rol ship.

Tiger's interest in electronics and communications made him the best man
to handle the radio; he accepted the post without comment. "Jack, you
should be in charge of the computer," he said, "because you'll be the
one who'll need the information first. The lab is probably your field
too. Dal can be responsible for stores and supplies as well as his own
surgical instruments."

Jack shrugged. "I'd just as soon handle supplies, too," he said.

"Well, there's no need to overload one man," Tiger said.

"I wouldn't mind that. But when there's something I need, I want to be
sure it's going to be there without any goof-ups," Jack said.

"I can handle it all right," Dal said.

Jack just scowled. "What about the contact man when we make landings?"
he asked Tiger.

"Seems to me Dal would be the one for that, too," Tiger said. "His
people are traders and bargainers; right, Dal? And first contact with
the people on unfamiliar planets can be important."

"It sure can," Jack said. "Too important to take chances with. Look,
this is a ship from Hospital Earth. When somebody calls for help, they
expect to see an Earthman turn up in response. What are they going to
think when a patrol ship lands and _he_ walks out?"

Tiger's face darkened. "They'll be able to see his collar and cuff,
won't they?"

"Maybe. But they may wonder what he's doing wearing them."

"Well, they'll just have to learn," Tiger snapped. "And you'll have to
learn, too, I guess."

Dal had been sitting silently. Now he shook his head. "I think Jack is
right on this one," he said. "It would be better for one of you to be
contact man."

"Why?" Tiger said angrily. "You're as much of a doctor from Hospital
Earth as we are, and the sooner we get your position here straight, the
better. We aren't going to have any ugly ducklings on this ship, and we
aren't going to hide you in the hold every time we land on a planet. If
we want to make anything but a mess of this cruise, we've got to work as
a team, and that means everybody shares the important jobs."

"That's fine," Dal said, "but I still think Jack is right on this point.
If we are walking into a medical problem on a planet where the patrol
isn't too well known, the contact man by rights ought to be an
Earthman."

Tiger started to say something, and then spread his hands helplessly.
"Okay," he said. "If you're satisfied with it, let's get on to these
other things." But obviously he wasn't satisfie