On the Trail of the Space Pirates_ A Tom Corbett Space Cadet Adventure - Carey Rockwell [27]
Tom's eyes bugged out and he stepped forward.
"Sir," he gasped, scarcely able to get the question past his lips, "you don't mean we're—we're going to—"
"You're absolutely right, Corbett. There's a brand-new rocket cruiser out there. Your ship. Your future classroom. You'll report to her in the blues of the Space Cadets! And from now on your unit identification is the name of your ship! The rocket cruiser Polaris!"
A second later, Strong had vanished down the corridor, leaving Tom and Astro hugging each other and clapping each other on the back in delirious joy.
Roger merely stood to one side, a sarcastic smile on his face.
"And now, as we prepare to face the unknown dangers of space," he said bitingly, "let us unite our voices and sing the Academy hymn together! Huh!" He strode toward the door. "Don't they ever get tired of waving that flag around here?"
Before Tom and Astro could reply, he had disappeared. The big Venusian shrugged his shoulders. "I just don't understand that guy!"
But Tom failed to reply. He had turned toward the window and was staring out past the gleaming white Tower of Galileo into the slowly darkening skies of evening to the east. For the moment, the problems of Roger Manning and the unit were far away. He was thinking of the coming morning when he would dress in the blues of a Space Cadet for the first time and step into his own ship as command pilot. He was thinking of the morning when he would be a real spaceman!
CHAPTER 8
The campus of Space Academy was quiet that evening. Only a few cadets were still out on the quadrangle, lounging around in the open before returning to their quarters for bed-check.
On the forty-second floor of the dormitory building, two thirds of the newly formed Polaris unit, Tom and Astro, were in heated argument.
"All right, all right, so the guy is brilliant," said Astro. "But who can live with him? Not even himself!"
"Maybe he is a little difficult," replied Tom, "but somehow, we've got to adjust to him!"
"How about him adjusting to us? It's two against one!" Astro shambled to the window and looked out moodily. "Besides, he's putting in for a transfer and there's nothing we can do about it!"
"Maybe he won't now—not after that little speech Captain Strong made this afternoon."
"If he doesn't, then, blast it, I will!"
"Aw, now take it easy, Astro!"
"Take it easy, nothing!" Astro was building up a big head of steam. "Where is that space crawler right now?"
"I don't know. He never came back. Wasn't even down at mess tonight."
"There, that's just what I mean!" Astro turned to Tom to press his point. "It's close to bed-check and he isn't in quarters yet. If the MP's catch him outside after hours, the whole unit will be logged and there goes our chance of blasting off tomorrow!"
"But there's still time, Astro," replied Tom lamely.
"Not much there isn't. It just shows you what he thinks of the unit! He just doesn't care!" Astro paced the floor angrily. "There's only one thing to do! He gets his transfer—or we do! Or—" he paused and looked at Tom meaningfully, "or I do."
"You're not thinking, Astro," argued Tom. "How will that look on your record? Every time there's a trip into deep space, they yank out your file to see how you operate under pressure with other guys. When they see that you asked for a transfer from your unit, that's it!"
"Yeah—yeah—I know—incompatible—but honest, Tom—"
The curly-haired cadet felt his big friend weaken and he pressed his advantage.
"It isn't every day that a unit gets a ship right after finishing ground manuals. Captain Strong said he waited for four months after manuals before getting his first hop into space."
"Yeah—but what do you think it's going to be like out in space with Manning making sour cracks all the time?"
Tom hesitated before answering his Venusian friend. He was fully aware that Roger was going to play a lone hand. And that they would never really have unity among them until