You take orders, or else!"




CHAPTER 12


"What do you want?" growled Ed Bush. He stood at the air lock of the
_Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side. "Why ain't
you out growing corn?"

Hyram Logan smiled. He held out the books and study spools the cadets
had given him on the trip out. "I wanted to return these to the cadets.
They lent them to my son. He wants to be a Space Cadet when he's old
enough."

"I can think of a lot better things he could be," sneered Bush. He
jerked his thumb toward the entrance port of the giant spaceship. "All
right, get aboard. You got a half-hour."

Logan entered the cruiser quickly and made his way to the cadets'
quarters. Tom was asleep. Roger and Astro were playing a game of
checkers. When Logan entered, the two cadets quickly forgot their game
and turned to greet the farmer.

"Hiya, Mr. Logan!" said Astro. "You saved me from doing a wicked deed."

Logan stared at the big cadet, puzzled. "How's that again, Astro?"