"Carey Rockwell - Tom Corbett Space Cadet 03 - On the Trail of the Space Pirates" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rockwell Carey)

"That sounds so simple," drawled Roger, "it might be tough."
"It will be tough, Manning," commented Hawks. "Don't fool yourself into assuming
otherwise."
"Don't worry about these boys, Mike. Now, what is part two?" Strong asked.
Hawks smiled. "Here it is, Steve. The Solar Alliance has decided to open the exposition
with a simple speech made by a relatively unknown person, but one who is deserving of
such an honor. They left the choice of that person up to me." He paused and added quietly,
"I'd like you to make that opening speech, Steve."
"Me!" cried Strong. "Me, make a speech?"
"I can't think of anyone more deserving-or dependable."
"But-but-" stammered the captain, "I can't make a speech. I wouldn't know what to say."
"Say anything you want. Just make it short and to the point."
Strong hesitated a moment. He realized it was a great honor, but his naturally shy
personality kept him from accepting.
"Steve, it may make it easier for you to know," said Hawks teasingly, "that there's going
to be a giant capsule lowered into the ground which will contain a record of every bit of
progress made since the inception of the Solar Alliance. It's designed to show the men of
the future how to do everything from treating a common cold to exploding nuclear power.
This capsule will be lowered at the end of your opening address. So, most of the attention
will be focused on the capsule, not you." The commissioner smiled.
"All right, Mike," said Strong, grinning sheepishly. "You've got yourself a speechmaker!"
"Good!" said Hawks and the two men shook hands.
Tom Corbett could contain himself no longer. "Congratulations, sir!" he blurted out as
the three cadets stood up. "We think Commissioner Hawks couldn't have made a better
choice!" His unit-mates nodded a vigorous assent.
Strong shook hands with the cadets and thanked them.
"You want the cadets for anything right now, Mike?" asked Strong.
"Not a thing, Steve."
Strong turned back to the boys. "Better hop out to the spaceport and get the Polaris
over the exposition site, cadets. Soon as you set her down, clean her up a little, then relax. I'll
be at the Galaxy Hotel if you need me."
"Yes, sir," said Tom.
The cadets saluted sharply and left the office.
Arriving at the spaceport, they found the Polaris stripped of her guns and her galley
stocked with food. The chief petty officer in charge of the enlisted spacemen detail was
roving through the passageways of the rocket cruiser when Tom found him.
"Everything set, chief?" asked Tom.
"All set, Cadet Corbett," reported the elderly spaceman, saluting smartly. He gave Tom
a receipt for the list of the equipment that had been removed from the ship and signed the
logbook. Tom thanked him and made a hurried check of the control deck, with Roger and
Astro reporting from the radar and power decks. With the precision and assurance of
veteran spacemen, the three Space Cadets lifted the great ship up over the heart of the
sprawling Venusian city and brought it down gently in the clearing provided for it at the
exposition site, a grassy square surrounded on three sides by buildings of shimmering
crystal walls.
No sooner had the giant ship settled itself to the ground, than a crew of exposition
workers began laying a slidewalk toward her, while another crew began the construction of
an aluminum staircase to the entrance port in her giant fin.
Almost before they realized it, Tom, Roger, and Astro found themselves busy with a
hundred little things concerning the ship and their part in the fair. They were visited by the