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

For a second Roger looked at him sharply, then broke into a smile again. "O.K., Tom,
I'm sorry," he said.
"O.K., let's get back to work," ordered Tom.
Back at the Polaris, as they continued cleaning the hull of the ship, Tom saw the two
men disappear into their craft, throwing dirty looks back at the three cadets as they went.
"You know, Roger, I think you made a very bad mistake," he said. "One way or another,
they'll try to even the score with you."
"And it won't be just a report to Captain Strong," added Astro darkly.
Roger, cocky and unafraid, broke out his engaging grin again and shrugged his
shoulders.


CHAPTER 3

"... And so we dedicate this capsule to the civilizations of the future. Those who may dig
this cylinder out of the ground in ages to come will find within it the tools, the inventions, and
the scientific wonders which have made the era of the Solar Alliance one of peace and
lasting prosperity."
Captain Steve Strong paused, glanced at the huge crane and the shimmering steel
capsule that dangled at the end of a cable, then called out, "Lower the capsule!"
The cheers of a hundred thousand people massed in the exposition plaza greeted the
order. The stereo camera and teleceiver scanners that were sending the opening
ceremonies of the Solar Exposition to all parts of the Alliance moved in to focus on the
capsule as it was lowered into a deep, concrete-lined pit.
The three members of the Polaris unit, standing to one side of the platform, joined in the
cheers as their skipper shook hands with the delegates and waved again and again at the
roaring crowd.
"That was some speech, Tom," commented Roger. "I wonder who wrote it for him?"
"He wrote it himself, Roger," replied Tom.
"Ah, go on," scoffed Roger.
"Sure he did," said Astro indignantly. "He sweated over it for nearly a week."
"Here he comes," said Tom. The three cadets watched Captain Strong, resplendent in
his dress gold-and-black uniform, fight his way off the platform, shaking hands with
congratulating strangers along the way.
"Congratulations, Captain Strong," said Tom with a smile.
 "That was swell!" Roger and Astro chorused their agreement.
"Thanks, boys," gasped Strong. "But let me tell you, I never want to do that again. I was
never so scared in my life!"
"Just making a speech?" asked Roger. "After all the lectures you've given at Space
Academy?"
"They weren't before teleceiver and stereo cameras." Strong laughed. "Do you realize
this ceremony is being seen on Mars, Earth, and all the colonized moons, clear out to Titan."
"Wow!" breathed Astro. "That would make me tongue-tied!"
"Huh! All that to stick a metal box into the ground," snorted Roger.
"It's not the capsule, Roger," said Tom. "It's what's inside the capsule."
"Right, Tom," said Strong. "Inside that capsule scientists have packed the whole history
of man's march through the stars. They've included scientific formulas, medical, cultural, and
industrial facts. Everything we know. Even some things that are known by only a handful of
the most trusted men in the universe!" Strong stopped suddenly and laughed. "There I go,
making another speech! Come on. Let's get out of here," he cried.