When he had the information he activated a keyboard at one side of his desk which fed the orrery computer several miles away. A few seconds after he punched in the data, the reply came back with the exact present location of the asteroid. He immediately threw a switch which lowered the lights and simultaneously splashed a map of the solar system on all of one blank wall. The map carried the caption _Pioneer Logistic_ and showed a dozen labelled points scattered throughout the system's inner and median reaches. A few were moving very slowly while others appeared to be at rest. After a minute's careful scrutiny the General leaped to his feet, muttering, "Good, good, Hazelton can get there in four hours." Starting his sender, he brought on Message Center and commanded: "Get me Admiral Hazelton on the _Star-Seeker_. Top Priority Instant Action Field Officer Line." Cramer, accustomed to slower transmission channels, was startled by the speed with which Hazelton's voice came into the room. "Standing by, General." "Admiral, have your daily code book handy?" "Right here." "Put her on today's complete garble in precisely ten seconds." He set his own coder and waited. "Okay. Hazelton, are you receiving me clearly?" "Perfectly, Chisholm." "All right, now nobody else can follow what I'm going to tell you. Immediately shift course for 325.83.21 in asteroid quadrant, subsection 38." A protesting squawk came hurtling across space. "First give your people my orders, then I'm going to tell you why." Cramer gaped as he heard his superior start to repeat his story. The General _must_ have believed it! Ten minutes later Hazelton broke in with a final "Oh, my God!" For a while only his heavy breathing could be heard, then he said, "Chisholm, if there's anything to this it's the worst social catastrophe of the century!" "I know it. Contact me as soon as you have a sample analyzed. You should be able to manage in six hours or so--this line'll be open at all times from now on. Off." Chisholm came back to the desk and looked steadily at Cramer. "You sure have me going far out on a prestige limb." "I never expected anybody to believe me, sir," he replied, all gratitude. "I still don't but we can't take any chances. I know something has to be going on. You see, Captain Hartley resigned from the service yesterday." "But he's still under your command for three months, isn't he?" "No, he's a free agent. He entered a Categorical Resignation. That means he's giving up all benefits accruing to a man of 25 years standing but his resignation is immediately effective." "You could still arrange for his arrest through the civil channels." "I doubt whether any continental president would care for that idea, I know I don't. Your former Captain's a very shrewd man, he knew we'd see how helpless we are--I only hope that you're lying through your teeth!" "If I don't return soon, General Chisholm, he'll suspect something."