[Illustration: _At the same instant two other trap-doors swung up._] "True," said the Chief briskly. "You'll pardon me if I'm exceedingly brief, Commander, but there's a sizeable group in there waiting my return. "I have a special mission for you; a welcome relief from routine patrol. I believe you have made special requests, in the past, for assignments other than the routine work of the Service, Commander?" He was boxing me up in a corner, and I knew it, but I couldn't deny what he said, so I admitted it as gracefully as I could. "Very well," nodded the Chief, and it seemed to me his eyes twinkled for an instant. "Inverness, here, is head of a party of scientists bent upon a certain exploration. They have interested the Council in the work, and the Council has requested the cooperation of this Service." He glanced at me to make sure I understood. I certainly did; when the Supreme Council _requested_ something, that thing was done. "Very well, sir," I said. "What are your orders?" The Chief shrugged. "Simply that you are to cooperate with Inverness and his party, assisting them in every possible way, including the use of your ship for transporting them and a reasonable amount of equipment, to the field of their activities. The command of the ship remains, of course, in you and your officers, but in every reasonable way the _Ertak_ and her crew are to be at the disposal of Inverness and his group. Is that clear, Commander?" "Perfectly, sir." Nothing could have been clearer. I was to run the ship, and Inverness and his crew were to run me. I could just imagine how Correy, my fighting first officer, would take this bit of news. The mental picture almost made me laugh, disgusted as I was. "Written orders will, of course, be given you before departure. I believe that's all. Good luck, Commander!" The Chief offered his hand briefly, and then hurried back to the other room where the Silver-sleeves had gathered to make more rulings for the confusion of the Service. * * * * * "Since when," asked Correy bitterly, "are we running excursions for civilians? We'll be personally conducting elderly ladies next thing." "Or put on Attached Police Service," growled Hendricks, referring to the poor devils who, in those days, policed the air-lanes of the populated worlds, cruising over the same pitiful routes day after day, never rising beyond the fringe of the stratosphere. "Perhaps," suggested the level-headed Kincaide, "it isn't as bad as it sounds. Didn't you, say, sir, that this Inverness was rather a decent sort of chap?" I nodded. "Very much so. You'd scarcely take him for a scientist." "And our destination is--what?" asked Kincaide. "That I don't know. Inverness is to give us that information when he arrives, which will be very shortly, if he is on time."