"You also saw a planetoid that doesn't exist. I'll name it for you, Horse's Asteroid. A fitting name."
Collins didn't answer, right away. He was flipping levers, connecting the scanner to the chart, and also to the controls. Then he said, "Okay, Skipper. We're under mechanical control. Relax, if you know how."
I locked the board and stretched my neck. Horse lighted a cigarette, a vice I deny myself. His eyes looked—bemused.
I said, "You saw a woman where there could be no women. I'll have to enter it in the log, Johnny."
"Sure," he said. He took a deep and weary breath. "You know what the boys call you?"
"Slide Rule Sam," I answered. "I'm proud of it."
"Why? A robot could handle your job."
"For a man who made his reputation in a robot's game, you're talking rather haughtily, fullback. If a robot could handle my job, a robot would be giving you orders right now. Gideon Shipping is cost-conscious enough for that, despite the wages they pay."
"Wages," Johnny said. "Is that all a man works for, wages?"
"At our level, that's all a man works for," I assured him. "You're talking like a Capitalist, Horse." I watched for a reaction.