On the Trail of the Space Pirates

Boarding the Atom City Express at New Chicago Monorail Terminal** The scene opens in the lofty marble and aluminum concourse of the New Chicago Monorail Terminal where a metallic voice announces the departure of the Atom City Express to Space Academy on Track Seven. Tom Corbett, the command cadet of the Polaris unit, leads his two unit-mates through the crowd—Roger Manning, a slender blond cadet still drowsy from insufficient sleep, and Astro, the towering Venusian with an enormous appetite. The three cadets have just returned from leave where they enjoyed numerous parties at Tom's family home. They board the monorail together, finding seats in the forward cars. Tom gives Astro credits to visit the dining car after the Venusian announces he is hungry, despite having eaten an enormous dinner less than an hour before at Mrs. Corbett's house. The cadets settle in, planning to sleep during the journey.

Confrontation with Rude Passengers Aboard the Monorail** When Astro rises to visit the dining car, two passengers at the end of the car shove him aside roughly, causing him to fall back onto his sleeping unit-mates. The incident angers all three cadets, who confront the men—a heavier man and his rat-faced companion. Words are exchanged as the larger man criticizes Space Cadets for being lazy and receiving taxpayer funding, suggesting they should be reported to their "soldier bosses" at the Academy. Roger, displaying his characteristic cool demeanor, makes it clear that while being a Space Cadet requires politeness to all people, he won't tolerate disrespect. Astro's threatening roar of "Blast off. Both of you!" sends the two men retreating to the next car. The confrontation leaves Astro's appetite vanished, and the three cadets return to their seats to rest, with Tom suggesting they report the incident to Captain Strong as a potential method to reduce the Academy's food bills given Astro's enormous appetite.

Arrival at Space Academy and Meeting with Captain Strong** The monorail travels through the early dawn across the western plains, passing through a tunnel beneath a snowy mountain range before emerging into a wide valley where Space Academy stands. The three cadets observe the gleaming Tower of Galileo—a structure made of pure Titan crystal that dominates the Academy grounds. Upon arrival, they pass through the busy station filled with Solar Guard personnel in various uniforms: green for first-year cadets, rich blue for seniors, scarlet for enlisted guards, and black and gold for officers. They proceed via slidewalk to the Tower building and go directly to their unit commander Captain Steve Strong's office, reporting as ordered. Commander Walters appears on the teleceiver, informing Strong that the Solar Exposition will open sooner than expected, requiring the cadets to be briefed and depart quickly. Strong welcomes his unit back, remarking on their enjoyable leave. The scene establishes the year as 2353, Earth's colonization of Mars, Venus, and the moons of other planets, and the existence of the Solar Alliance and Solar Guard.

Solar Exposition Assignment Briefing** Captain Strong informs the Polaris unit they have been selected to represent the entire Cadet Corps at the Solar Exposition opening on Venus within the week. Their mission is straightforward yet significant: they will pilot the Polaris to the fairgrounds and serve as guides for visitors, showing them the ship and answering questions about their stations. The exposition spans a month, with the Polaris being the first Academy exhibit before another unit replaces them. Every industry, society, organization, and governmental agency is setting up exhibits, alongside an amusement section with rides so terrifying that Strong jokes he would rather take full rocket acceleration than ride them. Strong emphasizes that this is no "space lark"—it is vital for the Solar Alliance citizens to understand the Academy's work, making the cadets' conduct critically important as representatives of the entire Cadet Corps.

Polaris Pre-Flight Check and Blast Off for Venus** The three cadets proceed to the spaceport where the rocket cruiser Polaris awaits on its launching ramp, poised with nose pointed toward the stars. After expressing their affection for their ship, each cadet systematically checks their station. Astro, stripped to the waist and armed with his rocketman's tool belt, inspects the power deck and atomic engines—adjusting valves, checking reactant feeders, securing rocket firing chambers, and verifying lead baffling for radiation protection. Roger cleans the astrogation prism and checks the radar scanner, wiring, range finders, and intercom system from the radar bridge in the ship's nose. Tom, as control-deck cadet and pilot, tests all dials, gauges, and indicators on the great control panel, including the gravity generator. After all stations report clear, Tom contacts spaceport traffic control and receives orbit clearance number 3847. Captain Strong arrives and the final countdown begins—cooling pumps energize, reactant feeds at D-9 rate, trajectory confirmed clear. Strapped into their positions, the crew hears the count: "Blast off minus five, four, three, two, one, zero!" The Polaris lifts free and rockets away from Earth toward Venus, marking another mission for Tom and his unit-mates in service of the Solar Guard.

Captain Strong announces touchdown clearance over the intercom as Tom Corbett prepares to land the Polaris at Venusport. Roger reports trajectory information from the radar bridge while Astro manages the power deck. Tom skillfully pilots the giant spaceship through the Venusian atmosphere, receiving altitude updates from Roger until final descent. He applies full braking thrust and the Polaris settles smoothly onto the landing platform. Tom reports the ship has completed its space flight at exactly seven fifty-two-O-two. Captain Strong then orders the enlisted crew to prepare the Polaris for moving to the exposition site, instructing them to drain the fuel tanks, strip all armament including paralo-ray weapons and atomic blasters, and stock the galley with provisions.

Strong and the three cadets travel by jet cab to the Solar Alliance Chamber and take an express vacuum elevator to the four-hundredth floor to meet Exposition Commissioner Mike Hawks. Hawks, a retired senior officer with military bearing, greets his old friend warmly. Two men happen to be in the office obtaining operating licenses for amusement concessions. Tom recognizes them as Gus Wallace and Luther Simms, the rude space crawlers they had encountered on the monorail returning from leave. Hawks explains he was required to grant them a license despite his reservations because they have a legitimate business plan. The commissioners describe their scheme to take fair visitors up in an old chemical-burning space freighter for short rides. Hawks then describes the exposition as the greatest gathering of minds in human history, featuring lectures, ship construction demonstrations, musical performances, and exhibits spanning industry, science, medicine, art, and space flight. He reveals that Captain Strong has been chosen to make the opening speech, a great honor that embarrasses the naturally shy captain. Hawks assures him the ceremony will focus primarily on a giant time capsule being lowered into the ground to preserve knowledge for future generations.

The cadets return to the spaceport and find the Polaris stripped of weapons and the galley fully stocked. The chief petty officer provides a receipt for removed equipment and signs the logbook. Tom, Roger, and Astro lift the great ship over Venusport and bring it down at the exposition site in a clearing surrounded by crystal-walled buildings. Exposition workers immediately begin laying a slidewalk and constructing an aluminum staircase to the ship's entrance. A photoelectric cell is installed at the entrance port to count visitors. The subcommissioner visits to inform them of available conveniences. The three cadets then begin the laborious task of washing down the giant titanium hull with cleaning fluid while the surrounding fair buzzes with nervous excitement.

A fifty-year-old spaceship roars into a clearing across the fairgrounds street, and Astro recognizes it as an ancient vessel. Gus Wallace and Luther Simms climb out as Roger taunts them about their broken-down craft. Tom cautions Roger to leave them alone to avoid trouble before the fair opens, but Roger continues his provocations, leaning over the fence and mocking their ship. Wallace swings a length of chain at Roger, who ducks easily and retaliates with three lefts and a right cross, knocking Wallace unconscious. Luther Simms rushes at Roger with a monkey wrench, but Astro roars at him and the spaceman freezes. Tom pulls Roger away, scolding him for goading Wallace into swinging the chain, which makes Roger entirely responsible for the fight. Roger remains cocky and unapologetic, joking that Astro would have taken them apart to avenge him. Tom warns that Wallace and Simms will seek revenge.

Captain Steve Strong delivers a dedication speech for the time capsule, which contains scientific formulas, medical knowledge, cultural and industrial facts representing humanity's progress through the stars. The ceremony is broadcast across the Solar Alliance to Mars, Earth, and the colonized moons. Following the speech, Captain Strong orders the capsule to be lowered into a concrete-lined pit while a hundred thousand spectators cheer. The Polaris unit cadets observe the ceremony from the platform.

After the ceremony, the cadets congratulate Captain Strong, who admits he was terrified despite his experienced lectures at Space Academy. He explains that speaking before teleceiver and stereo cameras made the occasion particularly nerve-wracking. Strong reveals the capsule contains not just scientific knowledge but also secrets known only by a handful of trusted men. He invites the cadets to a Solar Alliance banquet that evening but grants them twelve hours of liberty to explore the exposition grounds.

The three cadets explore the amusement area, enjoying various attractions, food, and carnival prizes. Upon returning to their section of the fair, they encounter Luther Simms operating a space ride attraction called "Ride in Space" aboard an old freighter. Roger convinces Tom and Astro to purchase tickets, and the three notice three pretty girls boarding the ship. Simms shows visible suspicion upon recognizing the cadets as Space Cadets but sells them tickets anyway.

Once aboard, Roger attempts to approach the girls but is confronted by Simms, who orders him to remain seated. A mysterious explosion rocks the ship and the rockets cut out completely, placing the vessel in free fall. When Wallace and Simms reassure the passengers, Tom and Roger confront them, leading to a heated argument where Wallace threatens the cadets. Simms mentions fixing a "reactor unit," which confuses Astro since the ship is supposed to be a chemical burner. The cadets grow suspicious of the ship's true purpose.

The cadets deduce that the operation is a smuggling front. Roger calculates that fifty credits from ticket sales cannot possibly cover the two hundred credits in fuel costs alone. Tom investigates but finds the cargo hatch locked and observes only a black cloud through the rear viewport. Upon landing, Tom notices the ship handles much more easily than it did on departure, confirming they must have dumped cargo in space. The three cadets resolve to investigate further and uncover what Wallace and Simms are smuggling.

After a long day of explaining the ship's functions to curious visitors, Tom closes the Polaris exhibit at nine P.M. Roger and Astro join him in the galley for hot chocolate and sandwiches, commiserating over the exhausting experience of repetitive questions. Their conversation turns to the mysterious midnight activity they have observed around the spaceship concession over the past ten days. Unable to determine what Wallace and Simms are smuggling, since their ship blasts off loaded but returns empty, the three cadets agree they should report their suspicions to Captain Strong. They head to his hotel in Venusport to inform him of the suspicious behavior.

Captain Strong is examining the ninth report from space skippers describing a dirty sky over the exposition site. Commissioner Mike Hawks shows him the reports, and Strong learns that an express freighter captain encountered the phenomenon after blast-off. Hawks has arranged a rocket scout mission with Professor Newton to collect samples. After collecting a thick black cloud sample in space, Professor Newton offers two theories: asteroid remains or volcanic ash from either Venus or Jupiter. However, Lieutenant Claude reports that the University of Venus has detected no volcanic activity on the planet, eliminating that possibility. Upon examining the samples under a microscope, Professor Newton announces that the black cloud is nothing more than ordinary Venusport topsoil—pure dirt originating from the exposition site itself.

When Captain Strong returns to his hotel with Hawks, he finds the three cadets waiting. Tom reports their suspicions about Wallace and Simms, explaining how they have watched the two men every night and noting that their rocket ship blasts off loaded but returns light. Hawks reveals that Wallace and Simms are the only ones in the area who blast off regularly without customs inspection. With the professor's discovery that the dirty sky consists of Venusian dirt from the exposition site, Strong and Hawks realize that Wallace and Simms must be the source of the contamination. Hawks declares his intention to confront them immediately at the exposition grounds.

The exposition grounds had grown quiet as most visitors departed for their hotels. The solar beacon continued its solitary vigil over the exhibition buildings while Gus Wallace and Luther Simms emerged from the space-ride concession and hurried into their ship. After securing the hatch, the two men exchanged congratulatory handshakes, expressing relief that their long and difficult effort had finally succeeded. Simms noted that the operation had been exhausting but worth the trouble, and they discussed their plans to impress their boss with their discovery. When Simms suggested keeping the prize for themselves, Wallace firmly rejected the idea, reminding him that crossing the boss would be unwise. Wallace expressed regret at not having confronted Cadet Manning, but Simms advised him to forget about the cadet since they now possessed something far more valuable. The two men descended to the power deck to convert the freighter from chemical to atomic drive. They completed the transformation in about an hour, resetting feed lines and installing protective lead baffles. Once the work was finished, Simms admiringly declared the ship ready to travel faster than anything in space except Solar Guard cruisers on hyperdrive. They prepared for immediate departure as Simms warned against being caught at the concession any longer.

Captain Strong, Mike Hawks, and the three Polaris cadets observed a rocket ship blasting off as they traveled toward the exposition grounds in a jet car. Strong suspected it might be Wallace and Simms attempting escape and considered alerting the space-station patrol to intercept them. Astro confidently asserted that the departing vessel was not the criminals' ship because it was atomic-powered, while their freighter was only a chemical burner. Strong validated Astro's expertise, noting the Venusian's natural affinity with spacecraft mechanics. Upon arriving at the concession site, the group discovered to their horror that the shack was empty and the suspects had vanished, confirming their worst fears that it was now too late to pursue.

Strong and Hawks investigated the abandoned shack while the three cadets searched outside. Inside, they found chemical feed-line equipment and empty cartons from lead baffling shipments, confirming that a recent conversion to atomic drive had occurred. The evidence solved the mystery of the ship's capabilities but raised questions about the criminals' motivations. Commissioner Hawks examined the desk and found records showing the operation had been losing money, suggesting the suspects might have grown discouraged and abandoned the business. Strong made a crucial discovery in the corner—a cloth bag containing dirt, with approximately fifty similar bags nearby. This evidence connected the suspects to whoever had been responsible for dumping the mysterious dirt, though the source and purpose of the dirt remained unexplained. Strong decided to report the findings to Commander Walters immediately. When the commissioner questioned what crime the suspects had actually committed, Strong cited space code regulations requiring licenses for reactor drive conversions. Unauthorized conversion of the ship to atomic drive violated section twenty-one, paragraph A, which carried penalties ranging from suspension of space papers to a year on a penal asteroid for willful violations. Strong dispatched the cadets to search the area and examine the abandoned equipment while he contacted the commander via teleceiver aboard the Polaris.

Astro and Tom completed their work on the Polaris generators and rejoined Roger at the shack. While Tom prepared to update Roger on the developments with Commander Walters, the curly-haired cadet suddenly called out for them to observe something. The two cadets discovered a massive hole torn through the wooden floor of the shack. The splintered edges and scattered feed-line equipment trailing into the opening indicated that something catastrophic had occurred. Tom estimated the shaft extended perhaps a thousand feet deep. Roger had apparently fallen into the shaft and was now hanging suspended, his foot tangled in the feed-line cable. Astro leaned over the opening and shouted Roger's name, but received no response—only the echo of his own voice returning from the depths.

Astro carefully pulls Roger Manning from the deep shaft using a rope, supported by Captain Strong and Commissioner Hawks who help extract the unconscious cadet. Strong quickly examines Roger and determines he has only bruises and shock rather than serious injuries, predicting he'll recover in sick bay within a day or so. Commissioner Hawks offers to transport Roger to the medical facility while Strong instructs Astro to contact Solar Guard headquarters for an emergency crew. After Roger is safely taken away with Astro accompanying him, Strong and Cadet Corbett remain at the shack to investigate where the shaft leads, both feeling determined that Wallace and Simms must face consequences for causing the accident.

Strong and Tom begin examining the shaft, with Strong using an emergency light that only penetrates a short distance into the darkness. They prepare to lower a heavy metal valve attached to a rope to determine how deep the shaft goes, with Tom noting the regulation space line from Astro's emergency locker is about 1200 feet long. As they lower the valve-weighted rope, it eventually goes slack, indicating they've hit bottom, though they cannot pull the valve back up to confirm. Strong directs Tom to secure the rope by threading it through the shack windows, then wraps his jacket around the line to prevent rope burns. Strong descends first, followed by Tom who notices preserved mammal bones in a clay stratum around the 700-foot mark. At the bottom, Tom finds a cold, narrow tunnel with newly dug sides that feels menacingly close, leading him to call out for his captain.

Tom finds Strong at the bottom of the shaft, stooping over something with his emergency light. Following Strong's gesture, Tom sees the time capsule has been violently ripped open, with its gleaming metal skin exposed. The dirt floor surrounding the capsule is littered with scattered audio spools, sound disks, micropapers, and stereo slides. Strong explains that they've discovered evidence of one of the cleverest crimes in the universe—if Wallace and Simms have stolen what he suspects, the entire Solar Guard, Solar Alliance, and practically everyone in the system would be at their mercy.

Roger wakes up in sick bay with aching muscles but declares himself ready to leave, convincing the medical officer to release him with exercise as treatment for his strained back. Accompanied by Astro, Roger returns with Commissioner Hawks to the exposition grounds where they find heightened security with guards posted around the shack and the _Polaris_ serving as temporary headquarters. The Solar Guard has established an impressive operation including a ten-foot aluminum tripod over the shaft, motor-driven steel cables, and air pumps. When Lieutenant Silvers reports that Strong, Tom, and Captain Allison are already at the bottom of the shaft, Roger reflects on his close call while the cadets eagerly anticipate joining them underground.

The group descends in a large wire cage divided into three sections, dropping rapidly until braking near the bottom where emergency lights illuminate the tunnel. They find Strong, Tom, and Captain Allison examining the damaged time capsule, and Strong explains the critical security threat: every spaceship in the Solar Alliance has a vault secured by an electromagnetic lock operated only by a light-key that flashes specific color and vibration combinations. Wallace and Simms stole an information sound spool containing details about the energy lock and an adjustable light-key that could crack any vault in the system. Strong reveals he has already contacted Commander Walters at Space Academy, who wants this discovery kept secret to prevent panicking the public. The team commits to maintaining the deception while conducting the greatest search the system has ever seen, planning to issue arrest warrants for Wallace and Simms under false pretenses.

Captain Maitland aboard the rocket cruiser Orion reports to Captain Strong that three weeks of searching space quadrants A through D, sections twenty-one through one hundred thirty-eight, using constant six-way radar sweeps have yielded no sign of Wallace and Simms. Commander Walters then proposes that Strong and the cadets abandon the official search and instead pose as "merchant spacemen" aboard the Dog Star, traveling to rough establishments across the Solar Alliance to gather intelligence. The plan involves letting it be known they are willing to do almost anything for a credit.

After receiving their orders, the cadets prepare for departure while Tom lies awake troubled by something about Wallace and Simms' operation that doesn't add up. At 0800 hours, the team boards the Dog Star dressed in merchant spacemen attire and prepares for launch. Astro reports the power deck ready, Roger clears their course, and Tom calls for blast-off clearance. The freighter successfully launches into space, with the Polaris crew beginning their unconventional mission.

During the flight to Luna City, Strong briefs the cadets on undercover protocols. The team splits into two groups—Tom with Strong, Roger with Astro—operating as simple tramp spacers. They receive new last names for their space papers while keeping the same first names to avoid confusion. The strategy involves visiting the toughest establishments, buying drinks, casually mentioning Wallace and Simms as old friends, and hinting they have something valuable. They must keep paralo-ray guns concealed under their jackets and use belt communicators for emergencies only, while avoiding "rocket juice" alcohol.

The Dog Star lands at Luna City's municipal spaceport, where customs officers give the freighter a thorough search. Roger approaches two customs officers asking about food, receiving hostile responses as they dismiss him as an amateur space drifter. Strong approves, noting their disguise is perfect and that anyone interested in a ship with a smuggling reputation becomes someone worth investigating. The team disembarks to begin their undercover work in Luna City.

In a Luna City restaurant near the spaceport, Captain Strong and Tom spot a scar-faced man sitting alone. The disguised Solar Guard officers approach him separately—Strong at the bar, Tom at the man's table—to gather intelligence on the fugitives Wallace and Simms. Tom strikes up conversation and buys drinks with Pete, who pays willingly, indicating his eagerness to talk. When Strong joins them, Pete becomes suspicious and demands references. Tom cleverly mentions a supposed hundred-thousand-credit heist at the Solar Exposition on Venusport, claiming Wallace and Simms were involved. Upon hearing Wallace's name, Pete grabs Tom violently, revealing his personal vendetta against the fugitive. Strong pulls his paralo-ray gun and forces Pete to explain his interest. Pete claims that two years ago in Marsopolis, Wallace slashed his face during a fight at the Spacelanes Bar, and he has been hunting him ever since. Unsatisfied with Pete's answers, Strong and Tom exit, leaving Pete worried and anxious.

The crew departs Luna City aboard the freighter Dog Star, heading for Mars. During the journey, they discuss their strategy and decide to use the same split-up approach at the Spacelanes Bar in Marsopolis, with Strong and Tom entering first while Roger and Astro follow later for backup. Strong contacts Commander Walters via teleceiver. The news is troubling—Wallace and Simms have used their light-key to raid a Solar Guard transport heading to Titan, stealing atomic blasters and paralo-ray weapons. Walters believes they are hiding in the asteroid belt, making Marsopolis a logical intermediate stop. Upon landing at Marsopolis spaceport, customs officers confiscate the Solar Guard's paralo-ray guns, though Strong is secretly pleased with their merchant spaceman disguise.

Tom and Strong locate the Spacelanes Bar in a rough district of Marsopolis. Strong immediately offers a thousand credits for information about Wallace, making the bartender suspicious. Roger and Astro enter separately, creating a distraction and intimidation. The bartender is cautious but admits knowing Pete was knifed by Wallace. When pressed, he reveals that Nicholas Shinny at the Café Cosmos on Venusport's Spaceman's Row would know more, as Shinny prospected the asteroids with Wallace years ago. Tom recognizes Shinny as a retired spacer and friend to Strong's unit. Tom offers only a hundred credits, and Strong drops the note and leaves. The bartender cryptically warns that they sold information cheaply, suggesting that the Solar Guard already has someone who knows Wallace's exact location.

During the journey to Venus, Strong receives a report that the bartender, identified as Joseph Price, has been taken into custody. Under truth serum interrogation, Solar Guard security officers discover Price's mind is saturated with criminal plots and counter-plots, requiring weeks for psychograph analysis to extract the name of Wallace's associate. The report also brings disappointing news of second, third, and fourth strikes by Wallace and Simms against spaceships near the asteroid belt.

Upon arriving at Venusport, Strong and the three cadets proceed directly to the suburban home of Nicholas Shinny. The retired spaceman lives comfortably in a Titan crystal house, spending his days fishing for Venusian fatfish and watching stereos at night on his full pension. He greets the visitors warmly, introducing his Venusian wolfhound puppy and inviting them to meet Molly, his electronic cook. Despite their urgency, Shinny insists they eat first, and the group enjoys a hearty meal while the cadets play with the wolfhound.

After dinner, Strong explains the full situation to Shinny, detailing Wallace and Simms's activities, their adjustable light-key capable of opening any lock in the solar system, and the pirate attacks on four ships to acquire weapons. Strong requests information about Wallace's suspected secret hide-out in the asteroid belt, knowing Shinny once prospected there with Wallace. Shinny reveals that after their partnership ended while hunting for uranium pitchblende, Wallace met Bull Coxine, and Shinny expresses intense dislike for the name, stating it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Shinny recounts the history of Bull Coxine, explaining that Coxine was a ringleader of a mutiny on a ship heading to Titan when Strong was a young Solar Guard officer. Strong had joined Coxine to gain his confidence, then regained control of the ship and sent Coxine to a prison asteroid. Coxine escaped disguised as a guard and linked up with Wallace on a freighter, and together they robbed the Credit Exchange on Ganymede. Coxine was caught while Wallace escaped undetected. Shinny had not reported this connection previously, claiming most of his knowledge was speculative. Strong recognizes Coxine as a formidable enemy who has sworn vengeance.

In their hidden asteroid base surrounded by smaller satellites, Wallace and Simms relax in their space shack while listening to audiocasts. Simms examines their accumulated wealth and suggests they quit their piracy operation, but Wallace refuses, determined to continue and attempt a major heist rather than live in modest retirement. Simms reluctantly agrees with Wallace's reasoning about needing to secure their future. They review a story spool containing instructions for their next operation at least fifty times to ensure precision.

Wallace and Simms prepare their heavily armed freighter, which now sports two powerful three-inch atomic blasters with provisions for two more. While Simms works on installing additional guns using a cutting torch, Wallace intercepts a Solar Guard emergency announcement broadcasting to space quadrants near Saturn, directing squadrons A and B to search for them. The announcement warns that the pirates are armed and unlikely to surrender. The pirates laugh at the misdirection, confident that while the Mars garrison pursues phantoms, they can strike from the opposite end of the solar system undetected.

The freighter *Dog Star* enters the outer defense perimeter of the prison asteroid, where Captain Strong orders Astro to apply full braking rockets to avoid being blasted. A sharp voice over the audioceiver demands identification, and Strong explains their mission to interrogate a prisoner, referencing code Z for Zebra and Major Alan Savage. Despite their coded message, the ship must undergo radar sweeps for verification. Strong complies with their demands, and the cadets express concern about the prison's hostile atmosphere.

A space launch ferries Strong and the cadets to the asteroid, where they undergo an extremely thorough security search—including the narrow space between the ship's outer and inner hulls. Lieutenant Williams notes that the guards are elite, chosen from thousands of applicants, and receive triple wages plus the prestigious white patch denoting their service. The ports are covered during approach to hide defense locations, and visitors must follow strict rules: no talking, continuous movement, and maintaining ten-foot distances. The prison facility appears unexpectedly pastoral, with grass and white one-story buildings dominated by a tower topped with a massive atomic blaster. Guards patrol with radar-controlled paralo-ray rifles, and prisoners wear metal tracking disks. Major Savage greets them warmly and explains the prison's design: individual huts where prisoners live in isolation, grow their own food, and are monitored by radar—if they cross within two miles of the tower, guards intervene; within one mile, guards fire without warning. Only one prisoner has ever escaped—Bull Coxine, who overpowered a sick guard, took his uniform, and stowed away on a supply ship.

Major Savage warns Strong about Bull Coxine, describing his extreme hatred and exceptional physical strength—he once nearly choked a guard to death with one hand. Strong brings Astro as protection. They drive to Coxine's hut, where they find the massive prisoner standing in the doorway. Coxine, a scarred giant with unkempt hair, confronts them with blazing hatred. Despite Strong's attempts at camaraderie, referencing their shared past, Coxine refuses any cooperation and challenges Strong verbally. When Strong asks about Gus Wallace and his asteroid belt hideout, Coxine demands to know what he'll receive in exchange. Strong offers only thanks, and Coxine angrily refuses, ordering them to leave. Strong remains calm, refusing to let Astro engage despite Coxine's provocations, even warning that Coxine's death would damage Astro's record.

As Strong and Astro prepare to leave, a tremendous explosion rocks the asteroid—the tower vanishes in a mushroom cloud, and a spaceship appears overhead, systematically bombarding the surface with atomic blasters. Realizing Tom and Roger were inside the tower, Strong frantically declares they must return. In the chaos, Coxine seizes his opportunity, striking Strong unconscious with a heavy rock and then knocking Astro out with a blow to the back of the neck. The giant criminal then escapes in the jet car while the atomic bombardment continues.

Major Savage orders his gunners to open fire as the attack begins, orders Tom and Roger to take cover in the open fields while he organizes the asteroid’s defenses, and the invader methodically destroys underground launching ramps and other critical sites, leaving only two undamaged rocket destroyers operational for a counterattack.

Lieutenant Williams, commander of the second surviving destroyer, reports his radarman was killed and his ship cannot launch, so Roger immediately volunteers to take the vacant radar role, bids Tom farewell, and races to join the ship’s crew.

Tom watches from cover as the first surviving rocket destroyer dives toward the invader but is instantly destroyed by a direct atomic blaster hit, then he sees the second destroyer carrying Roger blast off at full acceleration toward the enemy vessel.

The invader spots the approaching second destroyer and opens fire, scoring a near miss that knocks the vessel off course and leaves it helpless in free-fall orbit around the asteroid, leaving Tom relieved that Roger survived the strike.

Tom realizes the invader has moved to the cluster of prisoner huts to facilitate a jailbreak, calls frantically for Major Savage but finds him unconscious and wounded, and after a medic tells him no one can stop the escape, he runs toward the invader to try to intervene.

Tom hides near the invader’s air lock, watches as the remaining prisoners scramble aboard, then breaks into a nearby hut to steal a white prison coverall, putting it on over his discarded cadet uniform to disguise himself, and runs to join the last few prisoners boarding the ship.

Tom boards the invader and is greeted by Bull Coxine, a violent former prisoner he recognizes, but before he can change his mind, the air lock closes, and he realizes the ship is the Wallace and Simms vessel he saw at the Venus exposition, trapping him aboard with the escaped prisoners.

Captain Strong and Astro regain consciousness after being ambushed by Coxine prior to the attack, find the central tower destroyed and the prison in chaos, and rush to the damaged rocket destroyer to assess the situation and search for Tom and Roger.

Strong asserts his authority over a gruff sergeant, learns from Lieutenant Williams that the attack bypassed the asteroid’s radar defenses using a stolen Solar Guard supply ship access code, and confirms that every prisoner on the penal asteroid has escaped in the invader.

A guardsman delivers Tom’s discarded cadet uniform, confirming he is unaccounted for, so Strong orders Roger to ready long-range communication with Space Academy and Astro to prep their ship for immediate launch, planning to pursue the escaped prisoners and coordinate a large fleet response if Tom sends a distress signal.

Coxine Quiets Celebrating Prisoners & Announces Command Hierarchy Bull Coxine stands on the control deck of the stolen ship, dressed in black merchant spaceman uniform with paralo-ray pistol belts crossed over his hips. He roars through the intercom demanding silence from the celebrating prisoners, threatening to make anyone who challenges him "take a swim in space." The big man waits until the men gradually quiet down, then establishes his absolute authority by declaring himself skipper and warning that he has "cut my milk teeth on mutiny." He explains that the prisoners are his crew only because he needed manpower, and anyone who disagrees can swim back to the prison asteroid. Coxine reads off a list of department assignments, receiving cheers and arguments from the men below. He appoints Wallace as second-in-command and Simms as third-in-command, both men who helped orchestrate the liberation from the asteroid.

Coxine Confronts Wallace & Simms, Establishes Sole Leadership After addressing the prisoners, Coxine turns to face his lieutenants Wallace and Simms, who immediately begin boasting about their criminal enterprise. Simms eagerly mentions planning their first strike from their own asteroid in three hours, but Coxine's eyes narrow dangerously. He snaps at them both that his earlier warnings about being the boss apply to them as well. When Wallace tries to object, Coxine roars for him to shut up and demands he be addressed as "captain." After Simms complies with the proper respect, Coxine delivers an angry tirade about how all the planning was his own work—gathering information over two and a half years, smuggling plans out of the prison asteroid, directing where to buy the spaceship and how to steal the light-key. He dismisses their contributions as merely following orders and warns them to forget about thinking they're smart, threatening they'll wind up with the other criminals below decks. After ordering a course to the asteroid and decent food sent to his quarters, Coxine departs. Wallace turns to Simms afterward, venting his frustration about Coxine while Simms goads him about having wanted Coxine freed in the first place.

Tom Corbett Fights Prisoner Monkey to Protect His Cover Tom Corbett sits in a converted cargo compartment, watching the celebrating prisoners transition from white prison coveralls to black merchant spaceman uniforms. Someone has created a foul rocket juice from fruit, alcohol, and reactor priming fluid. A short, hairy, ape-like man nicknamed Monkey stands on a table boasting about his strength while prisoners laugh and jeer. When a thin man with a hawk nose yells "Monkey" and darts behind a bunk, the powerful man turns his anger toward Tom, accusing him of calling him names. Tom shakes his head, hoping to remain unnoticed as a non-prisoner among them. However, Monkey climbs down from the table and advances threateningly. Tom calculates that fighting would draw attention and risk discovery, but retreat is impossible with prisoners crowding around. When Monkey releases an animal-like roar and charges to pin him down, Tom perfectly times his defense—throwing his legs up and kicking Monkey hard in the stomach, sending him sprawling against the bulkhead. Monkey charges again, and when he closes with Tom, his powerful grip threatens to crack Tom's ribs. The cadet's vision begins swimming as he desperately pushes outward against Monkey's chin, forcing the man's head back until the grip relaxes. Tom breaks free and, with his last ounce of strength, swings a crushing punch to Monkey's chin that breaks his jaw and knocks him unconscious. The prisoners stare in disbelief at Tom's victory. To his surprise, no one questions him—some even pat him on the back drunkenly—while others drag the unconscious Monkey to sick bay.

Tom Improvises Cover Story for Coxine & Receives Gunnery Assignment Deciding his next move is to familiarize himself with the ship and obtain a paralo-ray gun, Tom escapes the crowded compartment and begins exploring the passageways. He locates the power deck by its roaring purr, climbs a ladder to the next deck, and walks toward what he believes is the control room. Outside the astrogation and radar bridge, he hesitates between bursting in to overpower the men or waiting for a better opportunity, when he is startled by Bull Coxine's sharp voice demanding to know who he is. Tom invents the name "the Space Kid" on the spot. When Coxine questions why he doesn't recognize him from the prison asteroid, Tom claims he was held in the tower for a month undergoing psychograph rehabilitation before escaping during the blast. Coxine presses for more details about what crime sent such a young prisoner to the Rock. Tom, trying to project a harsh demeanor, snaps back that he just broke Monkey's jaw for treating him like a kid, warning Coxine not to crowd him with questions or he'll have to freeze him. Coxine towers over the curly-haired cadet, asking his former spaceman rating. Tom confidently claims to have been a gunner on a deep spacer, able to hit a crawler's nose at a hundred thousand yards with anything from a two-inch to a six-inch blaster. When Coxine sharpens his eyes and asks where he learned to use a six-incher—only found on heavy Solar Guard cruisers—Tom realizes his mistake but quickly covers by claiming he was an enlisted spaceman in the Solar Guard. He explains he was kicked out after hitting a "smart-alec lieutenant just out of Space Academy" so hard the man never woke up, forcing Tom to blast out and get caught. Coxine accepts the story and orders Tom to report to the gunnery chief as second-in-command. Tom watches the big man leave and smiles, having survived both impossible situations—the fight with Monkey and this dangerous interrogation—and he believes he may have a chance after all.

Commander Walters inquires about reports from the search squadrons. Captain Strong reports that they are concentrating on the asteroid belt but have drawn a blank. Roger Manning notes figures on a large chart showing covered areas while Strong studies the search progress. Squadron Ten has just completed their assigned area search with nothing found. Strong declares they must continue the systematic search from one end of the belt to the other, expressing concern that when they find Coxine, it may be too late to help Tom. He confirms Tom must be aboard Coxine's ship and will be trying to signal them. Strong orders Roger to maintain continuous six-way radar sweeps across all ships and instructs Astro to prepare the Polaris for launch. Every ship in space improves their chances of locating the pirates. Roger expresses relief at the prospect of hunting the pirates, noting Astro can hardly keep still. Strong reflects on how the attack on the prison asteroid created the biggest sensation across the Solar Alliance, with his name appearing frequently in headlines. He had suggested searching the asteroid belt and received permission from Walters to combine the search for Wallace and Simms with the hunt for Coxine, convinced that Coxine was behind all their activity. Strong assigns Lieutenant Moore to relay reports using code "VISTA" and retires briefly before taking the Polaris out to direct operations.

The radar bridge aboard the pirate ship Avenger reports a blip on radar appearing to be a jet liner traveling from Mars to Venus. Bull Coxine studies the scanner and confirms the identification, rubbing his palms together with anticipation. He orders all hands to stand by for attack, announcing to the crew that their first strike will be against a jet liner carrying fancy goods that the Solar Guard would never provide them on the prison asteroid. Coxine warns that anyone who takes unauthorized items will face severe consequences. At fifty thousand yards range, the radar operator reports the liner may have sighted them. Coxine orders the forward turret to fire a warning blast across the liner's bow to demonstrate their intentions. He assigns Wallace to lead boat one with Russell, Stephens, Attardi, and Harris, each armed with paralo-ray pistols and rifles. Coxine takes boat two with Shelly, Martin, and the Space Kid, while the remaining crew mans the forward and aft blasters. Lieutenant Simms is given authority to command firing, which Coxine emphasizes by coldly staring at him and demanding clear understanding.

Tom is positioned in the turret when Gaillard orders him to determine the range. He quickly calculates the speed of the jet liner, their own speed, and angle of approach before reporting the range. The blast is fired and the Avenger rocks in recoil. Tom sights on the range finder and fires a perfect shot that flashes brilliantly in front of the passenger ship, maintaining his reputation as a crack marksman while deliberately missing. Coxine congratulates him on good shooting. When the radar operator reports the liner is attempting to send a distress signal to the Solar Guard, Coxine orders Tom to destroy the audio antenna despite the extreme difficulty of hitting a steel cable at fifty thousand yards. Tom meticulously calculates the angles and movement of both ships, rechecking his figures multiple times to avoid damaging the passenger vessel. After steeling himself, he fires and destroys the antenna, earning enthusiastic praise from Coxine who declares it the best shot he has ever seen. As the boarding crews prepare, Tom receives weapons from Gaillard and secretly steals a second pistol. He slips topside to the radar bridge seeking access to communications equipment. When Simms approaches, Tom pretends to be lost and asks for directions to the jet-boat deck. Simms dismisses him with barely a glance, but Tom catches a glimpse inside the bridge, recognizing it as identical to the one aboard the Polaris. Coxine's voice summons Tom to the jet-boat deck, and he quickly rushes there, explaining his absence by claiming he was verifying the range and preparing to blast the liner if necessary. Coxine approves of his thoroughness and assigns Tom to take the controls of boat two with Shelly and Martin.

The two jet boats blast off from the Avenger and drift to a stop inside the catapult deck of the luxurious liner. Coxine immediately exits the boat waving his paralo-ray pistols at frightened merchant spacemen, ordering them back inside. He proceeds through the ship with Tom and Shelly covering him, sweeping luxurious lounges with ray rifles. They confront the liner's captain and a half-dozen junior officers in the control room. Coxine assures the captain no one will be hurt but demands whatever is in the ship's vault. The captain defiantly declares he will live to see Coxine caught and sent to the prison asteroid. Coxine mocks him, claiming the Solar Guard will need to build a new prison facility. He produces a thin rod device, inserts it into holes in the vault door, and opens the massive titanium door. Working quickly, he fills a bag with credit notes and passenger valuables. Before departing, he tosses the disbelieving officers a mocking salute. Back at the jet-boat deck, Wallace returns from his own looting operation and signals success to Coxine. As they prepare to leave, Tom asks if Coxine fears resistance, and the pirate captain boasts that no one has ever had the nerve to fire on him while his back was turned. Tom silently contemplates whether he would have the resolve to take action against the notorious criminal when the opportunity arises.

Coxine presides over the crew at a long mess table with his ledger and stacks of credit notes. He distributes rewards arbitrarily—Joe Brooks and Gil Attardi each receive one thousand credits, while Sam Bates protests receiving only five hundred. Coxine responds by punching Bates unconscious, warning the crew that dissent will result in being thrown into space. As names continue being called, Tom observes from the rear, recognizing he cannot safely claim his share without revealing his identity to enemies Wallace and Simms. With crew members gathered and distracted, Tom grips his stolen paralo-ray gun and slips unnoticed out of the messroom toward the radar bridge.

Tom confronts Joe Brooks at the radar station, forcing him into a locker at paralo-ray point. Working rapidly against time, Tom disassembles the radar scanner and intercom, modifying connections to create an interference signal. He transmits a Morse code message repeatedly through exposed wires: "Emergency... attention... Corbett... Space Cadet... aboard... Coxine... pirate... ship... space quadrant B... section twenty-three..." The interference manifests as white static flashes on the radar screen. Brooks pounds frantically against the locker door while Tom sends the desperate signal, hoping someone in range will detect it. Once satisfied the message has been sent, Tom secures the radar to broadcast continuous interference and departs for the jet-boat deck.

Roger detects Tom's flickering message on the Solar Guard ship's radar. Captain Strong rushes to the scanner, where Tom's position coordinates appear as flashing signals against the green globe. Roger explains that Tom created interference by crossing the scanner impulse from positive to negative, causing the signal to hit itself and produce static flashes. Strong carefully notes the position while Roger continues reading the repeated transmission. Strong immediately plots a rescue course and announces the course change to the crew. Astro responds with enthusiasm, pushing the ship's speed to dangerous acceleration levels as the Solar Guard vessel bears down on Tom's position at maximum velocity.

Tom encounters Gil Attardi on the companionway, who has been sent to summon him for a three thousand credit reward. Smiling to mask his intentions, Tom neutralizes Attardi with the paralo-ray gun and dashes past the frozen pirate to the jet-boat deck. As paralo-ray fire begins buzzing behind him—indicating Attardi has been discovered—Tom leaps into the nearest jet boat, releases the hull sliding panels, and rockets into space. Tom establishes that no pursuit is immediately visible, having jammed the ship's radar to prevent tracking. He celebrates briefly, knowing the asteroids will provide concealment. However, his triumph turns to horror when examining the control board reveals the jet boat carries less than three days of oxygen—the craft was never refueled after the raid on the jet liner.

Despite successful escape, Tom faces a grim revelation: the stolen jet boat contains insufficient oxygen for survival beyond three days. With full acceleration toward the asteroid belt, Tom examines the vessel's emergency supplies—finding food and water adequate—but the oxygen gauge registers critical. Without rescue within approximately three days, the jet boat will become an airless coffin drifting through the vacuum of space.

Roger reports the Polaris's position as space quadrant B, section twenty-three, but confirms the radar is completely scrambled by Tom's static flash. Unable to use the Polaris without functioning radar in the dangerous asteroid belt, Strong decides jet boats are the only option. Roger proposes an innovative solution: blanking out the radar range so it only functions at one compass heading at a time, then testing each direction until the flash appears. This would reveal the direction of Tom's signal. Strong agrees to send Astro and himself in jet boats while Roger stays aboard to pinpoint the heading of the flash.

Astro prepares the jet boats for flight while Strong gives orders for departure. Strong will take jet boat one and Astro will take jet boat two, with Strong searching section twenty-four and Astro covering section twenty-two. They plan to make wide circles beginning outside and spiraling inward to locate any survivors. Strong instructs Astro to maintain audioceiver contact since Roger will be occupied with the radar work. After circling the Polaris twice to establish their positions, both spacemen launch their small craft and separate to begin their systematic search through the asteroid belt.

Tom remains alone in his tiny jet boat after the Avenger has vanished. To conserve his dwindling oxygen supply, he sets the controls for a steady orbit around a large asteroid and lies down on the deck, employing survival techniques learned at Space Academy. These involve breathing as slowly as possible and attempting sleep to reduce oxygen consumption. Through the crystal roof, Tom observes Regulus and Sirius shining brilliantly against the blackness of space. When he checks the oxygen indicator, he finds the needle has dropped past the empty mark. Despite knowing his time is limited, he takes one final long look at the stars before closing his eyes. He stops trying to control his breathing and begins taking deep lungfuls of oxygen, quickly falling into a sound sleep while the jet boat continues its endless spiral around the nameless asteroid.

Alone on the radar bridge, Roger works intensely to eliminate the white static flashes by adjusting the delicate mechanism. After testing numerous points around the compass without success, the screen remains dark. He watches the radar's hairline sweep continuously around the scope. When the line reaches the top of the screen, he spots the blip of a jet boat belonging to the Polaris. As the line sweeps down, he suddenly detects a second craft—a different model jet boat. Recognizing this as significant, Roger excitedly contacts Strong and Astro, identifying the unknown craft as circling a large asteroid at the intersection of sections twenty-one and twenty-two.

Astro and Strong locate Tom's jet boat on opposite sides of the asteroid. Through a quick visual check, they confirm Tom is sleeping inside. However, Strong immediately recognizes a critical problem: Tom isn't wearing a space suit. Opening the hatch would expose Tom to the vacuum of space and kill him. They must tow the boat back to the Polaris and get it inside the air lock before they can safely open it. Astro quickly secures a rope between Tom's boat and his own, then tows the craft toward the Polaris. The complication arises because Tom's jet boat is still under acceleration with running motors. Unable to brake and land inside the Polaris, and unable to open the hatch to stop the motors, they face a difficult choice. Inside the boat, Tom suddenly awakens, gasping for air with his lungs screaming for oxygen. Through tremendous effort, he reaches the acceleration lever and pulls it back by the weight of his falling body, shutting down the jets and signaling his rescuers.

Following the successful rescue of Tom Corbett from the Avenger, Captain Strong and Roger Manning debrief about the failed scanner fix and the Morse code flashes that revealed Tom's location. Tom has recovered sufficiently after receiving pure oxygen and provided a report of his ordeal aboard the pirate vessel. Strong contacts Commander Walters at Space Academy via teleceiver to deliver a full report of the rescue mission. The commander extends personal congratulations to all involved—Strong, Roger, Astro, and Tom. Strong proposes concentrating the entire Solar Guard fleet patrol in the asteroid belt area where Coxine appears to operate, a suggestion the commander endorses.

Coxine's pirate operations intensify dramatically in the weeks following Tom's rescue. Seven ships report attacks within three days, including jet liners, passenger freighters, and supply ships. The Avenger strips these vessels of everything useful: blasters, paralo-ray guns, synthetic foodstuffs, clothes, money, jewels, and equipment. Any unescorted ship approaching the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter becomes a target. The pirates demonstrate resourcefulness by using an adjustable light-key to bypass energy locks regardless of code changes. When ships attempt resistance, Coxine destroys them; when escorted by rocket cruisers, he simply avoids engagement, forcing the Solar Guard to spread resources thin. The attacks grow bolder, reaching farther from the belt's protection as if taunting authorities. Coxine escalates further by seizing entire vessels and abandoning passengers and crews in jet boats. Three large space freighters matching the Avenger's specifications now fall under pirate control. Public outrage mounts across the Solar Alliance.

A breakthrough arrives when a Solar Guard rocket scout, though destroyed in combat with the Avenger, inflicts critical damage on the pirate vessel. The dying communications officer reports the Avenger drifting helplessly in space. For the first time in weeks, hope rises in Captain Strong as he coordinates an overwhelming fleet response. He transmits urgent orders to all search vessels across quadrants C through M and Q through B-1 to converge on quadrant A-2, section fifty-nine. Squadron Nineteen of the Martian reserve fleet receives instructions while the rocket cruiser Sirius and additional elements join the pursuit. The Polaris launches with Strong, Tom, Astro, and Roger aboard, proceeding to emergency space speed. Multiple squadrons launch from the Academy spaceport—three rocket cruisers, six destroyers, and twelve rocket scouts—at ten-second intervals. Roger calculates astrogation courses while radar scanners probe for contact. Squadron Ten spots the disabled pirate vessel. As the fleet closes in from every direction, they execute englobement formation—a giant wheel with the Avenger as the hub, all guns trained on the target. Strong hails Coxine demanding unconditional surrender.

The anticipated surrender never comes. Repeated demands yield only silence, raising suspicions of a trap. Tom Corbett, recognizing the vessel from his time aboard the Avenger, makes a startling announcement: this ship is not the Avenger despite being the same model. Close inspection via magnascope reveals the vessel as an abandoned derelict with all emergency ports open and jet-boat locks empty. Coxine has outmaneuvered the Solar Guard once again—the damaged ship was merely a decoy while the pirate crew transferred to another vessel. Captain Strong acknowledges the bitter truth: Coxine operates multiple ships and escaped by switching vessels when one became disabled. The fleet receives orders to resume former search stations. The chapter concludes with Strong imagining Coxine's laughter echoing through space as the Polaris accelerates away, the pirate still at large.

Tom, Roger, and Astro say farewell to Captain Strong at the Academy spaceport before he boards the lightly-armed freighter that will serve as bait. Strong explains his plan to draw Coxine out of the asteroid belt by appearing to transport the Titan payroll alone. The cadets are troubled by the risk to their skipper but accept their own critical mission. Commander Walters approved Strong's assignment after much persuasion, and the cadets later depart for Titan carrying the actual payroll.

Bull Coxine addresses his pirate crew with threats against any dissenter, asserting his absolute leadership after recent failures. He orders Lieutenant Simms to recover and modify a damaged rocket scout for maximum speed, while Wallace oversees preparations aboard the Avenger for a major strike. Coxine reveals knowledge that the Titan payroll ship has departed from Space Academy rather than its usual port, correctly suspecting a possible trap but determined to verify it before attempting another approach.

Captain Strong flies alone through the asteroid belt aboard the decoy freighter, knowing he could be attacked without warning at any moment. Though hidden Solar Guard patrol ships would destroy Coxine once alerted, Strong understands he would not survive such an attack. Grimly determined to end the pirate menace, he maintains his course through the hazardous celestial terrain.

The three cadets blast off aboard the Polaris under cover of night with the genuine twenty-million-credit payroll stored secretly aboard. Unable to communicate to avoid detection, they can only hope the decoy plan succeeds and their skipper survives. Astro makes a grim vow to destroy Coxine if Strong comes to harm as the ship sets course for Titan through the darkness of space.

Following their capture, Tom, Roger, and Astro were confined in the brig of the Avenger while Coxine transferred half his crew to the Polaris. The three cadets contemplated their grim situation as they awaited their fate. Roger questioned what Coxine meant by having "three passes into Ganymede," prompting speculation that the pirate intended to use the cadets themselves as his key to the colony. Astro expressed relief that truth drugs would prove ineffective against the cadets' training, but Roger quickly dismissed this comfort, noting that Coxine preferred to obtain information through cruelty and intimidation rather than chemical means. The cadets resolved among themselves that no amount of pressure would force them to reveal sensitive information, though they remained uncertain what form Coxine's interrogation would take. Brooks and three crewmen soon arrived to escort the cadets from their cell. When Astro attempted to resist, Tom restrained him, advising caution against armed opponents. Brooks threatened to freeze Astro solid with his paralo-ray gun if any further resistance occurred. The cadets were then separated—Astro and Roger were herded into the main air lock while Tom was taken separately to the control deck to face Coxine directly.

Upon reaching the control deck, Coxine presented Tom with a horrifying ultimatum. He explained that within two hours the Avenger would enter radar range of the Ganymede garrison. The air lock containing Roger and Astro was connected to a valve requiring exactly eight turns to completely evacuate the chamber of air. Coxine would demand the recognition signal every fifteen minutes, and each refusal would result in one additional turn of the valve—ultimately suffocating the two trapped cadets. Coxine demonstrated the valve mechanism on the after bulkhead, ensuring Tom understood the precise nature of his threat. The pirate captain revealed his smug confidence that the young cadet would eventually capitulate to save his friends. When Tom responded with defiance, lunging at the giant spaceman, Coxine effortlessly struck him down, mocking the young man's futility against greater physical strength. Despite his劣势, Tom recognized the tactical implications of Coxine's scheme. The pirate intended to use the recognition signal to infiltrate the Solar Guard garrison and launch a devastating surprise attack. Each refusal meant slower suffocation for his friends, but compliance would doom an entire colony. Tom weighed the possibility that the beacon signal aboard the Polaris might reach the Solar Guard in time, hoping Roger and Astro's physical conditioning would allow them to survive the extended ordeal.

Facing certain death for his friends and the potential destruction of Ganymede, Tom formulated a desperate strategy. He understood that time itself was the critical variable—every moment that passed increased the probability that the beacon aboard the Polaris would be detected by distant Solar Guard patrols. He calculated that Roger and Astro would instinctively conserve their energy once they realized the air was being slowly evacuated. During the extended interrogation, Tom's continued refusal infuriated Coxine. Each time the pirate turned the valve another increment, Tom steeled himself against the knowledge that his friends' lives were draining away in the confined darkness of the air lock. He watched the astral chronometer as the seconds accumulated, each one potentially bringing salvation or doom. Coxine attempted psychological pressure, suggesting Tom might reconsider if he imagined his friends desperately struggling for breath in the suffocating chamber. But Tom met the pirate's gaze with hatred burning in his eyes. He understood that Coxine intended to force him to choose between his friends' lives and the security of the entire Solar Alliance—and he had no intention of surrendering either easily. The stall was working; the minutes piled into nearly two hours while Coxine's patience grew thinner and the radar approach to Ganymede drew nearer with each passing moment.

The moment arrived when Ganymede traffic control broadcast an identification demand over the Avenger's audioceiver. Coxine placed his hand on the valve for what he claimed would be the final time. Faced with the immediate death of his friends, Tom made an agonizing decision. He demanded Coxine's word as an Earthman that Roger and Astro would be unharmed if he provided the signal, but the pirate's assurances were hollow—he intended to destroy the colony once inside and showed no intention of releasing the cadets afterward. Tom gambled everything on the possibility that his beacon signal from the Polaris had already been received and that Solar Guard reinforcements were racing to intercept. He whispered the recognition signal: "operation Vista." Coxine eagerly repeated the code word and immediately ordered Wallace aboard the Polaris to use the same identification phrase. When Ganymede control accepted the response and granted clearance, Coxine triumphantly concluded that he had obtained the key to conquering the entire colony. The pirate ordered Roger and Astro brought to the control deck, still paralyzed from their air-lock ordeal. Coxine mockingly credited Tom with saving their lives, though he made clear this was merely the beginning of his grand design. The cadets were tied to chairs where they could observe the scanner display, forced to witness the fruits of their coerced betrayal—and the full scope of Coxine's ambitions became terrifyingly apparent.

With the recognition signal accepted, Coxine launched his coordinated assault on the defenseless colony. He ordered Wallace aboard the Polaris to train all weapons on Solar Guard defense installations, while the Avenger's power deck pushed the ship to full thrust. As the vessel approached Ganymede, Coxine positioned it directly over the Solar Guard garrison, deploying the five jet boats to the surface. The pirate captain contacted the colony via teleceiver, delivering an ultimatum to Major Sommers: all citizens and Solar Guard personnel must assemble at the municipal spaceport within five minutes, or the settlement would be destroyed. The major, facing the certainty of annihilation, was forced to comply without resistance. Coxine reveled in his power, mocking the Solar Guard officer's helplessness against his array of atomic blasters. The scanner displayed the colonists' panicked movement toward the spaceport as Coxine's men secured the largest vessels for hijacking. The radar bridge relayed continuous scanner images showing Coxine's forces taking absolute control of the tiny satellite. Despite the garrison's capability to resist, the position was hopeless—any resistance would mean the deaths of countless civilians crowded in the open spaceport. The Solar Alliance's representatives surrendered without firing a single shot, and Coxine achieved his goal of taking Ganymede unopposed.

The final revelation came when the scanner displayed a massive Solar Guard fleet—two heavy cruisers, four destroyers, and six scouts—hurtling toward Ganymede at tremendous speed. Coxine interpreted this as the ultimate confirmation of his victory, laughing with insane triumph as he confronted the bound cadets. He declared that he now possessed the ships, guns, and personnel to challenge the entire Solar Alliance. Coxine explained his grand design: with the adjustable light-key secret and a captured fleet, he could command vessels that would be accepted as friendly by Solar Guard defenses, then turn them against their former owners. His vision extended to absolute domination of the solar system, with himself as its sole ruler. The fleeing ships meant nothing to him; he had already seized control of Ganymede's resources and was preparing to strike wherever he chose. For Tom, Roger, and Astro, the situation appeared desperate. They had been instrumental in providing the very intelligence that enabled Coxine's conquest, and their own rescue seemed increasingly remote. Yet their only remaining hope lay in the beacon signal from the Polaris, which they trusted had been detected. As Coxine ordered preparations for his next assault, the three cadets exchanged glances, silently acknowledging that the beacon remained their sole chance for salvation—and perhaps the only hope for the Solar Alliance itself.

When Captain Strong discovers that Coxine has outwitted him, he boards the rocket cruiser Arcturus and continues the search patrol while maintaining audio silence to protect the cadets aboard the Polaris. A mysterious steady signal beacon draws him toward Ganymede, dangerously close to the small Jovian colony. After Titan fails to report the Polaris's arrival on time, Strong investigates the strange sound and takes repeated bearings, ordering full emergency space speed toward the satellite. Contacting Commander Walters at Space Academy, Strong receives permission to engage the enemy at all costs, with orders to "blast his space-crawling hide into protons." Six hours later, confirmation arrives: Ganymede garrison has been attacked by two ships, including the Polaris, and the entire colony is at Coxine's mercy. Strong realizes the cadets were forced to give up their recognition code, placing them in deadly peril.

On the control deck of the Avenger, Bull Coxine addresses seven men—Wallace, Russell, Attardi, Harris, Shelly, Martin, and Brooks—forcing them to raise their right hands and pledge their lives to him. The oath demands they uphold his decisions, obey his orders, and fulfill his purpose of destroying the Solar Alliance and establishing a new governmental order. After the reluctant recitation, Coxine declares them his chief lieutenants, promising them command of ships and a share in ruling the new order when they defeat the Solar Guard. Though the men exchange worried glances and offer only mild cheers, Coxine remains oblivious to their lack of enthusiasm. He sends them to their ships for full acceleration, then turns to the three captives—Tom, Roger, and Astro—and declares that they will witness history. When Gus Wallace screams an alarm about Solar Guard squadrons approaching, Coxine threatens to blast anyone who tries to flee and rallies his men for what he calls their big chance to wipe out the Solar Guard.

The Space Guard fleet bears down on Coxine's forces, and Captain Strong demands the pirate's surrender, warning that he has no alternative but to attack. Coxine refuses, roaring that the Guard will only get his surrender from the barrels of his blasters. At Strong's cold command, the battle erupts as both fleets open fire. The Avenger shudders as her turrets return fire, and the three cadets watch in horrified fascination as exhaust trails cut scarlet paths through black space. The ships attack, counterattack, and regroup at speeds nearing that of light. Gradually, one by one, pirate ships are hit, demolished, or badly damaged, yet they continue fighting. Coxine becomes increasingly desperate, lining up ships in his radar sights and firing without distinguishing friend from foe. A rocket cruiser bears down on the Avenger, and despite a last-second course change, the ship takes a near miss that fills the control deck with smoke and sparks a flash fire. Tom is thrown across the room and Roger lands on top of him.

While Coxine struggles to direct the wounded ship through the smoke and confusion, Astro breaks free from his bonds and confronts the pirate in mortal combat. The two giants lock wrists, spreading their legs wide and grimacing face to face as they struggle to throw each other off balance. Coxine trips Astro by kicking his foot from the deck, then climbs on top of him and grips his throat, slowly choking the life from the Venusian. Tom and Roger, still bound, desperately yell and scream to distract Coxine, giving Astro the split second he needs to tear free with a mighty heave of his remaining strength. Gasping for breath, Astro retreats to the far corner while Coxine lunges after him. When Coxine charges again, Astro stands squarely to meet him and lands a powerful right fist on his chin. The Venusian then pounds straight, jolting lefts and rights into the pirate's mid-section with ferocity, fighting not for honor but for survival. Despite Coxine's attempts to counterattack, Astro ducks a whistling right, shifts his weight, and drives his right squarely into the pirate's face. Coxine's eyes go glassy and vacant as he sinks to the deck, knocked out cold.

With Coxine unconscious, the three cadets set about tying up the pirate captain. Astro's fists are bloody and battered—he jokingly remarks that if he ever has to fight like that again, he wants his fists dipped in lead first. Before they can plan their escape, the hatch bursts open and Captain Strong rushes in with a dozen armed guardsmen. Strong reveals that the beacon signal was brilliant quick thinking that led directly to Coxine's downfall. He explains that the Avenger was easy to spot as the only non-Solar Guard vessel, and after capturing the Polaris, he figured the cadets were either dead or aboard this ship. Strong ordered his forces not to fire on the cadets once the pirate fleet was wiped out, and when the Avenger accelerated after the near miss—which was intentionally aimed to miss them—the Space Guard came alongside, forced the air lock open, and took over. The crew surrenders readily, relieved to be free of what they consider Coxine's insanity. As enlisted men carry the unconscious pirate away, the cadets and their skipper watch silently, contemplating how close the Solar Alliance came to destruction.

Captain Strong confirms that the adjustable light-key has been recovered and Bull Coxine has been captured, effectively ending the space pirate threat. Tom reflects on the adventure, noting that it teaches him a valuable lesson about what it truly means to be a Space Cadet. He recognizes that being a Space Cadet cannot be learned from story spools alone—it is something beyond anything in the universe. The chapter closes with the cadets having proven themselves through real danger and combat, demonstrating that their training has prepared them not just theoretically but through direct experience with life-or-death situations in space.