The Space Pioneers

by Carey Rockwell

  CHAPTER 15

  "Is he still out there?" Tom whispered.

  "Yeah," growled Astro. "He hasn't moved."

  "They're not taking any chances," said Roger. "When they change theguard, they take out their ray guns, just in case."

  The three cadets were crowded around the door of their quarters withAstro down on his hands and knees, trying to see through a small crack.The big cadet straightened up and shook his head.

  "I guess it's useless," he sighed. "Vidac is making sure we stay here."

  "Well," said Roger disgustedly, "if we don't get out pretty soon, wewon't--" He didn't finish the sentence. At that moment the door suddenlyopened and Bush stepped in, two paralo-ray guns in his hands, cocked andready to fire. Behind him was Hyram Logan and his daughter, Jane.

  "You got ten minutes," said Bush, "and one funny move out of any of youand I'll blast you silly."

  He closed the door and the click of the lock could be heard ominously.

  "Mr. Logan!" exclaimed Tom. "How'd you manage to get in here?"

  "Sonny," replied the Venusian farmer, "when you're dealing with crooks,you have to act like a crook!" He smiled and added, "I bought my way inhere!"

  "You mean that Vidac doesn't know you're here?" asked Astro.

  "No," said Jane. "But we had to come. Vidac was going to--" She stoppedand turned to her father. "Maybe you'd better tell them, Father."

  "Well," said Logan slowly, "we just heard that Vidac is going to holdtrial for you three boys right here on Roald."

  "Trial!" exclaimed Astro.

  "How'd you find that out?" asked Tom.

  "They called all the colonists together and gave us pieces of paper withnumbers on them," said Logan. "Then they put all the numbers into a bowland picked twelve of them out again. The people that held those numberswere told that they were going to be the jury at your trial for themurder of Professor Sykes!"

  "Murder?" exclaimed Roger.

  "Blast my jets!" roared Astro. "They can't do that! We're under SolarGuard jurisdiction!"

  "That's what I told them," snorted Logan. "You see, my number waspulled. I got up and opened my big mouth. I should have kept quiet andsat on the jury, and then had my say where it would have meantsomething!"

  "Then they took you off the jury?" asked Roger.

  "Yep," said Logan. "Me and everyone else they thought might beprejudiced!"

  "We came to tell you," said Jane, "because we wanted you to know whatwas going on and to see if there was anything we could do to help."

  "We already tried to help in a lot of ways," said Logan. "We tried toget that space jerk outside to let you escape. I offered him--well, Ioffered him a lot, but he wouldn't do it."

  "What are you going to do?" asked Jane, looking at Tom.

  "I don't know, Jane," said Tom. "But we've certainly got to dosomething. If we ever stand trial here on Roald--"

  Tom was interrupted by a loud banging on the door, followed by the clickof the lock. Then the door was opened and Bush stepped inside.

  "All right, Logan," said Bush. "Time's up!"

  "But--but," complained Logan, "we've only been here two minutes!"

  "Time's up, I said," sneered Bush. He raised his ray guns threateningly.

  "Well, I guess we'd better go," said Logan. He turned and shook handswith each of the cadets. "Good luck, boys," he said with a smile. "Don'tworry. We'll find someway of getting you out of this mess!"

  "Thanks for telling us, sir," said Tom.

  "Telling you what?" demanded Bush.

  "That the world is round and that you're a square-headed space crawler,"said Roger casually.

  "A real big mouth, eh!" snarled Bush. "Why, I oughta--" He raised hisguns again, but just at the moment Jane walked into the line of fire andstood there quietly. Bush stepped back. It was just enough to break thetension.

  "Go on!" Bush growled. "Get out of here!"

  "Don't get rough," said Logan, "or I might tell your boss you took abribe to let us see the cadets!" With a parting wink at the boys, hefollowed Jane out.

  Just as Bush started to close the door, Tom stepped forward. "How aboutsomething to eat," he demanded, "and some story tapes to pass away thetime?"

  "Yeah," said Roger, picking up Tom's cue, "and we don't want anythingyou'd select either. It might be too infantile! Send Jeff Marshall uphere so we can get what we want!"

  "I'll see about it," sneered Bush, slamming the door behind him.

  "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Roger asked Tom.

  "Yes. If there is anyone we can trust, it's Jeff. Let's hope that spacejerk outside comes through!"

  "Well," growled Astro, "if worse comes to worse, we can always jumphim."

  "Uh--uh," said Tom, shaking his head. "We wouldn't get past the firstcorridor. If we escape, and we will, we've got to have help from someoneon the outside!"

  "But won't they be watching Jeff too?" asked Astro.

  "Sure they will, but we've got to take that chance. If Vidac holds usfor trial here on Roald, and we're convicted, the only place for areview of the case will be the Solar Council Chamber back on Earth."

  "Well, what's wrong with that?" asked Astro.

  "I'll tell you what's wrong with it," said Roger. "Before the case wouldcome up for a review, we would have already spent at least two years ona prison rock!"

  Meanwhile, in his office in the Administration Building, LieutenantGovernor Vidac listened with mounting apprehension to a report from thecommunications control officer of Roald.

  "We just received a message from Captain Strong aboard the Solar Guardcruiser _Orion_ requesting landing data here on Roald," the voicecrackled impersonally over the teleceiver.

  "How far out is he?" asked Vidac, suddenly growing pale.

  "He should arrive within four hours."

  "All right," said Vidac, regaining his composure. "Give him all theinformation he needs."

  "What about the instrument disturbance?"

  "Tell him everything."

  "Yes, sir," replied the control officer, and the teleceiver screen wentblank.

  Vidac got up and began to pace the floor, pondering the reasons forStrong's sudden unannounced visit. He could be coming to check on theSpace Cadets, he thought. Or it might be a routine check of the progressof the colony. Or he might know about the uranium. There had been aninvestigation of the soil on the satellite by the original expedition.But if they had known anything about it, reasoned Vidac, it would havebeen claimed for the Solar Alliance.

  No, Vidac shook his head. He's not here to investigate the uranium, he'shere either to check on the cadets or make a routine inspection of thecolony. And if it's the former, he'd give Strong enough proof to burythe cadets on a prison rock for life.

  Vidac turned to the teleceiver. "Get the spaceport," he ordered. "Tellthe spaceport officer to prepare a welcoming party to blast off in tenminutes. They will meet Captain Strong of the Solar Guard in the cruiser_Orion_. Communications control will give them his position." He flippedoff the teleceiver and settled back in his chair, smiling. Nothing inthe world like a big fuss to throw a man off guard, he thought. AndSteve Strong, as the first visitor from Earth since the colony wasfounded, would get a tremendous welcome!

  * * * * *

  " ... Are you sure?" asked Tom, his face brightening. "You heard ityourself?"

  Jeff Marshall smiled. "Roald is going crazy. They're preparing thebiggest welcome for a spaceman since Jon Builker's return from his firsttrip in space!"

  "Boy," said Astro, "what a break!" He slapped Roger on the back. "We'llbe out of this can an hour after Captain Strong lands!"

  "I knew you wanted me to help you try to escape," said Jeff. "I hadalready begun to make plans."

  "No need for that now," said Tom. "If we tried to escape, we'd be doingthe very thing Vidac would want us to do. He could say it was anadmission of guilt."

  Roger agreed with a nod of his head. "There's only one thing thatbothers me now."


  "What's that?" asked Astro.

  "Professor Sykes," he said. "We've been so worried about our own necks,we've forgotten about him."

  "Well," said Astro, "what about him?"

  "What really happened to him," mused Roger, "and why?"

  "I wish I knew," said Tom. "But I'll bet Vidac knows."

  "Sure," agreed Roger. "But I still say why and what?"

  The blond-haired cadet looked around at the faces of his friends. Therewas no reply to his question.

  * * * * *

  Every citizen of Roald, man, woman, and child, was at the spaceport towatch the giant cruiser _Orion_ settle slowly to the ground. Vidacwatched it through squinting eyes. He had secretly hoped that theuranium disturbances would cause the ship to crash, thus eliminating hisdifficulties before they could begin, but he couldn't help admiring theway the big cruiser was handled. When the hatch opened and CaptainStrong stepped out, resplendent in his black-and-gold uniform, there wasa spontaneous roar of welcome from the ground. Vidac stepped forwardimmediately to greet the Solar Guard officer.

  "I'm Paul Vidac, Captain Strong. Lieutenant governor of Roald. GovernorHardy is very busy and asked me to welcome you and to convey hisapologies for not greeting you personally."

  "Thank you," said Strong and shook hands with Vidac. He turned aroundand looked over the crowd. "But I seem to be missing several otherwelcomers."

  "Ah, I presume you mean the Space Cadets," stammered Vidac.

  Strong looked at the lieutenant governor. "Yes, I mean the Space Cadets.Where are they?"

  Vidac tried to meet Strong's level gaze, but his eyes fell away. "Theyare under arrest!" he said finally.

  "Arrest!" cried Strong. "For what?"

  "The murder of Professor Sykes."

  "Murder? Professor Sykes?" asked Strong. "Explain yourself!"

  "This is hardly the place to discuss it. Shall we go to my office?"asked Vidac.

  "Where is the professor's body?" asked Strong.

  "It hasn't been found yet," replied Vidac uneasily.

  "Then how can the cadets be charged with murder if you can't produce abody?" demanded Strong.

  Vidac paused a moment. He was thrown off guard by Strong's shrewdobservation. "They are also being held for abduction of the professor,"said Vidac. "We have eyewitnesses."

  "Take me to them," said Strong.

  "I'm afraid that will be impossible at the moment," said Vidac. "Thecolonists are expecting a little show for their enthusiastic welcome."

  "Take me to the cadets," Strong demanded. "And that means immediately!"

  Vidac wavered under the Solar Guard captain's withering gaze. He noddedand turned away.

  As Strong pushed through the crowd of welcoming colonists, someonetugged at his sleeve and whispered into his ear.

  "Don't believe all you hear!" Strong turned to see the face of HyramLogan. Before he could reply, Logan disappeared into the crowd.

  "Well, Captain Strong? Are you coming?" asked Vidac.

  Strong turned and followed him through the crowd. He could feel dangeron this satellite. He could feel it and he could read it in the faces ofthe people around him.