"Stop it!" thundered Spartan.
"Bill's hurt," she replied calmly.
"By his own idiocy."
"Idiocy!" Gail stood up and faced Spartan. "If there's an idiot aboard this ship, it's you—you interplanetary Captain Bligh!"
Spartan didn't move a muscle. His face was frozen into a mask of contempt and resentment. "Miss Loring," he said, "just because you are a woman gives you no special privileges. I'm the captain of this ship, and I must be treated with respect."
"Why don't you do something to earn respect then?" she demanded, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
"Ten days extra duty for you, Miss Loring," he said. He turned and went to the bulkhead door. When he reached it, he turned to Axel. "As soon as these men are able, bring them into the main cabin. We'll hold the court-martial there."
He disappeared through the door. Axel got up and went over to the water purifier. He spent three or four minutes examining it. When he finished he looked very grim.
"Two of the four units are wrecked," he said. "We may be on half rations of water for the next two years."