e cadet's throat tightened, and he moistened his lips as he saw the
admiral's face grow ominous.

"I want you to consider this very seriously," he said slowly, grimly,
and Hanlon's probing mind caught the aura of importance in his manner.
"Take your time, and figure carefully all the angles and connotations
inherent in it, for it will not be an easy decision to make."

He paused impressively. "Here it is, cold! You'll have to be,
apparently, dismissed from the Corps in disgrace. That is horribly
harsh, we know," he added quickly, compassionately, as he saw the look
of dismay that whitened the cadet's face. "But we have found over the
years that it is the best way to make members of the SS most valuable to
us. Every one of them has gone through the same thing, if that is any
encouragement or consolation."

Young Hanlon's spirits sank to absolute nadir. "Not ... not even
graduate?" he whispered, agonizedly.

"Not publicly, with your class, no. But you'll be given private
graduation, for you'll still be a member of the Corps."

He was silent again to allow the young man to recover a bit, then
continued in a fatherly voice. "We know it's a terrible price to ask any
man to pay. It takes guts to withstand, publicly and willingly, the
dishonor, the loss of friends and the good will of people who know you.
It means life-long disgrace in the eyes of the public and those members
of the Corps who have ever known you or will hear of you."

The blood drained from Hanlon's face, his breathing was quick and
rasping. The admiral's heart went out to him in sympathy, but he had to
keep on. Now, though, he tried to soften the blow.

"Yet there are rewards in honor from those who do know. There will come
a deep satisfaction from the years of devoting your life and abilities
to the tremendous service of maintaining peace and security for all
mankind of the entire Federation of Planets. Actually, the SS does more
to keep that peace than all the rest of the Corps. So these things are,
in the estimation of those who have gone through it, well worth any pain
and humiliation they have to suffer."

His tone was so kind that Hanlon found a measure of comfort in the looks
and attitude of the officer before him, now suddenly not a dread ogre,
and martinet, but a kindly, fatherly, understanding friend.

George Hanlon sat with downcast eyes, thinking swiftly but more cogently
than he had ever done before. He had come into this room still a bo