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Meanwhile, as the Polaris had not appeared, the Tigress was commissioned by Captain Green, U.S.N., to seek her. She steamed up to Littleton Island, where an encampment of Esquimaux was discovered. The men were wearing clothing obtained from the Polaris, but after search and inquiry no after trace of the crew could be obtained, so Captain Green returned to Saint John's.
As soon as the ship reached weightless space, Tom flipped on the gravity generators and put the Polaris on her course to Venus. Almost immediately the intercom began to blast. "Now hear this!" Major Connel's voice roared. "Corbett, Manning, and Astro! I don't want any of your space-blasted nonsense on this trip!
They found the entrance to Smith's Sound perfectly clear of ice, none drifting southward, although there was a fresh northerly breeze. The scene of the wreck of the Polaris was visited, and either the log, or a copy, of the ill-fated vessel discovered. The next point touched at was Cape Isabella, on the 29th of July.
During this time, Tom, Roger, and Astro were confined to their quarters. They did not talk much, each conscious of the fact that should the Cadet Council decide against them, they might be expelled from the Academy. The same was true about the Capella unit, of course, but the Council might decide the Polaris had instigated the whole affair.
Commander Walters stood at the viewport watching the mighty Polaris slide alongside the black ship toward the coupling devices that would lock the two ships together in space. "A little more!" said Walters. "About twenty feet!" "Short burst on the main jets!" Strong called into the intercom. "Aye, aye!" shouted Astro from below.
When we see Major 'Blast-off' Connel again, we'll be giving the orders with a paralo-ray!" The two disgruntled spacemen turned quickly and walked to the nearest slidewalk, disappearing around a building. Aboard the Polaris, Tom confronted his two unit-mates. "Now look, fellows. After the hard time Major Connel just gave us, let's see if we can't really stay on the ball from now on."
"You'll get that tomorrow when we go off duty," said Tom. "And please, Roger, no blunders tonight, eh? Let's not take any chances of losing the summer cruise in the Polaris." "Listen! You want to talk to the Venusian hick about that, not me," declared Roger. "He's the one that spotted Barret." "But you hit him on the head," growled Astro. "You and your catlike reflexes."
"Five hundred feet to touchdown." "Full braking thrust!" snapped Strong crisply. Deep inside the Polaris, braking rockets roared with unceasing power, and the mighty spaceship eased itself to the concrete surface of the Academy spaceport. "Touchdown!" yelled Tom. He quickly closed the master control lever, cutting all power, and sudden silence filled the ship.
"They sound like the Polaris unit," Joan whispered to Strong. Walters stood up. "Gentlemen! Please! We're here to discuss a report on the activities of a secret organization on Venus. I will have to ask you to keep to the subject at hand. Dr. Dale, do you have any comments on the report?" He turned to the young physicist who was choking off a laugh.
Aboard the rocket cruiser Polaris, blasting through the black void of space two hundred miles above Earth, six Space Cadets and a Solar Guard officer were conducting the final test for unit honors for the term. All other Academy units had been eliminated in open competition.
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