To Prime the Pump - A. Bertram Chandler [29]
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He sat with Anderson in the boat while the men busied themselves about the stranded dynosoar.
"If I'd been you, sir," said the Chief Petty Officer, "do you know what I'd have done?"
About what? wondered Grimes. About the salvage? About the rock ogres? About Her Highness the Princess Marlene von Stolzberg?"
"What would you have done?" he snapped.
"I'd have had the engineers waterproof an I. D. unit, complete with power cells, taken it down to the dynosoar, started it up—and Bob's your uncle!"
"He may be yours, Chief. But he's obviously not mine."
"But the way it was was all right, Mr. Grimes. It gave my boys some very useful training."
"Join the Interstellar Survey Service and see the bottom of the sea."
"I must remember that, sir. And that's the way that I wish it always was. But . . . Do you mind if I talk to you man to man, for a little?"
"Do just that."
"I know Captain Daintree. Well. He was an Ensign when I was a rating fourth class, before I started specializing. We've sailed together many a time."
"Go on."
"I won't talk. And the men won't talk. If they did, they'd know that all the Odd Gods of the Galaxy wouldn't be able to save 'em. From me. You officers think that you have power, but"—he slowly opened and then clenched a huge hand—"this is where the real power lies, in any Navy."
"Go on."
"Your report, sir. May I suggest that you tore your suit on a piece of jagged wreckage?"
"But why, Chief?"
"You were supposed to be in charge of the job, Mr. Grimes. The Captain won't like it if he hears that you went off with a girl." Anderson blushed incongruously. "A naked girl, at that."
"You've got a dirty mind, Chief."
"I haven't," said Anderson virtuously. "But the Old Man, I beg your pardon, sir, the Captain, and some of the other officers mightn't be so broadminded as me . . ."
Grimes chuckled.
"It's not funny, sir."
"Perhaps not. But your double entendre was."
"Yes, it was," admitted the C. P. O. complacently. "I must remember that, too . . . But what I'm getting at is that you should edit, or censor, your report on the operations rather carefully. The torn suit, for example, and the jagged projection . . ."
"Thank you, Chief. But no. I can't do it."
"If you knew the bloody liars that I've known that are Admirals now!"
"But they, Chief, didn't have a robot midget submarine sniffing around and recording everything. I've no doubt that whoever sent it will be willing to run the film for Captain Daintree. I'm afraid I have to tell the truth."
Anderson did not look happy. Grimes could imagine what was running through his mind. The petty officer, he knew, was concerned about him, but he would not be human if he were not also concerned about himself. Grimes could almost hear Daintree's voice. "And what were you thinking of, Chief Petty Officer Anderson, to allow a young, inexperienced officer to wander off alone in waters in which all sorts of dangerous creatures might have been—were, in fact—lurking? Not alone, you say? Even worse, then. In the company of a young lady who has already demonstrated her criminal irresponsibility."
"Yes," said Grimes. "I can edit my report."
"But this submarine camera you mentioned, sir . . ."
"We'd started work on the salvage, Chief, and then Her Highness came along and told me about the dangers on the lake bottom, such as the rock ogres. I thought that I'd better see one for myself so that I'd be able to identify them. Not only did she show me one but also persuaded it to give a demonstration of its capabilities. The demonstration was almost too effective . . ."
"Yes, Mr. Grimes. That should do, very nicely." He grinned. "You'll make Admiral yet."
"I hope so," said Grimes.
Chapter 15
She came to pick up Grimes the following afternoon, her blue and scarlet air car bringing itself down to a perfect landing hard by the main ramp of Aries. Daintree, rather to the Lieutenant's surprise, had granted him shore leave, but,