Gene followed, his feet
slipping along awkwardly. After a minute his nausea lessened. At the end
of the long steel corridor the little man knocked, then opened the door
to a low rumble of command. He didn't enter, just stood aside for Gene.
Gene walked in, stood staring.

The eyes in the face he saw were black pools of nothingness, without
emotion, yet behind them an active mind was apparent. Gene realized this
hairy thing was the Captain--even though he didn't even wear a shirt!

"You've shanghaied me," said Gene. "I don't like it."

The voice was huge and cold, like wind from an ice field. "None of us
like it, chum. But the ships have got to sail. You're one of us now,
because we're on our way and by the time you get there, there'll be no
place left for you to work, unless it's in a circus as a freak."

"I didn't ask for it," said Gene.

"You did. You wanted to know too much about the crew--and if you found
out, you'd spread it. You see, the drives are not what they were cooked
up to be--the atomics leak, and it wasn't found out until too late.
After they learned, they hid the truth, because the cargo we bring is
worth millions. All the shielding they've used so far only seems to make
it worse. But that won't stop the ships--they'll get crews the way they
got you, and nosey people will find out more than they bargain for."

"I won't take it sitting down!" said Gene angrily.

The Captain ignored him. "Start saying sir. It's etiquette aboard ship
to say sir to the Captain."

"I'll never say sir to anyone who got me into this...."

The Captain knocked him down.

Gene had plenty of time to block the blow. He had put up his arms, but
the big fist went right through and crashed against his chin. Gene sat
down hard, staring up at the hairy thing that had once been a man. He
suddenly realized the Captain was standing there waiting for an excuse
to kill him.

Through split and bleeding lips, while his stomach turned over and his
head seemed on the point of bursting, Gene said: "Yes, sir!"

The Captain turned his back, sat down again. He shoved aside a mass of
worn charts, battered instruments, cigar butts, ashtrays with statuettes
of naked girls in a half-dozen startling poses, comic books, illustrated
magazines with sexy pictures, and made a space on the top. He thrust
forward a sheet of paper. He picked up a fountain pen, flirted it so
that ink spattered the tangle of junk on his desk, then handed it to
Gene. "