“Kitchen mechanics,” he muttered. “Couldn’t do a decent repair job if they wanted to—and most of the time they don’t. I’d like to see one of them three days out on a scout sweep with a toilet that won’t flush!”
IX
It was a roomy cell as cells go but Kurt wasn’t happy there. His continual striding up and down was making Colonel Harris nervous.
“Relax, son,” he said gently, “you’ll just wear yourself out.”
Kurt turned to face the colonel who was stretched out comfortably on his cot. “Sir,” he said in a conspiratorial whisper, “we’ve got to break out of here.”
“What for?” asked Harris. “This is the first decent rest I’ve had in years.”
“You aren’t going to let Blick get away with this?” demanded Kurt in a shocked voice.
“Why not?” said the colonel. “He’s the exec, isn’t he? If something happened to me, he’d have to take over command anyway. He’s just going through the impatient stage, that’s all. A few days behind my desk will settle him down. In two weeks he’ll be so sick of the job he’ll be down on his knees begging me to take over again.”
Kurt decided to try a new tack. “But, sir, he’s going to shut down the Tech Schools!”
“A little vacation won’t hurt the kids,” said the colonel indulgently.