* * * * *
[Sidenote: Commander John Hanson recalls his harrowing expedition
among the giant spiders of FX-31.]
I do not wish to appear prejudiced against scientists. I am not
prejudiced, but I have observed the scientific mind in action, on a
great many occasions, and I find it rather incomprehensible.
It is true that there are men with a scientific turn of mind who, at
the same time, you can feel safe to stand with shoulder to shoulder,
in an emergency. Young Hendricks, who was my junior officer on the
_Ertak_, back in those early days of the Special Patrol Service, about
which I have written so much, was one of these.
Nor, now that I come to think of the matter in the cool and impartial
manner which is typical of me, was young Hendricks the only one. There
was a chap--let's see, now. I remember his face very well; he was one
of those dark, wiry, alert men, a native of Earth, and his name
was--Inverness! Carlos Inverness. Old John Hanson's memory isn't quite
as tricky as some of these smart young officers of the Service, so
newly commissioned that the silver braid is not yet fitted to the
curve of their sleeves, would lead one to believe.
I met Inverness in the ante-room of the Chief of Command. The Chief
was tied up in one of the long-winded meetings which the
Silver-sleeves devoted largely to the making of new rules and
regulations for the confusion of both men and officers of the Service,
but he came out long enough to give me the _Ertak's_ orders in person.
"Glad to see you here at Base again, Commander," he said, in his
crisp, business-like way. "Hear some good reports of your work; keep
it up!"
"Thank you, sir," I said, wondering what was in the air. Any time the
Chief was complimentary, it was well to look out for squalls--which is
an old Earth term for unexpected trouble.
"Not at all, Commander, not at all. And now, let me present Carlos
Inverness, the scientist, of whom you have undoubtedly heard."
I bowed and said nothing, but we shook hands after the fashion of
Earth, and Inverness smiled quite humanly.
"I imagine the good captain has been too busy to follow the activities
of such as myself," he said, sensibly enough.
"A commander"--and I laid enough emphasis on the title to point out to
him his error in terminology--"in the Special Patrol Service usually
finds plenty to occupy his mind," I commented, wondering more than
ever what was up.
[Illustration: _At the same instant two other trap-doors swung up._]
"True," said the Chief briskly. "You'll pardon me if I'm exceedingly
brief, Commander, but there's a sizeable group in there waiting my
return.
"I have a special mission for you; a welcome relief from routine
patrol. I believe you have made special requests, in the past, for
assignments other than the routine work of the Service, Commander?"
He was boxing me up in a corner, and I knew it, but I couldn't deny
what he said, so I admitted it as gracefully as I could.
"Very well," nodded the Chief, and it seemed to me his eyes twinkled
for an instant. "Inverness, here, is head of a party of scientists
bent upon a certain exploration. They have interested the Council in
the work, and the Council has requested the cooperation of this
Service."
He glanced at me to make sure I understood. I certainly did; when the
Supreme Council _requested_ something, that thing was done.
"Very well, sir," I said. "What are your orders?"
The Chief shrugged.
"Simply that you are to cooperate with Inverness and his party,
assisting them in every possible way, including the use of your ship
for transporting them and a reasonable amount of equipment, to the
field of their activities. The command of the ship remains, of course,
in you and your officers, but in every reasonable way the _Ertak_ and
her crew are to be at the disposal of Inverness and his group. Is that
clear, Commander?"
"Perfectly, sir." Nothing could have been clearer. I was to run the
ship, and Inverness and his crew were to run me. I could just imagine
how Correy, my fighting first officer, would take this bit of news.
The mental picture almost made me laugh, disgusted as I was.
"Written orders will, of course, be given you before departure. I
believe that's all. Good luck, Commander!" The Chief offered his hand
briefly, and then hurried back to the other room where the
Silver-sleeves had gathered to make more rulings for the confusion of
the Service.
* * * * *
"Since when," asked Correy bitterly, "are we running excursions for
civilians? We'll be personally conducting elderly ladies next thing."
"Or put on Attached Police Service," growled Hendricks, referring to
the poor devils who, in those days, policed the air-lanes of the
populated worlds, cruising over the same pitiful routes day after day,
never rising beyond the fringe of the stratosphere.
"Perhaps," suggested the level-headed Kincaide, "it isn't as bad as it
sounds. Didn't you, say, sir, that this Inverness was rather a decent
sort of chap?"