Tom Swift on the Phantom Satellite by Victor Appleton II Page B

Two armed, stony-faced Brungarians stood guard at the entrance. Clad in spacesuits with transparent helmets, small pistol-like devices protruding from holsters, they watched without flicking a muscle as the Americans approached.
    "Friendly-looking, aren’t they?" Gabe muttered. "At least they’re not shooting yet!" He lifted his camera and snapped a series of photos.
    Tom had been trying to raise the base on his suit transiphone, just as he had tried over the tank radio since they entered the plain. There had been no response on any channel. But now the suit unit detected a signal, and Tom tuned to it. He could see that one of the guards was speaking.
    "Ol n’rya y tul!"
    He put his hand to his holster and drew out his weapon!

CHAPTER 10
A DOUBTFUL TRUCE
    "HE IS telling us to stay where we are," translated Dr. Kutan. Speaking rapidly in Brungarian, he told why they had come.
    It was evident that the guards had been expecting them. Replying only in surly grunts, they gestured the Americans inside with a wave of their weapons.
    Passing through the airlock, Tom and his companions were met by a scowling officer in a dark green Brungarian military uniform. The man’s face flushed with anger as a blue-white flash announced that Gabe had photographed the Brungarian flag, flying above the base. He reached out for the camera, demandingly, but Gabe drew back.
    "Not on your life, dude!" said the photographer.
    "Tell him we’ll be glad to let their commander inspect the camera and our equipment," Tom directed Dr. Kutan.
    In response to this message, the officer uttered a few words in a harsh guttural tone.
    "He says Mirov, the commander, will deal with us," Dr. Kutan translated. "We are to follow him, and not attempt to leave."
    As the callers walked across the base, Tom looked around. Most of the people in view carried weapon holsters. Two technicians were visible tending what Tom assumed was the dome’s air-conditioning machinery and others were busy at the control panel of some shielded equipment. Tom suspected this to be a small atomic turbogenerator, supplying the base with power.
    Presently a tall, handsome man in a gold-braided uniform approached. He had brown, wavy hair and brilliant, glowing dark eyes. At sight of the four Americans, he thrust out his hand in greeting and smiled, displaying strong white teeth. He first addressed himself to Teodor Kutan.
    "Ah, it iss so nice to see you again, my old friend from days past!" he declared in a thick accent. Turning to the others, he said, "I am Streffan Mirov. Alas, I do not spik the English so goot! Yet I am learning."
    Tom introduced himself and the others, then said, "Dr. Kutan will be glad to translate, in case you wish to speak in your own language.
    Mirov shook his head. "No, no, I prefer to be courteous. I am already disgraced by that foolish note I sent to you—ah, by missile, how rude of me!" Apologizing profusely, he explained that he had acted in haste on instructions from his government, instructions with which he disagreed and which now had been withdrawn. "I trust that the celebrated Tom Swift will overlook this unfortunate incident," he urged in suave tones.
    Mirov went on to praise the scientific genius of Tom and his family. "In my country, we have long admired those many clever inventions. Alas, during the decades of oppression, the books narrating your great-grandfather’s achievements were not sold openly. Yet I read them all—the black market, you know. Tell me, do you still have the electric runabout?"
    "It’s on display," Tom replied. He was unsure how best to react to Mirov’s attitude. Why the sudden change, and why all these sugary remarks?
    The situation was partly explained when the Brungarian added that he especially admired Tom’s atmosphere-making machine. The young inventor felt a strong urge to ask how Mirov had learned about the atmos-maker. He refrained, however.
    Instead, Tom described his machine very simply and told how he hoped to