The old man said to Reuben: "You are an Ellay spy and saboteur."
Reuben looked at May. Did one speak directly to the man who wore the stars, even in reply to such an accusation?
"Answer him, Reuben," May said kindly.
"I am May's man Reuben, of the eighty-third level, an Atomist," he said.
"Explain," said the other general heavily, "if you can, why all eighteen of the warheads you procured today failed to fire."
"But they did!" gasped Reuben. "The Recon missile report said there was blast damage from the three that got through and it didn't say anything about the others failing to fire."
The other general suddenly looked sick and May looked even kindlier. The man who wore the stars turned inquiringly to the chief of the Maintainers, who nodded and said: "That was the Recon missile report, sir."
The general snapped: "What I said was that he would attempt to sabotage the attack. Evidently he failed. I also said he is a faulty double, somehow slipped with great ease into my good friend May's organization. You will find that his left thumb print is a clumsy forgery of the real Reuben's thumb print and that his hair has been artificially darkened."
The old man nodded at the chief of the Maintainers, who said: "We have his card, sir."
Reuben abruptly found himself being fingerprinted and deprived of some hair.