opinion, captain. Fortunately,
our staff has already come largely to the same conclusions. Undoubtedly,
they'll be glad to hear your wide experience bears them out."

Joe said evenly, "It's a rather obvious conclusion, of course." He took
this as it came, having been through it before. The dilettante amateur's
dislike of the old pro. The amateur in command who knew full well he was
less capable than many of those below him in rank.

"Of course, captain," Balt Haer flicked his swagger stick against his
leg. "But to the point. Your squadron is to be deployed as scouts under
my overall command. You've had cavalry experience, I assume."

"Yes, sir. In various fracases over the past fifteen years."

"Very well. Now then, to get to the reason I have summoned you.
Yesterday in my father's office you intimated that you had some
grandiose scheme which would bring victory to the Haer colors. But then,
on some thin excuse, refused to divulge just what the scheme might be."

Joe Mauser looked at him unblinkingly.

Balt Haer said: "Now I'd like to have your opinion on just how Vacuum
Tube Transport can extract itself from what would seem a poor position
at best."

In all there were four others in the office, two women clerks
fluttering away at typers, and two of Balt Haer's junior officers. They
seemed only mildly interested in the conversation between Balt and Joe.

Joe wet his lips carefully. The Haer scion was his commanding officer.
He said, "Sir, what I had in mind is a new gimmick. At this stage, if I
told anybody and it leaked, it'd never be effective, not even this first
time."

Haer observed him coldly. "And you think me incapable of keeping your
secret, ah, _gimmick_, I believe is the idiomatic term you used."

Joe Mauser's eyes shifted around the room, taking in the other four, who
were now looking at him.

Bait Haer rapped, "These members of my staff are all trusted Haer
employees, Captain Mauser. They are not fly-by-night freelancers hired
for a week or two."

Joe said, "Yes, sir. But it's been my experience that one person can
hold a secret. It's twice as hard for two, and from there on it's a
decreasing probability in a geometric ratio."

The younger Haer's stick rapped the side of his leg, impatiently.
"Suppose I inform you that this is a command, captain? I have little
confidence in a supposed gimmick that will rescue our forces from
disaster and I rather dislike the idea of a captain of one of my
s