Pete spotted his own name at once. "Look!" The paragraph read: "Armand, Pierre-temporary duty P.R.S. Charles' Wain, rpt. Terr.St, dtch. Leda, Ganymed, d.&a.o."
"Look!" he repeated. "I'm going home-'delay and await orders.'"
Oscar patted his shoulder. "Congratulations, Pete-that's swell. Now if you will kindly get your carcass out of the way-"
Matt spoke up. "I'm on it!"
"What ship?" asked Tex.
"The Aes Triplex."
Oscar turned at this. "What ship?"
"Aes Triplex."
"Matt-that's my ship. We're shipmates, boy!"
Tex turned disconsolately away. "Just as I said-no 'jai-man.' I'll be here five years, ten years, fifteen years old and grizzled. Promise to write on my birthday."
"Gee, Tex, I'm sorry!" Matt tried to swallow his own elation.
"Tex, did you look on the other half of the list?" Pete wanted to know.
"What other half? Huh?"
Pete pointed. Tex dove back into the swarm; presently he reappeared. "What do you know? They passed me!"
"Probably didn't want to expose another class of youngsters to you. What ship?"
"P.R.S. Oak Ridge. Say, you and Oscar got the same ship?"
"Yep-the Aes Triplex."
"Rank discrimination, that's what it is. Well, come on, we'll be late to lunch."
They ran into Girard Burke in the passageway. Tex stopped him. "No use bothering to look, Stinky. Your name's not on the list."
"What list? Oh, you mean the 'Passed' list. Don't bother me, children- you're talking to a free man."
"So they’ finally bounced you?"
"Like fun! Resignation accepted, effective today. I'm going in business with my father."
"Going to build sky junk, eh? I don't envy you."
"No, we're starting an export line, with our own ships. The next time you see me, just remember to address me as 'Captain.' " He moved away.
"I'll 'captain' him," Tex muttered. "I'll bet he resigned by request."
"Maybe not," conceded Matt. "Girard is a smooth character. Well, we've seen the last of him."
"And a good thing, too."
Tex was missing after lunch. He showed up after nearly two hours. "I worked it. Shake hands with your new shipmate."
"Huh? No fooling!"
"Fact. First I located Dvorak and convinced him that he would rather have a ship in the circum-Terra patrol than the Aes Triplex-so he could see his girl oftener. Then I went to see the Commandant and pointed out to him that you guys were used to having the benefit of my advice and would be lost without it. That's all there was to it. The Commandant saw the wisdom of my words and approved the swap with Dvorak."
"Not for that reason, I'll bet," Matt answered. "Probably he wanted me to continue to look out for you."
Tex took on an odd look. "Do you know, Matt, you aren't so far wrong."
"Really? I was just kidding."
"What he did say was that he thought Cadet Jensen would be a good influence on me. What do you think of that, Oscar?"
Oscar snorted. "If I've reached the place where I'm a good influence on anybody, it's time I cultivated some new vices."
"I'd be glad to help."
"I don't want you, I want your Uncle Bodie-there's a man of the world."
Three weeks later, at Moon Base, Oscar and Matt were settling into their stateroom in the Aes Triplex. Matt was not feeling his best; the previous evening at Tycho Colony had been late and noisy. They had taken the last possible shuttle to Moon Base.
The ship's phone in their room sounded; Matt answered it to get the squeal out of his ears. "Yes? Cadet Dodson speaking-"
"Officer of the watch. Is Jensen there too?"
"Yes, sir." ,
"Both of you report to the Captain."
"Aye, aye, sir." Matt turned a troubled face to Oscar. "What'll I do, Oz? The rest of my uniforms are over at the base tailor shop-and this one I've got on looks as if I had slept in it."
"You did. Wear one of mine."
"Thanks, but it would fit me like socks on a rooster. Do you suppose I have time to run over and pick up my clean ones?"
"Hardly!"
Matt rubbed the stubble on his chin. "I ought to shave, anyhow."
"Look," said Oscar, "if I'm any judge of skippers, you'll do better to show up naked as an oyster and with a beard down to here, than to keep him waiting. Let's get going."
The door opened and Tex stuck his head in. "Say-did you guys get a call to report to the Old Man?"
"Yes-Tex, can you lend me a clean uniform?"
Tex could. Matt crossed the passageway to Tex's tiny room and changed. He belted in tightly at the waist, distributed the wrinkles in back, and hoped for the best. The three headed for the cabin.
"I'm glad I don't have to report by myself," Tex announced. "I'm nervous."
"Relax," Oscar advised. "Captain McAndrews is supposed to be a very human sort of a guy."
"Hadn't, you heard? McAndrews is detached-busted his ankle. At the last minute the Department ordered Captain Yajicey to command the expedition." ">j
"Yancey!" Oscar let out a low whistle. "Oh, my sore feet!"
"What's the matter, Oscar?" Matt demanded. "You know him?"
"My father knew him. Father had the fresh-foods con- : tract for the port at New Auckland when Yancey-Lieutenant Yancey, then-was portmaster." They stopped out- ' side the commanding officer's cabin.
"That ought to give you an inside track."
"Not likely! They didn't get along."
"I wonder if I did right," Tex mused darkly, "when I wangled the swap from the Oak Ridge?"
"Too late to fret. Well, I guess we might-" Oscar stopped! speaking, for the door in front of them suddenly opened! and they found themselves facing the commanding officer. He was tall, wide-shouldered, and flat-hipped, and so handsome that he looked like a television star playing a; Patrol officer. ;
"Well?" he snapped. "Don't stand chatting outside my; door. Come in!" ;
They filed in silently. Captain Yancey sat down, facing them, and looked them over, one after the other. "What's the trouble, gentlemen?" he said presently. "Are you all| struck dumb?"
Tex found his voice. "Cadet Jarman, sir, reporting to the Captain." Yancey's eyes flicked over to Matt.
Matt wet his lips. _"Cadet Dodson, sir."
"Cadet Jensen, sir, reporting as ordered." The office^ looked at Oscar sharply, then spoke to him in Venerian.
"Do these ears detect some echo of the speech of the Fair Planet
"It is true, thou old and wise one."
"Never could stand that silly talk," Yancey commented, relapsing into Basic. "I won't ask you where you are from, but-is your father in the provisions racket?"
"My father is a food wholesaler, sir."
"I thought so." The Captain continued to look at him for a moment, then turned to Matt. "Now, Mister, what is the idea of the masquerade? You look like a refugee from an emigrant ship."
Matt tried to explain; Yancey cut him short. "I'm not interested in excuses. I keep a taut ship. Remember that."
"Aye aye, sir."
The Captain settled back and struck a cigarette. "Now, gentlemen, you are no doubt wondering as to why I sent for you. I must admit to a slight curiosity as to the sort of product the old school is turning out. In my day, it was a real course of sprouts and no nonsense about it. But now I understand that the psychologists have taken over and the old rules are all changed."
He leaned forward and fixed Matt with his eyes. "They aren't changed here, gentlemen. In my ship, the old rules still obtain."
No one answered. Yancey waited, then went on, "The regulations state that you shall pay a social call on your commanding officer within twenty-four hours after reporting to a new ship or station. Please consider that the social call has commenced. Sit down, gentlemen. Mr. Dodson, you will find coffee over there on your left. Will you please favour me by pouring it?"
Forty minutes later they left, feeling quite confused. Yanny had demonstrated that he could put them most charmingly at their ease and had displayed a dry, warm wit and a gift for telling anecdotes. Matt decided that he liked him.
But just as they left Yancey glanced at his clock and laid, "I'll see you later, Mr. Dodson-in fifteen minutes."