[Ill.u.s.tration: _Astro and c.o.xine were locked in mortal combat_]

Tom and Roger watched the two huge s.p.a.cemen brace against each other, muscles straining and faces turning a slow red as they tried to force the other's hands back. Suddenly, with the speed of a cat, c.o.xine stuck out his leg and kicked Astro's foot from the deck, tripping him. Astro tumbled to the deck. In a flash, the pirate was on top of him, gripping him by the throat. The Venusian grabbed at the hands that were slowly choking the life out of him and pulled at the fingers, his face turning slowly from the angry flush of a moment before to the dark-gray hue of impending death!

Still bound and tied by the heavy rope, the two cadets on the deck were helpless, as Astro's strength slipped from his body.

Tom turned to Roger desperately. "We've got to do something!"

"What? I can't get loose!" The blond-haired cadet struggled against the ropes until the blood ran down his wrists, but it was a hopeless effort.

"Yell!" said Tom desperately. "Yell! Make a noise! Holler like you've never hollered before!"

"Yell?" asked Roger stupidly.

"We've got to distract him!"

Tom began to bellow, and immediately was echoed by Roger. They shouted and screamed. They kicked their feet on the deck and tore against their bonds.

Astro's hands no longer fought the powerful fingers taking his life.

There was no strength in the cadet's hands now, but in the split second that c.o.xine turned to look at Tom and Roger, he gave a mighty heave with the last of his great strength and tore free of the pirate's grasp.

The Venusian jumped up and ran to the farthest corner of the control deck, gasping for breath. c.o.xine rushed after him, but Astro eluded him and stumbled to the opposite end of the control room, still trying to suck the life-giving breath into his screaming lungs. Slowly his strength returned.

c.o.xine made another headlong rush for the cadet, but this time Astro did not attempt to get away. He stood squarely to meet the charge and his right fist caught the pirate flush on the chin. c.o.xine staggered back, eyes wide with surprise. In an instant Astro was on him, pounding his mighty fists into the pirate's stomach and any place he could find an opening. Roaring like a wild animal, the cadet no longer fought for the honor of the Solar Guard or his friends. He didn't look upon the criminal in front of him as c.o.xine the pirate, but as a man who had nearly taken his life, and he fought with the ferocity of a man who wanted to live.

Again and again, Tom and Roger saw their unit-mate pound straight, powerful, jolting lefts and rights into the pirate's mid-section until they thought he would put his fist completely through the man's body.

Just as c.o.xine looked as if he would fall, he suddenly charged in again.

But his powerful strength restored, Astro stepped back and waited for an opening. c.o.xine threw a whistling right for Astro's head. The Venusian ducked, shifting his weight slightly, and drove his right squarely into the pirate's face. His eyes suddenly gla.s.sy and vacant, Bull c.o.xine sank to the deck, out cold.

Breathing heavily, the cadet turned, wiped his face, and smiled crookedly at Tom and Roger.

"If I ever have to fight another man like that again," gasped Astro as he loosened the ropes around his unit-mates, "I want to have both fists dipped in lead before I begin!"

He held up his hands. There was not a bit of flesh remaining on his knuckles.

As soon as Tom was free he grabbed the pirate's paralo-ray gun. "We'd better tie this crawler up!" he shouted.

"We'll do that," said Roger. "You try to figure out how we're going to get off this ship!"

Suddenly, behind them, the hatch burst open and Captain Strong rushed into the room, followed by a dozen armed guardsmen.

"Captain Strong!" yelled the three cadets together.

The young captain's face lighted up with a smile. He rushed over to Tom and grabbed him by the hand, then turned to where Roger and Astro were tying up c.o.xine.

Strong pointed his gun at the fallen pirate. "What happened to him?"

Roger smiled and nodded toward Astro. "c.o.xine told Astro he reminded him of an ox he saw at a zoo once on Venus. Astro got mad--" Roger shrugged his shoulders. "Poor c.o.xine, he didn't have a chance!"

Astro blushed and looked up at Strong. "Never mind us, sir," said the big cadet. "How did you get here!"

Strong told them of having picked up the beacon signal. "That was quick thinking, boys," he said. "It was the end of c.o.xine. If we hadn't stopped him now--" Strong shook his head.

"But how did you get aboard the _Avenger_, sir?" asked Tom.

"This was the only ship that wasn't a Solar Guard fleet vessel, so it was easy to spot. We captured the _Polaris_ right off the bat, and after we searched it, figured you three were either dead, or aboard this one.

I gave the order not to fire on you, since we wiped out c.o.xine's fleet before he could do any real damage. When we saw you accelerating, after that last near miss--which incidentally was intended to miss you--we came alongside, forced the air lock open, and took over."

"But didn't the crew offer any resistance?" asked Roger.

"No, and from the story they tell me about c.o.xine wanting to establish a new order, or something like that, they were glad to surrender. They think he's crazy."

When the enlisted men carried c.o.xine, still unconscious, off the control deck, the three members of the _Polaris_ unit and their skipper watched him leave silently. All of them realized how close the Solar Alliance had come to destruction at the hands of the insane pirate. Finally Strong turned to his crew of cadets.

"Well, boys," he said wearily, "we've recovered the adjustable light-key and captured c.o.xine. I guess that finishes the s.p.a.ce pirates!"

"Yes, sir," said Tom quietly. "And this sure teaches me a lesson."

"What's that?" said Strong.

"Never to think that being a s.p.a.ce Cadet is a matter of learning something from a story spool. Being a s.p.a.ce Cadet is like being--" He stopped. "Like nothing in the universe!"

THE TOM CORBETT s.p.a.cE CADET STORIES

By Carey Rockwell

STAND BY FOR MARS!

DANGER IN DEEP s.p.a.cE

ON THE TRAIL OF THE s.p.a.cE PIRATES

THE s.p.a.cE PIONEERS

THE REVOLT ON VENUS

TREACHERY IN OUTER s.p.a.cE

SABOTAGE IN s.p.a.cE