The Revolt on Venus | Page 9

would be mighty happy to meet
you. And I think Billy, my kid brother, would flip a rocket."
"Thank you, Tom. I might do that if I have time." He looked at his
watch. "You three had better hurry. I'd advise taking a jetcopter back to
the Academy. You might not make it if you wait for a monorail."
"We'll do that, sir," said Tom.
The three boys threw their gear into the waiting cab and piled in.
Strong watched them roar away, frowning in thought. An S.D. priority,
the highest priority in space, was used only by special couriers on
important missions for one of the delegates. He shrugged it off.
"Getting to be as suspicious as an old space hen," he said to himself.
"Fishing is what I need. A good fight with a trout instead of a space
conspiracy!"
CHAPTER 3
"Blast off--minus--five--four--three--two--one--zero!"
As the main drive rockets blasted into life, Tom fell back in his seat
before the control panel of the Polaris and felt the growing thrust as the
giant ship lifted off the ground, accelerating rapidly. He kept his eyes
on the teleceiver screen and saw Space Academy fall away behind them.
On the power deck Astro lay strapped in his acceleration cushion, his
outstretched hand on the emergency booster rocket switch should the
main rockets fail before the ship could reach the free fall of space. On
the radar bridge Roger watched the far-flung stars become brighter as
the rocket ship hurtled through the dulling layers of the atmosphere.
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! Get
this ship to Venusport in the shortest possible time without burning out

the pump bearings. And, Manning--!"
"Yes, sir," replied the blond-haired cadet.
"If I so much as hear one wisecrack between you and that overgrown
rocket jockey, Astro, I'll log both of you twenty-five demerits!"
"I understand, sir," acknowledged Roger lazily. "I rather appreciate
your relieving me of the necessity of speaking to that space ape!"
Listening to their voices on the control deck, Tom grinned and waited
expectantly. He wasn't disappointed.
"Ape!" came a bull-like roar from the power deck. "Why, you skinny
moth-eaten piece of space junk--"
"Cadet Astro!"
"Yes, sir?" Astro was suddenly meek.
"If you say one more word, I'll bury you in demerits!"
"But, sir--"
"No buts!" roared Connel. "And you, Manning--!"
"Yes, sir?" chimed in Roger innocently.
"Keep your mouth shut!"
"Very well, sir," said Roger.
"Corbett?"
"Yes, sir?"
"I'm putting you in charge of monitoring the intercom. If those two
space idiots start jabbering again, call me. That's an order! I'll be in my
quarters working." Connel switched off abruptly.

"You hear that, fellows?" said Tom. "Knock it off."
"O.K., Tom," replied Roger, "just keep him out of my sight."
"That goes for me, too," added Astro. "Ape! Just wait till I--"
"Astro!" Tom interrupted sharply.
"O.K., O.K.," groaned the big cadet.
Glancing over the panel once more and satisfying himself that the ship
was functioning smoothly, Tom sighed and settled back in his seat,
enjoying the temporary peace and solitude. It had been a tough year,
filled with intensive study in the quest for an officer's commission in
the Solar Guard. Space Academy was the finest school in the world, but
it was also the toughest. The young cadet shook his head, remembering
a six-weeks' grind he, Roger, and Astro had gone through on a nuclear
project. Knowing how to operate an atomic rocket motor was one thing,
but understanding what went on inside the reactant pile was something
else entirely. Never had the three cadets worked harder, or more closely
together. But Astro's thorough, practical knowledge of basic nucleonics,
combined with Roger's native wizardry at higher mathematics, and his
own understanding of the theory, had enabled them to pull through with
a grade of seventy-two, the highest average ever made by a cadet unit
not specializing in physics.
As the ship rocketed smoothly through the airless void of space toward
the misty planet of Venus, Tom made another quick but thorough check
of the panel, and then returned to his reflections on the past term. It had
been particularly difficult since they had missed many valuable hours
of classroom work and study because of their adventure on the new
colony of Roald (as described in The Space Pioneers), but they had
come through somehow. He shook his head wondering how they had
made it. Forty-two units had washed out during the term. Instead of
getting easier, the courses of study were getting more