Tom Corbett is the main character in a series of Tom Corbett — Space Cadet stories that were depicted in television, radio, books, comic books, comic strips, and other media in the 1950s. The stories followed the adventures of Corbett and other cadets at the Space Academy as they train to become members of the Solar Guard. The action takes place at the Academy in classrooms and bunkrooms, aboard their training ship the rocket cruiser Polaris, and on alien worlds, both within our solar system and in orbit around nearby stars. This book describes the exciting adventures of our young heroes as they seek to track down and destroy the powerful and evil space pirates that are causing havoc among the space lanes. Have the boys met their match in these ruthless killers? Will the hard-boiled professional murderers of innocent people be too much for our lads? Only time will tell but one thing is absolutely sure: no matter how much danger there is, the Space Cadets will always go in, risking their own lives to protect the people depending on them. - Summary by Phil Chenevert