<h2><SPAN name="CHAPTER_9" id="CHAPTER_9"></SPAN>CHAPTER 9</h2>
<p>"Attention! Attention! This is a general alert!" Tom Corbett's voice was
hollow as he spoke over a solar-wide audiocast. "Wanted! Space Cadet
Roger Manning. Five feet, eleven inches tall, one hundred sixty-five
pounds. Blue eyes. Blond hair. Last seen wearing dress blues. Cadet
Manning broke confinement to quarters on Venus space station and is
believed to be heading back to Earth. He is wanted in connection with
the crash of the space freighter <i>Annie Jones</i> and the death of two
spacemen. All information regarding the whereabouts of Manning should be
forwarded to Captain Isaiah M. Patrick, Senior Security Officer, Solar
Guard, Space Academy, Earth. This alert is to be transmitted to all
local authorities."</p>
<p>Tom snapped the switch off and silently watched the glowing audio tubes
darken. He turned to one side and saw Astro. The big Venusian was seated
on a desk, slumped over, his head held in his massive hands.</p>
<p>"You know," said Astro slowly, "I could take that guy Manning and break
him in two for running out!"</p>
<p>Tom didn't answer. When they had discovered that<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</SPAN></span> Roger was missing it
had been a terrific blow. Unaware that Roger, in his confused state of
mind, had been an easy victim to Loring and Mason's trickery and had
innocently walked into their trap, the two cadets felt that his escape
was a breach of trust. Roger had given his spaceman's word that he would
confine himself to his quarters. Roger had broken that trust, and now
the fact was being flashed around the entire solar system; Roger Manning
was an escaped criminal!</p>
<p>"There's nothing we can do now," said Tom. "The whole universe knows it.
He's finished! Washed up! The only thing that could save him now would
be absolute clearance by the investigation. But since he's run out, I
guess it must be the other way around. He was afraid he was going to get
caught." Tom's voice was cold and bitter. "And we can't blame anyone
but—"</p>
<p>"<i>But Manning!</i>" barked a voice behind them. Astro jumped up and snapped
to attention. Tom turned to see Major Connel stride into the room. It
was at Connel's insistence that Tom had been ordered to broadcast the
alert for Roger.</p>
<p>"That's the last time I ever want to hear any sympathy for a man who
broke his word!" snarled Connel.</p>
<p>"I have something I'd like to say to the major," said Astro in a
deliberate voice, "as man to man!"</p>
<p>Even at attention, Tom jerked his head involuntarily to look at Astro.
Connel's eyes narrowed. "Here it comes," he thought. "Well, I've handled
rebellion of this sort before." He stepped close to Astro. So close in
fact that the black and gold of his uniform brushed the massive chest of
the cadet from Venus.</p>
<p>"You have permission to speak, man to man!" snapped Connel.</p>
<p>Astro paused for a moment. Then he relaxed and brought his eyes down to
the level of the major.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"I am a human being, sir," said Astro in the deepest voice Tom had ever
heard. It was strong and full of emotion, yet controlled. "And as long
as I am a human being, I shall consider Roger Manning one of the finest
men I'll ever know."</p>
<p>"Are you finished?" snapped Connel.</p>
<p>"No, sir, I'm not," said Astro. "I speak in defense of the man, the
<i>spaceman</i>, not the uniform, or the trust he betrayed. And I
respectfully request of the major that if his feelings for Cadet Manning
are so violent that he finds it difficult to control them, that he make
a special effort to control them"—Astro paused and stuck out his
chin—"in my presence!"</p>
<p>Connel stepped back. "And if I don't?" he shouted.</p>
<p>"Then I shall ask for a transfer from your command, sir, and if that is
not granted, then I shall resign from the Academy."</p>
<p>"And?" asked Connel.</p>
<p>"And, sir—" Astro stumbled.</p>
<p>"<i>And what</i>, Cadet Astro?" roared Connel.</p>
<p>"I have nothing more to say, sir," said Astro.</p>
<p>Tom, who had at first had to control an impulse to laugh at the strange
seriousness of Astro's manner and tone, now found it equally difficult
to hold back the tears that were welling up in his eyes.</p>
<p>Connel was not going to let the incident stand there. He had secretly
hoped that such a situation would present itself, because he wanted to
see what material the <i>Polaris</i> unit was made of. And he was secretly
satisfied. Any cadet who would offer to resign from the Academy in
defense of his unit-mate was a true spaceman. Connel wasn't going to
allow Astro or Tom to resign over some foolish trick of Roger's, but, at
the same time, he couldn't allow them to take too many liberties with
discipline. Connel turned to Tom.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"I suppose you feel the same way, Corbett?" he asked.</p>
<p>"I do, sir," said Tom.</p>
<p>"Of course you know I could make your lives miserable now," he
threatened.</p>
<p>"We are aware of that, sir," said Tom quietly.</p>
<p>"Very well, Cadets Corbett and Astro. I shall comply with your request.
Not because of your request but out of respect for your feelings as
spacemen. I wouldn't have thought much of you if you hadn't come out in
defense of Manning. And just for your own sake, Astro," said Connel,
stepping back in front of the big cadet, "never ask to talk to a Solar
Guard officer man to man again. As long as you're still a member of the
Cadet Corps such disrespect will not be tolerated. Another man, who
might not have understood your feelings, could have used your desire for
fair play as a means of trapping you into one of the worst offenses in
the Spaceman's Code—striking a Solar Guard officer!"</p>
<p>"Yes, sir," mumbled Astro. "Thank you, sir."</p>
<p>"Report aboard the <i>Polaris</i>"—Connel glanced at his watch—"in fifteen
minutes. I'm going to put you through your paces on hyperdrive and the
operation of the transmitter."</p>
<p>"Then we're still going to make the trip to Tara, sir?" asked Tom.</p>
<p>"We certainly are, Corbett," replied Connel. "In two hours another cadet
is arriving from the Academy to replace Roger. His name's Alfie Higgins.
Perhaps you know him."</p>
<p>Tom smiled. "Yes, sir, we know him," he replied. "Cadet Higgins is a
friend of mine. He carries the nickname of 'The Brain.' Has the highest
I.Q. in the Academy."</p>
<p>"Good. I'm glad you know him, because this is going<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</SPAN></span> to be a rough trip.
We got off to a bad start, but it's all over now. So forget it. And
before I go, I want you to know this. In my personal opinion, Manning
had nothing to do with the crash. I think the whole trouble was caused
on the ship. I have nothing to back up my opinion, except my feelings.
But feelings can go a long way in making a man innocent until proved
guilty. Unit dis-missed!"<br/><br/></p>
<p>Alfie Higgins listened attentively to the story of the crash and Roger's
disappearance as Tom, and then Astro, described the situation in detail.</p>
<p>"It is a pity, of course, but Manning was always the impulsive type. Not
very definite in his attitude and emotionally unstable," commented Alfie
when the story was finished.</p>
<p>"Lay off that talk, you overstuffed brain!" growled Astro. "In this
outfit, Roger is just away on vacation!"</p>
<p>"Yes—yes, of course!" said Alfie quickly. It wasn't wise to get off on
the wrong foot in a new unit, especially when one was trying to fill the
shoes of a cadet, who, Alfie had to admit, had everything. Alfie
Higgins' mother didn't raise any stupid children, he said to himself. He
was too happy being a member of the <i>Polaris</i> unit, the hottest crew at
the Academy, to allow anything to interfere with his success.</p>
<p>"I've heard a great deal about hyperdrive," he said quickly, changing
the subject. "I would appreciate it if you could describe the basis of
this new feature in space travel so that I may have at least a surface
familiarity with its operation and application."</p>
<p>Astro gulped and looked at Tom. "Might as well get used to that kind of
chatter, Astro," said Tom, smiling. "Alfie can't talk any other way."</p>
<p>"Is there something wrong with the way I speak?"<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</SPAN></span> asked Alfie, wrinkling
up his nose a little to see through the thick lenses of his glasses.</p>
<p>"You wanta know about hyperdrive?" growled Astro.</p>
<p>"To be sure, if you'd be so kind," said Alfie.</p>
<p>"Well, if you'll close your trap long enough, I'll tell you about it!"</p>
<p>Alfie sat back and waited, hands clasped around one knee.</p>
<p>"In the first place," began Astro, "hyperdrive was developed by Joan
Dale back at the Academy. And it's so blasted simple, I get mad at
myself for not thinking of it first!"</p>
<p>"Uhhh," snorted Alfie. "I respect your great talent on the power deck,
Astro, but I would hardly compare myself with Dale!"</p>
<p>"Shut up!" barked Astro. "You'll see how simple it is! Hyperdrive is
based on the idea that the thrust of the rockets acts in the exact same
way on <i>all</i> the atoms inside the spaceship. So you can have as much
thrust as you want and no one will feel a thing. Even if the ship were
to accelerate a million times faster than the gravity of the Earth you
wouldn't feel a thing, because all the atoms inside would be pushed
along at the same time!" Astro sat back triumphantly.</p>
<p>"Ummmmh," commented Alfie. "That sounds all right as a principle, but
will it work out in space?"</p>
<p>"Listen, you—you—" snorted Astro.</p>
<p>"Sure it will, Alfie," said Tom. "It's been tested before."</p>
<p>"Still room for improvement, though," commented Alfie.</p>
<p>"I'll improve your head," barked Astro, "if you don't close that big
mouth! How do you like that, Tom? We get rid of one space-gassing Romeo
and now we get one even worse!"<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>Astro's reference to Roger made Tom draw a quick breath. In the short
while since Alfie's arrival and the week since Roger's disappearance
there hadn't been time to forget their old unit-mate and get accustomed
to a new personality. Astro sensed Tom's feelings and irritably banged
one hamlike fist into the other. Alfie was O.K., thought the big
Venusian, but by the craters of Luna, he wasn't Roger.</p>
<p>"Attention—attention!" The intercom crackled into life. "<i>Polaris</i>
unit—by order of Major Connel—stand by to blast off immediately. This
is first warning! Pack your gear and stand by to blast off immediately."</p>
<p>Tom, Astro, and Alfie got up, and with the image of Roger fresh in their
minds, made their way to the landing-port deck where the great gleaming
spaceship was slung on magnetic cradles. They were met at the hatch by
Major Connel.</p>
<p>"All right," he said, "we leave all thoughts of Manning right here on
the station. I know it's tough, but we've got a still tougher job to do.
This is to be a scientific expedition and we'll need every ounce of
energy and intelligence we have—<i>collectively</i>—to make a success of
this mission. Cadet Corbett!"</p>
<p>"Yes, sir," replied Tom.</p>
<p>"Stand by to blast off in five minutes!"</p>
<hr style="width: 65%;" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_92" id="Page_92"></SPAN></span></p>
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