CHAPTER 8
"This is highly irregular, Logan," said Vidac to the Venusian farmer,"but I guess you can see the cadets. Perhaps a little advice from youwill help them mend their ways."
Logan nodded. "I have a boy of my own, Governor," he said, "and I knowhow rambunctious they can get."
Vidac smiled thinly. "You'll find them in their quarters. The firstladder to your right and down two decks."
"Thank you, sir," replied Logan. He left Vidac's quarters and twominutes later stepped through the hatch leading into the cadet's room.After seven days of confinement, the three boys greeted Logan with ayell of pure joy.
"We have guests!" bellowed Astro, grabbing Roger who was asleep in hisbunk and then banging on the shower door where Tom was taking a shower.
Roger tumbled out of the bunk and Tom came rushing out of the showerwrapped in a towel. They all began talking at once.
"How'd you know we were confined to quarters, sir?" asked Tom.
"It's a wonder Vidac allowed you to come see us!" yelled Roger.
"Never mind the questions, sir," said Astro. "It's just plain good tosee a different face besides these two space jokers. One more game ofspace chess with Manning and I think I'd--"
Logan laughed at the cadets' enthusiasm, holding up both hands to stemtheir eager babbling questions. After Tom had dressed hastily and Rogerhad cleared off a bunk, they began to talk calmly.
"I didn't know you boys were in trouble," said Logan, "until I came overto the _Polaris_ to see you. Then Vidac told me all about it."
"Was there any special reason why you wanted to see us, sir?" asked Tom.
"Well, as a matter of fact, there was a little reason. Billy, my son,has been pestering me to get some of your Academy books and audioscriptsso he can study to become a Space Cadet when he gets old enough."
The three cadets grinned at each other and soon the Venusian farmer waspiled high with manuals, audioscripts, tapes, and general informationabout the Academy.
"Thank you, boys," said Logan. "That's real nice of you, but--"
"But what, sir?" asked Tom.
"That was the little reason for coming to see you. I have a big reasontoo."
"What's that, sir?" asked Roger.
"I don't know how to say it exactly," began Logan, his voice low andhesitant, "but do you remember when you three came over to inspectNumber Twelve?"
The boys all nodded and Logan continued in a hushed voice.
"Well, I told you then that everything was as nice as it could be. Atthat time it was. But now--"
"What's happened, sir?" asked Tom.
"What hasn't happened you mean!" snorted Logan. "The very next day wehad a visit from Vidac himself. He made a routine check of all thedepartments, stopped and talked to some of the colonists, and he seemed,in general, like a nice fellow. Then all of a sudden it started."
"What?" asked Astro.
"Our skipper Winters and another fellow, Ed Bush, began treating uslike--well, like prisoners!"
"Prisoners!" cried Tom.
"Yes!" said Logan. "They began to tell us when we couldn't go to theworkshop and to the stereos, and made us eat our meals together in themain assembly room, with the wives taking turns doing all the cooking.And the schooling has been cut altogether."
"Why, why--" Tom was floored by the information. "But how can that be?"
"I don't know," said Logan, "but that's the way it is. I came over totell you boys about it, since you were the only ones I knew. You struckme as being honest and I felt I could trust you."
"What else have Winters and Bush done?" asked Astro tensely.
"I guess the worst of all is the fact that we're having to pay foreverything we eat," said Logan.
"Pay!" exclaimed Roger. "But, but--how can you? You don't have anycredits. The Solar Council decided to let the colony work on a barterbasis--share and share alike--until it could take its place in theover-all economy of the Solar Alliance."
"I know, I know," said Logan resignedly. "We're having to pay for thethings we get by signing over a percentage of our future profit over thenext seven years."
The three cadets looked at each other in disbelief. The idea of two menopenly violating the laws of the expedition, treating the SolarAlliance citizens as if they were prisoners, was overwhelming.
Tom got up and began to pace the deck. Finally he turned and facedLogan. "Have you said anything to Vidac about this?" he asked.
"Ummmpf!" snorted Logan. "Every one of us signed a petition and had itsent to the governor himself. We didn't even get a reply. Vidac musthave heard about it and told Winters and Bush to take it easy, becausethe next day we were allowed to eat again without having to sign overpart of our profit to them. But everything else is the same."
"But how could they force you to pay?" asked Roger. "Couldn't yourefuse?"
"Sonny," declared Logan emphatically, "I'm brave as the next man. Butyou don't argue against a paralo-ray gun, especially when there arewomen and children to worry about."
Tom whirled around and faced Roger and Astro. "I guess we don't need anymore proof now," he said coldly. "Jeff Marshall is thrown into the brigfor looking into a logbook; we're relieved of our jobs here on the_Polaris_; my monthly report to Captain Strong isn't sent to SpaceAcademy, and now this. One of two things is happening. Either GovernorHardy is in on this with Vidac, or Vidac is taking over without Hardyknowing anything about it."
"All right--all right," growled Astro, "but what are we going to doabout it?"
"We've got to get word to Space Academy or Captain Strong someway,somehow. We've got to let them know what's going on."
"There's only one way to do that," said Roger. "But with thecommunications controlled by Vidac's men, we don't have the chance of asnowball on the sunny side of Mercury!"
"Then," announced Tom firmly, "we'll have to build our owncommunications unit."
"But how?" asked Logan.
"Roger here can make a communicator out of spit and bailing wire," saidAstro. "All he needs is the essential parts."
"Look," said Tom tensely, "Jeff Marshall will be getting out of the brigwhen we do. He'll be working with Professor Sykes, along with us. Whycan't we build one on the sly in the observatory?"
Roger thought a moment. "It's the only thing we can do. I just hope thatMr. Logan's coming here hasn't aroused suspicion."
"Don't worry about that," said Logan. "I told Vidac I wanted thisinformation about Space Academy for Billy. That seemed to satisfy him."
"I don't know," mused Tom. "He's pretty smart."
"What else can we do?" asked Astro.
"Nothing," said Tom bitterly. "Not a space-blasting thing until we getout of here!"
* * * * *
"We've _got_ to have that triple vacuum tube," declared Roger. "That'sthe only thing that will transmit a voice quickly back to Earth fromthis fix out in space."
The three boys and Jeff Marshall were back in their quarters after theirfirst week of active duty again. They had surreptitiously beguncollecting parts for the communicator and were sorting them out on oneof the bunks when Roger mentioned the necessity for the special vacuumtube.
"How quickly?" asked Astro.
Tom explained. "The equipment we have now is strong enough to talk tothe Academy, but it'll take about six hours for my voice to reach it.And then another six hours for the Academy's answer to get back to us.At the end of twelve hours we might not be ready to receive and thecommunications officer might pick up their answer. Then we'd be in themiddle of a space hurricane!"
"I see," said Astro. "You've got to be able to talk directly to theAcademy, so that when they answer, you'll be ready!"
"Right," said Tom. "We might only get ten or fifteen minutes of freetime, when the professor would be away from the observatory."
"Where do you think I could get one of those tubes, besides on the radarbridge, Roger?" asked Jeff. He had been the main source of supply forthe equipment used in the communicat
or. Since getting out of the brig,his movements had not been as restricted as the cadets'.
"That's just it," said Roger. "I remember distinctly loading all of themin the locker near the main scanner on the radar deck."
"Then we have to get it from another ship," said Tom. "The chances ofgetting one here, aboard the _Polaris_, are zero."
"Say, Roger," suddenly asked Astro, "do you think you remember enoughabout that triple vacuum tube to draw me a blueprint?"
"Sure," said Roger. "And you could probably build it too. But how areyou going to get the inside tube vacuumized, then the second one, andfinally the third. They have to be absolutely clean!"
"How about outside in space?" Astro suggested. "We could take the partsof the tube with us and assemble it out there. You can't ask for abetter vacuum than outer space."
Tom grinned and slapped the big Venusian on the back. "Astro, you're thehero of the day. Come on, Roger, start drawing that tube! Astro can makeit on the power deck as if he were repairing something. Make it assimple as possible."
"Right," said Roger, "all I need is the vacuum and of course the copperfilament inside the inner third tube for sending and receiving. We canmake it so the tubes screw together inside of each other and then sealthem."
"Right," said Astro.
"Meantime," said Tom, "Jeff and I will get you a set of earphones, if wehave to tear them off the head of the radarman!"
Meanwhile, in Vidac's quarters, the second-in-command was facing theirascible Professor Sykes.
"Say that again, Professor," said Vidac. Sykes was standing before himholding a slip of paper in his hand.
"I said," the professor snorted, "that in forty-eight hours and some oddminutes we will be passing through a very thick cluster of asteroids,about ten thousand miles in depth."
"Is it on our present course?" asked Vidac.
"Yes," replied Sykes. "We'll have to go around it. I wouldn't give you aplugged credit for our chances of getting through it."
"I didn't ask you for your opinion!" snapped Vidac. "All right, you'vegiven me your information. Now get out!"
Sykes abruptly turned and left the lieutenant governor's compartment.Alone, Vidac paced the floor. After a moment of deep thought he snappedhis fingers in decision and turned on the ship's intercom.
"Corbett! Manning! Astro!" he bellowed. "Report to the control deck onthe double."
A few moments later the three cadets stood before Vidac at rigid,stone-faced attention. Vidac turned on the chart projection screen andpointed to their position in space.
"Professor Sykes has just warned me that the fleet is approaching afreakish asteroid cluster," he announced. "He estimates it to be of thissize." Vidac swept his arm over the chart, taking in most of the spacedirectly in front of their path. "To go around it, over it, or under itwould mean altering the course of the whole fleet and losing about sixdays' transit time." He turned back to the cadets who had been watchingclosely. "I want you three to see if you can find a route through thebelt and save us the detour time." He glanced at his wrist chronograph."The belt is about forty-one hours ahead of us now. Take a rocket scout,look it over, and report back to me."
"Yes, sir," said Tom. "Anything else, sir?"
"Yes," said Vidac. He stepped closer to the three boys. "This is not ajoy ride. I expect you to find a way through that cluster. You haveenough time to explore the greater part of it."
"But you said forty-one hours, sir," retorted Tom.
"That's plenty of time if you travel at full space speed."
"Full thrust!" exploded Roger. "In an unknown asteroid cluster? Why, theodds are better than a thousand to one that we'll be ripped open by aspace rock. The best we can do is one-quarter space speed."
"You'll open those jets wide or you'll spend the rest of the trip toRoald in the brig and I'll send a report back to the Academy on yourcowardice!" Vidac paused, then added quietly, "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," said Tom, tight-lipped. "You make yourself perfectlyclear!"