Commander Walters had sent the petition to one of his other officers to make a decision. The petition had landed on Strong’s desk.
Strong read the petition again and shook his head. The facts were too clear. There had been flagrant disregard for the rules and there was no evidence to support the suspended spacemen’s charge that they had been unjustly accused by Connel. Strong’s duty was clear. He had to uphold Major Connel’s action and suspend the men for a year.
Once the decision was made, Strong put the problem out of his mind. He walked to his huge circular desk and began sorting through the day’s orders and reports. On the top of the pile of papers was a sealed envelope, bordered in red and marked “classified.” It was from Commander Walters’ office. Thoughtfully he opened it and read:
To: Captain Steve Strong:
Cadet Supervisor, Polaris Unit
Upon receipt of this communication, you are ordered to transfer the supervisory authority of the cadet unit designated as POLARIS unit; i.e., Cadets Tom Corbett, Roger Manning, and Astro, and the command of the rocket cruiser Polaris, to the command and supervisory authority of Major Connel for execution of mission as outlined herein:
1. To test range, life, and general performance of audio communications transmitter, type X21.
2. To test the above-mentioned transmitter under conditions of deep space flight.
3. This test to take place on the planet Tara, Alpha Centauri.
This communication and all subsequent information relative to above-mentioned mission shall be classified as topmost secret.
Signed: Walters,
Commandant, Space Academy
“So that’s it,” he thought. “A hop into deep space for the Polaris unit!” He smiled. “The cadets of the Polaris unit are in for a little surprise in two ways,” he thought. “One from the mission and one from Major Connel!”
He almost laughed out loud as he turned to the small desk teleceiver at his elbow. He pressed a button immediately below the screen and it glowed into life to reveal a young man in the uniform of the enlisted guard.
“Yes, Captain Strong?” he asked.
“Call the cadets of the Polaris unit,” Strong ordered. “Have them report to me here on the double!”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Strong started to turn the set off, but the enlisted man added, “By the way, sir, Al Mason and Bill Loring are here to see you.”
“Oh—well—” Strong hesitated.
“They’re quite anxious to know if you’ve reached any decision regarding their petition for reinstatement.”
“Mmm—yes, of course. Very well, send them in.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
The teleceiver screen blackened. In a moment the door opposite Strong’s desk slid back, and Loring and Mason stepped into the office. They shambled forward and stopped in front of the huge desk, obviously ill at ease.
Strong stood up, holding their petition in his hand, and glanced over it briefly even though he knew its contents by heart. He motioned to near-by chairs. “Sit down, please,” he said.
The two spacemen settled themselves uncomfortably on the edge of their chairs and waited expectantly as Strong continued to look at the paper.
Loring finally broke the heavy silence.
“Well, Captain Strong, have you made a decision?” he asked. Loring was a heavy-set man, in his middle forties. He needed a shave, and when he talked, his mouth twisted into an ugly grimace.
“Hope it’s in our favor, sir,” suggested Mason. He was shorter than Loring and, seated, his feet hardly reached the floor. His eyes darted nervously about the huge room, and he kept rolling a dirty black spaceman’s cap in his hands.
“Yes, I’ve reached a decision,” said Strong slowly. He faced the two men and looked at both of them with a steady cold stare. “I’ve decided to sustain Major Connel’s action. You are both grounded for the next twelve months. Earth months!”
“What?” shouted Loring, jumping to his feet. He banged his fist down on the desk and leaned over, his face close to Strong’s. “You can’t do that to us!”
Captain Strong didn’t move. “I can,” he said coldly. “And I have.”
“But—but—” Mason began to whine. “But space flight is all we know! How will we live?”
Strong sat down and leaned back in his chair to get away from the foul odor of Loring’s breath. He stared at the two men.
“You should have thought of that before you stole a rocket scout from the expedition and made an unauthorized flight while on Tara,” Strong replied. “You’re lucky you’re not accused, tried, and convicted of theft of a Solar Guard spaceship!”
“We had permission to take that flight,” snarled Loring. “That Major Connel is so blasted space happy he forgot he gave us permission. Then when we came back, he slapped us in the brig!”
“Do you have any proof of that?” asked Strong.
“No! But it’s our word against his!” He slammed his hat down on the desk and shook his finger in Strong’s face. “You haven’t any right to take away our papers just on the say-so of a lousy Solar Guard officer who thinks he’s king of the universe!”
“Take your filthy hat off my desk, Loring!” barked Strong. “And watch your language!”
Loring realized he had made a mistake and tried to backtrack. “Well, I apologize for that. But I don’t apologize for saying he thinks he’s—”
“Major Connel has been in the Solar Guard for thirty years,” said Strong emphatically. “He’s been awarded the Solar Medal three times. No other living spaceman has achieved that! Not even Commander Walters! He rose through the ranks of the enlisted Solar Guard and was commissioned as an officer of the Solar Guard in space during an emergency. He qualifies higher than any other spaceman, and he has never been found to be unjust! He’s one of the finest spacemen ever to hit the wide, deep, and high!” Strong stopped, choked for breath, and turned away. It wasn’t often he lost his temper, but something had to be said in defense of his fellow officer, and particularly since that officer was Connel. He turned back to face the two spacemen, and his voice was hard and cold again.
“You are hereby suspended from space flight for twelve Earth months. Any further petition for appeal of this decision will be denied!”
“All right! All right, Mr. Big!” snapped Loring. “Does this mean we can’t even ride as passengers?”
“No rights under the Universal Bill of Rights of the Solar Alliance have been denied you, except that of actively participating in the flight of a spaceship!”
The signal bell of the teleceiver began to chime softly, and on the desk the teleceiver screen glowed again. “Cadets Corbett, Manning, and Astro are here for their assignments, sir,” announced the enlisted man outside.
Loring glared at Strong. “I suppose you’re going to send some punk kids out on the next trip to Tara and leave us experienced spacemen to rot on the ground, huh?”
Strong didn’t see the door slide open to admit the three cadets who entered quietly. His whole attention was focused on the ugly glaring faces of Bill Loring and Al Mason.
“Get this, Loring!” snapped Strong hotly. “The assignments of the Polaris unit, whether it be to Tara or the Moon, has nothing to do with your own breech of conduct. In any case, if they were to be assigned, they’d do a better job than you ‘experienced’ spacemen who are disrespectful of your superior officers and break regulations! If either of you makes one more crack about the Solar Guard or Space Cadets, or anything at all,