ned to leave again. But his path was blocked
by the sudden appearance of Captain Steve Strong. The three cadets
quickly braced.

The Solar Guard officer strode into the room, his face beaming. He
looked at each of the boys, pride shining out of his eyes, and then
brought his hand up and held it in salute.

"I just want to tell you boys one thing," he said solemnly. "It's the
highest compliment I can pay you, or anyone." He paused. "All three of
you are real spacemen!"

Tom and Astro couldn't repress smiles, but Roger's expression never
changed.

"Then we passed as a unit, sir?" asked Tom eagerly.

"Not only passed, Corbett"--Strong's voice boomed in the small
room--"but with honors. You're the top rockets of this Earthworm group!
I'm proud to be your commanding officer!"

Again Tom and Astro fought back smiles of happiness and even Roger
managed a small grin.

"This is the fightingest group of cadets I've ever seen," Strong
continued. "Frankly, I was a little worried about your ability to pull
together but the results of the manuals showed that you have. You
couldn't have made it without working as a unit."

Strong failed to notice Roger's face darken, and Tom and Astro look at
each other meaningfully.

"My congratulations for having solved that problem too!" Strong saluted
them again and walked toward the door, where he paused. "By the way, I
want you to report to the Academy spaceport tomorrow at eight hundred
hours. Warrant Officer McKenny has something out there he wants to show
you."

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 disappea