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But you'd let Manning get away with murder because you wouldn't want to be the one to get him into trouble." "No, I wouldn't," said Tom. "I think Roger would make a fine spaceman; he's certainly smart enough, and a good unit-mate if he'd only snap out of it. But I can't let him or anyone else stop me from becoming a spaceman or a member of the Solar Guard." "Then you'll go see Captain Strong?"
"In every direction except the goal!" "I was never clear," defended Roger. "I didn't want to lose possession of the ball!" "You sure didn't," said Tom. "You acted as if it was your best friend and you never wanted to be separated from it!" "We said we didn't want to freeze this game, Roger, and we meant it!" Astro glowered at his unit-mate. "Next period you show us some action!
They showed that Roger had been on duty at the time that he had been tracking the ship as he claimed." "Then what was the reason for the crash?" "Security isn't sure yet. An acceleration control lever is missing from the wreckage. And it wasn't broken off as a result of the crash. Now Loring and Mason are wanted for further questioning." Tom looked at his unit-mate, Astro.
When he climbed through the hatch to Roger's station, he found his unit-mate tilted back in his chair, staring through the crystal blister over his head. "Hiya, spaceboy," smiled Roger. He indicated the blister. "Take a look at the wide, deep and high." Tom looked up and saw the deep blackness that was space. "It's like looking into a mirror, Roger," he breathed in awe.
You look like you just lost your best friend." "Not yet, but it won't be long now," commented Tom, a trace of bitterness creeping into his voice. "Astro's taking his power-deck manual. What he knows about those compression ratios just isn't known. But he just can't get it on paper." "Don't sell your unit-mate short," said Dixon, sensing something beneath Tom's comment.
"Nothing will make those two guys on the spaceship O.K.," said Roger. He kicked viciously at a stool and sat down on the side of his bunk. Since the crash, Roger had been confined to his quarters, with Tom and Astro bringing him his meals. Tom had watched his unit-mate grow more and more bitter over the turn of events and was afraid Roger would do something rash.
"We'll have to carry him," said Astro simply. Tom looked up into the eyes of his unit-mate. There he saw a determination that would not be defeated. He nodded his head and stooped over to grapple with Roger's legs. He got one leg under each arm and then tried to straighten up. He fell to the sand and rolled to one side.
Astro had withdrawn into a shell, refusing to allow Roger to bother him and only an occasional rumble of anger indicated his true feelings toward his troublesome unit-mate. Tom maintained his role of peacemaker and daily, in many ways, showed his capacity for leadership by steering his unit-mates away from any storm-provoking activities. Strong finally broke the silence.
And he was secretly satisfied. Any cadet who would offer to resign from the Academy in defense of his unit-mate was a true spaceman. Connel wasn't going to allow Astro or Tom to resign over some foolish trick of Roger's, but, at the same time, he couldn't allow them to take too many liberties with discipline. Connel turned to Tom. "I suppose you feel the same way, Corbett?" he asked.
And he had to keep the unit together. He circled his unit-mate with care, shielding himself from the shower of rights and lefts that rained around him. He waited waited for the one perfect opening. "Come on! Open up and fight, Corbett," panted Roger. Tom snapped his right in reply. He noticed that Roger moved in with a hook every time he tried to cross his right. He waited his legs began to shake.
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