Dazed, he saluted his superior and turned to the door. Two hours in the pilot's chair had made him dizzy. But he was happy.
Five minutes later he slammed back the sliding door and entered the quarters of 42-D with a lusty shout.
"Meet Space Cadet Corbett—an Earthworm who's just passed his control-deck manual operations exam!"
Astro looked up from a book of tables on astrogation and gave Tom a wan smile.
"Congratulations, Tom," he said, and turned back to his book, adding bitterly, "but if I don't get these tables down by this afternoon for my power-deck manual, you're sunk."
"Say—what's going on here?" asked Tom. "Where's Roger? Didn't he help you with them?"
"He left. Said he had to see someone before taking his radar-bridge manual. He helped me a little. But when I'd ask him a question, he'd just rattle the answer off so fast—well, I just couldn't follow him."
Suddenly slamming the book shut, he got up. "Me and these tables"—he indicated the book—"just don't mix!"
"What's the trouble?"
"Ah—I can get the easy ones about astrogation. They're simple. But it's the ones where I have to combine it with the power deck."