"Wrong?" blared Connel. "News from Earth—from the Academy! Roger's been cleared of all charges."
"Cleared?" stammered Tom.
"Absolutely! When I sealed the radar bridge after the crash, a security officer examined the settings on the scanners and transmitting equipment. They showed that Roger had been on duty at the time—that he had been tracking the ship as he claimed."
"Then what was the reason for the crash?"
"Security isn't sure yet. An acceleration control lever is missing from the wreckage. And it wasn't broken off as a result of the crash. Now Loring and Mason are wanted for further questioning."
Tom looked at his unit-mate, Astro. The big Venusian had his head turned to one side; he seemed to be staring out over the vast writhing jungle.
"Astro, did you hear?" asked Tom softly.
"Yeah," mumbled Astro in a small, choked voice. "Just don't ask me to turn around."