CHAPTER 2

"The situation may be serious and it may not, but I don't want to take

any chances."

Commander Walters sat in his office, high up in the Tower of Galileo,

with department heads from the Academy and Solar Guard. Behind him, an

entire wall made of clear crystal offered a breath-taking view of the

Academy grounds. Before him, their faces showing their concern over a

report Walters had just read, Captain Strong, Major Connel, Dr. Joan

Dale, and Professor Sykes waited for the commanding officer of the

Academy to continue.

"As you know," said Walters, "the resolution passed by the Council in

establishing the Solar Guard specifically states that it shall be the

duty of the Solar Guard to investigate and secure evidence for the Solar

Alliance Council of any acts by any person, or group of persons,

suspected of overt action against the Solar Constitution or the

Universal Bill of Rights. Now, based on the report I've just read to

you, I would like an opinion from each of you."

"For what purpose, Commander?" asked Joan Dale, the young and pretty

astrophysicist.

"To decide whether it would be advisable to have a full and open

investigation of this information from the Solar Guard attaché on

Venus."

"Why waste time talking?" snapped Professor Sykes, the chief of the

nucleonics laboratory. "Let's investigate. That report sounds serious."

Major Connel leveled a beady eye on the little gray-haired man.

"Professor Sykes, an investigation is serious. When it is based on a

report like this one, it is doubly serious, and needs straight and

careful thinking. We don't want to hurt innocent people."

Sykes shifted around in his chair and glared at the burly Solar Guard

officer. "Don't try to tell me anything about straight thinking, Connel.

I know more about the Solar Constitution and the rights of our citizens

than you'll know in ten thousand light years!"

"Yeah?" roared Connel. "And with all your brains you'd probably find out

these people are nothing more than a harmless bunch of colonists out on

a picnic!"

The professor shot out of his chair and waved an angry finger under

Connel's nose. "And that would be a lot more than I'm finding out right

now with that contraption of yours!" he shouted.

Connel's face turned red. "So that's how you feel about my invention!"

he snapped.

"Yes, that's the way I feel about your invention!" replied Sykes hotly.

"I know three cadets that could build that gadget in half the time it's

taken you just to figure out the theory!"

Commander Walters, Captain Strong, and Joan Dale were fighting to keep

from laughing at the hot exchange between the two veteran spacemen.

"They sound like the _Polaris_ unit," Joan whispered to Strong.

Walters stood up. "Gentlemen! Please! We're here to discuss a report on

the activities of a secret organization on Venus. I will have to ask you

to keep to the subject at hand. Dr. Dale, do you have any comments on

the report?" He turned to the young physicist who was choking off a

laugh.

"Well, Commander," she began, still smiling, "the report is rather

sketchy. I would like to see more information before any real decision

is made."

Walters turned to Strong. "Steve?"

"I think Joan has the right idea, sir," he replied. "While the report

indicates that a group of people on Venus are meeting regularly and

secretly, and wearing some silly uniform, I think we need more

information before ordering a full-scale investigation."

"He's right, Commander," Connel broke in. "You just can't walk into an

outfit and demand a look at their records, books, and membership index,

unless you're pretty sure you'll find something."

"Send a man from here," Strong suggested. "If you use anyone out of the

Venus office, he might be recognized."

"Good idea," commented Sykes.

Joan nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

"How do you feel about it, Connel?" asked Walters.

Connel, still furious over Sykes's comment on his spectrum recorder,

shot an angry glance at the professor. "I think it's fine," he said

bluntly. "Who're you going to send?"

Walters paused before answering. He glanced at Strong and then back at

Connel. "What about yourself?"

"Me?"

"Why not?" continued Walters. "You know as much about Venus as anyone,

and you have a lot of friends there you can trust. Nose around a while,

see what you can learn, unofficially."

"But what about my work on the spectrum recorder?" asked Connel.

"That!" snorted Sykes derisively. "Huh, that can be completed any time

you want to listen to some plain facts about--"

"I'll never listen to anything you have to say, you dried-up old neutron

chaser!" blasted Connel.

"Of course not," cackled Sykes. "And it's the same bullheaded

stubbornness that'll keep you from finishing that recorder."

"I'm sorry, gentlemen," said Walters firmly. "I cannot allow personal

discussions to interfere with the problem at hand. How about it, Connel?

Will you go to Venus?"

Lou Connel was the oldest line officer in the Solar Guard, having

recommended the slightly younger Walters for the post of commandant of

Space Academy and the Solar Guard so that he himself could escape a desk

job and continue blasting through space where he had devoted his entire

life. While Walters had the authority to order him to accept the

assignment, Connel knew that if he begged off because of his work on the

recorder, Walters would understand and offer the assignment to Strong.

He paused and then growled, "When do I blast off?"

Walters smiled and answered, "As soon as we contact Venus headquarters

and tell them to expect you."

"Wouldn't it be better to let me go without any fanfare?" mused the

burly spaceman. "I could just take a ship and act as though I'm on some

kind of special detail. As a matter of fact, Higgleston at the Venusport

lab has some information I could use."

"Anything Higgleston could tell you," interjected Sykes, "I can tell

you! You're just too stubborn to listen to me."

Connel opened his mouth to blast the professor in return, but he caught

a sharp look from Walters and he clamped his lips together tightly.

"I guess that's it, then," said Walters. "Anyone have any other ideas?"

He glanced around the room. "Joan? Steve?"

Dr. Dale and Captain Strong shook their heads silently. Strong was

disappointed that he had not been given the assignment on Venus. Four

weeks at the deserted Academy would seem like living in a graveyard.

Walters sensed his feelings, and smiling, he said, "You've been going

like a hot rocket this past year, Steve. I have a specific assignment

for you."

"Yes, sir!" Strong looked up eagerly.

"I want you to go to the Sweet Water Lakes around New Chicago--"

"Yes, sir?"

"--go to my cabin--"

"Sir?"

"--_and go fishing_!"

Strong grinned. "Thanks, skipper," he said quietly. "I guess I could use

a little relaxation. I was almost tempted to join Corbett, Manning, and

Astro. They're going hunting in the jungle belt of Venus for a

tyrannosaurus!"

"Blast my jets!" roared Connel. "Those boys haven't killed themselves in

line of duty, so they go out and tangle with the biggest and most

dangerous monster in the entire solar system!"

"Well," said Joan with a smile, "I'll put my money on Astro against a

tyranno any time, pound for pound!"

"Hear, hear!" chimed in Sykes, and forgetting his argument with Connel,

he turned to the spaceman. "Say, Lou," he said, "when you get to Venus

tell Higgy I said to show you that magnetic ionoscope he's rigging up.

It might give you some ideas."

"Thanks," replied Connel, also forgetting the hot exchange of a few

minutes before. He stood up. "I'll take the _Polaris_, Commander. She's

the fastest ship available with automatic controls for a solo hop."

"She's been stripped of her reactant pile, Major," said Strong. "It'll

take a good eighteen hours to soup her up again."

"I'll take care of it," said Connel. "Are there any specific orders,

Commander?"

"Use your own judgment, Lou," said Walters. "You know what we want and

how far to go to get it. If you learn anything, we'll start a full-scale

investigation. If not, we'll forget the whole matter and no one will get

hurt."

"And the Solar Guard won't get a reputation of being nosy," added

Strong.

Connel nodded. "I'll take care of it." He shook hands all around, coming

to Sykes last. "Sorry I lost my temper, Professor," he said gruffly.

"Forget it, Major." Sykes smiled. He really admired the gruff spaceman.

The thick-set senior officer came to smart attention, saluted crisply,

turned, and left the office. For the time being, the mysterious trouble

on Venus was his responsibility.

* * * * *

"Atom City express leaving on Track Four!"

A metallic voice boomed over the station loud-speaker, as last-minute

passengers boarded the long line of gleaming white monorail cars,

hanging from a single overhead steel rail. In the open doorway of one

of the end cars, a conductor lifted his arm, then paused and waited

patiently as three Space Cadets raced down the stairs and along the

platform in a headlong dash for the train. They piled inside, almost one

on top of the other.

"Thanks for waiting, sir," gasped Tom Corbett.

"Not at all, Cadet," said the conductor. "I couldn't let you waste your

leave waiting for another train."

The elderly man flipped a switch in the narrow vestibule and the door

closed with a soft hiss of air. He inserted a light key into a near-by

socket and twisted it gently, completing a circuit that flashed the "go"

light in the engineer's cab. Almost immediately, the monorail train

eased forward, suspended on the overhead rail. By the time the last

building of Space Academy flashed past, the train was rolling along at

full speed on its dash across the plains to Atom City.

The ride to the great metropolis of the North American continent was

filled with excitement and anticipation for the three members of the

_Polaris_ crew. The cars were crowded with cadets on leave, and while

there was a lot of joking and horseplay, the few civilian passengers

were impressed with the gentlemanly bearing of the young spacemen. Tom

and Roger finally settled down to read the latest magazines supplied by

the monorail company. But Astro headed for the dining car where he

attracted a great deal of attention by his order of a dozen eggs,

followed by two orders of waffles and a full quart of milk. Finally,

when the dining-car steward called a halt, because it was closing time,

Astro made his way back to Tom and Roger with a plastic bag of French

fried potatoes, and the three boys sat, munching them happily. The

countryside flashed by in a blur of summer color as the train roared on

at a speed of two hundred miles an hour.

A few hours and four bags of potatoes later, Astro yawned and stretched

his enormous arms, nearly poking Roger in the eye.

"Hey, ya big ape!" growled Roger. "Watch the eye!"

"You'd never miss it, Manning," said Astro. "Just use your radar."

"Never mind, I like this eye just the way it is."

"We're almost there," called Tom. He pointed out the crystal window and

they could see the high peaks of the Rocky Mountain range looming ahead.

"We cut through the new tunnel in those mountains and we'll be in Atom

City in ten minutes!"

There was a bustle of activity around them as other cadets roused

themselves and collected their gear. Once again conversation became

animated and excited as the train neared its destination. Flashing into

the tunnel, the line of cars began to slow down, rocking gently.

"We'd better go right out to the spaceport," said Tom, pulling his gear

out of the recessed rack under his seat. "Our ship blasts off for Venus

in less than a half-hour."

"Boy, it'll be a pleasure to ride a spaceship without having to

astrogate," said Roger. "I'll just sit back and take it easy. Hope there

are some good-looking space dolls aboard."

Tom turned to Astro. "You know, Astro," he said seriously, "it's a good

thing we're along to take care of this Romeo. If he were alone, he'd

wind up in another kind of hunt."

"I'd like to see how Manning's tactics work on a female dasypus

novemcinctur maximus," said Astro with a sly grin.

"A female what?" yelled Roger.

"A giant armadillo, Roger," Tom explained, laughing. "Very big and very

mean when they don't like you. Don't forget, everything on Venus grows

big because of the lighter gravity."

"Yeah," drawled Roger, looking at Astro. "Big and dumb!"

"What was that again?" bellowed the giant Venusian, reaching for the

flip cadet. The next moment, Roger was struggling futilely, feet kicking

wildly as Astro held him at arm's length six inches off the floor. The

cadets in the car roared with laughter.

"Atom City!" a voice over the intercar communicator boomed and the boys

looked out the window to see the towering buildings of Atom City slowly

slide by. The train had scarcely reached a full stop when the three

cadets piled out of the door, raced up the slidestairs, and jumped into

a jet cab. Fifteen minutes later they marched up to one of the many

ticket counters of the Atom City Interplanetary Spaceport.

"Reservations for Cadets Corbett, Manning, and Astro on the _Venus

Lark_, please," announced Tom.

The girl behind the counter ran her finger down a passenger manifest,

nodded, and then suddenly frowned. She turned back to Tom and said, "I'm

sorry, Cadet, but your reservations have been pre-empted by a priority

listing."

"Priority!" roared Roger. "But I made those reservations two weeks ago.

If there was a change, why didn't you tell us before?"

"I'm sorry, sir," said the girl patiently, "but according to the

manifest, the priority call just came in a few hours ago. Someone

contacted Space Academy, but you had already left."

"Well, is there another ship for Venusport today?"

"Yes," she replied and picked up another manifest. Glancing at it

quickly, she shook her head. "There are no open reservations," she said.

"I'm afraid the next flight for Venusport with open reservations isn't

for four days."

"Blast my jets!" growled Roger disgustedly. "Four days!" He sat down on

his gear and scowled. Astro leaned against the desk and stared gloomily

at the floor. At that moment a young man with a thin face and a strained

intense look pushed Tom to one side with a curt "Excuse me!" and stepped

up to the desk.

"You're holding three reservations on the _Venus Lark_," he spoke

quickly. "Priority number four-seven-six, S.D."

Tom, Roger, and Astro looked at him closely. They saw him nervously pay

for his tickets and then walk away quickly without another look at the

ticket girl.

"Were those our seats, miss?" asked Tom. The girl nodded.

The three cadets stared after the young man who had bumped them off

their ship.

"The symbol S.D. on the priority stands for Solar Delegate," said Roger.

"Maybe he's a messenger."

The young man was joined by two other men also dressed in Venusian

clothing, and after a few words, they all turned and stepped onto the

slidewalk rolling out to the giant passenger ship preparing to blast

off.

"This is the most rocket-blasting bit of luck in the universe!" growled

Roger. "Four days!"

"Cheer up, Roger," said Tom. "We can spend the four days in Atom City.

Maybe Liddy Tamal is here. We can follow Captain Strong's suggestion."

"Even she doesn't make four days delay sound exciting," interrupted

Roger. "Come on. We might as well go back to town or we won't even get a

room."

He picked up his gear and walked back to the jet cab-stand. Astro and

Tom followed the blond-haired cadet glumly.

The stand was empty, but a jet cab was just pulling up to the platform

with a passenger. As the boys walked over to wait at the door, it opened

and a familiar figure in a black-and-gold uniform stepped out.

"Captain Strong!"

[Illustration]

"Corbett!" exclaimed Strong. "What are you doing here? I thought you

were aboard the _Venus Lark_."

"We were bumped out of our reservation by an S.D. priority," said Astro.

"And we can't get out of here for another four days," added Roger

glumly.

Strong sympathized. "That's rough, Astro." He looked at the three dour

faces and then said, "Would you consider getting a free ride to Venus?"

The three cadets looked up hopefully.

"Major Connel's taking the _Polaris_ to Venus to complete some work with

Professor Higgleston in the Venus lab," explained Strong. "If you can

get back to the Academy before he blasts off, he might give you a ride."

"No, thanks!" said Roger. "I'd rather sit here."

"Wait a minute, Roger," said Tom. "We're on leave, remember? And it's

only a short hop to Venus."

"Yeah, hotshot," added Astro. "We'll get to Venus faster than the _Venus

Lark_, and save money besides."

"O.K.," said Roger. "I guess I can take him for a little while."

Strong suppressed a smile. Roger's reluctance to go with Connel was well

founded. Any cadet within hailing distance of the hard-bitten spaceman

was likely to wind up with a bookful of demerits.

"Are you on an assignment, sir?" asked Tom.

"Vacation," said Strong. "Four weeks of fishing at Commander Walters'

cabin at Sweet Water Lakes."

"If you pass through New Chicago," said Tom, "you would be welcome to

stop in at my house. Mom and Dad would be mighty happy to meet you. And

I think Billy, my kid brother, would flip a rocket."

"Thank you, Tom. I might do that if I have time." He looked at his

watch. "You three had better hurry. I'd advise taking a jetcopter back

to the Academy. You might not make it if you wait for a monorail."

"We'll do that, sir," said Tom.

The three boys threw their gear into the waiting cab and piled in.

Strong watched them roar away, frowning in thought. An S.D. priority,

the highest priority in space, was used only by special couriers on

important missions for one of the delegates. He shrugged it off.

"Getting to be as suspicious as an old space hen," he said to himself.

"Fishing is what I need. A good fight with a trout instead of a space

conspiracy!"