"Yes, Dr. Hilton, I have a squawk of my own. I know I was rammed down your throat, but just when are you going to let me do some work?" "None of us has much of anything to do yet, and won't have until we light somewhere. You're off base a country mile." "I'm not off base. You _did_ want Eggleston, not me." "Sure I did. I've worked with him and know what he can do. But I'm not holding a grudge about it." "No? Why, then, are you on first-name terms with everyone in the scientific group except me? Supposedly your first assistant?" "That's easy!" Hilton snapped. "Because you've been carrying chips on both shoulders ever since you came aboard ... or at least I thought you were." Hilton grinned suddenly and held out his hand. "Sorry, Sandy--I'll start all over again." "I'm sorry too, Chief." They shook hands warmly. "I _was_ pretty stiff, I guess, but I'll be good." "You'll go to work right now, too. As semantician. Dig out that directive and tear it down. Draw that line Bill talked about." "Can do, boss." She swung to her feet and walked out of the room, her every movement one of lithe and easy grace. Karns followed her with his eyes. "Funny. A trained-dancer Ph.D. And a Miss America type, like all the other women aboard this spacer. I wonder if she'll make out." "So do I. I still wish they'd given me Eggy. I've never seen an executive-type female Ph.D. yet that was worth the cyanide it would take to poison her." "That's what Sawtelle thinks of you, too, you know." "I know; and the Board _does_ know its stuff. So I'm really hoping, Bill, that she surprises me as much as I intend to surprise the Navy." * * * * * Alarm bells clanged as the mighty _Perseus_ blinked out of overdrive. Every crewman sprang to his post. "Mister Snowden, why did we emerge without orders from me?" Captain Sawtelle bellowed, storming into the control room three jumps behind Hilton. "The automatics took control, sir," he said, quietly. "Automatics! I _give_ the orders!" "In this case, Captain Sawtelle, you don't," Hilton said. Eyes locked and held. To Sawtelle, this was a new and strange co-commander. "I would suggest that we discuss this matter in private." "Very well, sir," Sawtelle said; and in the captain's cabin Hilton opened up. "For your information, Captain Sawtelle, I set my inter-space coupling detectors for any objective I choose. When any one of them reacts, it trips the kickers and we emerge. During any emergency outside the Solar System I am in command--with the provision that I must relinquish command to you in case of armed attack on us." "Where do you think you found any such stuff as that in the directive? It isn't there and I know my rights."