unting dogs, what would you suggest, sir?" asked
Strong.

Walters puffed several times and eyed Strong. "I was going to suggest
that you and the cadets become merchant spacemen for a while and take a
look at some of the uglier places of the Solar Alliance. Go right into
the foxes' den dressed as foxes!"

"Ummmmh," mused Strong. "It is an idea."

"Give it a try, anyway," urged Walters. "Take that old freighter we
confiscated from the Titan smugglers, the _Dog Star_. Wander around for
a few weeks and see what you can pick up. We have the advantage, since
only a few of us know _why_ we're looking for Wallace and Simms. It
might make finding them a little easier."

Strong looked at the cadets and then back at the commander. "It might
just work, at that, sir," he said at last.

"Work your way around to Venusport," said Walters. "Let it be known that
you four are--well, willing to do just about anything for a credit."

Strong and the cadets smiled. "All right, sir," said the young captain.
"We'll start right away."

"No!" replied the commander firmly. "You'll start in the morning. Right
now, I'm ordering you to hit the sack and get some rest. You're not
going to catch those two with speed. You'll need brains and cleverness."

"Very well, sir," said Strong as he stood up. "And I want to thank you
for giving us this assignment."

"No question about it," answered the commander. "If you have a tough job
to do, you put your best team to work on it, and the job will get done!"

It was difficult for the three cadets, who had been standing to one side
listening, to suppress a smile. They saluted and followed Strong from
the room. He left them at the slidestairs with orders to be ready to
blast off at 0800 hours.

Tom was silent as he climbed into his bed in the _Polaris_ unit's
quarters on the forty-second floor. Roger and Astro fell asleep almost
as soon as their heads touched their air-foam pillows, but the
curly-haired cadet lay with arms under his head, staring up at the
ceiling. He felt uneasy about the task that faced them. He wasn't afraid
for himself, or Roger, or Astro. Something he couldn't put his finger on
bothered the young spaceman.

He reviewed Wallace and Simms' entire operation. He remembered the two
men had struck him as not being too bright. Their success in stealing
the secret of the adjustable light-key, and their methods, plus their
complete disappearance, just didn't add up. He made up his mind to