Yancey shook his head. "Into Venus? I'd as soon fly a broom on Walpurgis night. No, Mr. Thurlow, we'll just have to call them up and confess."
"Just a minute, Captain-they know we don't have marines." (
"Of course."
"Then they don't expect us to deliver police action. What we can do is to send a jeep down."
"I've been wondering when you would work around to that. All right, Mr. Thurlow-it's yours. I hand it over reluctantly, but I can't seem to help it. Never had a mission of your own, have you?" "No, sir."
"You're getting one young. Well, I’ll ask Operations for the details while you're preparing the course change."
"Fine, sir! Does the Captain care to designate the cadet to go with me, or shall I pick him?"
"You're not going with just one, Lieutenant-you'll take all three. I want you to leave the jeep manned at all times and I want you to have an armed man at your elbow. The equatorial region of Venus-there is no telling what you’ll run into."
"But that leaves you with no one but Peters, sir-not counting the surgeon, of course."
"Mr. Peters and I will make out all right. Peters plays a very good hand of cribbage."