"Astro's probably happier now than he'll ever be in his life, Tom,"
whispered Roger.
"Yeah," agreed Tom. "Did you see the way his eyes lit up when we walked
in there? Like a kid with a brand-new toy!"
A moment later Scott, Tom, and Roger, in a vacuum elevator, were being
hurtled to the station's upper decks. They got out on the observation
deck, and Scott walked directly to a small door at the end of a
corridor. A light over the door flashed red and Scott stopped.
"Here's the weather and meteor observation room," he said. "Also radar
communications. When the red light's on, it means photographs are being
taken. We'll have to wait for them to finish."
As they waited, Tom and Roger talked to Scott. He had graduated from
Space Academy seven years before, they learned. He'd been assigned to
the Solar Alliance Chamber as liaison between the Chamber and the Solar
Guard. After four years, he had requested a transfer to active space
operations.
Then, he told them, there'd been an accident. His ship exploded. He'd
been badly injured--in fact, both his legs were now artificial.
The cadets, who had thought him a bit stuffy at first, were changing
their minds fast.
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