{"product_id":"2940014094269","title":"A Question Of Courage","description":"_I smelled the trouble the moment I stepped on\u003cbr\u003e the lift and took the long ride up the side of\u003cbr\u003e the \"Lachesis.\" There was something wrong. I\u003cbr\u003e couldn't put my finger on it but_\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003efive years in the Navy gives a man a feeling for these things. From the\u003cbr\u003eoutside the ship was beautiful, a gleaming shaft of duralloy, polished\u003cbr\u003euntil she shone. Her paint and brightwork glistened. The antiradiation\u003cbr\u003eshields on the gun turrets and launchers were folded back exactly\u003cbr\u003eaccording to regulations. The shore uniform of the liftman was spotless\u003cbr\u003eand he stood at his station precisely as he should. As the lift moved\u003cbr\u003eslowly up past no-man's country to the life section, I noted a work\u003cbr\u003eparty hanging precariously from a scaffolding smoothing out meteorite\u003cbr\u003epits in the gleaming hull, while on the catwalk of the gantry standing\u003cbr\u003ebeside the main cargo hatch a steady stream of supplies disappeared into\u003cbr\u003ethe ship's belly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI returned the crisp salutes of the white-gloved sideboys, saluted the\u003cbr\u003ecolors, and shook hands with an immaculate ensign with an O.D. badge on\u003cbr\u003ehis tunic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Glad to have you aboard, sir,\" the ensign said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm Marsden,\" I said. \"Lieutenant Thomas Marsden. I have orders posting\u003cbr\u003eme to this ship as Executive.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yes, sir. We have been expecting you. I'm Ensign Halloran.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Glad to meet you, Halloran.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Skipper's orders, sir. You are to report to him as soon as you come\u003cbr\u003eaboard.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen I got it. Everything was SOP. The ship wasn't taut, she was tight!\u003cbr\u003eAnd she wasn't happy. There was none of the devil-may-care spirit that\u003cbr\u003emarks crews in the Scouting Force and separates them from the stodgy\u003cbr\u003emass of the Line. Every face I saw on my trip to the skipper's cabin was\u003cbr\u003eblank, hard-eyed, and unsmiling. There was none of the human noise that\u003cbr\u003enormally echoes through a ship, no laughter, no clatter of equipment, no\u003cbr\u003edeviations from the order and precision so dear to admirals' hearts.\u003cbr\u003eThis crew was G.I. right down to the last seam tab on their uniforms.\u003cbr\u003eWhoever the skipper was, he was either bucking for another cluster or a\u003cbr\u003ecold-feeling automaton to whom the Navy Code was father, mother, and\u003cbr\u003eBible.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47073869791472,"sku":"2940014094269","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014094269_p0.jpg?v=1763600574","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014094269","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}