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A moment later the three cadets were busy shining the few bits of brass and rechecking the many controls and levers. Suddenly there was the sound of a hatch slamming below and then Astro's voice came whispering over the intercom, "... watch it, fellows. Here he comes!" The airtight hatch leading to the control deck slid back, and Major Connel stepped inside.
"What happened?" asked Tom, equally impressed with Astro's life as a boy hunter. "I had just about finished hunting in a section near a little settlement on the other side of Venus," began the big cadet, "but I thought there might be one more five-hundred-pound baby around, so I dropped in." Astro paused and grinned. "I didn't find a baby, I found his mother!
I don't think Cadet Astro's going to care much about the rest of the station!" Scott smiled, saluted, and walked away. Tom and Roger came to attention, saluted, and followed the young officer off the power deck. "Astro's probably happier now than he'll ever be in his life, Tom," whispered Roger. "Yeah," agreed Tom. "Did you see the way his eyes lit up when we walked in there?
"Yeah, I know how important it is to you, but I can be burned to a cinder if I make one false move. You'll just have to wait until I find an opening somewhere. Good-by!" Barret switched off the teleceiver set and stepped out of the booth to face the muzzle of Astro's blaster. "Stand where you are!" growled the big cadet. "What, why you " Barret clamped his mouth shut.
"When I give the word, let's all push together. Ready?" "All set," said Astro. "Let's go," said Roger. "O.K. then one two three push!" Together, the three cadets strained against the heavy steel hatch. The muscles in Astro's legs bulged into knots as he applied his great weight and strength against the door.
Steadily, the cadets worked their way up toward the center of the ship, cutting anything that looked as though it might hold the giant tube to the ship. "Boy," said Tom, "it's getting hot in here!" From inside the ship, Astro's reassuring voice came back in answer. "You're getting close to the reactant-mass chamber. The last cleat is up by one of the exhaust gratings. Think you can last it?"
Well, if you can get enough power, you can blast this satellite out of Tara's grip also, since the only thing holding it here is the gravity of Tara the same thing that holds the Moon in orbit around Earth!" Astro's eyes bulged. He looked at Connel blankly. "Why, sir," he stammered, "it'd take take a ton of reactant fuel to pull something that size away from Tara.
"Let's give it the old try for dear old Space Academy!" Tom whirled around and stood face to face with Manning. "I think maybe Astro's right, Roger," he said coldly. "I think you're a foul ball, a space-gassing hot-shot that can't take it when the chips are down!" "That's right," said Roger coldly. "I'm just what you say!
From the power deck, quiet except for the whining of the oxygen feed pump, Astro's bellow could be heard vibrating through the passageways. "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooowwwwwww!" Tom began shutting off the many circuits and switches and made a quick last-minute check of the now dead ship.
Tom took a deep breath and felt inside for the paper. He held his breath and pulled it out. It was green. He didn't know what it meant. He looked around. Phil was signaling to him, holding up a blue slip. Tom's heart skipped a beat. Whatever the colors meant, he and Phil were apart. He quickly turned around and caught Astro's eye. The big Venusian held up a green slip.
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