"What's that, sir?" asked Captain Strong.
"Very simple, Steve. All of us--all the Academy top brass--develop a
foolproof test for cadet maneuvers. And then your young Corbett makes us
look like amateurs."
"But didn't you expect one side or the other to win?" asked Strong.
"Of course, but not like this. We've been expecting a couple of days of
maneuver, with both sides making plenty of mistakes that we could call
them on. But here Corbett wraps the whole thing up before we can get our
pencils sharpened."
"Better stuff cotton in Corbett's ears before he hears all this," rasped
Roger Manning over the intercom. "Or his head'll be too big to go
through the hatch."
"Quiet, Manning," came Astro's voice from the power deck. "Your mouth
alone is bigger than Tom's head'll ever be."
"Look, you Venusian ape--" began Roger, but Commander Walters' voice
boomed out again. His face on the teleceiver screen was serious now.
"Attention! Attention all units! The battle has been fought and won on
the chart screen of the rocket cruiser _Polaris_. The Luna City attack
has been repelled and the invading fleet wiped out. All units and ships
will return to Space Academy at once. Congratulations to all and end
transmission."
The commander's face faded from the screen. Captain Strong turned to Tom.
"Good work," he said.
He was interrupted by a crackle of static from the teleceiver.
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