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“Yes, sir,” said Willis.

“There’s a big picture in the big hall in Police Headquarters on Valdez III,” said the sergeant. “It’s the story of the cops from the early days when they wore helmets, and the days when they rode bicycles, and when they drove ground-cars. There’s not only cops, but civilians, in every one of the panels, Willis. And if you look careful, you’ll see that there’s one civilian in every panel that’s thumbin’ his nose at a cop.”

“I’ve noticed,” said Willis.

“Remember it,” said Sergeant Madden. “It bears on what we’ve got to do to handle these Huks. Soldiers couldn’t do what we’ve got to. They’d fight, to be admired. We can’t. It’d spoil our job. We’ve got to persuade ’em to behave themselves.”

Then he frowned, as if he were dissatisfied with what he’d said. He shook his head and made an impatient gesture.

“No good,” he said vexedly. “You can’t say it. Hm-m-m … I’ll nap a while until the Aldeb gets here.”

He settled back to doze.

Patrolman Willis regarded him with an odd expression. They were aground on Sirene VIII, on which no human ship had ever landed before them, and they had stirred up a hornet’s nest on Sirene IV, which had orbital eighty-gee rocket missiles in orbit around it with bust bomb heads and all the other advantages of civilization. The Aldeb was on the way with a fifteen-man crew. And seventeen men, altogether, must pit themselves against an embattled planet with all its population ready and perhaps eager for war. Their errand was to secure the release of human prisoners and the surrender of a seized spaceship from a proud and desperate race.

It did not look promising. Sergeant Madden did not look like the kind of genius who could carry it through. Dozing, with his chin tilted forward on his chest, he looked hopelessly commonplace.

* * * * *

The skipper of the Aldeb came over to the squad ship, because Sergeant Madden loathed spacesuits and there was no air on Sirene VIII. Patrolman Willis watched as the skipper came wading through the lacy, breast-high gas-frost. It seemed a pity for such infinitely delicate and beautiful objects to be broken and crushed.

The sergeant unlocked the lock-door and spoke into a microphone when he heard the skipper stamping on the steel lock-flooring.

“Brush yourself off,” commanded the sergeant, “and sweep the stuff outside. Part of its methane and there’s some ammonia in those crystals.”

There was a suitable pause. The outer door closed. The lock filled with air, and gas-crystal fragments turned to reeking vapor as they warmed. The skipper bled them out and refilled the lock. Then he came inside. He opened his face plate.

“Well?”

“There’s Huks here,” Sergeant Madden told him, “their hair in a braid and all set to go. They popped off a marker I stuck out for them to shoot at in thirty-four seconds by the clock. Bright boys, these Huks! They don’t wait to ask questions. When they see something, they shoot at it.”

The skipper tilted back his helmet and said beseechingly:

“Scratch my head, will you?”

When Patrolman Willis reached out his hand, the skipper revolved his head under it until the itchy place was scratched. Most men itch instantly they are unable to scratch. The skipper’s space gloves were sprouting whiskers of moisture-frost now.

“Thanks,” he said gratefully. “What are you going to do, sergeant?”

“Open communication with ’em,” said the sergeant, heavily.

The skipper waited. Opening communication with someone who shoots on detector-contact may be difficult.

“I figure,” rumbled the sergeant, “they’re a lot like delinks. A cop can figure how they think, but they can’t figure how a cop thinks.”

“Such as?” asked the skipper.

“They can’t understand anybody not tryin’ to be important,” said Sergeant Madden. “It baffles ’em.”

“What’s that got to do with the people on the Cerberus?” demanded the skipper. “It’s our job to get them and the Cerberus back on the way to port!”