difference, to award the contract to any single company!"

The men in the room gasped in amazement.

"The bids were exactly alike. The only differences we found were in
operational procedure. But the cost to the Solar Guard amounted to, in
the end, exactly the same thing from each of you! The inference is
clear, I believe," he added mockingly. "Someone stole the minimum
specifications and circulated them among you."

In the shocked quiet that followed Walters' statement, no one noticed
Tom, Roger, and Astro slip into the room. They finally caught the eye of
Captain Strong, who acknowledged their presence with a slight nod, as
they found seats in the rear of the room.

"Commander," a voice spoke up from the middle of the group, "may I make
a statement?"

"Certainly, Mr. Barnard," agreed Walters, and stepped back from his desk
as a tall, slender man in his late thirties rose to address the men
around him. The three Space Cadets stared at him with interest. They had
heard of Kit Barnard. A former Solar Guard officer, he had resigned from
the great military organization to go into private space-freight
business. Though a newcomer, with only a small outfit, he was well liked
and respected by every man in the room. And everyone present knew that
when he spoke, he would have something important to say, or at least
advance a point that should be brought to light.

"I have no doubt," said Barnard in a slow, positive manner, "that the
decision to substitute a space race between us as a means of awarding