“Funny,” remarked Harrison, “I always thought of you that way—until today.”
“I’m off duty,” said Gleed, as though that explained everything. “I can relax and let the ego zoom around outside of business hours.” He stood up, firmed his jaw. “But I’m going back on duty. Right now!”
“You’re not due before sundown tomorrow,” Harrison protested.
“Maybe I’m not. But I’m going back all the same.”
Elissa opened her mouth, closed it as Seth nudged her. They sat in silence and watched Gleed march determinedly out.
“It’s a good sign,” commented Seth, strangely self-assured. “He’s been handed a wallop right where he’s weakest.” He chuckled low down, turned to Harrison. “What’s your ultimate ambition?”
“Thanks for the meal. It was a good one and I needed it.” Harrison stood up, manifestly embarrassed. He gestured toward the door. “I’m going to catch him up. If he’s returning to the ship, I think I’ll do likewise.”
Again Seth nudged Elissa. They said nothing as Harrison made his way out, carefully closing the door behind him.
“Sheep,” decided Elissa, disappointed for no obvious reason. “One follows another. Just like sheep.”
“Not so,” Seth contradicted. “They’re humans animated by the same thoughts, the same emotions, as were our forefathers who had nothing sheeplike about them.” Twisting round in his chair, he beckoned to Matt. “Bring us two shemaks.” Then to Elissa. “My guess is that it won’t pay that ship to hang around too long.”
The battleship’s caller-system bawled imperatively, “Fanshaw, Folsom, Fuller, Garson, Gleed, Gregory, Haines, Harrison, Hope—” and down through the alphabet.
A trickle of men flowed along the passages, catwalks and alleyways toward the fore chartroom. They gathered outside it in small clusters, chattering in undertones and sending odd scraps of conversation echoing down the corridor.
“Wouldn’t say anything to us but, ‘Myob!’ Got sick and tired of it after a while.”
“You ought to have split up, like we did. That show place on the outskirts didn’t know what a Terran looks like. I just walked in and took a seat.”
“Hear about Meakin? He mended a leaky roof, chose a bottle of double dith in payment and mopped the lot. He was dead flat when we found him. Had to be carried back.”
“Some guys have all the luck. We got the brush-off wherever we showed our faces. It gets you down.”
“You should have separated, like I said.”
“Half the mess must be still lying in the gutter. They haven’t turned up yet.”
“Grayder will be hopping mad. He’d have stopped this morning’s second quota if he’d known in time.”
Every now and again First Mate Morgan stuck his head out of the chartroom door and uttered a name already voiced on the caller. Frequently there was no response.
“Harrison!” he yelled.
With a puzzled expression, Harrison went inside. Captain Grayder was there, seated behind a desk and gazing moodily at a list lying before him. Colonel Shelton was stiff and erect to one side, with Major Hame slightly behind him. Both wore the pained expressions of those tolerating a bad smell while the plumber goes looking for the leak.
His Excellency was tramping steadily to and fro in front of the desk, muttering deep down in his chins. “Barely five days and already the rot has set in.” He turned as Harrison entered, fired off sharply, “So it’s you, mister. When did you return from leave?”
“The evening before last, sir.”
“Ahead of time, eh? That’s curious. Did you get a puncture or something?”
“No, sir. I didn’t take my bicycle with me.”
“Just as well,” approved the ambassador. “If you had done so, you’d have been a thousand miles away by now and still pushing hard.”
“Why, sir?”
“Why? He asks me why! That’s precisely what I’d like to know-why?” He fumed a bit, then inquired, “Did you visit this town by yourself, or in company?”
“I went with Sergeant Gleed, sir.”
“Call him,” ordered the ambassador, looking at Morgan.
Opening the door, Morgan obediently shouted, “Gleed! Gleed!” No answer.
He tried again, without result. They put it over the caller-system again. Sergeant Gleed refused to be among those present.
“Has he booked in?”
Grayder consulted his list, “In early. Twenty-four hours ahead of time. He may have sneaked out again with the second liberty quota this morning and omitted to book it. That’s a double crime.”
“If he’s not on the ship, he’s off the ship, crime or no crime.”
“Yes, your excellency.” Captain Grayder registered slight weariness.
“GLEED!” howled Morgan, outside the door. A moment later he poked his head inside, said, “Your excellency, one of the men says Sergeant Gleed is not on board because he saw him in town quite recently.”
“Send him in.” The ambassador made an impatient gesture at Harrison. “Stay where you are and keep those confounded ears from flapping. I’ve not finished with you yet.”
A long, gangling grease-monkey came in, blinked around, a little awed by high brass.
