CHAPTER 16
"Bring that dirty little space crawler in here!"
Captain Strong had never seen Commander Walters so angry. The cordsstood out in his neck and his face was red with fury as he paced up anddown the Solar Guard office in Venusport. "A spy," he roared. "A spyright in the heart of our organization!" He shook his head.
The door opened and two burly Solar Guardsmen entered, saluted, andturned to flank the doorway, hands on their paralo-ray pistols. Theprivate secretary of E. Philips James shuffled in slowly, followed bytwo more guards. Walters stepped up to the thin, intense young man andglared at him. "If I had my way, I'd send you out to the deepest part ofspace and leave you there!"
The man bit his lip but said nothing.
"Where is your secret base?" demanded Walters.
"I don't know," replied the secretary nervously.
"Who told you to intercept this message from Mercury?" Walters tapped apaper on his desk. "Who gave you your orders?"
"I receive orders on an audioceiver in my home," answered the man, aslight quaver in his voice. "I have never seen my superior."
"And you followed the Nationalist movement blindly, doing whatever theytold you, without question, is that it?"
"Yes."
"Yes, _sir_!" roared Walters.
"Yes, sir," corrected the secretary.
"Who told you to forge those orders for priority seats on the _VenusLark_?"
"My superior," said the man.
"How did you know Major Connel was coming here to investigate theNationalists?"
"I read the decoded message sent to the Solar Delegate, Mr. James."
"Who told you to send men to bomb the _Polaris_?"
"My superior," said the man.
"Your superior--your superior!" Walters' voice was edged with contempt."What else has your superior told you to do?"
"A great many things," said the young man simply.
Walters studied the thin face and then turned to Captain Strong."There's only one thing to do, Steve. There's no telling how many ofthese rats are inside our organization. Relieve every civilian in anyposition of trust and put in our own man. I'll make a public teleceiverbroadcast in half an hour. I'm declaring martial law."
"Yes, sir," replied Strong grimly.
"If you hadn't been in the code room when this message from Mercury camein, we would never have known the Nationalists were trying to get theMercurians to join them in their attack on us until it was too late.It's the only break we've had, so far, learning that the Mercurians arestill decent, loyal Solar citizens. I hate to think of what would havehappened if they hadn't warned us."
"He very nearly got away with it, sir," said Strong. "If I hadn't heardthe signal for a top-secret message come through on the coding machine,I never would have suspected him. He tried to hide it in his tunic. Healso confessed to trying to kidnap the cadets when he heard me tell themthat a cab would be waiting for them."
"Well, we know now," said Walters. He turned to one of the guardsmen."Sergeant, I'm holding you personally responsible for this man."
"Aye, aye, sir," said the guard, stepping toward the secretary, butWalters stopped him and addressed the man.
"I'll give you one last chance to tell me where your base is and howmany ships you have," he said.
The secretary looked down at his feet and mumbled, "I don't know wherethe base is, and I don't know how many ships there are."
"Then what does this list we found in your tunic mean?" snapped Strong."These are the names of ships that have been lost in space."
"I don't know. That list was sent to me over the audioceiver by mysuperior. I was to relay it to Mercury should they accept our proposalto join forces against--" He stopped.
"Get him out of my sight!" barked Walters.
The guards closed in around the little man and he slowly shuffled out ofthe office.
"I wonder how many more there are like him in our organization, Steve?"The commander had turned to the window and was staring out blindly.
"I don't know, sir," replied Strong. "But I think we'd better beprepared for trouble."
"Agreed," said Walters, turning to the Solar Guard captain. "What do yousuggest?"
"Since we don't know how many ships they have, where their base is, orwhen they plan to attack, I suggest putting the Venus squadrons indefense pattern A. Meanwhile, call in three additional squadrons fromMars, Earth, and Luna. That way, we can at least be assured of an evenfight."
"But we don't know if they'll attack here on Venus. Suppose we weakenEarth's fleet and they attack there?" Walters paused, looking troubled.Then he sighed. "I guess you're right. Put the plan into effectimmediately. It's the only thing we can do."
At exactly midnight every teleceiver on Venus was suddenly blacked outfor a moment and then came into focus again to reveal the grim featuresof Commander Walters.
In homes, restaurants, theaters, arriving and departing space liners, inevery public and private gathering place, the citizens of Venus heardthe announcement.
"As commander in chief of the Solar Guard, I hereby place the entireplanet of Venus under martial law. All public laws are suspended untilfurther notice. All public officials are hereby relieved of theirauthority. A ten P.M. until six A.M. curfew will go into effectimmediately. Anyone caught on the streets between these hours will bearrested. An attack is expected on the city of Venusport, as well asother Venusian cities, momentarily. Follow established routine for suchan occurrence. Obey officers and enlisted men of the Solar Guard who arehere on Venus to protect you and your property. That is all!"
* * * * *
In the living room of Sinclair's house Tom waited impatiently for thesound of Sinclair's yacht taking off before attempting to free himselffrom the rope on his wrists. But when a half-hour had passed with nosound from outside, he decided not to waste any more time.
Relaxing completely, the curly-haired cadet began working his wristsback and forth in the loop of rope. It was slow, painful work, and in notime the skin was rubbed raw. George and Mrs. Hill watched him,wide-eyed. They saw the skin of his wrists gradually turn pink, thenred, as the cadet pulled and pushed at the rope. A half-hour had passedbefore he felt the rope slipping down over the widest part of his hand.Slowly, so as not to lose the precious advantage, he pulled with all hisstrength, unmindful of the pain. He heard a sharp gasp from Mrs. Hilland then felt the rope become damp. His wrists were bleeding. But at thesame time he felt the rope slipping over his hands. He gave a quick tugand the rope slipped off and dropped to the floor, a bloody tangle. Hespun around and untied the foreman and his wife quickly, removing thegags from their mouths gently.
"Your wrists!" cried Mrs. Hill.
"Don't worry about them, ma'am," said Tom. He looked at Hill. "How longhave you been tied up?"
"Just about an hour before you came," answered the foreman. "I foundSinclair in front of a teleceiver in his room. It's in a secret paneland I didn't know it was there. I waited and heard him talking tosomeone in Venusian. But he spotted me and pulled a ray gun."
"Do you know where he's gone?" asked Tom.
"No, but I sure wish I did!" said the burly foreman stoutly. "I havesomething to settle with him."
"That'll have to wait until the Solar Guard is finished with him. Comeon!" Tom started toward the door.
"Where are we going?" asked Hill.
"To the _Polaris_! I've got to warn the Solar Guard of their plans.They're going to attack the Venusport garrison and take over Venus!"
"By the stars!" gasped Mrs. Hill. "Here I've been feeding that man allthese years and didn't know I was contributing to a revolution!"
Tom was out of the door and running toward the _Polaris_ before she hadfinished talking. George followed right behind him.
As the cadet raced across the dark clearing one hope filled hismind--that the _Polaris_ would be in the same condition in which theyhad left it.
The port was still open where Sinclair had c
aught him and he climbedinside the giant ship quickly. As soon as he entered, he snapped on theemergency lights and searched the ship carefully. After examining everycompartment, and satisfied that there was no one aboard, he made his wayback to the radar bridge. There, he saw immediately why Sinclair hadfelt free to leave the ship. All radar and communications equipment hadbeen completely smashed.
The young cadet returned to the control deck and called down to GeorgeHill, waiting in the air lock. "George! Get Mrs. Hill aboard quickly.We're blasting off!"
"Blasting off?" the foreman called back. "But I thought you were goingto contact Venusport!"
"I can't," replied Tom. "Sinclair has smashed the communications and theradar. We'll have to take our information to Venusport in person. I onlyhope he's left the rockets and atomic motors alone."
"How about using the teleceiver in the house?" asked the foreman,climbing up to the control deck.
"Can't take a chance," said Tom. "This is top secret. They might havethe teleceiver tapped."
"Do you know how to handle this ship alone?" asked George, glancingaround at the great control board. "I don't know anything about a shipthis size."
"I can handle it," said Tom. "Get Mrs. Hill aboard!"
"Here I am, Tommy," said Mrs. Hill, climbing up into the control deck."I have some bandages and salve for your wrists."
"There's no time, Mrs. Hill," said Tom. "We've got to--"
"Nonsense!" she interrupted firmly. "You just give me your hands. It'lltake only a minute!"
Tom reluctantly held out his wrists and Mrs. Hill expertly applied thesalve and bandaged the cadet's raw wrists. Admittedly feeling better,Tom turned to the master switch and found it missing. For a second panicseized him, until he remembered that Major Connel had hidden it. He feltunder the pilot's chair and breathed easier, pulling out the vitalinstrument.
"Better get into acceleration chairs," said Tom, strapping himself intohis seat. "This might be a rough take-off."
"Watch yourself, Tom," cautioned George. "We aren't afraid forourselves, but you've got to get to Venusport!"
"If he's left the power deck alone, everything will be O.K."
The young cadet stretched out a trembling hand and switched on theautomatic firing control. Then, crossing his fingers, he flipped on themain generator and breathed easier as the steady hum surged through theship. He thought briefly of Astro and Roger, wishing his two unit mateswere at their stations, and then switched on the power feed to theenergizing pumps. There was a second's wait as the pressure began tobuild, and he watched the indicator over his head on the control panelcarefully. When it had reached the proper level, he switched in thereactant feed, giving it full D-12 rate. He glanced at the astralchronometer over his head automatically and noted the time.
"Stand by!" he called. "Blast off minus five--four--three--two--one--_zero_!"
He threw the master switch and a roaring burst of power poured intothe main tubes. The ship bucked slightly, raised itself from theground slowly, and then suddenly shot upward. In less than a minutethe _Polaris_ had cleared atmosphere and Tom turned on theartificial-gravity generators. He made a quick computation on theplanetary calculator, fired the port steering rockets, and sent theship in a long arching course for Venusport. Then, unstrapping himself,he turned to see how Mr. and Mrs. Hill had taken the blast-off.
The foreman and his wife were shaking their heads, still in accelerationshock, and Tom helped them out of their cushions.
"Oh, my! Do you boys have to go through this all the time?" Mrs. Hillasked. "It's a wonder to me how a human body can take it."
"I feel pretty much the same way," muttered George.
"A cup of hot tea will fix you up fine," Tom reassured them, and leavingthe ship on automatic control, he went into the small galley off thecontrol deck and brewed three cups of tea. In a few moments the elderlycouple felt better, and Tom told them of the Nationalists' base andConnel's plan to wreck the radar station at noon the next day. Both Mr.and Mrs. Hill were shocked at the scope of the Nationalists' plan.
"Well, they bit off more than they could chew when they decided to buckthe Solar Guard," asserted Tom. "When Commander Walters gets finishedwith them, Sinclair and the rest won't have anything left but memories!"
"Tell me something, Tom," said George, looking at the control panelthoughtfully. "Have you figured out how you're going to land this shipalone and with no radar?"
"I'll have to use the seat of my pants." Tom smiled, and turned back tohis seat. George and his wife looked at each other and quickly strappedthemselves into their acceleration cushions.
A few moments later Tom began braking the ship with the nose rockets. Itmade a slow-climbing arc over the spaceport and then settled slowly,tailfirst. The stern teleceiver was out of order, and the young cadethad to rely entirely on "feel," to get the _Polaris_ in safely. He hadcalculated his rate of fall, the gravity of Venus, and the power of therockets, and was dropping at a predetermined rate. At the critical pointhe increased power on the drive rockets, continuing to fall slowly untilhe felt the jarring bump of the directional fins touching the ground.
"Touchdown!" he roared triumphantly.
He closed the master switch and turned to look at the smiling faces ofMr. and Mrs. Hill.
"That was fine, Tom," said George, "but I don't want to do it again."
"Don't be a scaredy cat, George Hill!" taunted Mrs. Hill. "Tom handlesthis ship as if he were born on it."
Tom grinned. "We'd better hurry up. There must be something going on.There aren't any lights on here at the spaceport and all theadministration buildings are dark."
He hurried to the air lock and swung it open, jumping lightly to theground.
"Halt!" growled a rough voice. "Get your hands in the air and stay rightwhere you are!"
Puzzled, Tom did as he was told, announcing, "I'm Space Cadet TomCorbett, _Polaris_ unit. I request immediate transportation to CommanderWalters. I have important information for him."
He was momentarily blinded by the glare of a ring of lights around him,and when he finally could see, he found himself in the middle of a squadof Solar Guardsmen in battle dress.
"What's the password?" asked a tough sergeant whose shock rifle wasaimed right at Tom's midsection.
"Juggernaut!" replied Tom quietly.
The word sent the sergeant into a frenzy of action. "Peters, Smith, getthe jet car around here!"
"What's up, Sergeant?" asked Tom. "Why is everything so dark?"
"Martial law!" replied the guardsman. "Curfew from ten until six."
"Whew!" gasped Tom. "It looks as if I just made it!"
As George and Mrs. Hill climbed out of the air lock, a jet car raced upand skidded to a stop in front of them. A moment later Tom and thecouple, accompanied by two of the guardsmen, were speeding through thedark and empty streets of Venusport. The car was stopped once at amid-town check point, and Tom had to repeat the password. They picked upanother jet car, full of guardsmen as escorts, and with the echo of theexhausts roaring in the empty avenues, they sped to central Solar Guardheadquarters.
Tom had never seen so many enlisted guardsmen in one spot before excepton a parade ground. And he noted with a tinge of excitement that eachman was in battle dress. Arriving at headquarters, they were whisked tothe top floor of the building and ushered into Commander Walters'office. The commander smiled broadly as the young cadet stepped to thefront of his desk and saluted smartly.
"Cadet Corbett reporting, sir," he said.
In a moment the office was filled with men; E. Philips James, the SolarDelegate, Captain Strong, fleet commanders, and officers of the line.
"Make your report, Cadet Corbett," said Walters.
Tom spoke quickly and precisely, giving full details on the location ofthe base, the approximate number of fighting ships, the armament ofeach, the location of supply dumps, and finally of Major Connel's planto sabotage the radar at noon the following day. Then, one by one, eachofficial asked him questions pertinen
t to their tasks. Fleet commandersasked about the ships' speed, size, armor; Strong inquired about thestores and supporting lines of supply; Walters asked for the names ofall people connected with the movement. All of these questions Tomanswered as well as he could.
"Well, gentlemen," said Walters, "thanks to Corbett and the others onthis mission, we have all the information we need to counter theNationalists. I propose to follow Major Connel's plan and attack thebase at noon tomorrow. Squadrons A and B will approach from the southand east at exactly noon. Squadrons C, D, and E will come in from thenorth and west as a second wave at 1202. The rest of the fleet will goin from above at 1205. Supporting squadrons are now on their way fromEarth and Mars. Blast off at six hundred hours. Spaceman's luck!"
"Good work, Tom," said Strong, when the conference broke up.
"Yes, sir," said Tom. "But I can't help worrying about Roger and Astroand Major Connel. What's going to happen to them, sir?"
Strong hesitated. "I don't know, Tom. I really don't know."