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On the Trail of the Space Pirates

<h2>CHAPTER 3</h2> "... 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 will find within it the tools, the inventions, and the scientific wonders which have made the era of the Solar Alliance one of peace and lasting prosperity." Captain Steve Strong paused, glanced at the huge crane and the shimmering steel capsule that dangled at the end of a cable, then called out, "Lower the capsule!" The cheers of a hundred thousand people massed in the exposition plaza greeted the order. The stereo camera and teleceiver scanners that were sending the opening ceremonies of the Solar Exposition to all parts of the Alliance moved in to focus on the capsule as it was lowered into a deep, concrete-lined pit. The three members of the Polaris unit, standing to one side of the platform, joined in the cheers as their skipper shook hands with the delegates and waved again and again at the roaring crowd. "That was some speech, Tom," commented Roger. "I wonder who wrote it for him?" "He wrote it himself, Roger," replied Tom. "Ah, go on," scoffed Roger. "Sure he did," said Astro indignantly. "He sweated over it for nearly a week." "Here he comes," said Tom. The three cadets watched Captain Strong, resplendent in his dress gold-and-black uniform, fight his way off the platform, 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 do that again. I was never so scared in my life!" "Just making a speech?" asked Roger. "After all the lectures you've given at Space Academy?" "They weren't before teleceiver and stereo cameras." Strong laughed. "Do you realize this ceremony is being seen on Mars, Earth, and all the colonized 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 the capsule." "Right, Tom," said Strong. "Inside that capsule scientists have packed the whole history of man's march through the stars. They've included scientific formulas, medical, cultural, and industrial facts. Everything we know. Even some things that are known by only a handful of the most trusted men in the universe!" Strong stopped suddenly and laughed. "There I go, making another speech! Come on. Let's get out of here," he cried. "Do we start showing people through the Polaris now, sir?" asked Astro. "In the morning, Astro," replied Strong. "Tonight there's a big Solar Alliance 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 course there'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, is that—" Strong held up his hand. "I understand perfectly. Suppose you stay here on the exposition grounds. Have a look around. See the sights, have some fun." "Yes, sir!" The boys chorused their reply. "Just don't spend all your credits at the first booth," continued Strong. "And watch that Venusian cloud candy. It's good, but murder on the Earthman's stomach." "Captain Strong!" A voice called from the platform above. It was one of the 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 ship later." Spinning quickly on his heel, he made his way back through the crowd to the platform. "What a great guy," sighed Tom. "Sure is," agreed Astro. "Well, fellas," announced Roger, "we've got twelve hours liberty and a small scale model of the whole solar system to have fun in! What're we waiting for?" Fighting their way through the crowds in the plaza, the three boys finally reached the amusement area where they wandered among gaily colored booths and plastic tents, their eyes lighting up with each new attraction. Two hours later, stuffed with spaceburgers and Martian water, their arms loaded with assorted prizes, won by Astro's prowess in the weight-lifting booth, Tom's skill as a marksman, and Roger's luck at the wheels of chance, the cadets wearily returned to the Polaris. As they neared their section of the fair site they heard a harsh voice appealing to a small crowd around the stand in front of Wallace and Simms' spaceship. A huge sign spelled out the attraction: RIDE IN SPACE—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 a lifetime, the greatest sensation of the entire exposition. Ride a rocket ship, and all this for one credit! A lone, single credit, ladies and gents, will buy you a pathway to the stars! Step right up—" In laughing groups, the crowd around the stand began to purchase tickets and 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 years ago!" Tom protested. "So what, Junior?" drawled Roger. "Scared?" "Don't be silly," replied Tom. "But with all the other things to do here, 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 into the ship. "Oh, so that's it, huh?" he said, looking quizzically at his unit-mate. <hr style="width: 45%;" /> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus042.jpg" alt=""/></div> <h3>Tom saw three pretty girls board the ship</h3> <hr style="width: 45%;" /> 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 to the crowd. "Just five more seats left, ladies and gentlemen, only five chances to blast into space ..." Tom stepped up and put three credits on the counter. "Three, please," he said. Simms looked down and suddenly stopped his harangue. His eyes narrowed with 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 the crowd. "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!" And then continued aloud, "Yes, Space Cadet, I agree with you. Everyone should take a trip into space." Tom started to protest, but then shrugged his shoulders and followed Roger and Astro into the ship. On the stand, Simms continued his appeal to the crowd. "Just two more tickets left, ladies and gentlemen! Who'll be the lucky two?" Suddenly Gus Wallace appeared from behind the ship and approached the stand, 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 we blast off, you idiot! You want to risk everything for two lousy credits?" "O.K., O.K. Don't blow a fuse!" Simms quickly closed the stand, turned out the lighted sign, and followed Wallace into the old freighter. He then collected the tickets and made sure all the passengers were strapped into their acceleration chairs and finally went below to the power deck. Wallace disappeared into the control room and seconds later his voice was heard over the ship's intercom gruffly announcing the blast-off. The lights in the cabin dimmed, the air was filled with a low whining hiss, and for an instant the old ship bucked and groaned. Suddenly, with a loud explosive roar, she blasted into the sky and began a sluggish arching climb into space. "All right, fellas," said Roger, after the force of acceleration eased off, "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 Manning technique in action." A loud explosion suddenly rocked the spaceship. "What was that?" cried Roger. "Maybe this old tub won't make it after all!" Astro smiled. "This is a chemical burner, remember? Her initial acceleration isn't enough. They have to keep blasting her to make speed." "Oh, sure," drawled Roger, relaxing again and watching the girls ahead. "Well, here I go!" He got up and lurched down the aisle running between the seats. "Hey there!" roared Simms, who had suddenly appeared at the power-deck hatch. "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," he grumbled 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 sociable type, anyway." "Wouldn't you know," moaned Roger, "that space creep had to show up just when I had the whole campaign laid out in my mind." He gazed sadly at the pert heads of the girls in front of him. Tom gave Astro a wink. "Poor Manning. All set to go hyperdrive and ran into space junk before he cleared atmosphere." Suddenly another explosion racked the ship and the rockets cut out all together. The passengers began to look around nervously. "By the craters of Luna, what was that?" demanded Tom, looking at Astro. "The rockets have cut out," answered the Venusian. "Hope we're out in free fall, beyond the pull of Venus' gravity." The forward hatch of the passenger cabin opened and Simms reappeared followed 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 back and enjoy the view!" A chorus of sighs filled the cabin and the passengers began laughing and chatting again, pointing out various sights on the planet below them. Smiling, Wallace and Simms marched down the aisle. Suddenly Roger and Tom 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 lot of nerve coming aboard this ship." "If there's something wrong, Wallace," said Tom, "maybe we could give you a hand." "Get back in your seats," ordered Wallace. "We don't need any cadet squirts getting in our way!" "Why, you overweight space jockey," snapped Roger, "we know more about spaceships than you'll ever learn!" "One more crack out of you and I'll blast your ears off!" roared Wallace. "Now sit down!" Roger's face turned a deep red and he moved toward Wallace, but Tom put out 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-mouthed punk quiet, or I'll wipe up the deck with him and send the pieces back to Space Academy!" "Hey, Wallace," yelled Simms, who had walked away when the argument started. "Come on. We gotta fix that reactor unit!" "Yeah—yeah," Wallace called back. He turned to Roger again. "Just remember what I said, cadet!" Brushing the boys aside, he strode down the aisle to join Simms. As the two men disappeared through the power-deck hatch, Tom turned to Roger and tried to calm him down. "Skippers are skippers, Roger, even aboard a piece of space junk!" "Yeah," growled Roger, "but I don't like to be called a squirt or a punk! 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 unit aboard?" "Might be a booster for extra speed," offered Tom. "And more power." "On a simple hop like this? Hardly out of the atmosphere?" Astro shook his head. "No, Tom. It doesn't make sense." "Well," chimed in Roger, "here's something else I've been wondering about. They charge one credit for this ride. Which makes a total of about fifty credits for a capacity load—" "I get you," Tom interrupted. "It costs at least two hundred credits in fuel alone to get one of these chemical jalopies off the ground!" Roger looked at Tom solemnly. "You know, Tom, I'd certainly like to know what 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 what they're doing." Tom walked quickly to the stern of the ship, entered the power-deck hatch, and disappeared. Astro and Roger, each taking one side of the ship, strained for a look from the viewports. In a few minutes Tom returned. "Spot anything?" asked Roger. "I'm not so sure," answered Tom. "They weren't on the power deck and the cargo hatch was locked. I looked out the stern viewport, but all I could see was a thick black cloud." "Well, that's no help," said Roger. Suddenly the blond cadet snapped his fingers. "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 a phony to cover up their smuggling. It lets them take a load of stuff up without 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 than in space?" "For someone else to pick up later!" added Roger triumphantly. When Wallace and Simms returned, the three cadets were busy looking out the viewports. And later, when the spaceship was letting down over the exposition grounds, Tom commented on the ease with which the ship made her 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's maneuvering!" "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 our eyes open and find out what it is!" <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/p048.jpg" alt=""/></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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