Sid was now beside him with Kit.

An hour passed. It seemed to the big cadet that the metal he was
cutting, alloyed to protect spacemen against the dangers of the void,
was now threatening to cost Tom's life, if indeed he still survived. No
one could live long under such conditions unless they had a fresh supply
of oxygen. Kit tried to take the torch away from Astro, but the giant
Venusian would not let him have it. Again and again, the tanks of fuel
supplying the torch were emptied and quickly replaced with fresh ones.

There was something awe-inspiring about the big cadet as he crouched
over the torch, its white-hot flame reflected in his grim features.
Everyone around him watched in silent fascination, aware that this was a
rare exhibition of devotion toward a comrade. They all were certain
that Astro would reach Tom--or die in the attempt.

* * * * *

"Touchdown!" Captain Strong called into the ship's intercom. "Secure
stations."

The rocket cruiser _Polaris_ had just settled on the blast-stained
concrete of the Titan spaceport after a blazing flight nonstop from
Earth. A Solar Guard cruiser, the most powerful class of spaceship in
the Solar Alliance, the _Polaris_ was also equipped with hyperdrive, a
well-guarded secret method of propulsion, enabling Solar Guard ships to
travel through space faster than any other craft known. Many commercial
shipping companies, including those entered in the race to Titan, had
pleaded for the use of hyperdrive on their ships but were summarily
refused. It was one of the strongest weapons in the entire Solar