THE FISHDOLLAR AFFAIR
BY R. M. McKENNA
With more courage than prudence, the ensign followed
his star to the final (and delectably feminine) test
of a young officer's honor.... A tender, ironic and
funny story, by a new name you'll be seeing again.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, October 1958.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Subspace cruising never bored Ensign Stephen Welnicki. The ship's computer rotated skew-quadro fields, inscrutably altering by threes the twenty-seven positional variables—leaving the watch officer idle. Thoughts were to be had for the thinking.
Thoughts came unbidden to watch officer Welnicki. What if the never-found alien intelligence, feared so absurdly in official policy, was subspatial? Weird things, eating mathematics, fighting with music. They'd attack ... Captain Kravitz and the others nerve-frozen somehow ... command of Galactic Patrol Ship Carlyle devolving upon Ensign Welnicki ... triumph ... muster at Prime Reference ... medal of honor....
