The boy returned to the audioceiver and began calling Miles, but there was no reply. After a few minutes Walters interrupted, "We can't waste any more time here, Steve. We've got to blast off!"
"Get hold of Corbett on the Space Lance," said Strong to the spaceman. "Tell him I said to get in touch with Manning on the Space Knight. Ask him to find out what's going on."
"Yes, sir."
"And then tell him to contact me on the Polaris. We're blasting off immediately."
"Very well, sir."
Walters turned to Captain Strong. "What do you think it means, Steve?" he asked.
"I can't figure it, sir. Knowing Manning as I do, it could be a crazy stunt or it could be serious."
"It had better be serious," said Walters grimly, "for Manning's sake. One more slip, and I'm bouncing him right out of the Academy!"
The two officers left the control tower, leaving young Oliver Muffin alone, droning his monotonous call to Tom Corbett, somewhere between Earth and Mars—a call that was to be the young cadet's first warning of treachery in deep space!
