“Crew’s quarters, mess hail, on the other one,” explained Andresen. “Officer’s quarters, storage and supplies, repair section, on this one.” He pushed open a door in the corridor wall opposite them and they stepped into a section roughly the size of a small hotel room, bounded on its farther side by the curving outer shell of the ship, proper. The shell in this section was, at the moment, on transparent; and the complicated “dentist’s chair” facing the bank of controls at the foot of the transparency was occupied; although the figure in it was dressed in coveralls only.

“My First,” said Andresen. The figure looked up over the headrest of the chair. It was a woman in her early forties.

“Hi, All,” she said. “Just checking the override.” Andresen made a wry grimace at Donal.

“Antipersonnel weapons,” he explained. “Nobody likes to shoot the poor helpless characters out of the sky as they fall in for an assault—so it’s an officer’s job. I usually take it over myself if I’m not tied up with something else at the moment. Staff Liaison Donal Graeme—First Officer Coa Benn.”

Donal and she shook hands.

“Well, shall we get on?” asked Andresen. They toured the rest of the ship and ended up before the door of Donal’s stateroom in Officer’s Country.

“Sorry,” said Andresen. “But we’re short of bunk space. Full complement under battle conditions. So we had to put your orderly in with you. If you’ve no objection—”

“Not at all,” said Donal.

“Good,” Andresen looked relieved. “That’s why I like the Dorsai. They’re so sensible.” He clapped Donal on the shoulder, and went hurriedly off back to his duties of getting his ship and crew ready for action.

Entering his stateroom, Donal found Lee had already set up both their gear, including a harness hammock for himself to supplement the single bunk that would be Donal’s.

“All set?” asked Donal.

“All set,” answered Lee. He still chronically forgot the “sir”; but Donal, having already had some experience with the fanatic literal-minded ness with which the man carried out any command given him, had refrained from making an issue of it. “You settle my contract, yet?”

“I haven’t had time,” said Donal. “It can’t be done in a day. You knew that, didn’t you?”

“No,” said Lee. “All I ever did was hand it over. And then, later on when I was through my term of service they gave it back to me; and the money I had coming.”