.

Somehow, he managed to do it. He kept to himself and pretended that the
blue traveling bag held important papers for him to work on, but he
dreaded mealtimes, when he was forced to sit with the captain and two
lieutenants, chattering like monkeys as they ate. And he'd had to talk,
too; being silent might ruin the impression he had made.

He hated it. A mouth was built for talking and eating, granted--but not
at the same time. Of course, the Execs had it down to a fine art; they
had a great deal more time for their meals than a Class Three, and they
managed to eat a few bites while someone else was talking, then talk
while the other ate. It was disconcerting and The Guesser never
completely got the hang of co-ordinating the two.

Evidently, however, none of the three officers noticed it.

By the time the _Trobwell_ reached D'Graski's Planet, he was actually
physically ill from the strain. One of the worst times had come during
an attack by Misfit ships. He had remained prone on his bed, his mind
tensing at each change of acceleration in the ship. Without the screens
and computer to give him data, he couldn't Guess, and yet he kept
trying; he couldn't stop himself. What made it worse was the knowledge
that his Guesses were coming out wrong almost every time.

When the ship finally settled into the repair cradle, The Guesser could
hardly keep his hands from shaking. He left the ship feeling broken and
old. But as his feet touched the ground, he thought to himself: _I made
it! In spite of everything, I made it!_

And then two men walked toward him--two men wearing blue uniforms of a
ship's Disciplinary Corps. He not only recognized their faces, but he
saw the neat embroidery on the lapels.

It said: _Naipor_.

IV

Space Captain Humbolt Reed, commander of the _Naipor_, looked at his
Master Guesser and shook his head. "I ought to have you shot.
Declassification is too good for you by far. Impersonating an Executive!
How did you ever think you'd get away with it?" He paused, then barked:
"Come on! Explain!"

"It was the only way I could think of to get back to the _Naipor_, great
sir," said The Guesser weakly.

The captain leaned back slowly in his seat. "Well, there's one
extenuating circumstance. The officers of the _Trobwell_ reported that
you were a fine source of amusement during the trip. They enjoyed your
clownish performance very much.

"Now, tell me exactly why you didn't show up for take-off