TREACHERY IN OUTER SPACE THE TOM CORBETT SPACE CADET STORIES By Carey Rockwell STAND BY FOR MARS! DANGER IN DEEP SPACE ON THE TRAIL OF THE SPACE PIRATES THE SPACE PIONEERS THE REVOLT ON VENUS TREACHERY IN OUTER SPACE SABOTAGE IN SPACE THE ROBOT ROCKET [Illustration] A TOM CORBETT Space Cadet Adventure TREACHERY IN OUTER SPACE By CAREY ROCKWELL WILLY LEY _Technical Adviser_ GROSSET & DUNLAP Publishers New York COPYRIGHT, 1954, BY ROCKHILL RADIO [TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: EXTENSIVE RESEARCH SHOWS NO EVIDENCE OF REQUIRED COPYRIGHT RENEWAL] ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ILLUSTRATIONS BY LOUIS GLANZMAN PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ILLUSTRATIONS _Frontispiece_ "Great galaxy! There must be a hundred ships!" The giant Venusian held up the oil-smeared test tube "Yeow!" bawled Astro. "Thanks, sir. Thanks a million!" Tom got down on his knees and felt around for an opening "Look!" Strong cried. "It's Brett's ship!" It would be a rough ride, but at least he was hidden Slowly and cautiously he began climbing "Proceed to quadrant five and seize the _Space Knight_!" TREACHERY IN OUTER SPACE CHAPTER I "All right, you blasted Earthworms! _Stand to!_" Three frightened cadet candidates for Space Academy stiffened their backs and stood at rigid attention as Astro faced them, a furious scowl on his rugged features. Behind him, Tom Corbett and Roger Manning lounged on the dormitory bunks, watching their unit mate blast the freshman cadets and trying to keep from laughing. It wasn't long ago that they had gone through the terrifying experience of being hazed by stern upperclassmen and they knew how the three pink-cheeked boys in front of them felt. "So," bawled Astro, "you want to blast off, do you?" Neither of the three boys answered. "Speak when you're spoken to, Mister!" snapped Roger at the boy in the middle. "Answer the question!" barked Tom, finding it difficult to maintain his role of stern disciplinarian. "Y-y-yes, sir," finally came a mumbled reply. "What's your name? And don't say 'sir' to me!" roared Astro. "Coglin, sir," gulped the boy. "Don't say 'SIR'!" "Yes, sir--er--I mean, O.K.," stuttered Coglin. "And don't say O.K., either," Roger chimed in. "Yes ... all right ... fine." The boy's face was flushed with desperation. Astro stepped forward, his chin jutting out. "For your information," he bawled, "the correct manner of address is 'Very well.'" "Very well," stammered Coglin. Astro shook his head and turned back to Tom and Roger. "Have you ever seen a greater display of audacity and sheer gall?" he demanded. "The nerve of these three infants assuming that they could ever become Space Cadets!" Tom and Roger laughed, not at the three Earthworms, but at Astro's sudden eloquence. The giant Venusian cadet usually limited his comments to a gruff Yes or No, or at most, a garbled sentence full of a veteran spaceman's oaths. Then, resuming his stern expression, Roger faced the three boys.