"Sam Jones was pretty much like you, Astro. Not as big, but with the
same love for that power deck. He could always squeeze a few extra
pounds of thrust out of those rockets. What he knew about astrogation
and control, you could stick on the head of a pin. On long flights he
wouldn't even come up to the control deck. He just sat in the power hole
singing loud corny songs about the Arkansas mountains to those atomic
motors. He was a real power-deck man. But he was a _unit_ man first! The
only reason I'm here to tell you about it is because he never forgot the
unit. He died saving Addy and myself."
The room was still. Down the long hall, the lively chatter of other
cadets could be heard as they showered and prepared for dinner. In the
distance, the rumble of the slidewalks and test firing of rockets at the
spaceport was dim, subdued, powerful.
"The unit is the backbone of the Academy," continued Strong. "It was set
up to develop three men to handle a Solar Guard rocket cruiser. Three
men who could be taught to think, feel and act as one intelligent brain.
Three men who would respect each other and who could depend on each
other. Tomorrow you begin your real education. You will be supervised
and instructed personally.
"Many men have contributed to the knowledge that will be placed in
front of you--brave, intelligent men, who blasted through the atmosphere
with a piece of metal under them for a spaceship and a fire in their
tail for rockets.
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