On the Trail of the Space Pirates | Page 6

swiftly, Tom adjusted several levers, then picking up the
intercom microphone, he threw a switch and yelled, "Power deck! Full
braking thrust!"
Deep inside the Polaris, Astro, who tended the mighty rocket power
plant with loving care, eased home the sensitive control mechanism,

applying even pressure to the braking rockets.
As the giant spaceship settled smoothly to within a few feet of the
surface of the concrete spaceport, Tom threw the master switch that cut
all power. A moment later the huge craft dropped easily, then settled on
the landing platform with a gentle thump.
"Touchdown!" yelled Tom. Then, glancing at the astral chronometer on
the control board, he turned to Strong, and saluting smartly, reported,
"Polaris completes space flight at exactly seven fifty-two-O-two!"
Strong returned the salute. "Very well, Tom. Now, I want you, Roger,
and Astro to come with me to the exposition commissioner's office for
an interview and detailed orders."
"Yes, sir," said Tom.
A few minutes later, dressed in fresh uniforms, the three cadets
followed their unit commander out of the ship, then stood by as Strong
ordered the chief petty officer of an enlisted Solar Guard working party
to prepare the Polaris for moving to the exposition site.
"Empty the reactant fuel tanks of all but enough for us to raise ship and
touch down over to the fairgrounds," said Strong. "Better strip her of
armament, too. Paralo-ray pistols and rifles, the three-inch and six-inch
atomic blasters, narco sleeping gas; in fact, everything that could
possibly cause any trouble."
"Yes, sir," replied the scarlet-clad enlisted spaceman.
"One thing more," added Strong. "There will be a crew living aboard,
so please see that the galley is stocked with a full supply of both fresh
and synthetic foods. That's about all, I guess."
"Very well, sir," replied the petty officer with a crisp salute. He turned
and began bawling orders to a squad of men behind him and
immediately they were swarming over the great ship like ants.

Fifteen minutes later, a jet cab swerved to a stop in front of the tallest
of the Venusport buildings, the Solar Alliance Chamber. Strong paid
the driver, adding a handsome tip, and flanked by his three cadets
strode briskly into the building.
Crossing a high-ceilinged lobby, they entered an express vacuum
elevator and five seconds later stepped out onto the four-hundredth
floor. There, Strong slid a panel door to one side, and, followed by the
cadets, stepped inside the office of Mike Hawks, exposition
commissioner and retired senior officer of the Solar Guard.
The office was impressively large and airy, with an outside wall
forming a viewport of clear Titan crystal reaching from floor to vaulted
ceiling and affording a magnificent view of the city of Venusport and,
beyond it, the futuristic buildings of the exposition itself. Another wall,
equally as large, was covered by a map of the exposition grounds.
Mike Hawks, a man with steel-gray hair, clear blue eyes, and a ramrod
military bearing, sat behind a massive desk talking to two men. He
looked up when Strong and the cadets walked in and rose quickly with
a broad smile to greet them.
"Steve!" he exclaimed, rounding the desk to shake hands with his old
friend. "I never dreamed we'd have you and the Polaris unit at our
fair!" He nodded warmly to the cadets who stood at rigid attention. "At
ease, cadets. Glad to have you aboard."
"I was just as surprised to get this assignment, Mike," said Strong,
pumping the officer's hand. Nodding toward the men seated in front of
Hawks' desk, he apologized, "Sorry to bust in on you like this, old man.
Didn't know you were busy."
"It's quite all right." The commissioner smiled. "Just handing out a few
licenses for the concessions in the amusement section at the fair. People
expect to have a little fun when they go to a fair, you know. By the
stars, they're going to have it so long as I'm commissioner." He turned
to the cadets. "Sit down, boys. You too, Steve. I'll be with you in a
minute." He turned back to his desk and the waiting men.

The cadets, at a nod from Strong, sat down on a leather couch that
stretched the length of one wall and listened while Hawks completed
his business with the two men.
"There you are," said Hawks, applying the seal of his office to a slip of
paper. "That gives you the right to operate a concession in the
amusement area as long as the fair is open."
One of the men took the paper and glanced at it quickly.
"Wait a minute, Commissioner. This is over near the edge of the area,"
he complained. "We wanted to get in the middle. How do you expect us
to make any credits