ss that kept him from her. His mind was calm again, his emotions
flat and worn out. And he shivered, realizing unexpectedly that it was
cold in the room. He felt his brow: burning, always burning. The wet
underclothes he peeled off and flung away, went into the bathroom,
released a stream of clear, watery urine, turned the heat on high and
took a steaming shower.

Dried and warm but already sweating and a little chilled he returned to
the room and sat down at a desk, and touched a button, and began
studying charts of that quadrant. TRANSPORTS HAD BEEN REPORTED
MOVING..... A WEEK AFTER THE TRANSPORTS BEARING THE PRISONERS.....
His wife was not on Athena. LATEST INTELLIGENCE. SOMETHING CALLED
DRACUS.....

It all ran together in his mind, into a crater-pool of formless gray
mud, edged with hard dark flecks. They were making for the Morannon
system. They would be there in seventy. . .eight hours. Others must
do the thinking now, he was tired. Too tired. He lay down again and
forced himself to remain there until he fell asleep.

He woke two hours later, feeling better but for a slight headache. He
recalled briefly as he rose the half-dream from which his consciousness
had climbed. He was lying on the floor of a public bar, asleep, when a
large rough man had seized him by the shoulders of his jacket and
lifted him rudely, shook him, and told him to be gone. At first it
seemed just another foolish night episode, until he remembered that the
initial feeling of the strong, angry hands upon him had been
pleasurable.

He wondered lamely if this were some sign of latent homosexuality---he
often feared what might be revealed to him of his subconscious through
dream---but the thought could not seriously upset him. A new day was
at hand and he felt a little better. He dressed himself, performed the
morning rituals of the bathroom and made his way to the bridge, feeling
as he walked only a slight hollowness and queasiness of the stomach.
Captain Mandlik greeted him flatly, the small black eyes in their
fleshy face neither kind nor cruel.

"You are up late this morning."

"Yes, forgive me. I didn't sleep well last night."

"You don't look well. Have you been to see the doctor?"

"No, there is nothing wrong with me. There is nothing he could do."

"Very well, but look after yourself. We cannot have you fading out on
us." The captain looked more deeply into his face. "Colonel Joyce has
been asking for y