"Ah, go blast your jets!" snarled Roger.
"Never mind, Roger," said Tom, "we probably won't get the pass, anyway."
Suppressing smiles, Astro and Tom followed Roger down the long corridor toward the office of Commander Walters. In the anteroom they waited while an aide announced them to the commander. Standing before the aide's desk, they could see the commander's face come into focus on the small teleceiver screen, and they were alarmed to see Governor Hardy seated beside him.
"What is it, Sergeant?" asked Commander Walters.
"Cadets Corbett, Manning, and Astro of the Polaris unit to see you, sir," said the enlisted guardsman.
"Send them right in," said Walters.
The aide flipped off the teleceiver and smiled up at the cadets. "Go ahead, fellows. He's in a good mood today, so you don't have to worry about demerits."
Tom thanked the guardsman and started for the door to the inner office, but Roger grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
"We can't go in there now, Tom," he whispered. "Not with Governor Hardy sitting there!"
"I know," replied Tom. "But we can't back out now. He's been told we're here. We'll just go in and ask him for the week-end pass."