"Carey Rockwell - Tom Corbett Space Cadet 08 - The Robot Rocket" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rockwell Carey)

when Tom finally turned to Astro and broke the silence. "Feels good, doesn't it?" he said.
"What does?" asked Astro.
"Being a Space Cadet about to blast off."
Astro grinned. "It sure does," he said. "Better than anything I can think of."
In a few minutes the two cadets were at the Academy spaceport, the largest landing
field for spaceships in the entire Solar Alliance. Set in a low valley, surrounded by rolling
hills, the spaceport was not only the main base for the fleet of rocket cruisers and space
scouts used by the cadets in their training hops, but had a special section devoted to
commercial traffic. Tom and Astro hurried through the busy administration area to the control
tower where air traffic was handled. While Astro waited outside, Tom signed the log and
then went to get their orders.
The office of the traffic dispatcher was high above the field and afforded a view of the
whole spaceport. Tom automatically searched out the gleaming hull of the Polaris when he
entered and did not notice Captain Strong standing at the desk.
Captain Strong winked at the dispatch officer who stepped up to Tom. "Can I help you,
Cadet?" he asked.
Tom came to attention and saluted. "Cadet Corbett, Polaris unit, requesting flight
orders, sir," he said briskly, and then suddenly noticing Strong, flushed and grinned
sheepishly. "Sorry, sir," he added.
"That's all right, Corbett," Strong replied. "The sight of a spaceship is always
distracting." The Solar Guard captain held out a sheaf of papers. "I already have the orders,"
he continued. "I'm going to make this hop with you."
"Swell, sir," said Tom. But the question in his eyes was plain.
Strong smiled. "I was just telling Captain Smathers here about the space storm that
seems to be brewing between Thistle and Manning," he said. "I think I'd better come along."
"Glad to have you aboard, sir," Tom said.
"Let's go!"
Outside the control office, Tom and Captain Strong joined Astro and got into a jet car.
Shooting across the concrete surface of the spaceport at a speed that made Astro turn
pale, they reached the air lock of the Polaris and climbed into it.
"We blast off in ten minutes, Tom," Strong said. "Order all stations to stand by."
"Aye, aye, sir," Tom replied.
Leaving Astro on the power deck and Strong in the officer's cabin, Tom scampered up
the final ladder to the control deck and immediately began preparations for blast-off.
Switching on the intercom, he cried: "Control deck to radar bridge! Check in, Roger!"
"Radar bridge, aye," came an unfamiliar voice over the loud-speaker. "Manning is not
here. This is Thistle."
"Where is Manning?" asked Tom, puzzled.
"He-er-"
"Yeow!" An earsplitting yell suddenly crackled over the communicator and echoed
through the ship. Tom leaped to his feet and scrambled up the radar-bridge ladder. He burst
through the hatch and into the astrogator's compartment barely ahead of Captain Strong
and Astro, who had also come running when they heard the agonized cry. They all stood
aghast at the sight before them. Thistle was standing to one side, an innocent grin on his
face, watching Roger hop around the deck, scratching, wriggling, and squirming in a
seemingly uncontrollable frenzy. Tom glanced at Strong, who bellowed at the top of his
voice: "Stand to!"
Thistle snapped to attention immediately, but Roger was unable to stand still.
"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Strong.
"That creep!" gasped Roger, scratching his chest, then his arm, then his leg in rapid