CHAPTER 11
"Yeow!"
Astro's bull-like roar echoed through the _Good Company_. Tom and Kitjumped around in their seats to stare dumfounded at the half-strippedcadet climbing through the hatch into the power deck, followed by Sid.Sweating, his body streaked with grease, the belt of rocketman's toolsswinging from his hips, Astro pounded the two spacemen on the back. "Wedid it!" he roared, turning to hug Sid who was equally grimy and nakedto the waist.
"Did what?" demanded Kit.
"You know that by-pass feeder you said wouldn't hold a pressure of morethan D-18 rate?" said Astro eagerly.
When Kit nodded, Astro roared triumphantly, "Well, it'll hold more thanD-18 rate now!"
"What do you mean?" demanded Kit.
Astro's involved and detailed reply in engineering terms was almostgibberish to Tom, but he understood enough of the unit construction tosense that Astro had done something extraordinary.
"And he did it all himself, too," said Sid quietly. "I didn't do anymore than hold the tools."
"But I still don't understand," protested Kit. "The by-pass won't takemore than D-18."
"We built another one," said Astro proudly. "Since you were making asmall unit, you naturally built a small by-pass feeder. We made a bigone." Astro grinned. "I admit that it looks a little lopsided, with thattank joint on the side nearly twice as big as the whole cooling unit,but if you'll cut your motors and give me fifteen minutes to change thatline, I'll give you a reactant feed at D-30 rate."
"D-D-30," stammered Kit. "You're space happy!" He glanced over at Sid."Is that right, Sid?" he asked, almost hesitantly.
The youth nodded. "It'll work, Kit. And believe me, I didn't have athing to do with it. It was his idea and I thought he was nuts too. Buthe can holler louder than I can and--well, he's bigger'n I am and--" Sidshrugged his shoulders. "He went and did it."
"I want to see that thing for myself!" exclaimed Kit, jumping out of hisseat. "Take over for a while, Tom."
Tom slid under the controls of the sleek ship, and while Astro, Sid, andKit went below to the power deck, he began to figure their speed at aD-30 rate. He used a pencil at first, scribbling on a piece of paper,but the answer he reached was so fabulous, he put the ship on automaticgyro control and climbed to the radar deck where he checked the figureson the electronic calculator. When the result was the same, he let out awhoop.
When he returned to the control deck again, Astro, Kit, and Sid werealready working the master control panel, adjusting some of the controlsto take the enormous increase in speed. Kit grinned up at Tom. "Here wego, Tom," he said. "This is going to be the fastest ride you've ever hadnext to hyperdrive."
"Then it really works?" yelled the cadet.
"It not only works, but from the looks of that thing, we'll use verylittle more fuel. So now it's our turn to by-pass a fuel stop! We'regoing right on through to Titan!"
* * * * *
"You're whistling into the wind, Barnard!" Quent Miles' voice was harshand derisive as it crackled over the audioceiver. "You could never catchup with me in a hundred light years! This race is in the bag for yourstruly!"
Across the vast distance of space that separated the two speeding ships,Tom, Astro, and Kit Barnard listened to Miles' bragging voice and smiledat each other. All Kit ever wanted was a fair chance, and now, thanks toAstro and Sid, he had better than a fair chance. With their added speed,Tom calculated that the two ships would arrive at the Titan spaceport atabout the same time. Only scant minutes separated their estimated timesof arrival.
"How much farther do you think that wagon of yours will hold out,Barnard?" continued Miles over the audioceiver. "You'll burn it up orshake it apart. This race is in the bag!"
"All right, Miles," interrupted Tom. "We'll do our talking at the Titanspaceport. Now let me talk to Roger."
"You mean, Manning?" asked Miles, after an almost imperceptible pause.
"Yes, I mean Manning!" snapped Tom.
"Can't oblige, Corbett," said Quent Miles. "Your pal took it on the lamback at Ganymede. He ran out on me. As far as I know, he's still there.Didn't you see him when you stopped for refueling?"
"We didn't stop," said Tom. "What do you mean, he got off at Ganymede?He's supposed to stay with you throughout the race."
"I gotta go now, Corbett," came Miles' abrupt reply. "I'm hittin' roughstuff here, a swarm of meteors. See you on Titan. Be down there towelcome you in."
"Wait! What about Roger?" Tom called frantically into the audioceiver,but Quent Miles did not answer. The young cadet slammed the microphonedown on the table. "That blasted Roger!" he cried hotly. "When I get myhands on him, I'm going to--"
"Take it easy, Tom," said Astro, putting a hand on the cadet's shoulder."You know how Roger is. Wait until he has a chance to explain before youblast him."
"I suppose you're right, Astro," replied Tom. "But why in the starswould he leave the ship?"
"Whatever he's done, I'm sure Roger has a good explanation," replied thebig Venusian. But inwardly he couldn't help feeling that Roger, somehow,had gotten into another scrape which would, in the end, reflect on thewhole unit. Neither Tom nor Astro cared much for their own individualreputations, but they were concerned about the record of the unit. Rogerhad managed to pull himself out of some narrow scrapes, but there wasalways the first time for everything. Leaving his post as monitor in therace was as serious as anything he had done so far.
"Heads up, Tom!" Kit called out. "Meteor storm in our course. We've gotto change our heading."
"Aye, aye, sir," replied the young cadet, pushing aside his concern overhis unit mate and concentrating on routine flight operations.
On and on, the sleek ship plummeted through the black depths of spacebeyond Jupiter, heading for the planet Saturn and her magnificent ringsof different colors, and to her largest satellite with its deadlymethane ammonia gas atmosphere, the crystal-bearing moon, Titan.
* * * * *
"They are approaching the spaceport, sir," called the Titancontrol-tower operator, and Strong jumped to the radarscope to stare atthe two blips on the screen. Only a mile separated them, with QuentMiles' _Space Knight_ ahead.
"Five minutes to touchdown," reported the operator.
"Come on, Kit," muttered Strong through clenched teeth. "Pour it on,boy. Give her the gun!"
The two blips drew closer to the heart of the scope. First one and thenthe other shooting ahead for brief seconds as they began deceleration.
"You can see them outside, now, sir," said the operator, and Strongjumped to the door, stepping out on the observation platform that lookedout over the spaceport. He searched the skies above him, and then,faintly, he could see the exhaust trails of the two ships as theystreaked over the field, beginning their deceleration orbits around thesatellite.
Behind him, Strong heard the voice of the tower operator ordering RampFour and Ramp Five cleared for the two ships, and the mobs of people onthe spaceport surged back. Strong noted the irony of the situation. Thepeople of Titan were not out to greet a hero of space, but were waitingfor the next evacuation rocket ship.
The ramps were cleared and within minutes the two ships reappeared overthe horizon, nosing upward over the spaceport in an arc, their brakingrockets blasting loudly as they prepared to land.
Then, feeling that his heart would stop, Captain Strong saw Quent Miles'black ship touch the surface of the spaceport first. Kit Barnard hadlost the race. By seconds to be sure, but he had lost the race.
A weak cheer arose from the crowds and then quickly died out. To themthe race was futile and the prize empty. How could the winning companyship crystal, when soon, none would be mined?
Strong raced across the field and boarded the _Good Company_ to findKit, Tom, Astro, and Sid sitting glumly on the control deck. There was aquick smile of greeting on the two cadets' faces when they saw theirunit commander, but their smiles died away. Abruptly Kit Barnard was onhis feet looking past Stro
ng to someone entering the hatch behind him.
"Congratulations, Quent!" said Kit, extending his hand. "That was agreat race."
"Thanks," replied Miles. "But I never figured it would end any otherway. You put up a great fight, Barnard. Yes, sir! A great fight!" Heturned to Captain Strong and chortled. "Good race, eh, Strong?"
The Solar Guard officer shook hands with the winner and then asked,"Where is Cadet Manning?"
"Say, I want to make a complaint about that!" exclaimed Miles. He lookedat Tom and Astro. "It was bad enough to have to be bothered with thesekids, but when they behave the way that kid Manning behaved, I've got aright to be sore!"
"When did Manning leave the ship?" asked Strong.
"As soon as we made touchdown on Ganymede. He left the ship aftersleeping all the way out, made a couple of nasty cracks, and the last Isaw of him, he was heading over toward the deep-space section of thespaceport."
"You're sure of that?" asked Strong.
Quent Miles sneered. "I just said that's what happened, didn't I?"
"Yes, that's what you said," Strong replied. "And I'll have to take yourword for it until Manning can answer for himself."
"How did you manage to make it from Earth to Ganymede without refueling,Quent?" asked Kit slowly. "And what have you got in your ship to getthat kind of speed?"
Miles' lips curled in a twisted grin. "That's my secret, spaceman," hesaid, turning away. "Well, I've got to report to my boss. Great race,Kit. Too bad there couldn't be more than one winner." He laughed andswaggered out of the ship.
"I'd like to brain that guy," growled Tom.
"All right, Corbett, Astro, pack your gear and report to the controltower for reassignment," snapped Strong. He turned and with a nod ofsympathy to Kit left the control deck.
"Let's go, Astro," sighed Tom. "We'll see you later, Kit. You too, Sid.And--" They looked at each other, but there was nothing more that couldbe said. The race was finished.
When Tom and Astro had finished packing their gear and left the ship,Sid turned to Kit. "I'm going to take a look at the _Space Knight_!" heannounced.
"Better not, Sid." Barnard shook his head. "Miles is a rough customer.He might not like visitors around his 'secret' on the power deck."
Sid's face was set. "I'm going," he repeated and ducked through thehatch.
His face showing his disappointment at having lost the race, Kit pacedthe deck for a moment and then he strode purposefully toward the hatch,calling:
"Hey! Wait, Sid. I'm coming with you."
In the control tower at the far end of the spaceport, Tom and Astroentered the station commander's office in time to overhear the last ofCommander Walters' orders to Captain Strong.
" ... might as well give the boys a rest before we begin ourinvestigations, Steve." He looked up as the door opened. "Oh, here theyare now."
"Cadets Corbett and Astro reporting, sir." Tom and Astro salutedsmartly.
"Stand easy, boys," said Walters, rising to face them. "I don't know howmuch you've heard of this emergency on Titan, but you can be briefed ondetails later. For the moment, all you have to know is that yourassignment here is concerned with a detailed checking-out of the wholeforce-screen machinery. Take a twenty-four-hour rest and then reportback here ready for the hardest work you'll ever do in your lives."
"Yes, sir," said Tom.
"Where is Manning? Didn't he think it necessary to report to me?"Walters looked at Strong. "Well, Steve? It's your unit?"
"It seems he got off the _Space Knight_ at Ganymede, sir," repliedStrong reluctantly. "Captain Miles said the last he saw of Manning hewas walking toward the deep-space section of the spaceport."
Walters' eyes suddenly became very bright and hard. "He got off, did he?Well," he snapped, "this is just about the end of the line for CadetRoger Manning!"
"I'm sure Roger has a good explanation, sir--" began Tom.
Walters glared at the cadet. "None of that, Corbett. Manning is a badrocket and the sooner I get rid of him the better off the Academy andthe _Polaris_ unit will be. Now take your twenty-four-hours' leave andreport back here ready to work."
"Yes, sir," replied Tom. He and Astro saluted and turned to leave theoffice but were stopped by the sudden appearance of Sid and Kit. Sid'sface was aglow. Kit was scowling.
"You know what we found on the _Space Knight_?" exclaimed Sid, unable tohold back.
"What?" asked Tom.
"Almost a full tank of reactant!" replied the young engineer. "And theafter burners showed about as much wear as if the ship had jumped fromEarth to Venus."
"What's that, young man?" snapped Walters, stepping forward quickly."What are you talking about?"
Kit Barnard faced the commander and began to explain.
"We were both curious about Quent Miles' ship, sir," he said. "Wewondered what kind of equipment he had to get that kind of speed, so wewent aboard and looked her over. She looks as if she just made a routineflight. Hardly any of her baffling has been eaten away and her motorsare cooling fast, and I'd swear by the stars there isn't anything onthat ship to give her the kind of speed she made out here."
"Hm-m! There's something funny about this," mused Walters.
Strong stepped forward quickly. "Would you like me to investigate, sir?"he asked eagerly.
"Of course not," snapped Walters. "What's the matter with you? We've gota whole planet full of people about to lose their homes and you want totake time off to investigate pure speculation!"
"I'm sorry, sir." Strong's face flushed at the rebuke.
"Carry on! Work with Joe Howard."
"Yes, sir."
Strong saluted and started for the door. He passed Tom, Astro, Sid, andKit without so much as a glance. His jaw was set like a rock.
Tom Corbett shuffled uncomfortably, embarrassed at the rebuke Strong hadjust suffered from Walters. It was not like the commander to flare up soquickly. The situation on Titan must be extremely serious. He and Astroducked out of the room quickly.
"Come on, Astro," muttered the young cadet. "Let's get a bite to eat.I'm starved."
"I was," said the giant Venusian. "But I lost my appetite."
"Boy, do I wish I had Roger here now!"
"Yeah, me too!"