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He knew where his unit mates were, but up ahead, in the gleaming Tower of Galileo, was his second target, Captain Strong. His skipper had to listen to him, had to be sympathetic and help him catch the saboteur. It was the only way Tom could clear his own name and free Roger and Astro. "Scott!" "Here!" bellowed a grizzled spaceman in reply to Major Connel's call. "Augutino!" "Here!" "Jones!
The needles of all the gauges and meters were dancing back and forth as though they were being flicked with invisible fingers. Tom grabbed the intercom and shouted wildly. "Astro! Emergency space speed! We've got to get out of here!" Tom whirled around to face Vidac and Hardy. "You'd better call Professor Sykes up here, right away," he declared. "Why? What's the matter?" stuttered Hardy.
"Well," said Tom, when they had reached the safety of their quarters, "I guess that just about does it." "Yeah. We played our last card," grumbled Roger. "Either Hardy is the smoothest crook in the world, or Vidac really has him space happy." "I wouldn't bet that it isn't a little bit of both," commented Astro. The hatch suddenly opened and the cadets spun around nervously.
He turned smartly and followed the last of Lieutenant Saminsky's cadets out of the room. Tom looked around. The room was nearly empty now. He looked over at Astro and saw his big friend slumped moodily over against his desk. Then, suddenly, he noticed Roger Manning. The arrogant cadet was not smiling any longer. He was staring straight ahead. Before him on the desk, Tom could see a green slip.
Before Tom could acknowledge the introduction, Roger stepped in front of him and sat on the edge of the desk. Looking into her eyes, he announced, "Tell you what, Astro, you and Tom go hunting. I've found all I could ever want to find right here. Tell me, my little space pet, are you engaged for dinner tonight?" Agnes looked back into his eyes innocently. "As a matter of fact I am."
"How about the time we went out to Tara and snatched that hot copper asteroid out of Alpha Centauri's mouth? You said the time on that reactor blast should be set at " "Is that so?" snapped Roger. "Listen, you big overgrown hunk of Venusian space gas " Roger got no further. Astro grabbed him by the shirt front, held him at arm's length, and began tickling him in the ribs.
But he missed, leaving Astro unprotected against the three members of the Arcturus unit. With his defense gone, Astro kicked at the ball frantically but just grazed the side of it.
After leaving the jet car and climbing into the desolate hills surrounding Roald City, Tom, Roger, and Astro watched from the safety of a ridge the quick search Vidac and Winters had made to find them.
"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."
When Commander Walters' face appeared on the teleceiver screen, Connel reported the incident of the cab driver and the news that Tom, Roger, and Astro had seen the three men who had taken the priorities on the Venus Lark. "Just a minute," said Walters. "I'll have a recorder take down the descriptions." Connel motioned to Tom, who stepped before the screen.
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