"I just can't understand it, Joan," said Captain Steve Strong, tossing
the paper on his circular desk. "The psychographs of Corbett, Manning
and Astro fit together like gears. And yet--"
The Solar Guard officer suddenly rose and walked over to a huge window
that filled the entire north wall of his office, a solid sheet of glass
that extended from the high domed ceiling to the translucent flooring.
Through the window, he stared down moodily toward the grassy quadrangle,
where at the moment several hundred cadets were marching in formation
under a hot sun.
"--And yet," continued Strong, "every morning for the last three weeks
I've got a report from McKenny about some sort of friction between
them!"
"I think it'll work out, Steve," answered the pretty girl in the uniform
of the Solar Guard, seated in an easy chair on the other side of the
desk.
Joan Dale held the distinction of being the first woman ever admitted
into the Solar Guard, in a capacity other than administrative work. Her
experiments in atomic fissionables was the subject of a recent
scientific symposium held on Mars. Over fifty of the leading scientists
of the Solar Alliance had gathered to study her latest theory on
hyperdrive, and had unanimously declared her ideas valid. She had been
offered the chair as Master of Physics at the Academy as a result,
giving her access to the finest laboratory in the tri-planet society.
Now facing the problem of personality adjustment in Unit 42-D, she sat
across the desk from her childhood friend, Steve Strong, and frowned.
"What's happened this time?"
"Manning." He paused. "It seems to be all Manning!"
"You mean he's the more aggressive of the three?"
"No--not necessarily. Corbett shows signs of being a number-one
spaceman. And that big cadet, Astro"--Strong flashed a white smile that
contrasted with his deep space tan--"I don't think he could make a
manual mistake on the power deck if he tried. You know, I actually saw
him put an auxiliary rocket motor together blindfolded!"
The pretty scientist smiled. "I could have told you that after one look
at his classification tests."
"How?"
"On questions concerning the power-deck operations, he was letter
perfect--"
"And on the others? Astrogation and control deck?"
"He just skimmed by. But even where the problem involved fuel, power,
supply of energy, he offered some very practical answer to the problem."
She smiled. "Astro is as much an artist on that power deck as Liddy
Tamal doing Juliet in the stereos."
"Yes," mused Strong. "And Corbett is the same on the control deck. Good
instinctive intelligence. That boy soaks up knowledge like a sponge."
"Facile mind--quick to grasp the essentials." She smiled again. "Seems
to me I remember a few years back when a young lieutenant successfully
put down a mutiny in space, and at his promotion to captain, the
citation included the fact that he was quick to grasp the essentials."
Strong grinned sheepishly. A routine flight to Titan had misfired into
open rebellion by the crew. Using a trick picked up in ancient history
books of sea-roving pirates in the seventeenth century, he had joined
the mutiny, gained control of the ship, sought out the ring-leaders and
restored discipline.
"And Manning," asked Strong. "What about Manning?"
"One of the hardest, brightest minds I've come across in the Academy. He
has a brain like a steel trap. He never misses."
"Then, do you think he's acting up because Corbett is the nominal head
of the unit? Does he feel that he should be the command cadet in the
control deck instead of Corbett?"
"No," replied Dr. Dale. "Not at all. I'm sure he intentionally missed
problems about control deck and command in his classification test. He
concentrated on astrogation, communications and signal radar. He wanted
to be assigned to the radar deck. And he turned in the best paper I've
ever read from a cadet to get the post."
Strong threw up his hands. "Then what is it? Here we have a unit, on
paper at least, that could be number one. A good combination of brains,
experience and knowledge. Everything that's needed. And what is the
result? Friction!"
Suddenly a buzzer sounded, and on Steve Strong's desk a small teleceiver
screen glowed into life. Gradually the stern face of Commander Walters
emerged.
"Sorry to disturb you, Steve. Can you spare me a minute?"
"Of course, Commander," replied Strong. "Is anything wrong?"
"Very wrong, Steve. I've been looking over the daily performance reports
on Unit 42-D."
"Dr. Dale and I have just been discussing that situation, sir." A
relieved expression passed over the commander's face.
"Good! I wanted to get your opinions before I broke up the unit."
"No, sir!" said Strong quickly. "Don't do that!"
"Oh?" replied the commander. On the screen he could be seen settling
back in his chair.
"And why not?"
"Well, Joan--er--Dr. Dale and myself feel that the boys of Unit 42-D
make it potentially the best in the Academy--if they stay together,
sir."
Walters considered this for a moment and then asked thoughtfully, "Give
me one good reason why the unit shouldn't be washed out."
"The academy needs boys like this, sir," Steve answered flatly. "Needs
their intelligence, their experience. They may be a problem now, but if
they're handled right, they'll turn out to be ace spacemen, they'll--"
The commander interrupted. "You're pretty sold on them, aren't you,
Steve?"
"Yes, sir, I am."
"You know, tomorrow all the units will be assigned to their personal
instructors."
"Yes, sir. And I've selected Lieutenant Wolcheck for this unit. He's
tough and smart. I think he's just the man for the job."
"I don't agree, Steve. Wolcheck is a fine officer and with any other
unit there'd be no question. But I think we have a better man for the
job."
"Whom do you suggest, sir?"
The commander leaned forward in his chair.
"You, Steve."
"Me?"
"What do you think, Joan?"
"I wanted to make the same suggestion, Commander," smiled Joan. "But I
didn't know if Steve really would want the assignment."
"Well, what about it, Steve?" asked the commander. "This is no
reflection on your present work. But if you're so convinced that 42-D is
worth the trouble, then take them over and mold them into spacemen.
Otherwise, I'll have to wash them out."
Strong hesitated a moment. "All right, sir. I'll do my best."
On the screen the stern lines in Commander Walters' face relaxed and he
smiled approvingly.
"Thanks, Steve," he said softly. "I was hoping you'd say that. Keep me
posted."
The screen blacked out abruptly and Captain Strong turned to Joan Dale,
a troubled frown wrinkling his brow.
"Huh. I really walked into that one, didn't I?" he muttered.
"It isn't going to be easy, Steve," she replied.
"Easy!" He snorted and walked over to the window to stare blankly at the
quadrangle below. "I'd almost rather try a landing on the hot side of
Mercury. It would be icy compared to this situation!"
"You can do it, Steve. I know you can." Joan moved to his side to place
a reassuring hand on his arm.
The Solar Guard officer didn't answer immediately. He kept on staring at
the Academy grounds and buildings spread out before him. When he finally
spoke, his voice rang with determination.
"I've got to do it, Joan. I've got to whip those boys into a unit. Not
only for their sakes--but for the sake of the Academy!"