Chapter 13

Roger flipped off the teleceiver. He stared at the darkened screen and began estimating the chances of success for a plan he had in mind. Deciding that, regardless of what happened, he had to take over the ship, he got up and turned toward the hatch and the gun locker. He stopped cold. Loring stood framed in the doorway, a paralo-ray gun in each hand.

“Just stand right where you are, spaceboy!” snapped Loring. “You want ten minutes, huh? Ten minutes for what? I thought there was something funny going on when we missed the Polaris with that bomb!”

“You knew all along I didn’t have anything to do with that crash back on the station, didn’t you?” shouted Roger. His eyes blazed angrily.

“Yeah. So what?” growled Loring. “Hey, Mason,” he yelled over his shoulder, “get up here in a hurry! We gotta work fast!”

“What are you going to do?” asked Roger.

“You’re still valuable to us, Manning,” said Loring with a crooked grin. “You’re going to ensure our getting what we came after!”

Mason stepped through the door. “Yeah, Loring?”

Loring quickly told him of Roger’s attempt to work with Connel.

“Take our spaceboy down below and lock him in a storage compartment.” He handed over one of the paralo-ray guns, and Mason shoved the muzzle into Roger’s stomach.

“Get moving, Manning!” he snarled. “I’d like nothing better than to let you have it right now!”

Roger smiled, knowing Mason still harbored a grudge for the beating he had taken earlier on the trip.

“When you have him locked up, get back on the control deck,” said Loring. “We’re going to do some old-fashioned bargaining with ‘Blast-off’ Connel!”

“Bargaining?” exclaimed Roger.

“Yeah! One slightly used Space Cadet for what we came after--the copper satellite!”

“Connel won’t bargain,” said Roger. “Not for me, not for anything. You don’t know him!”

“I know this, Manning!” said Loring. “I’m going to get on the teleceiver and tell Connel that if he doesn’t blast away from here right now, you’re a dead Space Cadet!” He jerked his head toward the door. “All right, take him below and tell Shinny to stand by on the power deck. In case Connel won’t bargain, we’ll have to make a run for it!”

“Right,” said Mason as he shoved the paralo-ray gun deeper into Roger’s stomach. “Move, Manning!”

Roger climbed down the ladder and through the long passageway of the Space Devil. He passed Shinny on the way down.

“What’s going on here?” demanded Shinny, seeing Mason with the paralo-ray gun.

“We missed with the bomb,” said Mason, “and Connel raised ship. He’s ready to blast us if we don’t surrender right away. Loring’s trying to make a deal with him.”

“What kind of a deal?” asked Shinny.

“Hot-shot Manning for the satellite!”

“He hasn’t told you everything, Mr. Shinny,” said Roger in his casual drawl. “They are the ones who caused the crash of the Annie Jones and the deaths of Jardine and Bangs. They framed me!”

“Then,” mused Shinny, “you’re cleared?”

“Yeah,” growled Mason, “he’s cleared! Cleared for a long swim in space if Connel doesn’t do what Loring tells him! Get in there!” Mason shoved Roger into the cramped storage compartment. He locked the door and turned to Shinny.

“Loring wants you to stand by the power deck in case Connel won’t play ball. We might have to make a run for it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Shinny, “I’ll stand by the power deck.”

Mason turned and walked away. Shinny followed him, a curious gleam in his eyes.

Up on the control deck, Loring was twisting the dials in front of the teleceiver screen.

“Space Devil to Polaris--Space Devil to Polaris--come in, Polaris.” He twisted another dial and watched the darkened screen anxiously. After a moment the screen blurred, and Tom’s face gradually came into sharp focus.

“Loring!” gasped Tom. “Where’s Roger?”

“Never mind him, you punk!” snarled Loring. “Tell that fatheaded Connel I wanta talk to him! Make it fast!”

Tom’s face disappeared to be replaced by the raging features of Major Connel. “You murdering space rat!” he roared. “I’ve given you two minutes to surrender and, by the craters of Luna, you’ve only got thirty seconds left!”

“It’ll only take ten seconds to tell you that if you don’t get outta here Cadet Manning gets blasted!”

“What?” roared Connel.

“That’s right,” snarled Loring. “You’re the one that’s got thirty seconds to get out of here, or Manning takes a swim in space!”

“Why, you--” Connel’s face was twisted with rage. “You can’t threaten me!”

“I ain’t threatening you,” said Loring, “I’m telling you! If you don’t get started, you’ll never see Manning again. Or if you do, you won’t recognize him! Now make up your mind, Connel!”

The Solar Guard officer hesitated. “Give me two minutes,” he said, “and I’ll call you back. Two minutes.”

“Two minutes,” repeated Loring, “and if I don’t hear from you by then, or if you try any funny stuff, Manning gets it!”

Aboard the Polaris, the screen darkened, and Connel, his fists clenched, turned to Tom.

“We’re helpless, Tom,” he said softly. “Now that we have proof of Roger’s innocence, I have to do everything in my power to save him.”

Tom didn’t say anything. Suddenly Connel smashed one huge fist into another. “But by the blessed rings of Saturn, when I do get my hands on that Loring, I’ll--I’ll--” He broke off suddenly and turned back to the teleceiver. “I’m going to do what he wants, Tom. Roger’s life is worth a dozen like Loring, and we’ll have to take a chance that Loring will keep his word. After all,” continued the big officer softly, “our mission is complete. We’ve tested the transmitter and found it to be more than we expected. No real reason why we should stay around here any longer.”

“Yes, sir,” stammered Tom. “Sir, I--I--”

Connel waved him silent with his hand. “You don’t need to say anything, Tom. It’s just one of those things. Still I can’t help wondering what they came out here for.” He turned to the dials on the teleceiver and began twisting them. “I’ll call him, and you stand by to blast out of here.”

Nicholas Shinny sat on the power deck and listened to Loring issue orders over the intercom.

“I don’t know if Connel will go for it, or not,” said Loring, “but just in case he doesn’t, we gotta get outta here fast! You got that, Shinny?”

“Yeah,” answered Shinny, “I got it!”

“Mason,” yelled Loring, “you take over on the radar bridge!”

“All ready up here,” said Mason.

“Well, be sure we’ve got a clear trajectory out. Better take us into the sun Alpha Centauri. That way, maybe they’ll miss us on their radar. The sun will show all sorts of blips on their screen.”

“O.K.,” said Mason. “You think he’ll go for it?”

“I don’t know,” answered Loring, “but if he doesn’t, it’s going to be space dust for Manning.”

Shinny got up and walked around the deserted power deck. His legs felt weak. The plan he had made was a desperate one. Over and over, he checked the operation in his mind. It would have to be quick, sure, and sudden. That was the only thing that would ensure success. “Yes, sir,” he thought, “if we can surprise ‘em, we can get away with it.” He dug out a piece of chewing tobacco, took a bite, eyed the remaining piece, and then shoved the whole thing in his mouth. His cheek bulged.