ashamed of you, Hanlon!" the admiral said coldly. "We had high
hopes for you, as I told you when I interviewed you about your initial
assignment."

"Then why don't you listen to me instead of taking the word of this
slime-snake who calls himself an instructor? Bah! He oughta be digging
ditches!"

"That'll do!" Disgust showed on the admiral's face as he gestured to the
marines, who jumped forward and grabbed Hanlon's arms, twisting them
behind his back and handcuffing them.

"George Hanlon, you are hereby officially dismissed from the
Inter-Stellar Corps' Cadet School!"

So saying, Admiral Rogers ripped all identifying symbols from Hanlon's
uniform, then turned again to the marines. "Take him outside the
Reservation."

They hauled Hanlon, still shrieking and cursing, out of the room, out of
the building, across the park, and to the gate of the Corps' property.

There his handcuffs were removed, and the sneering marines literally and
not-too-gently booted him into the street, where he sprawled face
downward in a muddy puddle.

Hanlon pulled himself erect, apparently mad clear through. He shook his
fist at the grinning marines gathered just inside the gate. He cursed
them fluently with every foul oath and name he could remember ever
having heard. Innately clean of speech and thought, this swearing nearly
gagged him. But he was "putting on a good act."

They stood his insults for some time, but when he began to get too
personal, a couple of them started toward him, their mocking laughter
gone. To "make his act better," Hanlon now pretended to be frightened,
cowardly, and accompanied by the jeers of the civilian on-lookers who
had quickly congregated to see what all the rumpus was about, he fled
down the city street away from the Reservation.

At first opportunity, after he had outdistanced his pursuers, Hanlon
ducked into an alley. He ran down this until he spotted the back door of
a little cafe, and dodged inside. There, in the washroom, he cleaned
himself as best he could.

Again somewhat presentable, he left by the front door and rode the
slideways to a section of the city where he could buy some good but not
too expensive clothing.

Now inconspicuously dressed, he got a hotel room, then went to the bank
where he bought some shares of stock, arranged for insurance, and rented
a deposit box.

Chapter 5

In the hotel room assigned him, George Hanlon threw himself on the bed
and for an hour lay th