On the Trail of the Space Pirates, page 49 by Carey Rockwell
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for the credits and securities of the people in the system will be behind rows of paralo-ray guns!"
CHAPTER 7
"Attention! Attention! This is Captain Maitland of the rocket cruiser Orion reporting to Captain Strong at Space Academy. Come in, Strong!"
High in the Tower of Galileo overlooking Space Academy, the Solar Guard officer, his face showing the strain of the last three-weeks' futile search for Wallace and Simms, flipped on the teleceiver and replied, "Strong here. Go ahead, Maitland."
Tom, Astro, Roger, and Commander Walters stood behind Strong and waited tensely for the last report to come in. Mainland's voice crackled through millions of miles of space.
"We've searched space quadrants A through D, sections twenty-one through one hundred thirty-eight. Constant six-way radar sweep of the area. No sign of Wallace and Simms."
Strong sighed deeply and replied, "All right, Maitland. Thank you. You may return to base. End transmission."
"End transmission!" signaled Maitland, and the crackling static died out in the quiet room.
Walters stepped forward and placed his hand on Strong's shoulder. "Don't let it get you down, Steve," he said. "I saw the zone search you set up for those two. No one could have done more."
"Maybe not, sir," said Strong, getting up, "but we didn't catch them."
"Not yet," frowned the commander grimly, "but we will! Well, there's nothing else to do here. That was the last patrol ship to report, so you might as well close up shop."
He turned to the cadets, who had been reassigned from the exposition as aides to Captain Strong in his search for Wallace and Simms. "You three come with us," said Walters. "I've got an idea and I want all of you to hear it."
Strong and the boys followed the commander out of the Academy communications center down to his luxuriously furnished office.
"Perhaps," said Walters, settling back in his chair and ligh