Happy took off his headphones and stood up, walked over to join Ape. "Duty ended," he said.
"Fernando Po reports it can hear gibbering and splashing. Spaceship has ditched successfully," a radioman said.
"Tracking ship confirms," another answered him.
Dr. Bedoian joined Ape and Happy. Nobody was paying any attention to them. They went out, leaving the scientist and the military and the security to find out what they already knew.
Happy settled the white cap he had so often lent to Pan. "He ditched off Africa, where he could swim ashore," he said.
"To the closed, deciduous tropical forest," Dr. Bedoian said. He wasn't a military man; he didn't mind crying in public.
Ape tried to grin. "Them big shots'll find bilge in that spaceship. Just bilge."
"He went the right way this time, and faster than light," Happy said. "He got over being devoluted."
"Retrogressed," Dr. Bedoian said, automatically.
Master Chief Torpedoman Ape Bates cleared his. throat. "Ain't there a word like degenerated?" he asked.