The Space Marines and
the Slavers
By BOB OLSEN
It is some time since we have had the pleasure of presenting one of Bob Olsen's stories, and we can promise our readers that they will be greatly pleased by this one.
CHAPTER I
The Sacked Village
Captain Frank Brink, commander of the rocket ship Hyperion, looked up from the log book in which he was writing a voluminous report describing how the so-called "Space Marines" had successfully mediated a strike of the platinum miners on Jupiter's satellite, Io. Whistling a familiar air, he glanced casually through the heavily insulated, transparent floor of the space ship's control room. What he saw must have startled him, for he suddenly stopped whistling, and yelled, "Hi, there, Dan! Aren't you away off the course?"
Ensign Daniel Mayer was a recent addition to the ranks of the universe-famous Earth Republic Space Navy, having graduated with high honors from the Interplanetary College of Cosmonautics only two years previous. Obviously virile, despite a trim, medium sized figure and a face that was almost too handsome for a man, he looked out upon the world through grey eyes which could either be as grim as a gun muzzle or as playful as a Maltese Kitten.
But there was neither humor nor determination in those steely eyes of his when, in response to his commander's query, he turned around as far as the straps of the control seat would permit him. The expression in them was more like that of a callow youth who has been caught experimenting with his father's electric razor.
Although he had heard the question clearly, he sparred for time by saying, "I beg your pardon, Chief. Did you address me?"
"Did I address you?" Brink sputtered. "No, you goop, I didn't address you. I only asked you if you aren't away off the course. Unless my eyesight has become obfuscated in my old age, that Lake on the under port bow is Tolako. Am I right or am I incorrect?"
Mayer grinned sheepishly and admitted, "Your eyesight is A. Z., Chief. That is Lake Tolako."
"But I thought I told you to set your course for the space-base. What's the idea of circumnavigating Ganymede to get there?"
"Well, you see, Chief," the Ensign alibied, "I've never seen this half of the satellite. Some day I may have to set the ship down on the Western Hemisphere. I thought it would be a
