[Illustration: _"Attention Squadrons D and F--proceed to Luna City"_]
"Have you got that course, Roger?"
"Three degrees on the starboard rockets, seventy-eight degrees on the
up-plane of the ecliptic will put you at the corner of Luna Drive and
Moonset Land in the heart of Luna City, spaceboy!" answered Roger.
"Get that, Astro?" asked Tom on the intercom.
"All set," replied Astro.
"Attention all ships in Squadron A--this is flagship--code name
Starlight--am changing course. Stand by to form up on me!"
Tom turned back to the intercom.
"Power deck, execute!"
At more than five thousand miles an hour, the _Polaris_ hurtled toward
its destination. One by one the remaining ships moved alongside until
all six had their needlelike noses pointed toward the pale satellite of
the Moon.
"I'd like to know what your plans are, Tom," said Strong, when the long
haul toward the Moon had settled down to a routine. "Just idle
curiosity, nothing more. You don't have to tell me if you don't want
to."
"Golly, yes," said Tom, "I'd be very grateful for your opinion."
"Well, let's have it," said the captain. "But as for my opinion--I'll
listen, but I won't say anything."
Tom grinned sheepishly.
"Well," he began, "if I were in command of the invading fleet, I would
strike in force--I'd have to, to do damage with only eight ships.
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