s in Atom City searching for you. Get back to
Space Academy fast--commandeer an air car if you must, but be here by
six hundred hours!" The captain waved a cheery good-bye and the screen
went dark.

"Space maneuvers," breathed Astro. "The real thing."

"Yeah," agreed Tom. "Here we go!"

"Our first hop into deep space!" said Roger. "Let's get out of here!"

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 12

"The following ships in Squadron A will blast off immediately," roared
Commander Walters over the teleceiver. He looked up alertly from a chart
before him in the Academy spaceport control tower. He began to name the
ships. "_Capella_, orbital tangent--09834, _Arcturus_, orbital
tangent--09835, _Centauri_, orbital tangent--09836, _Polaris_, orbital
tangent--09837!"

Aboard the space cruiser _Polaris_, Tom Corbett turned away from the
control board. "That's us, sir," he said to Captain Strong.

"Very well, Corbett." The Solar Guard captain walked to the ship's
intercom and flipped on the switch.

"Astro, Roger, stand by!"

Astro and Roger reported in. Strong began to speak. "The cadet corps has
been divided into squadrons of four ships each. We are command ship of
Squadron A. When we reach free-fall space, we are to proceed as a group
until eight hundred hours, when we are to open sealed orders. Each of
the other seven squadrons will open their orders at the same time. Two
of the squadrons will then act as invaders while the remaining six will
be the defending fleet. It will be the invaders' job to reach their
objective and the defenders' job to stop them."

"Spaceport control to rocket cruiser _Polaris_, your orbit has been
cleared for blast-off...." The voice of Commander Walters interrupted
Strong in his instructions and he turned back to Tom.

"Take over, Corbett."

Tom turned to the teleceiver. "Rocket cruiser _Polaris_ to spaceport
control."

" ... Blast off minus two--six hundred forty-eight...."

"I read you clear," said Tom. He clicked off the teleceiver and turned
back to the intercom. "Stand by to raise ship! Control deck to radar
deck. Do we have clear trajectory forward and up, Roger?"

"All clear forward and up," replied Roger.

"Control deck to power deck ... energize the cooling pumps!"

"Cooling pumps, aye," came from Astro.

The giant ship began to shudder as the mighty pumps on the power deck
started their build.

Tom strapped himself into the pilot's seat and began checking the dials
in f