"Courtesy visit from the NASS Altair. You've lost track of time, my boy."
"What the ... the jumping blue blazes are you talking about? We've had our courtesy visit. Jimmy and I both went over to pay our respects, and we had Rear Admiral Hulse here to dinner. What more do they expect, for Harry's sake?"
"Don't you remember? Since there wasn't room to entertain his officers, you promised to take them on a personal guided tour later. I made the appointment the very next watch. Now's the hour."
"Oh, yes, it comes back to me. Yeah. Hulse brought a magnum of champagne with him, and after so long a time drinking recycled water, my capacity was shot to pieces. I got a warm glow of good fellowship on, and offered—Let Jimmy handle it, I'm busy."
"The party's too large, he says. You'll have to take half of them. Their gig will dock in thirty minutes."
"Well, depute somebody else."
"That'd be rude, Mike. Have you forgotten how sensitive they are about rank at home?" Avis hesitated. "If what I believe about the mood back there is true, we can use the good will of high-level Navy personnel. And any other influential people in sight."
Blades drew a deep breath. "You're too blinking sensible. Remind me to fire you after I've made my first ten million bucks."
"What'll you do for your next ten million, then?" snipped his secretary-file clerk-confidante-adviser-et cetera.
"Nothing. I'll just squander the first."