allace, eh?" mused the bartender.

"We want him a thousand credits' worth," said Strong.

"You didn't tell me for what, yet."

"None of your space-blasting business," roared Strong. "You want the
thousand or not?"

The bartender couldn't keep his eyes off the crisp roll of credit notes
Strong rippled under his nose and hesitated. "Well, to tell you the
truth, I ain't seen him for a long time."

"Then do you know anyone who has?" asked Strong.

"Hard to tell," said the bartender huskily. "But I do know the guy who
would know if anyone does."

"Who?" asked Tom.

"On Venusport's Spaceman's Row. There's a joint called the Cafe Cosmos.
Go there and ask for a little guy named Shinny. Nicholas Shinny. If
anyone knows about Wallace, he'll know."

Tom's heart almost stopped. Nicholas Shinny was a retired spaceman who
had taken part in his last adventure to Alpha Centauri, and was a good
friend of Strong's and the _Polaris_ unit. Shinny had always operated on
the edge of the space code. Nothing illegal, but as Shinny himself put
it, 'just bending the code a little, not breaking it.'

Tom spoke up. "That's only worth a hundred credits," he said.

"Whaddya mean!" snapped the barman.

"How would Nick Shinny know Gus Wallace?" asked Strong.

"They prospected the asteroids together years ago."

Strong dropped a hundred-credit note on the bar and turned away without
another word. Tom followed, and as they passed Roger and Astro, a
knowing look passed between them, and Tom gestured for them to follow.

Having heard the conversation, Astro and Roger walked over to the
bartender who was folding the credit note before putting it in his
pocket.

"You sell your information pretty cheap, spaceman," snarled Roger.
"Suppose those two were Solar Guardsmen in disguise?"

The bartender paused, then shook his head. "Couldn't be!" he said.

"Why not?" asked Roger.

"Because the Solar Guard has a guy salted away that knows exactly where
Wallace is."

CHAPTER 9

"That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the
Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the
bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had
brought.

"All right, Steve," nodded the commander. "I'll have the man picked up
right away and psychographed. Meantime, you go on to Venus and see
Nicholas Shinny."

"Very well, sir," said Strong. "End transmission!"

"End transmission," acknowledged