"This is the end! Those two cadets are
going up before a general court-martial."

"Commander," protested Strong, "you can't--!"

"Shut up, Steve!" barked Connel. "There's a limit to how long you can
defend your unit. Face it, man, those three boys have gone off their
rockers. They're too cocky. This is the last straw." He turned away
from the young Solar Guard officer and faced the others. "Let's get on
with the interrogation. Firehouse! What have you got to say about this?"

The tough little enlisted guard stepped up and reported clearly and
rapidly and without pause. When he was finished, Connel turned to the
guards that had replaced Roger and Astro and each one repeated the story
told by Firehouse Tim.

Over and over, Connel heard the same story. No one seemed to have been
around the ship when the explosion took place. And it seemed that the
only time when a saboteur could have gotten into the hangar and planted
the bomb was during the hour the doors were unguarded.

Finally, the interrogation was over and Connel declared, "One thing to
remember when you are dealing with sabotage is this: if the saboteur
fails, he might return. If our enemy does not know the extent of the
damage, then he might return and make another attempt. So, not a word
about this to anyone. And that includes your mothers."

"Major, there is one thing I'd like to add," said Barret, stepping
forward.

"What's that?" asked Connel.

"It's about the cadets," said Barret. "I talked to them just before they
blasted off in the scout. They had a lot to say about your taking
Corbett with you on the trip to Mars. They seemed disgruntled and
dissatisfied."

Steve Strong whirled on the young engineer. "What did they say?" he
demanded.

"Simply that they didn't feel that they were getting a fair deal with
Tom being taken off guard duty, since he was actually responsible for
them having it in the first place.

"They said that!" exclaimed Strong. "But how could that--" He suddenly
closed his mouth and turned away, frowning.

"But how could what, Steve?" asked Walters.

"Nothing, sir," said Strong. "You have already reprimanded me too often
as it is for speaking up in their behalf."

Walters lifted his eyebrows. "It appears to me that you're getting a
little touchy!" he barked. "Watch yourself, Steve. Don't let your
feelings for those boys get out of hand."

"Blast it!" exclaimed Professor Hemmingwell. "While you continue talking
about those