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"Three degrees on the starboard rockets, seventy-eight degrees on the up-plane of the ecliptic will put you at the corner of Luna Drive and Moonset Land in the heart of Luna City, spaceboy!" answered Roger. "Get that, Astro?" asked Tom on the intercom. "All set," replied Astro. "Attention all ships in Squadron A this is flagship code name Starlight am changing course. Stand by to form up on me!"
He had found him hiding near the radar tower, and they spent the night close to the communications building waiting for the time to strike. Their plan was simple. Astro would enter the building from the front, while Connel would enter from the rear.
One by one, they checked in to Tom on the control deck. "Power deck, ready to blast off!" reported Astro. "Radar bridge, all set. Clear trajectory forward and up," said Roger. "Energize the cooling pumps!" bawled Tom into the intercom. The great pumps began to wheeze under the strain of Astro's sudden switch to full load without the usual slow build-up.
So come on, we'll finish what we've got." Astro and Roger nodded in quiet agreement. They watched with dull eyes as Tom carefully opened the plastic container of water. He gave each a cup and slowly, cautiously, measured out the remaining water into three equal parts. He held the container up for a full minute allowing the last drop to run out before tossing the empty bottle to one side.
"We finished the study spools and left him in the office, sir," said Tom. "Then we went for a swim in the pool and had a bite to eat before hitting the sack. That's all." "Did anyone see you in the pool?" asked Vidac. "I doubt it, sir. We didn't notice anyone around," said Astro. "It was pretty late." "Did anyone see you at the mess hall when you went to get a bite?" pursued Vidac.
Secretly he was very happy that he had a crack unit like the Polaris to place in such a job. And the Capella unit had been entrusted with the same responsibility. It was under such tight conditions that Astro, watching the least busy of the three entrances and exits, saw Dave Barret walk to a nearby public teleceiver booth, and, with the door ajar, place a transspace call to Venusport.
He ran a dry tongue over his lips and called out the course. "Course is one forty-three " He caught himself and stared at the chart. Suppose Tom or Astro or anyone was near the ship? Even if he missed by several hundred yards, the bomb would certainly be fatal. If he only changed the course one degree, at a range of five hundred miles, it would miss the Polaris by several miles.
"Most of those men were supposed to be planters who know the jungle well. Isn't it possible that they might have their base well hidden and a small party, such as you suggest, could cover too little ground?" Connel turned to Astro. "Astro, do you know that section of the belt?" "Yes, sir," replied Astro. "I hunted all over that area when I was a boy."
Tom had been there many times with Astro and Roger, and knew of a small hotel where he could hide out until he could contact his unit mates. It was early evening when Tom registered at the hotel under the name of Joseph Cazippi, an engineer from Titan Colony.
Promising a return match soon, Roger, Tom, and Astro hurried to their lockers, showered, and dressed in their senior cadet uniforms of vivid blue, then raced to the nearest slidewalk to head toward the main group of buildings that made up Space Academy.
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