_that's the way I learned; Kraybo can
learn the same way. A little nerve-burning never hurt anyone._

But that last thought was more to bolster himself than it was to justify
his own actions toward Kraybo. The lieutenant was at the door of the
captain's office, with The Guesser right behind him.

* * * * *

The door dilated to receive the three--the lieutenant, The Guesser, and
the sergeant-at-arms--and they marched across the room to the captain's
desk.

The captain didn't even bother to look up until High Lieutenant Blyke
saluted and said: "The Guesser, sir."

And the captain gave the lieutenant a quick nod and then looked coldly
at The Guesser. "The ship has been badly damaged. Since there are no
repair docks here on Viornis, we will have to unload our cargo and then
go--_empty_--all the way to D'Graski's Planet for repairs. All during
that time, we will be more vulnerable than ever to Misfit raids."

His ice-chill voice stopped, and he simply looked at The Guesser with
glacier-blue, unblinking eyes for ten long seconds.

The Guesser said nothing. There was nothing he _could_ say. Nothing that
would do him any good.

The Guesser disliked Grand Captain Reed--and more, feared him. Reed had
been captain of the _Naipor_ for only three years, having replaced the
old captain on his retirement. He was a strict disciplinarian, and had a
tendency to punish heavily for very minor infractions of the rules. Not,
of course, that he didn't have every right to do so; he was, after all,
the captain.

But the old captain hadn't given The Guesser a nerve-burning in all the
years since he had accepted The Guesser as The Guesser. And Captain
Reed--

The captain's cold voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Well? What was it? If it was a mechano-electronic misfunction of the
computer, say so; we'll speak to the engineer."

The Guesser knew that the captain was giving him what looked like an
out--but The Guesser also knew it was a test, a trap.

The Guesser bowed his head very low and saluted. "No, great sir; the
fault was mine."

Grand Captain Reed nodded his head in satisfaction. "Very well.
Intensity Five, two minutes. Dismissed."

The Guesser bowed his head and saluted, then he turned and walked out
the door. The sergeant-at-arms didn't need to follow him; he had been
let off very lightly.

He marched off toward the Disciplinary Room with his head at the proper
angle--ready to lift it if