On the Trail of the Space Pirates Read online

  CHAPTER 3

  "... And so we dedicate this capsule to the civilizations of the future.Those who may dig this cylinder out of the ground in ages to come willfind within it the tools, the inventions, and the scientific wonderswhich have made the era of the Solar Alliance one of peace and lastingprosperity."

  Captain Steve Strong paused, glanced at the huge crane and theshimmering steel capsule that dangled at the end of a cable, then calledout, "Lower the capsule!"

  The cheers of a hundred thousand people massed in the exposition plazagreeted the order. The stereo camera and teleceiver scanners that weresending the opening ceremonies of the Solar Exposition to all parts ofthe Alliance moved in to focus on the capsule as it was lowered into adeep, concrete-lined pit.

  The three members of the _Polaris_ unit, standing to one side of theplatform, joined in the cheers as their skipper shook hands with thedelegates and waved again and again at the roaring crowd.

  "That was some speech, Tom," commented Roger. "I wonder who wrote it forhim?"

  "He wrote it himself, Roger," replied Tom.

  "Ah, go on," scoffed Roger.

  "Sure he did," said Astro indignantly. "He sweated over it for nearly aweek."

  "Here he comes," said Tom. The three cadets watched Captain Strong,resplendent in his dress gold-and-black uniform, fight his way off theplatform, shaking hands with congratulating strangers along the way.

  "Congratulations, Captain Strong," said Tom with a smile.

  "That was swell!" Roger and Astro chorused their agreement.

  "Thanks, boys," gasped Strong. "But let me tell you, I never want to dothat again. I was never so scared in my life!"

  "Just making a speech?" asked Roger. "After all the lectures you'vegiven at Space Academy?"

  "They weren't before teleceiver and stereo cameras." Strong laughed. "Doyou realize this ceremony is being seen on Mars, Earth, and all thecolonized moons, clear out to Titan."

  "Wow!" breathed Astro. "That would make me tongue-tied!"

  "Huh! All that to stick a metal box into the ground," snorted Roger.

  "It's not the capsule, Roger," said Tom. "It's what's inside thecapsule."

  "Right, Tom," said Strong. "Inside that capsule scientists have packedthe whole history of man's march through the stars. They've includedscientific formulas, medical, cultural, and industrial facts. Everythingwe know. Even some things that are known by only a handful of the mosttrusted men in the universe!" Strong stopped suddenly and laughed."There I go, making another speech! Come on. Let's get out of here," hecried.

  "Do we start showing people through the _Polaris_ now, sir?" askedAstro.

  "In the morning, Astro," replied Strong. "Tonight there's a big SolarAlliance banquet. You three are invited, too."

  "Er--" stammered Roger, "you mean--a banquet--with--uh--?"

  Strong laughed. "More speeches? I'm afraid so, Manning. Of coursethere'll be plenty of food."

  "Well, it's not that we're against speeches," ventured Astro.

  "Not yours anyway, sir," added Tom hastily. "But what we mean, sir, isthat--"

  Strong held up his hand. "I understand perfectly. Suppose you stay hereon the exposition grounds. Have a look around. See the sights, have somefun."

  _"Yes, sir!"_ The boys chorused their reply.

  "Just don't spend all your credits at the first booth," continuedStrong. "And watch that Venusian cloud candy. It's good, but murder onthe Earthman's stomach."

  "Captain Strong!" A voice called from the platform above. It was one ofthe Venusian delegates. "They want some pictures of you!"

  "Be right there, sir," replied Strong. He turned to the boys and smiled."You're lucky you don't have to go through this. See you aboard shiplater." Spinning quickly on his heel, he made his way back through thecrowd to the platform.

  "What a great guy," sighed Tom.

  "Sure is," agreed Astro.

  "Well, fellas," announced Roger, "we've got twelve hours liberty and asmall scale model of the whole solar system to have fun in! What're wewaiting for?"

  Fighting their way through the crowds in the plaza, the three boysfinally reached the amusement area where they wandered among gailycolored booths and plastic tents, their eyes lighting up with each newattraction.

  Two hours later, stuffed with spaceburgers and Martian water, their armsloaded with assorted prizes, won by Astro's prowess in theweight-lifting booth, Tom's skill as a marksman, and Roger's luck at thewheels of chance, the cadets wearily returned to the Polaris.

  As they neared their section of the fair site they heard a harsh voiceappealing to a small crowd around the stand in front of Wallace andSimms' spaceship. A huge sign spelled out the attraction: RIDE INSPACE--ONE CREDIT.

  Luther Simms, a bamboo cane in one hand, a roll of tickets in another,was hawking his attraction to the bystanders.

  "Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Step right up! It's a thrill of alifetime, the greatest sensation of the entire exposition. Ride a rocketship, and all this for one credit! A lone, single credit, ladies andgents, will buy you a pathway to the stars! Step right up--"

  In laughing groups, the crowd around the stand began to purchase ticketsand climb aboard the old freighter.

  The three cadets watched from the outer edge of the crowd.

  "Hey, fellas," said Roger suddenly, "whaddya say we go?"

  "What?" gulped Astro. "On that thing?"

  "Why not?" urged Roger.

  "But that hulk should have been shipped back to the scrap furnace yearsago!" Tom protested.

  "So what, Junior?" drawled Roger. "Scared?"

  "Don't be silly," replied Tom. "But with all the other things to dohere, why should we--"

  "Oh," said Astro, nudging Tom, "now I get it!"

  "You get what?" asked Roger innocently.

  "Those girls," said Astro. "They're just climbing aboard."

  Glancing at the air lock, Tom saw three young and pretty girls file intothe ship. "Oh, so that's it, huh?" he said, looking quizzically at hisunit-mate.

  _Tom saw three pretty girls board the ship_]

  The blond cadet's eyes were wide with mock surprise.

  "Girls? Well, what do you know about that? I never noticed!"

  "Yeah, I'll bet you didn't!" said Tom.

  "Well, they _are_ trim little space dolls. And there are three of them!"

  "Come on, Astro," sighed Tom. "We have to give the little boy his fun."

  They walked toward the stand where Simms was still making his pitch tothe crowd.

  "Just five more seats left, ladies and gentlemen, only five chances toblast into space ..."

  Tom stepped up and put three credits on the counter. "Three, please," hesaid.

  Simms looked down and suddenly stopped his harangue. His eyes narrowedwith suspicion as he saw the three cadets standing before him.Hesitating, he glanced around, seemingly looking for help. Then,shrugging his shoulders, he handed over the tickets and turned to thecrowd. "Three tickets for the Space Cadets, who live out there in space.Just can't stay away from it, eh, boys?"

  "I only hope that tub of yours holds together," said Tom.

  Simms snarled out of the side of his mouth, "Shut up, wise guy!" Andthen continued aloud, "Yes, Space Cadet, I agree with you. Everyoneshould take a trip into space."

  Tom started to protest, but then shrugged his shoulders and followedRoger and Astro into the ship. On the stand, Simms continued his appealto the crowd.

  "Just two more tickets left, ladies and gentlemen! Who'll be the luckytwo?"

  Suddenly Gus Wallace appeared from behind the ship and approached thestand, calling, "Hey, Simms!"

  Simms stopped speaking and turned to his partner. "Yeah?"

  "Everything's all set. Let's blast off!"

  "I'll be with you as soon as I sell the last two tickets," said Simms."Here you are, ladies and gents, the last two--"

  Wallace grabbed him by the arm and yanked him from the stand. "I said weblast off, you idiot! You want to risk
everything for two lousycredits?"

  "O.K., O.K. Don't blow a fuse!"

  Simms quickly closed the stand, turned out the lighted sign, andfollowed Wallace into the old freighter. He then collected the ticketsand made sure all the passengers were strapped into their accelerationchairs and finally went below to the power deck. Wallace disappearedinto the control room and seconds later his voice was heard over theship's intercom gruffly announcing the blast-off. The lights in thecabin dimmed, the air was filled with a low whining hiss, and for aninstant the old ship bucked and groaned. Suddenly, with a loud explosiveroar, she blasted into the sky and began a sluggish arching climb intospace.

  "All right, fellas," said Roger, after the force of acceleration easedoff, "let's try a little encircling maneuver on those girls up ahead."

  "Oh, no, Roger," answered Tom. "You're flying solo on that project!"

  "Yeah, you go ahead, Romeo." Astro laughed. "I'd like to see the Manningtechnique in action."

  A loud explosion suddenly rocked the spaceship.

  "What was that?" cried Roger. "Maybe this old tub won't make it afterall!"

  Astro smiled. "This is a chemical burner, remember? Her initialacceleration isn't enough. They have to keep blasting her to makespeed."

  "Oh, sure," drawled Roger, relaxing again and watching the girls ahead."Well, here I go!" He got up and lurched down the aisle running betweenthe seats.

  "Hey there!" roared Simms, who had suddenly appeared at the power-deckhatch. "Keep your seat!"

  "Who, me?" asked Roger.

  "Not your Aunt Tilly, wise guy! Sit down and shut up!"

  "Listen," said Roger, "you don't seem to realize--"

  "I realize you're going to sit down or else!" snarled Simms.

  Roger retreated to his seat and sat down. "Ah, go blast your jets," hegrumbled as Simms continued up the aisle to the control deck.

  Tom and Astro doubled over with laughter. "Welcome back, Roger,"bellowed the big Venusian. "I don't think those girls are the sociabletype, anyway."

  "Wouldn't you know," moaned Roger, "that space creep had to show up justwhen I had the whole campaign laid out in my mind." He gazed sadly atthe pert heads of the girls in front of him.

  Tom gave Astro a wink. "Poor Manning. All set to go hyperdrive and raninto space junk before he cleared atmosphere."

  Suddenly another explosion racked the ship and the rockets cut out alltogether. The passengers began to look around nervously.

  "By the craters of Luna, what was _that_?" demanded Tom, looking atAstro.

  "The rockets have cut out," answered the Venusian. "Hope we're out infree fall, beyond the pull of Venus' gravity."

  The forward hatch of the passenger cabin opened and Simms reappearedfollowed by Wallace.

  "Take it easy, folks," said Wallace, "nothing to get excited about.We're in free fall, holding a course around the planet. So just sit backand enjoy the view!"

  A chorus of sighs filled the cabin and the passengers began laughing andchatting again, pointing out various sights on the planet below them.Smiling, Wallace and Simms marched down the aisle. Suddenly Roger andTom rose and blocked their path.

  "What's up, Wallace?" demanded Tom.

  Wallace gave the two boys a hard look. "So it's you, huh? You got a lotof nerve coming aboard this ship."

  "If there's something wrong, Wallace," said Tom, "maybe we could giveyou a hand."

  "Get back in your seats," ordered Wallace. "We don't need any cadetsquirts getting in our way!"

  "Why, you overweight space jockey," snapped Roger, "we know more aboutspaceships than you'll ever learn!"

  "One more crack out of you and I'll blast your ears off!" roaredWallace. _"Now sit down!"_

  Roger's face turned a deep red and he moved toward Wallace, but Tom putout a restraining hand.

  "Take it easy, Roger," he said. "Wallace is the skipper of this boiler.In space he's the boss."

  "You bet I'm the boss," snarled Wallace. "Now keep that loud-mouthedpunk quiet, or I'll wipe up the deck with him and send the pieces backto Space Academy!"

  "Hey, Wallace," yelled Simms, who had walked away when the argumentstarted. "Come on. We gotta fix that reactor unit!"

  "Yeah--yeah," Wallace called back. He turned to Roger again. "Justremember what I said, cadet!" Brushing the boys aside, he strode downthe aisle to join Simms.

  As the two men disappeared through the power-deck hatch, Tom turned toRoger and tried to calm him down. "Skippers are skippers, Roger, evenaboard a piece of space junk!"

  "Yeah," growled Roger, "but I don't like to be called a squirt or apunk! Why, I know more about reactor units than--"

  "Reactor units?" broke in Astro from his seat.

  "Yeah. Didn't you hear what Simms said?"

  "But this is a chemical burner," said Astro. "Why an atomic reactor unitaboard?"

  "Might be a booster for extra speed," offered Tom. "And more power."

  "On a simple hop like this? Hardly out of the atmosphere?" Astro shookhis head. "No, Tom. It doesn't make sense."

  "Well," chimed in Roger, "here's something else I've been wonderingabout. They charge one credit for this ride. Which makes a total ofabout fifty credits for a capacity load--"

  "I get you," Tom interrupted. "It costs at least two hundred credits infuel alone to get one of these chemical jalopies off the ground!"

  Roger looked at Tom solemnly. "You know, Tom, I'd certainly like to knowwhat those guys are doing. You just don't hand out free rides in space."

  "How about snooping around?" asked Astro.

  Tom thought a moment. "O.K. You two stay here. I'll go aft and see whatthey're doing."

  Tom walked quickly to the stern of the ship, entered the power-deckhatch, and disappeared. Astro and Roger, each taking one side of theship, strained for a look from the viewports. In a few minutes Tomreturned.

  "Spot anything?" asked Roger.

  "I'm not so sure," answered Tom. "They weren't on the power deck and thecargo hatch was locked. I looked out the stern viewport, but all I couldsee was a thick black cloud."

  "Well, that's no help," said Roger. Suddenly the blond cadet snapped hisfingers. "Tom, I'll bet they're smugglers!"

  "What?" asked Tom.

  "That's it," said Roger. "I'll bet that's it. The concession is just aphony to cover up their smuggling. It lets them take a load of stuff upwithout a custom's search. Then, when they're far enough out--"

  "They dump it," supplied Astro.

  "Right!" agreed Tom finally. "What better place to hide something thanin space?"

  "For someone else to pick up later!" added Roger triumphantly.

  When Wallace and Simms returned, the three cadets were busy looking outthe viewports. And later, when the spaceship was letting down over theexposition grounds, Tom commented on the ease with which the ship madeher approach for a touchdown.

  "Roger," asked Tom quietly, "notice how she's handling now?"

  "How do you mean?" asked Roger.

  "Going out," said Tom, "she wallowed like an old tub filled with junk.Now, while she's no feather, there's a big difference in the way she'smaneuvering!"

  "Then they did dump something in space!" said Roger.

  "I'm sure of it!" said Tom. "And from now on, we're going to keep oureyes open and find out what it is!"