last reactor it'll be a rocket buster."

As the boys stepped on the slidestairs that would take them to Commander
Walters' office, each of them was very much aware that this was the
first step to a new adventure in space. And though the three realized
that they could expect danger, the special assignment meant that they
were going to hit the high, wide, and deep again. And that was all they
asked of life. To be in space, a spaceman's only real home!




CHAPTER 2


"Gentlemen, please!"

Commander Walters, the commandant of Space Academy, stood behind his
desk and slammed his fist down sharply on its plastic top. "I must
insist that you control your tempers and refrain from these repeated
outbursts," he growled.

The angry voices that had filled the room began to subside, but Walters
did not continue his address. He stood, arms folded across his chest,
glaring at the assembled group of men until, one by one, they stopped
talking and shifted nervously in their chairs. When the room was finally
still, the commander glanced significantly at Captain Steve Strong,
standing at the side of the desk, smiled grimly, and then resumed in a
calm, conversational tone of voice.