"Very well," he said. "Bring your ship to
a dead stop in space and open your starboard air lock. I will send a
jet boat over to you."
"Aye, aye, sir," said Astro.
When the Solar Guard captain signed off and his image faded from the
teleceiver screen, Astro and Roger numbly complied with Newton's abrupt
orders, bringing the ship to a dead stop in space and opening the
starboard air lock. Then the two cadets sat in the main deck of the
small scout and waited, their faces showing their concern. Neither felt
like talking. They were so confused that they didn't know what to say.
Finally Roger got up and in a daze walked to the chart table to note the
time of the tests in the log. Then he automatically logged the time of
Newton's order.
Suddenly he threw the pencil down and turned to Astro.
"Blast it!" he shouted. "What's this all about?"
Astro merely grunted, shrugged his shoulders, and slumped further down
in his chair. The big cadet was worried. Anything that threatened his
career at the Space Academy made him literally tremble with fear. In his
whole life there was never anything that he wanted more than to be an
officer in the Solar Guard. And the only way that could be accomplished
was by being a Space Cadet. Now he was under arrest. He didn't stop to
reason why. All he knew was that it was a direct threat to his future as
a power-deck officer in the Solar Guard.
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