"You'll find out when the Solar Guard comes looking for a fight," said Drifi. "Now get in there!"
Tom and Connel were shoved inside and the door closed behind them. It was pitch black, and they couldn't see an inch in front of their faces. But both Tom and Connel knew instantly that they were not alone.
* * * * *
"Come on. Gimme that wrench!" barked Astro. The little man beside him handed up the wrench and leaned over the side of the engine casing to watch Astro pull the nut tight. "Now get over there and throw on the switch," snapped the big cadet.
The little man scurried over to one side of the vast machine shop and flipped on the wall switch. There was an audible hum of power and then slowly the machine Astro had just worked on began to speed up, soon revving up to ten thousand revolutions per minute.
"Is it fixed?" demanded the shop foreman, coming up beside Astro.
"Yeah, she's fixed. But I don't work on another job until you give me another helper. That asteroid head you gave me doesn't know a—" Astro stopped. Something out beyond the double doors caught his eye. It was the sight of Tom and Connel entering the wooden building.
"What's the matter with him?" demanded the foreman.
"Huh? What? Oh—ah—well, he's O.K., I guess," Astro stammered. "It's just that he's a little green, that's all."
"Well, get to work on that heater in chamber number one. It's burned a bearing. Change it, and hurry up about it!"
"Sure—sure!" The big cadet grinned.
"Say, what's the matter with you?" asked the foreman, staring at him suspiciously.
"I'm O.K.," replied Astro quickly.
The foreman continued to stare at Astro as the big cadet turned to his assistant nonchalantly. "Come on, genius, get that box of tools over to the heater!" he shouted. As he turned away, the foreman nodded to the green-clad guard, who followed closely behind Astro, his hand on the butt of his paralo-ray gun.
Seeing the little assistant struggling with the heavy box, Astro stopped and picked it out of his arms with one hand. Grinning, he held it straight out and then slowly brought it around in a complete circle over his head, still holding it with only one hand. The guard's eyes widened behind his plastic helmet at this show of strength.
"You're very strong, Astro," he said, "but you are altogether too contemptuous of a fellow Venusian." He nodded to the small assistant.
"That's right," said Astro. His grin hardened and he leaned forward slightly, balancing on the balls of his feet. "That goes for you and every other green space monkey in this place. Drop that ray gun and I'll tie you up in a knot!"
Frightened, the guard pulled the paralo-ray gun out of its holster, but Astro quickly stepped in and sank his fist deep into the guard's stomach. The man dropped like a stone. Astro grinned and turned his back to walk toward the heater. He heard the other workers begin to chatter excitedly, but he didn't pay any attention to them.
"Astro! Astro!" His little assistant ran up beside him. "You hit a division guard!"
"I did, huh?" replied the big cadet in an innocent tone. "What kind of a division?"
"Don't you know? Venus has been divided into areas called divisions. Each division has a chief, and every Venusian citizen in that division is under his personal jurisdiction."
"Uh-huh," said Astro vaguely. He climbed up on to the machine and began taking off the outer casing.
"The best men in the division are made the Division Chief's personal guards."
"What happens to the second and third and fourth best men?"
"Well, they're given jobs here according to their knowledge and capacities."
"What was your job before you came here?"
"I was a field worker on my chief's plantation."
"Why did you join?" asked Astro. "Did you think it better to have Venusians ruling Venus, instead of belonging to the Solar Alliance?"
"I didn't think about it at all," admitted the little man. "Besides, I didn't join. I was recruited. My chief just put me on a ship and here I am."
"Well, what do you think of it, now that you're here?" asked Astro. He began running his fingers along a few of the valves, apparently paying no attention to the guard who was just now staggering to his feet.
The little assistant paused and considered Astro's question. Finally he replied weakly, "I don't know. It's all right, I guess. It's better here in the shops than in the caves where the others go."
"Others? What others?"
"Those that don't like it," replied the man. "They're sent to the caves."
"What caves?"
"Up in the cliff. The tunnels—" He suddenly stopped when an angry shout echoed in the machine shop. The guard Astro had hit rushed up. He turned to several workmen near by. "Take this blabbering idiot to the caves!" he ordered angrily.
Astro slowly climbed down from the machine and faced the guard menacingly. As the guard's finger tightened on the trigger of his paralo-ray gun, the foreman suddenly rushed up and knocked the gun out of his hand. "You fool! You stiffen this man and we'll be held up in production for hours!"
"So what!" sneered the guard.
"Lactu and your Division Chief will tell you so what!" barked the foreman. He turned to Astro. "And as for you, if you try anything like that again, I'll—"
"You won't do a thing," said Astro casually. "I'm the best man you've got and you know it. Lactu knows it too. So don't threaten me and keep these green space jerks away from me! I'll fix your machines, because I want to, not because you can make me!"
The foreman eyed the big cadet curiously. "Because you want to? You've changed your tune since you first came here."
"Maybe," said Astro. "Maybe I like what I see around here. It all depends."
"Well, make up your mind later," barked the foreman. "Now get that machine fixed!"
"Sure," said Astro simply, turning back to the machine and starting to whistle. Strangely enough, he was happy. He was a prisoner, but he felt better than he had in days. Just knowing that Tom and Major Connel were right across the canyon gave him a surge of confidence. Working over the machine quickly, surely, the big cadet began to formulate a plan. Now was the time! They were together again. Now was the time to escape!
CHAPTER 14
"Put your back against the door, Tom!" snapped Connel. "Quickly!"
Tom felt the powerful grip of the Solar Guard officer's fingers on his arm as he was pulled backward. He closed his eyes, then opened them, hoping to pierce the darkness, but he saw nothing. Beside him, he could sense the tenseness in Connel's body.
There was a rustle of movement to the right of them.
"Careful, Tom," cautioned Connel. "To your right!"
"I hear it, sir," said Tom, turning toward the noise and bracing himself.
"My name is Connel," the burly spaceman suddenly spoke up in loud tones. "I'm an official in the Solar Guard! Whoever you are, speak up! Identify yourself."
There was a moment of silence and then a voice spoke harshly in the darkness.
"How do we know you're a Solar Guard officer? How do we know you're not a spy?"
"Do you have any kind of light?" asked Connel.
"Yes, we have a light. But we are not going to give away our positions. We know how to move in here. You don't."
"Then how do you expect me to prove it?"
"The burden of proof lies with you."
"Have you ever heard of me?" asked Connel after a pause.
"We know there is an officer in the Solar Guard named Connel."
"I am that officer," asserted Connel. "I was sent into the jungle to find this base, but one of our party was injured and we were captured by a patrol."
Tom and Connel heard voices whispering in the darkness and then a loud order.
"Lie down on the floor, both of you!"
The two spacemen hesitated and then got down flat on their backs.
"Close your eyes and lie still. One of us here knows what Connel looks like. I hope for your sake that you're telling the tru
th. If you're not—" The voice stopped but the threat was plain.
"Do as they say, Tom," said Connel.
The cadet closed his eyes and he heard the shuffle of feet around them. Suddenly there was a flash of light on his face but he kept his eyes tightly closed. The light moved away, but he could tell that it was still burning.
"It's Connel, I think," said a high-pitched voice directly over them.
"Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure. I met him once in Atom City at a scientific meeting. He was making a speech with a Professor Sykes."
"That's right," said Connel, hearing the remark. "I was there."
"Do you remember meeting a man from Venus wearing a long red robe?" asked the high-pitched voice.
Connel hesitated. "No," he said. "I only remember talking to three men. Two were from Venus and one was from Mars. But neither of the two from Venus wore a red robe. They wore purple—"
"He's right," acknowledged the voice. "This is Connel."
"Open your eyes," said the first voice.
Connel and Tom opened their eyes and in the light of a small hand torch they saw two gaunt faces before them. The tallest of the men stuck out a bony hand. "My name is Carson." They recognized his voice as the one that had spoken first. "And this is Bill Jensen," he added.
"This is Tom Corbett, Space Cadet," said Connel. He glanced around the room, and in the weak reflected light of the torch, saw almost fifty men crouched against the walls, each of them holding a crude weapon.
"You'll understand our caution, Major," said Carson. "Once before we had a plan to escape and a spy was sent in. As you see, we didn't escape."
"Neither did the spy," commented Jensen grimly.
"How long have you been here?" asked Connel.
"The oldest prisoner has been here for three years," replied Carson. And as the other men began to gather around them, Connel and Tom saw that they were hardly more than walking skeletons. Their cheeks were hollow, eyes sunk in their sockets, and they wore little more than rags.
"And there's no way to escape?" asked Tom.
"Three guards with blasters are stationed on the other side of that door," said Carson. "There is no other entrance or exit. We tried a tunnel, but it caved in and after that they put in a wooden floor." He stamped on it. "Teak. Hard as steel. We couldn't cut through."
"But why are you being held prisoners?" asked Connel.
"All of us joined the Nationalists believing it was just a sort of good-neighbor club, where we could get together and exchange ideas for our own improvement. And when we found out what Lactu and the Division Chiefs were really up to, we tried to quit. As you see, we couldn't. We knew too much."
"Blasted rebels!" muttered Connel. "The Solar Guard will cool them off!"
"I'm afraid it's too late," said Carson. "They're preparing to strike now. I've been expecting it for some time. They have enough ships and arms to wipe out the entire Solar Guard garrison here on Venus in one attack!" He shook his head. "After that, with Solar Guard ships and complete control of the planet—" He paused and sighed. "It will mean a long, bloody space war."
Tom and Connel plied the prisoners with questions and soon began to get a complete picture of the scope of the Nationalist movement.
"Lactu and his commanders should be sent to a prison asteroid for life," said Carson, "for what they have done to former Nationalists."
"Hundreds of unsuspecting Venusians have been brought here under the guise of helping to free Venus. But when they come and recognize what Lactu really intends to do, they want to quit. But it's too late, and they're sent to the caves."
Tom looked at the gaunt man fearfully. There was something in his voice that sent a chill down his spine.
"They are driven like cattle into the canyon walls," continued Carson. "There they are forced to dig the huge underground vaults for storage dumps. They are beaten and whipped and starved."
"Why aren't you in the caves then?" asked Connel.
"Some of us were," replied Carson. "But each of us here owns land and it is necessary to keep us alive to send back directives to our bankers and foremen to give aid in one form or another to Sharkey and the Division Chiefs."
"I see," said Connel. "If you were to die, then your property would be out of their reach."
"Exactly," said Carson.
"Is Sharkey the real leader of the movement?"
"I don't believe so. But then, no one knows. That's the idea of the frosted helmets. If you don't know who a man is, you can liquidate him without conscience. He may be your closest friend, but you would never know it."
"The blasted space crawlers!" growled Connel. "Well, they'll pay!"
"You have a plan?" asked Carson eagerly.
"No," said Connel slowly, "but at least we all have more of a chance now."
"How?" asked Carson.
"The Solar Guard sent us here to find this base. If we don't return, or send some sort of message back within a reasonable time, this jungle will be swarming with guardsmen!"
Carson looked a little disappointed. "We shall see," he said.
* * * * *
There were three things on Astro's mind as twilight darkened into night over the canyon. One, he had to find out why Roger wasn't with Tom and Connel when they were taken into the building; two, he had to figure out a way to contact Tom and Connel; and finally, he had to escape himself, or help Tom and Connel escape.
The big cadet finished the last job in the machine shop. It had taken very little time, but the big cadet had lingered over it, trying to find answers to his three problems. Around him, the workers were leaving their benches and lathes, to be replaced by still others. A twelve-hour shift was being used by the Nationalists in their frantic preparations for an attack on the Venusport garrison of the Solar Guard. Astro finally dropped the last wrench into the tool kit and straightened up. He stretched leisurely and glanced over at his guard. The man was still rubbing his stomach where Astro had hit him, and he watched the big cadet with a murderous gleam in his eye.
"All finished," said Astro. "Where and when do I eat?"
"If I had my way, you wouldn't," sneered the guard.
"Either I knock off and eat," said Astro confidently, "or I call the foreman and you talk to Lactu."
"Feeling pretty big, aren't you?" growled the guard. "I haven't forgotten that punch in the stomach."
"Why, I hardly touched you," said Astro in mock surprise.
The guard glared at him, muttered an oath, and turned away. Astro could see that he was boiling, almost out of his mind with helpless, frustrated anger, and suddenly the young cadet realized how he would be able to move about the base freely. Grinning, he walked arrogantly in front of the guard and out of the shop into the dark Venusian night. It was very warm and many of the workers had stripped down to their trousers. He passed the open doorway of a large tool shop and glanced inside. It was empty. The men had apparently gone to eat. He suddenly stopped, turned to the guard, and growled, "If you want to settle our differences now, we can step inside."
The guard hesitated and glared at Astro. "When I settle with you, big boy, you'll know about it."
"What's the matter with right now?" asked Astro. "Yellow?" He turned and walked into the tool shop without looking back. The guard rushed after him. But the big cadet had carefully gauged the distance between them, and when he heard the rushing steps of the guard immediately behind him, he suddenly spun around, swinging a roundhouse right, catching the guard in the pit of the stomach again. The man stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes bulged and glazed, and he dropped to the floor like a stone. Astro pulled the man to the corner of the empty shop, removed the plastic helmet, and then tied and gagged him. He pulled the helmet over his own head, nearly tearing one ear off, grabbed the gun and stepped back outside. He stood in front of the door and glanced up and down the area between the buildings. Fifty feet away a group of men were working over a tube casing, but they didn't even look up.
Staying in the
shadows, he walked down the lane, moving carefully. The plastic helmet would keep him from being recognized right away, but to complete his plan, he needed one of the green uniforms of the guards.
Deciding it would be too risky to walk around the base, he crouched behind a huge crate of machinery at the head of the lane. Sentries were constantly patrolling the area and he was certain that one would pass by soon. He only hoped the man would be big enough. Fifteen minutes later the cadet heard footsteps in a slow measured tread. He peered around the edge of the crate and silently breathed a thankful prayer. It was a green-clad guard, and luckily, almost as big as he was.
Crouching in the shadow of the crate, Astro tensed for the attack. It had to be quick and it had to be silent. He couldn't club the guard because of his helmet. He would have to get him around the throat to choke off any outcry.
The slow steps came nearer and the big cadet raised himself on the balls of his feet, ready to spring. When the guard's shadow fell across him, Astro leaped forward like a striking tiger.
The guard didn't have a chance. Astro's arm coiled around his throat and the cry of alarm that welled up within him died down in a choking gasp. Within seconds he was unconscious and the big cadet had dragged him behind the crate. He stripped him of his uniform, bound and gagged him with his own rags, and crammed him into the crate. Then, protected by the helmet and green uniform and carrying the blaster, the cadet stepped out confidently and strode down the lane.
He went directly to the building he had seen Tom and Connel enter, and walked boldly up to the guard lounging in front of the door.
"You're relieved," said Astro in the Venusian dialect. "They want you up in the caves." The cadet had no idea where the caves were, but he knew that they couldn't be near by and it would be some time before an alarm could be sounded.
"The caves?" asked the guard. "Who said so?"
"The chief. He wants you to identify somebody."
"Me? Identify someone? I don't understand." The guard was puzzled. "What section of the caves?"
"The new section," said Astro quickly, figuring there must be a new and an old section because he had heard a guard refer to the old one.
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