Sabotage in Space

Bong-g-g!

ademy, U.S.A., the lights in the windows of the cadet dormitories began to wink out and the slidewalks that crisscrossed the campus, connecting the various buildings, rumbled to a halt. When the last mournful note had rolled away to die in t

ent later a shadowy figure rose out of the bushes opposite the dormitory entrance and stepped forward quickly and cautiously. Pausing on the slidewalk to stare after the disappearing watch officer, the figure was illuminated by the dim light from the entranc

in that the inner hallway was clear, he slid the portal open, ducked inside, and sprinted down the hall toward a large black panel on the wall near the foot of the slidestairs. On the pane

lond-haired cadet quickly made it unanimous, reaching up to the tab next to the name of Roger Manning and sliding i

peaker system, the desk lamp burned brightly and there was a blanket thrown over the window. The boys of the Polaris unit weren't alone in their disobedience. All over the dormitory, lights were on and cadets were studying secretly. But they all felt fairly safe, for the

tened to a recorded lecture on astrophysics as it unreeled from the spinning study spool. As command cadet of the Polaris unit, Tom was required to know more than mer

n times for rocket motors. Though the huge Venusian cadet was a genius at all mechanical tasks, and able to work with tools the way a surgeon worked with instruments, he had

lled. "Where's th

e of the earphones from his ea

rated Astro. "It's ten m

ose study spools for us

ibrary closed an hour ago. Besides, he couldn't have gotten t

om, turning back to the study machine. "When he g

esides, if the O.D. catches him out of quarters, he'll be

losed. Tom and Astro whirled to see their missing unit

og

you been,

he blond-haired cadet merely looked at them lazily and then sau

?" he drawled, giving his unit mates three

looked at Roger in amazement. They were the ones the unit nee

ools? The library was out of them this afternoon

t I would." He grinned. "Relax! We have them and we can breeze through t

m exclaimed. "Then you

stro. "I want to know where y

go out and risk my neck for my dear beloved unit mates and t

seriously. "Now for the last time,

e said finally. "When I went down to the library to see if it was our

venth?" ga

brarian into moving our names up on the list, but just then an Earthworm cadet came in wit

them from an Earth

ut on the quadrangle and I told him he was wanted in the cadet dispatc

ht them here!"

o I am? Not in a million years. And by the time Tony and the

ttle chiseler," growled Astro. "Tom

"You're righ

angrily. "I went to a lot of tro

than a two-week leave in Atom City right now. But the Capella unit is having a to

and pass, but they really have to study. I'm for getting t

"Roger," said Tom, "both Astro and I really appreciate it. But you w

sheepishly. "You're right, fellas," he said. "It was kind of a dir

o. "It's after hours. We're not

conveyed their individual decisions to each other, they turned toward the door. Tom opened it and ste

on for all of us to go. I was the one who took the spools, so I sh

lways work together, don't we?" he declared. "I

p whisper, and they all raced s

portal. Pausing only to look into the O.D.'s office to make sure the officer wouldn't spot them, they reached the portal and ducked out.

s quartered. Once they sprawled headlong on the turf and lay still as a watch officer suddenly appeared out of the darknes

pposite the Capella unit's dormitory, the b

r. "I shouldn't have let you two come with m

rted Tom. "We'll go the rest of

a space-blasting

hind them. They saw three figures, all in cadet uniforms, wearing the insig

om. "What are yo

orbett," growled Tony Richards. "We saw

a visit, fellas?"

re coming," snapped McAvoy, the

unit, stepped forward. "Give us b

n a calm voice. "We were b

," snappe

ning them. We admit it was a dirty trick, but y

ony heatedly. "It's a shame you two guys are st

t!" exclai

det. "We are returning the spools, and we apologize for yanking them from the

didn't he?" re

n a low controlled tone, "I don't like that rema

can, Manning," repl

en, fellows, we don't want any trouble.

castically. "Manning gets you in trouble and t

ngrily. "You're getting the spools b

e of myself, As

anded the pile of spools over, but as Tony extended his hands, one o

ols," said Tom ici

ver to pick up the spool. "The air

foot on the spool just as Davison reached f

swung wildly. Roger ducked the blow easily, then spun the

turned to him threateningly, but Tom qui

us, we've had it. We don't want any trouble." He glanced at Davison, who was being

ired cadet was not caught unawares. He stepped aside and threw a quick jolting right straight to the Capella cadet's jaw.

ctive unit mates and tried to restrain them. In the struggle to keep R

g cadet sprawling. And then, without warning, McAvoy swung at Tom. The curly-haired cadet saw the blow c

d the strong possibility of being caught and slugged it out in the darkness of the quadrangle. The fight seemed to be the climax of a long-standing feud. The Polaris crew had first come to grips with Richards and his unit mates when they were assigned to the old rocket cruiser Arcturus. When the ship was scrapped, the cadets were transferred to the Capella, but th

opening. In back of them, Roger and Davison were simply hammering away at each other's mid-sections, and Astro and Mc

the fight out of him. Tom refused to pursue his advantage while the other could not fight back. His anger cooling rapidly, Tom realized that the whole fight was nothing more than a misunderstanding. As Richards sank to the grass helpless and gasping for breath, Tom turned

at strength, clamped McAvoy's arms to his side. Face to face, the two cadets glared at eac

d the Venusian, ti

right to his o

e pressure Astro was applying

s back," whispe

forward. "Let him go,

white with anger. McAvoy bent furth

oger. "Get him off Mac be

cAvoy. It took all their strength to break the viselike hold the giant Venusian had on the

and looked down at the beaten Capel

e that the least we can do now

d forward they were stopped by a voice behind

and

jammed on his hips, his booted legs widespread, and his massive head thrust forward. It was Major Lou Connel, more familiarly known as "Blast-off" Connel, a Se

lowly and menacingly, gl

oys?" he asked with a mildness th

ed Tom, a slight t

esume?" The major's voice w

shook his head. "N-n

exclaimed, "didn't anyone ever tell you the rules of Sp

in a hopeless trap and that Connel was simply baiting them. "I

rush behind Tom as McAvoy stumbled to

an behind Connel who

Capella unit were suddenly and horribly aware of the presence of Connel

o roar again. "Fighting, eh? Well,

s tremulously, "if y

Connel. "Out after hours, fighting, you'll

Tom exclaimed

oared Connel. "You are all under

said nothing, standing at rigi

our quarters

e quadrangle back to their dorm, and the Capella unit took the slidewalk that led

u, Major?" asked the man who stoo

yed, Professor Hemmingwell

sed the stranger. "But wha

cadets themselves to see whether or not the

e professor. "You certainl

," replied Connel shortly. "If they c

with a shrug. "We have many more vital things to think about now t

mission here at the Academy was of great importance. But cadets were important too. And he was