hello, Bull," said Strong quietly. "I'd like to talk to you."
"Oh, you would, huh?" Coxine spat and his lips twisted in a mockinggrin. "What's the matter? Afraid to talk to me alone?" he indicatedAstro. "Did you have to bring one of your Space Cadets for protection?"
"Listen, Bull," urged Strong, "I was your friend once. I turned you inbecause you were a mutineer and I was an officer of the Solar Guard. I'ddo the same to this cadet if he tried what you did."
"Yeah, I'll bet you would," snarled the criminal. "Just like a realfriend!" His voice deepened into a low roar. "Don't talk to me about theold days! I'm on the Rock and you're just another Solar Guard spacecrawler to me. Now get out of here and leave me alone."
"I came to ask you to help me, Bull," Strong persisted. "I needinformation."
Coxine's eyes narrowed into slits. "What kind of information?"
"You once tried to hold up a Credit Exchange on Ganymede with a mancalled Gus Wallace. He had a hide-out in the asteroid belt. I'd like toknow where it is," said Strong.
"Why?"
"I can't answer that, Bull."
"What do I get if I tell you?"
"Nothing, except my thanks and the thanks of the Solar Guard."
"And if I don't?"
"I'll turn around and leave."
"Then start turning, Strong," snarled the giant prisoner, "because Iain't got nothing to tell you except how much I hate your guts!"
Astro moved forward slightly, but Strong held him back. "O.K., Bull. Ifthat's the way you want it, I'll leave."
"Why don't you let the young punk try something?" challenged Coxine. "Iain't had any exercise in a long ti
me."
Strong looked at the huge man and said coldly, "I wouldn't want thedeath of a piece of space scum to show on his record."
Then, as if the space and sky overhead had suddenly been torn open,there was a flash of light followed by the roar of a tremendousexplosion. The ground trembled. The air seemed to moan in agony. Strongand Astro wheeled around and looked toward the tower that shimmered inthe light of the late afternoon sun. To their horror, they saw theunmistakable mushrooming cloud of an atomic blast rising in thesynthetic atmosphere behind it.
"By the craters of Luna--" gasped Strong.
A second flash and explosion rocked the prison asteroid and suddenly thetower disappeared. Almost immediately, a spaceship appeared over thesmall planetoid and began systematically pounding the surfaceinstallations with atomic blasters.
"Captain Strong," cried Astro. "Tom and Roger--they were in the tower!"
"Come on," yelled Strong, "we've got to get back!"
"You ain't going nowhere, Strong," snarled Coxine behind him. "I've beenwaiting a long time for this!" He suddenly struck the Solar Guardofficer with a heavy rock and Strong slumped to the ground unconscious.Before Astro could move, Coxine smashed him to the ground with a blow onthe back of the neck. They both lay deathly still.
Then, as the atomic bombardment of the penal asteroid continued, thegiant space criminal jumped into the jet car and sped away.