The Planet Man!
This is the fascinating story of Dan Troll, The Planet Man.
Troubleshooter for the League of Planets Organization.
The law enforcement body for peace and justice in the celestial world.
Whose headquarters and center of operations are situated on the capital of all the planets, Planaria Rex.
From Mercury to Pluto, wherever danger threatens the universe, you will find Dan Troll, The Planet Man, fighting for fair play.
In a moment, The Planet Man.
You will recall Billy and Jane, marooned on the same asteroid from which Planet Man and Pat had been rescued, were awaiting the landing of a strange ship.
Fearing that it might be space pirates.
Actually it is Rox, the cranky old prospector who had saved Dan Troll and Pat.
Meanwhile, out in the rings of Saturn, Blackie and Slick aboard the Planeteer are attempting to make Dan Troll and Pat believe that the kids are still with them.
Planeteer calling Planet Man aboard the cosmos.
This is Planet Man, Slick. I'm asking you again, where are the kids?
You know darn well where they are, Planet Man. They're right here aboard this ship.
I don't believe they're aboard at all. What have you done with them?
I don't care what you believe.
Well, that'll keep them guessing, Blackie. Just keep your eye on that detector and if they move any closer, let them have it.
Do you think the kids are really aboard, Dan Troll?
I don't know what to think, Pat. Slick is pretty sharp. He may have dropped them somewhere and he's counting on that as a final bargaining point.
Anyway, even if he's bluffing, I can't afford to take a chance and call his bluff.
Well, what are we going to do? Just sit here and wait?
No, I have an idea. There's one thing I just don't understand, though.
What do you mean?
Why are they sitting there? That ship can leave anything in the solar system behind. It's armed with weapons that half the fleet couldn't overcome.
Slick must know we've got them spotted and surrounded, and yet he just stays there.
Well, maybe there's something wrong with the ship.
That's what I've been thinking.
Well, then if we have to, we can just sit here and starve them out.
The only trouble with that is that we'll be starving the kids, too.
Oh.
That's not my only worry. If the kids aren't aboard and we can't get Slick and Blackie to talk, we'll never know where they are.
Looks like a stalemate.
No. We've one move, and I'm going to try to make it.
Come on, Janey's landed.
Are we going aboard?
What else is there to do?
See, the space lock is swinging open. They must be waiting for us.
I wish I knew whether it was a friend or some more space pirates.
We'll find out quickly enough. Come on.
Who are you?
I'll ask the question, gangster. Your name Billy Darrow?
Yes, but how did you know?
Never mind. You must be Jane.
That's right. Who are you?
I'm just a god who's been trying awful hard to go about his own business, but the whole darn solar system seems to be a guinea pig.
I just picked up two friends of yours off this rock a little while ago.
It took me a long time and a lot of trouble to get rid of them, and darned if I don't go through the same thing again.
You picked up our friends? Well, that must be how he knows who we are.
Was it Planet Man and Pat?
That's who it was, that big League of Planets agent and that fresh miss Snip the Head with him.
Say, she related to you?
Yes, that's our aunt.
That's so, but you two had better keep a civil tongue in your heads or you're going to have trouble with me.
I had to put up with it with them, but I don't have to take any nonsense from you.
And another thing, don't get any ideas about my taking you to the League Patrol base. I've lost enough time already.
How's it going, Slick?
I'll let you know when it's time. You just sit there and watch that detector.
You've messed up everything else you touch, try and do that right at least.
What are you worried about? We're okay.
I wouldn't be so sure of that. Sooner or later Planet Man may get wise if those two kids aren't aboard.
So what? Ain't nothing he can do about it.
I'm not so sure of that, but what's more important, there's nothing we can do.
How about the rest of the boys?
They'll never come in through that cordon of League Patrol ships around us. I bet a space mouse couldn't get through without being spotted.
Nah, Blacky, they can't get in, we can't get out unless I get these controls fixed.
That's all right, we've got supplies aboard. For a year we can wait.
When will you learn, Blacky? There's always an angle.
You mean Planet Man can get to us?
I don't see how, but I wouldn't bet that he couldn't. He's going to have plenty of time to figure a way.
I don't like your idea at all. It's much too dangerous.
I know it's dangerous, Pat, but I've got to do something.
But can't you send somebody else?
I couldn't ask somebody else to do what I wouldn't do myself.
But won't you be picked up by their detectives?
Well, I'm hoping that they won't be watching too closely. They're expecting a ship, and in a spacesuit the detector will hardly register my presence in space.
But it'll take you so long and you'll be a perfect target.
They're working on the spacesuit now. It'll be practically invisible to the eye.
And if they don't pick me up on the detector, I may get in close enough so that their weapons won't do them any good.
Can you get in the Planeteer?
There's an emergency hatch that I think they know nothing about. If I can reach the ship, I may be able to slip aboard.
Anyhow, I've got to try to do it.
Dantro's idea to float through space and get to the Planeteer is a long chance.
But it's the only possible way of getting aboard the Planeteer without slick or blacking making a desperate and destructive move.
Will it work?
We'll be back in a moment.
So, level off.
When we left Dantro, he was setting a plan to get aboard the Planeteer without being detected by slick and blacking.
In the meantime, Billy and Jane were picked up by Rox the Prospector on the same asteroid from which he had earlier rescued Dantro and Pat.
Billy, you ought to put that rock down now.
Gosh, I forgot all about it. Here, I'll put it over on this bunk.
Where are we going now, Mr. Rox?
Name is Rox, young lady. Never mind the flattery. We're going asteroid hunting.
Asteroid hunting?
Sure. What do you think I was doing out here, taking a joyride?
What do you do with the asteroids when you find them?
Yes, they don't teach you nothing back there on Earth. Didn't you never hear of prospecting?
Prospecting? You mean like digging for gold?
Digging. Say, I'm not that old-fashioned. This ship's got automatic equipment. But first you've got to find the gold, uranium, or whatever it is you find.
Well, what are you looking for?
I'm on the trail of an asteroid that's just one big hunk of pure uranium, and I'm going to keep looking for it till I find it.
An asteroid of pure uranium? Why, that would be worth a fortune.
It will be worth ten fortunes when I find it, and if anybody can find it, old Rox can do it.
But Billy, what about Dantro and Pat? Gosh, yes. Listen, Rox, you've got to take us to wherever it was you left the Planet Man.
Didn't leave him. He left me, and I was glad to see him go. Both of them, for that matter.
Well, I don't care who left who, but we've got to find them.
Now, don't you start, youngster. I had my belly full of people telling me what to do.
But you don't understand. They don't know where we are.
Ain't my problem, son.
But they'll probably think we're still on the planet here with those space pirates.
As a matter of fact, they do. Last I heard, they were fixing to take off after it.
Well, then we've got to get in touch with them before it's too late.
Ain't never too late. There's always another day.
Used to be time when I thought if things didn't happen right away, they'd never happen. But I know now there's always another day.
That's all very well for you to say. They don't mean anything to you.
But they may get themselves into danger thinking they're helping us. All the while we'll be back here safe.
Well, that's all we're worried about. You two being safe, and you are safe. So what's the fuss?
You know very well what we mean.
Sure I know, but you've got to consider something, young man. I'm running this ship, and if I don't take orders from the planet, man, I sure ain't taking orders from a little squirt like you.
Even back on Earth, I bet you didn't order your elders around.
I'm not trying to order you around, but you've just got to listen.
I've listened enough, son. Now you two just keep quiet. There's something to eat back in the galley. Go fill your bellies, but keep your mouths closed.
Man's entitled to some peace and quiet, especially when he's traveled 20 million miles to get it.
I still think there must be some other way to enter.
I welcome any suggestions, Pat, but I can't think of anything else.
I'm going into the airlock now. You go back to the control deck. You can follow me with the detective.
I should reach the planet here in about half an hour.
Do you think those auxiliary projectors will hold out?
I've got enough fuel in these tanks on my back to take me to the planet here and back if I have to.
Well, so long, Pat.
Good luck, Danso.
You may be a smart guy, Slick, but you sure ain't no mechanic. You should have had those controls fixed long ago.
All I need now is your big mouth flapping. You got us into this mess fooling with these controls. Don't make it any worse.
Okay, but I was just saying...
That's the trouble you're always just saying. The less you say, the better I'd like it.
Anything show on that detector?
Ah, ain't no ship around except the Cosmo the Danso's on.
If they move, you tell me.
Don't worry, I'll tell you.
Jane, I can't help being sore at rocks when I think of Planet Man and Pat taking out after Slick and Blackie and the Planeteer with us here safe and sound.
You really think it's dangerous?
Sure it's dangerous. You know, the Planeteer's the most powerful ship in the solar system.
If Danso tries to stop it, he's liable to get into real trouble.
Besides, he'll think we're still aboard and he won't try to destroy it. That'll make it even tougher.
Well, you got to be careful.
I'm not going to let you down.
You might as well know the truth, and I can see why I'm so angry with that rocks.
Danso! Danso, can you hear me?
I can hear you, Pat.
Is everything all right?
All right so far, Pat. Follow me on the detector.
What are you doing, Slick? Just checking the detector. Hey, you!
Nothing moving. Watch that! That I don't know. Must be a meteor or something.
Meteor moving toward the planet here at that speed?
Get to that ray turret, Blackie. We've got some work to do.
Slick is a pretty sure detective. He suspects something is up.
Will he and Blackie blast the objects moving toward the Planeteer?
We'll be back in a moment, but first, here is a message the Planet Man wants you to hear.
Tune in again for more Transcribe Thrills and Adventures.
Rocket millions of light years into space with Dan Troll, the Planet Man.
Tune in again for more Transcribe Thrills and Adventures. Rocket millions of light years into space with Dan Troll, the Planet Man.