Lancelot Biggs' lips quivered. He reached up and mechanically unpinned
from its place over his left breast the tiny, shining gold rocket
replica which is the brevet of a space lieutenant. Hanson snatched
it. In a decisive voice he said, "I'm markin' you down, Biggs, for
insubordination, for slander of a senior officer, conduct unbecomin' an
officer, intent to malign an' injure, an'--Well, that's all for now.
Maybe I'll think of a few more things later on.
"To your quarters, Mister Biggs. An' consider yourself under arrest
until further notice."
Biggs saluted; turned on his heel and marched from the room. And it
struck me, suddenly, that for once there was nothing amusing, nothing
humorous, in the youngster's gangling walk. Oh, he stalked, yes. And
I've often kidded him about how much like a crab on stilts he looks.
But now I felt sort of choky when I saw the pathetic dignity in the
set of his shoulders, the proud way he strode away without a backward
glance.
I guess I lifted my own gravs for a minute. My voice sounded harsh in
my own ears when I snarled at Hanson, "Well, you certainly threw the
book at him that time!"
But to my surprise, Cap Hanson was grinning. He looked like an Ampie
in a power plant. And he said, placatingly, "Oh, come now, Sparks! You
don't think I'm such an ogre as all that, do you?"
"You busted him," I accused. "You lifted his rocket and put him under
arrest. When the Corporation learns about it, they'll--"
"The Corporation," said the skipper, "isn't goin' to hear about it.
I'm not even goin' to put this on the log. This is between you an' me
and Lancelot Biggs, Sparks. Don't you see? I had to do somethin' to
separate him an' Diane."
I did see. And I realized how completely I was caught in the middle by
my friendship with two guys, each of whom believed in his own ideals,
each of whom thought he was doing the right thing. I said slowly, "I
get it, Cap. But are you sure you're doing the right thing? After all,
maybe Biggs and your daughter really like each other."
Cap Hanson said seriously, "That's just what I'm afraid of, Sparks.
Put yourself in my place. How would _you_ like to have a grandson what
looked like Lancelot Biggs?"