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If you will adjust course fifteen degrees to port, we'll be in proper position for the test!" "Right," nodded Connel. "Stand by below, Barret." "On my way," replied Barret, disappearing through the hatch. "Well, Professor," said Connel, walking to the controls, "this is the big moment!" "Yes," nodded Hemmingwell.
"Keep your eyes nailed to that scanner!" Connel bellowed. "Sing out if Devers changes course by so much as a hair!" "Aye, aye, sir!" "Astro!" "Sir?" "Put space suits on Professor Hemmingwell and Barret and stand by with them on the control deck." "Aye, aye, sir!" "Corbett, you and I will check the projectiles. Make sure they're in firing order!" Spinning on his heel, Connel left the radar bridge.
Holding the microphone close to the young engineer's mouth, Connel said, "Tell us everything you know of this incident." Barret spoke slowly and carefully, describing how he and Professor Hemmingwell had been at the other end of the hangar when the explosion had occurred.
"Commander," Connel suddenly announced, "I'm going ahead with my trip to Mars to inspect the testing receivers. I don't think this incident is serious enough for me to delay leaving, and if Professor Hemmingwell and his men can get this unit back in operation in twelve hours, then there's very little time lost and we can go ahead with the tests on schedule." "All right, Lou," said Walters.
Troy took a look at the blasters leveled at him and silently walked between them to the hangar door. Barret and Professor Hemmingwell remained at the workbench, following the trio with their eyes. Later, after Troy had been safely locked in the Academy brig, Firehouse Tim Rush sat at his desk in the small security shack taking down the two cadets' reports.
"No," Hemmingwell spoke up from his daze. "I want to stay with my ship." "Hey!" Roger cried over the intercom. "We're getting company!" "Company?" exclaimed Tom. "What're you talking about?" "A Solar Guard cruiser," replied Roger. "Coming up to port. About five hundred miles away. Hey! It's the Polaris!" "It must be Captain Strong!" shouted Tom. "He won't do us much good now," muttered Connel.
After a long period of silence, while Strong, Walters, and Connel watched them pawing through the tangle of wires and broken connections, Hemmingwell stood up. "It can be replaced in twelve hours," he announced. "I believe that whoever did this either didn't know what he was doing, or it was an accident." "Explain that, will you, Professor?" asked Strong. "I don't understand."
"Get every man that has been in this hangar during the last twenty-four hours and have him brought under guard to the laboratory for psychographs." Commander Walters' face was grim as he snapped out the order. Professor Hemmingwell and Barret got down on their hands and knees and examined the wrecked firing device carefully.
"Double wages and a bonus!" Silence. "All right! Beat it!" he growled. "Don't ever show your faces around here again!" Connel turned to Professor Hemmingwell. "I'll see if I can't muster a crew from the ranks of the Solar Guard," he said. "Major," said the professor, his face worn and haggard from the long ordeal of completing the project, "I wouldn't want men ordered to man this vessel."
A trial conducted by the cadets themselves to see whether or not the accused should be kicked out of the Academy." "Kicked out?" exclaimed the professor. "You certainly do believe in discipline." "These boys are to be Solar Guardsmen," replied Connel shortly. "If they can't obey orders now, they never will." "Well, it's all very unimportant really, Major," Hemmingwell said with a shrug.
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