urn on your communicators and test them," ordered Strong.

One by one the boys flipped on the switch of the portable spacephones in
their fish-bowl helmets and spoke to each other. Strong indicated that
he was satisfied and turned toward the jet-boat catapult deck, the three
boys following him in single file.

"Astro, you and Roger take number-one boat," said Strong. "Tom and I
will take number two." His voice had a harsh metallic tone through the
headset spacephones.

Roger hurried along with Astro to the number-one boat and climbed
inside.

"Jet boat has its own oxygen system," said Astro to Roger. "Better make
use of it while we're in here and save our suits' supplies."

"Good idea," said Roger. He locked the clear plastic airtight covering
of the jet boat and began flicking at the control buttons.

"Strap in, you Venusian hick. Here we go!" Roger shoved a lever at his
side, making the jet-boat deck airtight from the rest of the _Polaris_,
and then, by pressing a button on the simple control board, a section of
the _Polaris_' hull slipped back, exposing them to empty space.

The controls of a jet boat were simplicity itself. A half-moon wheel for
guiding, up, down and either side, and two pedals on the floor, one for
going and one for stopping. Roger stepped on the "Go" pedal and the
small ship flashed out into the darkness of space.

Almost immediately on the opposite side of the _Polaris_, Captain Strong
and Tom in the second boat shot away from the rocket cruiser and both
boats headed for the stricken spaceship.

CHAPTER 14

The hatch clanked shut behind them. Inside the huge air lock of the
_Lady Venus_, Tom, Roger, Astro and Captain Strong waited for the oxygen
to equal the pressure in their space suits before removing their
fish-bowl space helmets.

"O.K., sir," said Tom, "pressure's equal."

Strong stepped to the hatch leading to the inside of the ship and pushed
hard. It slid to one side.

"How many jet boats do you have?" was the first thing Strong heard as he
stepped through the door to the interior of the passenger ship.

"Al James!" cried Manning. "So this is your tub?"

The startled young skipper, whom Tom, Roger and Astro had met in Atom
City, turned to face the blond-headed cadet.

"Manning!" he gasped.

"What's your trouble, skipper?" asked Strong of the young spaceship
captain.

Before James could answer there was a sudden clamor from beyond the next
hatch leading to th