ied Astro, "about fifteen
hundred miles more an hour. Do you want me to do that?"

"No, not now," replied Tom. "Just wanted to know what I could depend on,
if I get stuck."

"O.K.," said Astro. "Let me know!"

"Why use emergency speed, Corbett?" asked Strong. "You seem to have your
enemy right where you want him now."

"Yes, sir," replied Tom. "And the enemy knows I have him. He can't
possibly attack Luna City now. But he can still run away. He can make
his escape by this one route."

Tom walked to the chart and ran his finger on a line away from the
invader's position into the asteroid belt.

"I don't want him to get away," Tom explained. "And with the extra
speed, we can cut him off, force him to turn into a position where the
remainder of my fleet would finish him off."

"You'll do this with just the _Polaris_?"

"Oh, no, sir," said Tom. "I'd use the _Arcturus_, _Capella_ and the
_Centauri_, as well."

"Are you sure those other ships can equal your speed?"

"They've got exactly the same type engines as we have here on the
_Polaris_, sir. I'm sure they could--and with perfect safety."

Strong hesitated a moment, started to ask a question, then stopped and
walked to the chart screen. He checked the figures. He checked them four
times, then turned to Tom with a grin and an outstretched hand.

"I've got to offer my congratulations, Tom. This maneuver would wipe
them out. And I've got a notion that you'd come off without the loss of
a single ship, plus, and it is a big plus, keeping the invaders more
than fifty thousand miles away from their objective!"

The captain turned to the teleceiver. "Rocket cruiser _Polaris_ to
control tower at Space Academy--"

There was a crackle of static and then the deep voice of Commander
Walters boomed from the speaker.

"Spaceport control to _Polaris_. Come in, Steve."

In a few brief sentences, Strong outlined Tom's plan of action to the
Academy commander. The commander's face on the teleceiver widened into a
grin, then broke out in a hearty laugh.

"What's that, sir?" asked Captain Strong.

"Very simple, Steve. All of us--all the Academy top brass--develop a
foolproof test for cadet maneuvers. And then your young Corbett makes us
look like amateurs."

"But didn't you expect one side or the other to win?" asked Strong.

"Of course, but not like this. We've been expecting a couple of days of
maneuver, with both sides making plenty of mistakes that we could call
t