"Clear enough. And these corrections have to be made often enough that a ship is kept busy just inspecting them?"
"Well, no, Dad, we inspect oftener than we really have to-but it keeps the ship and the crew busy. Keeps it from getting monotonous. Anyhow, frequent inspections keep you on the safe side."
"Sounds like a waste of taxpayers' money to inspect too often."
"But you don't understand-we're not there to inspect; we're there to patrol. The inspection ship is the ship that would deliver an attack in case anybody started acting up. We have to stay on patrol until the next ship relieves us, so we might as well inspect. Granted that you can bomb a city from Moon Base, you can do a better, more accurate job, with less chance of hitting the wrong people, from close by."
His mother was looking very upset. His father raised his eyebrows and said, "We've wandered back to the subject of bombing, Matt."
"I was simply answering your questions, sir."
"I'm afraid I asked the wrong question. Your mother is not able to take the answers impersonally. Catherine, there isn't the slightest chance of the North American Union being bombed. Tell her that, Matt-I think she'll believe you."
Matt had remained silent. His father had insisted, "Go ahead, Matt. Catherine, after all, it's our Patrol. For all practical purposes the other nations don't count. A majority of the Patrol officers are from North America, That's true, Matt, isn't it?"
"I've never thought about it I guess so."
"Very well. Now, Catherine, you can't imagine Matt bombing Des Moines, now can you? And that is what it amounts to. Tell, her, Matt."