“There’s no sense blowing your top,” Merola said. “He’s here, and we’ll have to make the best of it.”
“You can make the best of it,” Forbes said bitterly. “I’m just going to try and forget he’s around.”
Ted had the strange feeling that he was eavesdropping on a conversation he wasn’t supposed to be hearing. The men kept talking about him as if he weren’t there! He was beginning to feel like a rivet in the hull of the ship.
“Dan,” Dr. Phelps put in mildly.
“What?” Forbes’s voice was harsh.
“He’s only a boy. He made a mistake. Boys often make mistakes. If we let it upset us, we’ll be endangering the Moon trip.”
“Well, it
“Sir,” Ted said, “if I may…”
“Don’t give me the ‘sir’ business, Baker,” Forbes snapped. “You’re been sirring everyone like a recruit in Napoleon’s army.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I just…”
“The ‘sir’ routine doesn’t cut any ice with me, and I think George feels the same way. If you’d really had any respect for your superior officers, you wouldn’t have pulled such a fool stunt.”
“That’s just it, sir. I didn’t . . “
Forbes swung out of his couch, his eyes flaring. “I said cut out the ‘sir’ routine! It’s coming out of my ears!”
“Dan, Dan,” Dr. Phelps interceded.
Forbes clenched his teeth and turned away from Ted. “I’m sorry, Doc. I’m a fine example of mental stability, am I not?”
“It’s not that,” Dr. Phelps said softly. “The boy is with us now. Believe me, I don’t like the idea of his forcible intrusion any more than you do.” He shrugged. “We can’t let it upset our equilibrium, though. Our crew was to have consisted of five men. We will get along with four.”
“Exactly,” Dr. Gehardt said, “as long as the boy doesn’t get in our way.”
Merola, who had been sitting thoughtfully with his chin cupped in his hands, suddenly said, “Maybe we’re tackling this in the wrong way. “
Ted’s heart skipped an apprehensive beat.
“How do you mean?” Forbes asked.
“Baker’s not exactly a complete loss, you know.”
“No?” Forbes asked derisively.
“I’ve been thinking,” Merola went on. “The boy has had training. After all, he’s within a year of being graduated from the Academy. It’s not as if we’d taken along someone who knew nothing at all about…”
“What are you driving at, George?” Forbes asked. “I hope it’s not what
“Well, what
“I’m thinking you plan to substitute Baker for Jack.”
Merola shrugged sheepishly. “Well…”
“And I’m thinking I don’t like the idea. Not one bit. It smells from here to Mars. That’s what I’m thinking.”
Dr. Gehardt nodded his head. “Dan is right, George. I quite agree with him.”
“I’ll have to go along with the others,” Dr. Phelps said. “We’d be playing right into the boy’s hand otherwise.”
“Of course,” Forbes said triumphantly. “He obviously stowed away with the intention of taking Jack’s place. If we give it to him as a present, we’ll be condoning his action.”
Merola smiled. “Instead,” he said, “we’ll simply cut off our noses.”
“Huh?” Merola’s attitude threw Forbes off balance.
“To spite our faces,” Merola said. “We’ve got someone among us who could conceivably act as a spare. You’ve heard Baker talk about rockets. You know as well as I do that he’s not entirely ignorant on the subject.”
“I’ve also heard him talk about the Moon,” Forbes said caustically.
“All right,” Merola said, nodding, “look at it this way. Suppose we were lost in the jungle and the only person who could lead us out was a guide who had forced his way into the safari. Would you prefer to stay lost, or would you…”
Forbes smiled sardonically. “That’s beautiful logic, Cap,” he said. “Except that the comparison is a false one. We won’t be lost if we refuse to accept Baker’s gracious assistance.”
Merola shrugged, spreading his hands wide. “Suppose we put it to a vote?”
“Suits me fine.”
“All right,” Dr. Phelps said.
Dr. Gehardt nodded his approval.
“There are two courses we can follow,” Merola said. “One: we can forget Baker is with us, in which case we’d treat him like a common stowaway under temporary arrest.”
Ted bit his lip and stared down at the men below him. Outside the speeding ship, the stars passed no judgment. They stared at the shining metal pellet with blind, unwinking eyes.
“Or,” Merola continued, “we can accept him into the crew as an informed member with helpful knowledge. We’ll then suspend the stowaway charges until we get back to Earth.”
“If we get back to Earth under the circumstances,” Forbes put in.
“Shall we vote?” Merola asked. He waited, taking the men’s silence for approval.
Ted crossed his fingers and stared up at the overhead.
“All right,” Merola said, “all those in favor of treating Baker like a member of the crew, say aye.”
Only one voice said, “Aye.” It was Merola’s own.
A significant silence hung on the air in the cabin. Ted squeezed his eyes shut tightly.
“All those in favor of placing Baker under temporary arrest as a stowaway, say aye.” Aye. Aye. Aye.