"No, we haven't, but.... How the hell--pardon me--did you guess about braking rockets?" The officer glowered suspiciously. "You doing work for the _Navy_?" He made a mild oath of the word. Chuckling, Ed Wilkes put a soothing hand on the other's arm. "Hang on, Pete--simmer down. I told you we could use Julie. You see, weapons are her hobby. Check the library lists sometime. You'll find a sweet work there of hers dealing with every persuader from cross-bow to tommy gun." "To say nothing of shillelagh, arbalest and stylet," she added modestly. "Nor of whinyard, haguebut and assagai." "Well, break me to sergeant!" The Major shook his head wonderingly. "How come a sweet little Southern thing like you got such a bloody mind?" Wilkes tilted back against the wall. "Runs in her family, Pete. Ever heard of her great-uncle--John Singleton Mosby?" "Let's see...." Hall squinted, pursed his lips reflectively. "Something about mobility.... Got it--Mosby's raiders. Couple of hundred cutthroats who operated behind Northern lines in the Civil War. Each man carried four or five pistols. Mobility plus firepower. As I recall from a rather dull West Point course--and that was years ago, my children--he raised merry hell with the Union war effort for a time. Even captured a General, didn't he, Ed?" "General Stoughton," Julie supplied. "And he would have snatched Grant but peace broke out. My father used to insist that he could have won the war for us." "If?" Hall favored her with a rather indulgent smile. "If he'd just been somewhere at the right time with the right weapon. A couple of P-thirty-eights, perhaps?" Julie Mosby studied him calmly. "Hardly--a few-score Garands would have done it. A light submachine-gun like the Thompson or the crude grease-gun." "Grease-gun?" Wilkes slumped further back in his chair. "That's a new one on me." "It was quite a weapon," Hall told him. "A few pieces of pipe, some springs and other scraps. They made them in garages during the war. Crude, like Julie says, but damn mean gadgets. Light and rugged. The underground in Europe loved them. Would have been just the thing for your great-uncle Mosby and his crew. But as for his winning the war...." He glanced at his watch, then jumped up. "Judas! I've got to catch a plane out of here in an hour. Enjoyed talking with you, Doctor Mosby. We'll get together again." He nodded his thanks. "And you, Ed? Are you in on this nozzle project?" "Don't know." Ed Wilkes regarded Julie's eagerness. "Let's leave it up to you, Julie. I'll be a big thing for the school. You see, Pete, the place is only partly State supported--Julie's family has been making up most of the balance for years--and they must be weary of it. I don't like the idea of bigger and better weapons--you both know me that well--but I guess I hate what's with Europe and Asia even worse." "Then us ole Rebels," Julie said, "we all'd be proud to help y'all Nawthners."