alone! Call off your squadrons and come alongside in the
_Polaris_ by yourself. If you hear me, Walters, you better do what I
say, or you'll never see Manning and Corbett again." He flipped the
audioceiver off and grinned at his brother. "When Walters comes aboard,
he's going to get a nice surprise."

"Like what?" demanded Tom.

Ross grinned wickedly, looking very much like the devil incarnate. "You
heard Walters' order to open fire, didn't you?" he said. "It seems that
Space Cadets aren't worth much as hostages. But what do you think it
will be like with a full-fledged commander in our hands, eh? And a
rocket cruiser like the _Polaris_ to run around in."

"You wouldn't dare kidnap Commander Walters!" exclaimed Tom.

"Oh, no." Ross laughed. "Listen, punk, with a murder charge hanging over
our heads, and a couple of million credits' worth of pitchblende in the
holds, both of us would do anything! And don't you forget it!" He turned
to his brother. "Come on over here, Quent, and I'll tell you what we're
going to do."

When the two spacemen were out of earshot, Tom turned to Roger. "How do
you feel, Roger?"

"As if I'm going to shake myself apart," replied the radar-deck cadet,
his teeth still chattering from the effects of the paralo ray.

"Well, hold on just a little bit longer, boy, because the next few
minutes might spell the difference between getting out of here and--"

Tom was cut off by a sudden blast from the loud-speaker of the
audioceiver.

"This is Commander Walters!" came a clear voice. "I accept your
proposal, Miles. But I warn you, if anything has happened to those
boys--"

"No, Commander!" yelled Tom. "It's a trap!"

" ... you will suffer for it," the voice continued.

"No use, Tom," said Roger. "The set was only on reception."

The two boys looked at each other and then across the control deck to
the grinning faces of the twins, Quent and Ross Miles.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 20

"Ease her up a little more, Steve!"

Commander Walters stood at the viewport watching the mighty _Polaris_
slide alongside the black ship toward the coupling devices that would
lock the two ships together in space.

"A little more!" said Walters. "About twenty feet!"

"Short burst on the main jets!" Strong called into the intercom.

"Aye, aye!" shouted Astro from below.

The giant ship inched along, the skins of the two ships barely touching.

"That's it!" shouted Walters. "The magnetic coupling