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Updated: May 10, 2025
Dane shouldered into the small space in his wake to find Rip making a selection from the astrogation tapes. There were E-Stats among the asteroids points prospectors or small traders in sudden difficulties might contact for supplies or repairs. The big Companies maintained their own the Patrol had several for independents. "No Patrol one " Rip managed a smile.
Startled, Roger turned and stammered, "Ah nothing nothing." Looking around, Astro commented, "This place looks almost as good as that power deck." "Of course," said Roger, "they could have placed that astrogation prism a little closer to the chart table. Now I'll have to get up every time I want to take sights on stars!" "Don't you ever get tired of complaining?" asked Astro.
The central communicator began the incessant mustering of cadets, and the never-ending orders of the day. " ... Unit 38-Z report to Captain Edwards for astrogation. Unit 68-E report to Commander Walters for special assignments." On and on, down the list of senior cadets, watch officers, and the newly arrived Earthworms.
All spaceship chronometers were checked against this huge clock regularly, in order to maintain constant uniform time so necessary for the delicate art of astrogation between celestial bodies. Astro started to speak to the blond-haired cadet, but Roger waved him off, listening for the signal.
His communicator spouted voices whose tones ranged from basso profundo to high tenor, and whose ideas of proper astrogation seemed to vary more widely still. "You there!" boomed a voice with deafening volume. "You're in our clear-space! Sheer off!" The volume of a signal in space varies as the square of the distance. This voice was thunderous.
"I haven’t any special knowledge." O’Brine blinked. "Then why did they assign you? What’s your specialty?" "Astrophysics." "That might explain it. Second specialty?" "Astrogation." He couldn’t resist adding, "That’s what scientists call space navigation, Commander." O’Brine started to retort, then apparently thought better of it.
"I've been giving astrogation lessons to these characters. I certainly didn't do it to help them dump germ-cultures on Weald! I brought them here! Don't you see the point? These are space-ships. They're in orbit around Weald. They're not manned and they're not controlled. In fact, they're nothing but sky-riding storage bins!" He seemed to consider the explanation complete.
"You're Roger Manning, Space Cadet! Breach of honor and violation of the Spaceman's Oath. Escaped from the Venus space station on a jet liner. But one of the best men on a radar scanner and astrogation prism in the whole alliance!" Shinny related the information rapidly. "He had known all the time," thought Roger. "He was testing me." Roger wondered why.
Static spluttered over the loud-speaker and then a clear, harsh voice that was a perfect imitation, answered, "I read you, Ross," it said. "Where are you?" Tom watched as Miles made a hasty check on the astrogation chart. "Space quadrant four," he replied. "Chart C for Charley! Where are you?" "Same space quadrant, but on chart B for Baker," came the reply.
"Can you do it without your astrogation prism?" asked Astro. "Navigation, not astrogation, Astro," said Roger. "Like the ancient sailors used on the oceans back on Earth hundreds of years ago. Only thing is, I'll have to work up the logarithms by hand, instead of using the computer. Might be a little rough, but it'll be close enough for what we want."
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