Everything in it that can accrue to your
advantage, could also get you promptly killed."

"I see. First I fight with my men," the commander said bitterly. "And if
I win that battle, I will be permitted to fight the aliens with a
thirty-two per cent possibility of living through the first encounter of
that."

"It's always been that way to some extent," the captain replied
sympathetically, "in every command situation since the world began. Only
right now is a little worse than anyone can remember."

* * * * *

The commander departed. But about a month later, ensuing circumstances
brought one Lieutenant Maise to the same office building. He was not, of
course, ushered into the august presence of the captain, who was seeing
more important people than lieutenants that day.

Maise had been there for several hours every day for the previous three,
and he went immediately to the desk of the Special Reports Officer. The
SR Officer was a lieutenant also, a combination of psychologist and
writer, whose business it was to make sure that Special Reports on
morale matters were presented in the properly dramatic fashion so that
that indefinable aura of reality, customarily omitted from official
historical documents, could be included. The Evaluation Division, back
on Earth, was very fussy about that "aura."

"Ah, good afternoon sir," the SR Officer greeted him. "Glad to see you
again."

Maise nodded curtly and took a seat beside the desk.

"I think we are pretty well finished now--"

"We better be," Maise interrupted. "My ship is pulling out in four
hours."

"Right on the button, eh?" said the SR Officer. He fumbled in a desk
drawer and withdrew a bulky folder, from which he extracted a smaller
manuscript, and handed it to Maise. "I think you will find it complete
and suitably expressive, now, sir."

Maise scowled as he accepted the document. "It makes no difference to
me. I didn't want to get involved with the report in the first place."

"I know," the SR Officer nodded agreeably. "But don't worry. Nobody is
going to prefer any charges against anybody in any case. What they want
back on Earth is all the information they can get on morale problems, so
that they can more effectively implement their planning. You know how it
is."

"How would _I_ know?"

The SR Officer snapped, "I can understand your sentiments, but don't
blame me. Remember, I'm just a lieutenant, and I just work here in