"End transmission!" roared Coxine triumphantly.
The giant pirate turned back to Tom, bellowing, "Thanks, Corbett. You've just given me the key to everything I ever wanted."
"What do you mean?" asked Tom, suddenly frightened by the strange wild gleam in Coxine's eyes.
"By the time I've finished with Ganymede, I'll have every ship on their spaceport. A fleet big enough to hit any part of the Solar Alliance I want! Solar Guard or no Solar Guard!"
"Can't I?" snarled Coxine. "I'll show the Solar Guard something they never saw before. Their own ships blasting them right out of space!"
Coxine turned to the intercom, ordered Astro and Roger brought up to the control deck, and then contacted Wallace aboard the _Polaris_.
"Yeah?" answered the spaceman from the control deck of the rocket cruiser.
"We're going in according to plan! Train all your guns on the Solar Guard defense installations and stand by!"
"Ready any time you say the word," replied Wallace.
Jumping back to the intercom, Coxine gave orders to the power deck for full thrust, then ordered the radar bridge to relay the scanner image of Ganymede to the control deck.
As the rocket ship surged ahead under the added thrust, Tom strained against his ropes to watch the scanner and saw the clear image of the colony. He could make out the outline of the uranium plant, the atmosphere booster stations and small buildings clustered around the spaceport. As they drew closer to the tiny colony, Coxine grabbed the intercom and the teleceiver microphones and barked crisp orders to both the Avengers and the _Polaris_' power decks. "Full braking rockets!" roared Coxine.
Tom braced himself against the sudden reverse pressure of the powerful nose rockets, and then, in a moment, felt the _Avenger_ come to a dead stop. Watching the scanner again, he saw that they were directly over the Solar Guard garrison. Coxine switched the teleceiver to the colony frequency and spoke sharply and confidently.
"Attention! All citizens of Ganymede colony! This is Bull Coxine. Your entire settlement is under my guns. Any attempt to raise ship and oppose me will be met with instant destruction! Every citizen is hereby ordered to assemble at the municipal spaceport within five minutes. All Solar Guard officers and men will do the same. You have five minutes to comply, or I will open fire!"