Tom Swift on the Phantom Satellite by Victor Appleton II Page A
Authors: Victor Appleton II
Ads: Link
the penetradar output, Tom said, "The tank’s shock absorbers have the wrong resistance constants. Remember, we weren’t expecting significant gravity up here."
They followed the precise directions provided by Kent Rockland. One hour passed, then a second.
Col. Northrup had taken over the tank controls when Tom abruptly held op a hand. "Hold it!" Tom ordered. "Looks like one of those ash craters ahead!" He pointed at the scattered image on the penetradar screen.
Northrup braked the tank hard, and Tom crawled out through the hatch to scout the terrain. "It’s a crater, all right," he reported. "Big one, too. That volcanic ash makes it hard to tell where the solid ground ends."
Cautiously the crew skirted the dangerous chasm, then continued their journey. Twenty minutes later the tank encountered a smaller crater and was detoured again.
As it rumbled across a barren plateau, the vehicle suddenly shuddered under a glancing impact.
"Something hit the hatch cover!" Gabe exclaimed in panic as Northrup jolted the tank to a stop.
Dr. Kutan paled. "Do you think the Brungarians are shooting at us, Tom?"
"I don’t know," Tom replied tersely. "Swivel the video scanner, Colonel." Northrup obligingly rotated the long-range magnifying camera, mounted on the top of the tank, through a complete scan of 360 degrees.
"Can’t see a thing," the young inventor said, "unless someone is strafing us from a spaceship. I’ll crawl out and take a look."
"I thought you said the Brungarians would respond peacefully," said Gabe to Kutan, accusingly. As the older man shrugged, Northrup said, "It’s a wise man who always considers that he might be wrong, Red."
Tom squirmed through the airlock. Moments later, he rapped on the tank’s hull and crawled back inside, holding a small chunk of iron-gray metal about the size of a golf ball.
"A meteorite," he explained. "Still warm, too, from having gouged the hatch."
"There, you see!" Kutan said.
As the trip continued, Tom asked Dr. Kutan what he thought of the Brungarians’ claim to having landed first.
"What do I think? I’ll tell you," the diplomat replied. "I don’t think much of it. I think the original intelligence concerning the Brungarian space launch was accurate. But they did not leave orbit and approach the satellite until we had radioed that we had landed safely. They probably touched down not long before we discovered them. Now their purpose is surely to establish what are called ‘facts on the ground,’ to give them an advantage in future negotiations."
"Are all Brungarians as tricky as these guys?" inquired Gabe.
"Every nation is capable of trickery and deception, young man," Kutan said. "But when the nation is one’s own, it is called ‘clever strategy’."
"You’re very cynical, Dr. Kutan," Tom declared with a frown. Northrup laughed. Tom added heatedly: "I was serious, Colonel."
"I know you were, Tommy," Northrup said. "That’s why I laughed!"
Forty minutes later the tank entered upon the open plain described by the earlier explorers and came in sight of the enemy camp. "Here we are," Gabe announced, eyeing the broad, low dome. "Should we roll right up to their front door?"
"No. Better stop here," Tom decided. "Otherwise, they may think we’re coming to attack."
The four climbed out of the tank and looked over the Brungarian base. The dome, covering more than four acres of ground, appeared to be made of thick plastic. It gave off rainbow glints in the sunlight, especially from its transparent side panels.
Inside the dome they could make out rows of small tents and bulky machines that seemed to be on casters for mobility. About half the area was closed off to view, covered by a black tarpaulin. They could see men and women moving about in silver-white garments: it seemed the Brungarian expedition had many more members than its American counterpart.
Cautiously the four Americans advanced on foot. After circling part way around the dome, they found the airlock.
They followed the precise directions provided by Kent Rockland. One hour passed, then a second.
Col. Northrup had taken over the tank controls when Tom abruptly held op a hand. "Hold it!" Tom ordered. "Looks like one of those ash craters ahead!" He pointed at the scattered image on the penetradar screen.
Northrup braked the tank hard, and Tom crawled out through the hatch to scout the terrain. "It’s a crater, all right," he reported. "Big one, too. That volcanic ash makes it hard to tell where the solid ground ends."
Cautiously the crew skirted the dangerous chasm, then continued their journey. Twenty minutes later the tank encountered a smaller crater and was detoured again.
As it rumbled across a barren plateau, the vehicle suddenly shuddered under a glancing impact.
"Something hit the hatch cover!" Gabe exclaimed in panic as Northrup jolted the tank to a stop.
Dr. Kutan paled. "Do you think the Brungarians are shooting at us, Tom?"
"I don’t know," Tom replied tersely. "Swivel the video scanner, Colonel." Northrup obligingly rotated the long-range magnifying camera, mounted on the top of the tank, through a complete scan of 360 degrees.
"Can’t see a thing," the young inventor said, "unless someone is strafing us from a spaceship. I’ll crawl out and take a look."
"I thought you said the Brungarians would respond peacefully," said Gabe to Kutan, accusingly. As the older man shrugged, Northrup said, "It’s a wise man who always considers that he might be wrong, Red."
Tom squirmed through the airlock. Moments later, he rapped on the tank’s hull and crawled back inside, holding a small chunk of iron-gray metal about the size of a golf ball.
"A meteorite," he explained. "Still warm, too, from having gouged the hatch."
"There, you see!" Kutan said.
As the trip continued, Tom asked Dr. Kutan what he thought of the Brungarians’ claim to having landed first.
"What do I think? I’ll tell you," the diplomat replied. "I don’t think much of it. I think the original intelligence concerning the Brungarian space launch was accurate. But they did not leave orbit and approach the satellite until we had radioed that we had landed safely. They probably touched down not long before we discovered them. Now their purpose is surely to establish what are called ‘facts on the ground,’ to give them an advantage in future negotiations."
"Are all Brungarians as tricky as these guys?" inquired Gabe.
"Every nation is capable of trickery and deception, young man," Kutan said. "But when the nation is one’s own, it is called ‘clever strategy’."
"You’re very cynical, Dr. Kutan," Tom declared with a frown. Northrup laughed. Tom added heatedly: "I was serious, Colonel."
"I know you were, Tommy," Northrup said. "That’s why I laughed!"
Forty minutes later the tank entered upon the open plain described by the earlier explorers and came in sight of the enemy camp. "Here we are," Gabe announced, eyeing the broad, low dome. "Should we roll right up to their front door?"
"No. Better stop here," Tom decided. "Otherwise, they may think we’re coming to attack."
The four climbed out of the tank and looked over the Brungarian base. The dome, covering more than four acres of ground, appeared to be made of thick plastic. It gave off rainbow glints in the sunlight, especially from its transparent side panels.
Inside the dome they could make out rows of small tents and bulky machines that seemed to be on casters for mobility. About half the area was closed off to view, covered by a black tarpaulin. They could see men and women moving about in silver-white garments: it seemed the Brungarian expedition had many more members than its American counterpart.
Cautiously the four Americans advanced on foot. After circling part way around the dome, they found the airlock.
Similar Books
