{"product_id":"2940015763294","title":"The Death-Traps of FX-31","description":"I do not wish to appear prejudiced against scientists. I am not\u003cbr\u003eprejudiced, but I have observed the scientific mind in action, on a\u003cbr\u003egreat many occasions, and I find it rather incomprehensible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is true that there are men with a scientific turn of mind who, at\u003cbr\u003ethe same time, you can feel safe to stand with shoulder to shoulder,\u003cbr\u003ein an emergency. Young Hendricks, who was my junior officer on the\u003cbr\u003e_Ertak_, back in those early days of the Special Patrol Service, about\u003cbr\u003ewhich I have written so much, was one of these.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNor, now that I come to think of the matter in the cool and impartial\u003cbr\u003emanner which is typical of me, was young Hendricks the only one. There\u003cbr\u003ewas a chap--let's see, now. I remember his face very well; he was one\u003cbr\u003eof those dark, wiry, alert men, a native of Earth, and his name\u003cbr\u003ewas--Inverness! Carlos Inverness. Old John Hanson's memory isn't quite\u003cbr\u003eas tricky as some of these smart young officers of the Service, so\u003cbr\u003enewly commissioned that the silver braid is not yet fitted to the\u003cbr\u003ecurve of their sleeves, would lead one to believe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI met Inverness in the ante-room of the Chief of Command. The Chief\u003cbr\u003ewas tied up in one of the long-winded meetings which the\u003cbr\u003eSilver-sleeves devoted largely to the making of new rules and\u003cbr\u003eregulations for the confusion of both men and officers of the Service,\u003cbr\u003ebut he came out long enough to give me the _Ertak's_ orders in person.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Glad to see you here at Base again, Commander,\" he said, in his\u003cbr\u003ecrisp, business-like way. \"Hear some good reports of your work; keep\u003cbr\u003eit up!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Thank you, sir,\" I said, wondering what was in the air. Any time the\u003cbr\u003eChief was complimentary, it was well to look out for squalls--which is\u003cbr\u003ean old Earth term for unexpected trouble.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Not at all, Commander, not at all. And now, let me present Carlos\u003cbr\u003eInverness, the scientist, of whom you have undoubtedly heard.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI bowed and said nothing, but we shook hands after the fashion of\u003cbr\u003eEarth, and Inverness smiled quite humanly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I imagine the good captain has been too busy to follow the activities\u003cbr\u003eof such as myself,\" he said, sensibly enough.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A commander\"--and I laid enough emphasis on the title to point out to\u003cbr\u003ehim his error in terminology--\"in the Special Patrol Service usually\u003cbr\u003efinds plenty to occupy his mind,\" I commented, wondering more than\u003cbr\u003eever what was up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Illustration: _At the same instant two other trap-doors swung up._]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"True,\" said the Chief briskly. \"You'll pardon me if I'm exceedingly\u003cbr\u003ebrief, Commander, but there's a sizeable group in there waiting my\u003cbr\u003ereturn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I have a special mission for you; a welcome relief from routine\u003cbr\u003epatrol. I believe you have made special requests, in the past, for\u003cbr\u003eassignments other than the routine work of the Service, Commander?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was boxing me up in a corner, and I knew it, but I couldn't deny\u003cbr\u003ewhat he said, so I admitted it as gracefully as I could.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47074311307504,"sku":"2940015763294","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940015763294","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}