On the Trail of the Space Pirates

  CHAPTER 11

  "Fire!" bawled Major Savage to his crew of gunners.

  At the other end of the field one of the remaining two undamaged rocketdestroyers blasted off to battle the invading spaceship.

  Tom and Roger had been on a tour of the great central tower with MajorSavage when the attack came and had been ordered to find safety in theopen fields. The major knew the tower would be one of the first targets.

  Sprawled on the ground behind a bunker, they saw the major, his spacejacket torn from his back, standing in the middle of the field, quietlyissuing orders to scarlet-clad spacemen, desperately trying to organizethe penal asteroid's defenses.

  The spaceship, which had somehow managed to penetrate the tight radarwarning screen around the prison, had struck with merciless precision.Again and again, its atomic blasters had found the most importantinstallations and had wiped them out. The first target, after the towerhad been shattered, was the underground launching ramps for theasteroid's small fleet of rocket destroyers. But even after a directhit, the guards were able to ready two ships to fight the attackingspaceship. The first was already diving in, her small one-inch blastersfiring repeatedly.

  Suddenly, Lieutenant Williams, in command of the second ship, cameracing up to Major Savage, to report that his radarman had been hit andthe ship couldn't blast off.

  "Here's where I get into the act!" Roger jumped up immediately, and witha brief "So long, spaceman" to Tom, raced off to join LieutenantWilliams.

  "Spaceman's luck," yelled Tom as the officer and the cadet ran towardthe waiting ship.

  Looking skyward again, Tom saw the first destroyer diving toward theattacking spaceship, trying to get in range with her lighter armament.Suddenly there was a burst of brilliant light. The lighter ship had beencompletely destroyed by a direct hit.

  Sick with horror, Tom looked away and watched the ship Roger had joinedblast off under full acceleration. It roared spaceward in a straightline, disappearing at incredible speed.

  Meanwhile, the invader continued to blast relentlessly.One--two--three--four--automatic reload--one--two--three--four, reload.Over and over, firing at seemingly peaceful fields of grass, only tostrike an armory, space cradle, or supply depot buried underneath theground. Suddenly it changed its course and trained its guns skyward. Tomlooked up and saw a tiny flyspeck roaring straight down at the ship. Itwas Lieutenant Williams' rocket destroyer, with Roger on the radarbridge, in a suicidal attempt to destroy the invader. But the largership was ready. The two forward blasters opened fire. A flaming ball oflight exploded near the stabilizer of the destroyer and it fell offcourse to float helplessly in free-fall orbit around the asteroid. Stilllying on the ground, Tom sighed with relief. At least Roger was allright.

  Then the young cadet saw the invading spaceship move away from the areaaround the tower toward the horizon not too far away on the smallplanetoid. He followed it with his eyes and saw it suddenly land near acluster of white prisoner huts. Tom gasped as the reason for the attackbecame clear.

  "Major! Major! Major Savage!" he called as he raced across the field.But the major was nowhere to be seen. A guard carrying a medical kithurried past him and Tom grabbed him by the arm.

  "Major Savage! Where is he?"

  The guard pointed to a near-by stretcher and Tom saw the unconsciousfigure of the major sprawled on the plastic frame.

  "But--but the prisoners are getting away!" yelled Tom.

  "I can't do anything about it. I've got wounded men to care for!" Theman jerked away and disappeared in the smoky, choking dust.

  The curly-haired space cadet, his face blackened from the smoke, hislungs crying for fresh air, started across the blast-pitted field,looking for help. But there was none to be had. Suddenly he wheeled inthe direction of the spaceship and started to run toward it.

  As soon as the young cadet had left the smoking area around the wreckedtower, he realized that it was the only section of the small satellitethat had suffered attack. Ahead, he could see the prisoners in theirwhite suits crowding around the stabilizer air lock of the invadingship.

  Tom dropped to his stomach and watched the knot of men. Suddenly theair-lock portal slid open. There was a loud cheer and the prisonersbegan scrambling aboard.

  Tom knew he would have to move fast. Taking a dangerous chance, he roseto a half-crouch and dashed to one of the small white huts only ahundred feet away. With a final glance at the thinning crowd of escapingmen around the ship, he ran straight for an open window, diving headlongthrough it.

  Inside, Tom waited breathlessly for a shout or warning that he had beenseen, but none came. He glanced through the window and saw that onlyseven or eight men remained outside the port. He turned away quickly andbegan searching the hut.

  He found what he was looking for rolled up on the bed where its ownerhad used it as an extra pillow. He shook out the prison suit of whitecoveralls, stripped off his own blue cadet's uniform, and hurriedly puton the distinctive prison gear. It was a little large for him and herolled up the sleeves and trouser legs, hoping no one would notice inthe excitement. Then, with a deep breath, he stepped out of the hut intofull view of the prisoners still left at the air lock.

  "Hey, wait for me!" he yelled, running for the ship.

  The men paid no attention in their haste to get aboard the ship. WhenTom reached the air lock, there were only two left. He slapped thenearest man on the back.

  "Pal, I've been waiting for this a long time!"

  "Yah," the man answered, "me too!" Then he looked at Tom closely. "Say,I've never seen you around here before!"

  "I just got in on the supply ship last week. They kept me in the towerfor a while," Tom replied.

  "Oh, well," said the man, "they ain't keepin' anybody there anymore!"

  "Come on you guys," snarled a heavy-set man in the air lock above them."We ain't got all day!"

  Tom looked up, and without being told, he felt he was looking into theface of Bull Coxine. And when the other prisoner spoke, he was certain.

  "Yeah, Bull," said the man. "Comin', comin'!" He reached up and Bullgrabbed his outstretched hand. When Bull pulled, the man literallyleaped through the air into the air lock.

  "All right, space crawler," roared Bull to Tom, "you're next!" The bigman stuck out his hand. Tom gulped. For one desperate second he thoughtof turning and running away.

  "Well?" growled Bull. "You coming or ain't cha?"

  "You're blasted right I'm coming," said Tom. "This is one time the SolarGuard is taking it on the chin. And, crawler, am I happy to see it!"

  He grabbed Bull's hand and was lifted as easily as if he had been afeather. Coxine dropped him on the deck and turned away without a wordto disappear inside the ship.

  As he looked around, Tom suddenly felt a cold shiver run through hisbody. He felt as if he had signed his own death warrant. There was nomistake about it. The ship was the same one he had watched night afternight at the exposition on Venus. And the names of the two ownersexploded in his brain. "Wallace and Simms!"

  He turned to jump out of the air lock, but it slid closed in front ofhim. He was trapped.

  * * * * *

  Sprawled on the ground in front of one of the white houses near thetower perimeter, Captain Strong stirred, shook his head, and painfullyrose to a half-crouch. With eyes still dulled by shock, he looked aroundto see Astro lying unconscious a few feet away. His brain still reelingfrom the effects of Coxine's sneak attack, he staggered over to hisknees beside him.

  "Astro, Astro--" Strong called. "Astro, snap out of it!"

  The big Venusian moaned and opened his eyes. He sat bolt upright."Captain Strong! What happened?"

  "I'm not too sure, Astro," said Strong. "All I remember is Coxineslugging me."

  As they struggled to their feet, they suddenly noticed the toweringcolumns of smoke rising into the air.

  "By the rings of Saturn!" gasped Strong. "Look, Astro!"

  "Blast my jets!" cried the big cadet. "What
--what could have happened?"

  The two spacemen stood gaping at the shattered remains of the tower andthe smoldering area around it. In the distance, scarlet-clad guardsmenmoved dazedly around the wreckage and above them a rocket destroyer wasblasting on one jet, coming in for a touchdown.

  "Astro," said Strong grimly, "I don't know how it could have happened,but the prison asteroid has been attacked. A rocket-blasting good job ofit! Come on! We've got to get over there!"

  "Yes, sir," said Astro. As they started running toward the field, hesearched the figures moving about in the distance for two familiar blueuniforms. "I don't see Roger or Tom, sir," he said hesitantly. "Do youthink--?"

  "We'll just have to wait and see," interrupted Strong grimly. "Come on,step it up!"

  As the two spacemen approached the smoking ruins of the undergroundcradles, ammunition dumps, and repair shops, they passed groups of mendigging into the rubble. In sharp contrast to the careful scrutiny theyhad received when they first arrived at the prison, no one noticed themnow. Strong stepped up to a man in a torn and dirty sergeant's uniform.

  "What happened?" he asked.

  The man turned and looked at Strong and Astro. Aside from the swollenbump on the Solar Guard captain's head and the bruise on the cadet'sneck there were no signs of their having been in the attack. When theguardsman finally replied, there was a sharp edge to his voice. "Ithought _everyone_ knew we were attacked, _sir_!" He turned back to adetail of men who were watching. But Strong pulled the man up sharply.

  "Attention!" he barked. The sergeant and the crew came to stiffattention. Strong stepped forward and looked the guardsman straight inthe eye. "Under any other circumstances, Sergeant," snapped Strong, "I'dhave your stripes and throw you in the brig for your insolence! Now Iwant a clear account of what happened. And I want it blasted _quick_!"

  "Yes, sir!" stammered the guardsman, realizing he had gone too far. Hehurriedly gave a detailed description of the battle, ending with areport that Major Savage had been injured and that Lieutenant Williamswas now in command of the prison.

  "Where will I find Lieutenant Williams?" asked Strong.

  "At the rocket destroyer, sir. It just landed."

  "Very well, Sergeant!" said Strong, adding in a gentler tone, "I realizeyou've had a rough time of it, so we'll forget what just happened. Getback to your work."

  As Astro followed the Solar Guard captain toward the rocket ship he sawa familiar figure standing near the air lock. A boy with close-croppedblond hair and wearing cadet blues.

  "Roger!" yelled Astro joyfully. "Captain Strong, look! It's Roger!"

  They quickened their pace and were soon beside the small space vesselthat had been blasted out of commission before it could fire a shot.While Roger was telling them of having volunteered for radar operationsaboard the ship and of their being disabled by a near miss, LieutenantWilliams suddenly appeared in the air lock and saluted smartly.

  "Major Savage has been injured, sir," said Williams. "Since you are thehighest ranking officer on the asteroid, are there any orders?"

  "I'm not acquainted with your men, or your prison, Williams," repliedStrong. "I'll accept the command as a formality but appoint you my chiefaid. Carry on and do anything necessary to get things cleared away."

  "Very well, sir," said Williams.

  "Have communications been destroyed?"

  "Yes, sir. Communications was located in the tower, but Cadet Manninghas converted the equipment on ship for long-range audio transmission."

  "Very good!" said Strong. "As soon as you get a chance, I want you tomake out a full report on the attack, including your personal opinion ofwho attacked us and why."

  "I don't know who manned that ship, sir," said Williams, "but I can tellthe reason all right. Every prisoner on the asteroid has escaped!"

  "Yes," mused Strong. "I thought that would be the answer. But how didthat ship get through your defenses?"

  "Captain Strong," said Williams grimly, "I don't think there is anyquestion about it. Someone broke the asteroid code. The attacking shipidentified itself as the regular supply ship."

  "A Solar Guardsman?" asked Strong.

  "No, sir," said Williams. "I'd bet anything that none of our men woulddo that!"

  "Then who?" asked Strong.

  "Only one man would be smart enough to get the code and break it, andthen sneak it off to the attacking ship!

  "Who?" asked Strong.

  "Bull Coxine!" answered the young officer through clenched teeth.

  They were interrupted by a guardsman. "Sir, we found this in prison huttwenty-four."

  "What is it?" asked Strong.

  Astro's eyes suddenly widened and he stepped forward. "Why,that's ... that's Tom's uniform!" he stammered.

  "Tom!" gasped Strong. "But where is he?"

  "We've searched the immediate area, sir," replied the guardsman. "CadetCorbett isn't here."

  "Are you sure?" demanded Strong.

  "Yes, sir," said the guardsman stoutly.

  Strong took the uniform and examined it carefully. Then he turned toRoger and snapped, "Prepare the audioceiver for immediate transmissionto Space Academy, Manning. Astro! Get aboard our ship. Check her fordamage and let me know how soon we can blast off!"

  The two cadets saluted and raced for the small spaceship.

  Thoughtfully holding Tom's uniform in his hand, Strong turned back toWilliams. "I'm going to leave as soon as I can, Williams. I'll tellSpace Academy about the attack and see that a relief ship is sent out toyou right away. Meantime, I'm leaving you in command." He paused andlooked at Tom's uniform again. "If Cadet Corbett isn't on the asteroid,he must be on the attacking ship with the prisoners. The only questionnow is, do they know it?"

  "You mean he smuggled himself aboard?" asked Williams.

  "I'm almost sure of it!" said Strong. "And if he _is_, he's going to tryto get some sort of message out. I've got to be ready to pick it up."

  Strong paused and looked up at the sky overhead, still thick with smoke."And if he does ask for help, I'm going to answer him with the biggestfleet of spaceships he'll ever see in his life!"