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SPACEMEN'S REST it said。 CONTINUOUS STRIP SHOW and BEST DRINKS and better PRIVATE ROOMS FOR GUESTS AND THEIR FRIENDS。 They walked faster。 The front wall of the Spacemen's Rest was covered with shatterproof glass cases filled with tri…di pix of the fully dressed (bangle and double stars) entertainers; and further in with pix of them nude (debangled with fallen stars)。 Bill stayed the quick sound of panting by pointing to a …small sign almost lost among the tumescent wealth of mammaries。
OFFICERS ONLY It read。
〃Move along;〃 an MP grated; and poked at them with his electronic nightstick。 They shuffled on。
The next establishment admitted men of all classes; but the cover charge was seventy…seven credits; more than they all had between them。 After that the OFFICERS ONLY began again; until the pavement ended and all the lights were behind them。
〃What's that?〃 Ugly asked at the sound of murmured voices from a nearby darkened street; and peering closely they saw a line of troopers that stretched out of sight around a distant er。 〃What's this?〃 he asked the last man in the line。
〃Lower…ranks cathouse。 Two credits; two minutes。 And don't try to。buck the line; bowb。 On the back; on the back。〃
They joined up instantly; and Bill ended up last; but not for long。 They shuffled forward slowly; and other troopers appeared and cued up behind him。 The night was cool; and he took many life…preserving slugs from his bottle。 There was little conversation and what there was died as the red…lit portal loomed ever closer。 It opened and closed at regular intervals; and one by one Bill's buddies slipped in to partake of its satisfying; though rapid; pleasures。 Then it was his turn and the door started to open and he started to step forward and the sirens started to scream and a large MP with a great fat belly jumped between Bill and the door。
〃Emergency recall。 Back to the base you men!〃 it barked。
Bill howled a strangled groan of frustration and leaped forward; but a light tap with the electronic nightstick sent him reeling back with the others。 He was carried along; half stunned; with the shuffling wave of bodies; while the sirens moaned and the artificial northern lights in the sky spelled out TO ARMS!!!! in letters of flame each a hundred miles long。 Someone put his handout; holding Bill up as he started to slide under the trampling purple boots。 It was his old buddy; Ugly; carrying a satiated smirk and he hated him and tried to hit him。 But before he could raise his fist they were swept into a monorail car; hurtled through the night; and disgorged back in Camp LeonTrotsky。 He forgot his anger when the gnarled claws of Deathwish Drang dragged them from the crowd。
〃Pack your bags;〃 he rasped。 〃You're shipping out。〃
〃They can't do that to us…we haven't finished our training。〃
〃They can do whatever they want; and they usually do。 A glorious space battle has just been fought to its victorious conclusion and there are over four million casualties; give or take a hundred thousand。 Replacements are needed; which is you。 Prepare to board the transports immediately if not sooner。〃
〃We can't…we have no space gear! The supply room 。 。 。〃
〃All of the supply personnel have already been shipped out。〃
〃Food 。 。 。〃
〃The cooks and KP pushers are already spacebound。 This is an emergency。 All non…essential personnel are being sent out。 Probably to die。〃 He twanged a tusk coyly and washed them with his loathsome grin。 〃While I remain here in peaceful security to train your replacements。〃 The delivery tube plunked at his elbow; and as he opened the message capsule and read its contents his smile slowly fell to pieces。 〃They're shipping me out too;〃 he said hollowly。
III
A total of 89;672;899 recruits had already been shipped into space through Camp Leon Trotsky; so the process was an automatic and smoothly working one; even though this time it was processing itself; like a snake swallowing its own tail。 Bill and his buddies were the last group of recruits through; and the snake began ingesting itself right behind them。 No sooner had they been shorn of their sprouting fuzz and deloused in the ultrasonic delouser than the barbers rushed at each other and in a welter of under and over arms; gobbets of hair; shards of mustache; bits of flesh; drops of blood; they clipped and shaved each other; then pulled the operator after them into the ultrasonic chamber。 Medical corpsmen gave themselves injections against rocket…fever and spacecafard; record clerks issued themselves pay books; and the loadmasters kicked each other up the ramps and into the waiting shuttleships。 Rockets blasted; living columns of fire like scarlet tongues licking down at the blasting pads; burning up the ramps in a lovely pyrotechnic display; since the ramp operators were also aboard。 The ships echoed and thundered up into the night sky leaving Camp Leon Trotsky a dark and silent ghost town where bits of daily orders and punishment rosters rustled and blew from the bulletin boards; dancing through the deserted streets to finally plaster themselves against the noisy; bright windows of the Officers' Club where a great drinking party was in progress; although there was much plaining because the officers had to serve themselves。
Up and up the shuttleships shot; toward the great fleet of deep…spacers that darkened the stars above; a new fleet; the most powerful the galaxy had ever seen; so new in fact that the ships were still under construction。 Welding torches flared in brilliant points of light while hot rivets hurled their flat trajectories across the sky into the waiting buckets。 The spots of light died away as one behemoth of the star lanes was pleted and thin screams sounded in the space…suit radio circuit as the workers; instead of being returned to the yards; were pressed into service on the ship they had so recently built。 This was total war。
Bill staggered through the sagging plastic tube that connected the shuttleship to a dreadnaught of space and dropped his bags iii front of a petty chief officer who sat at a desk in the hangar…sized spacelock。 Or rather he tried to drop it; but since there was no gravity the bags remained in mid…air; and when he pushed them down he rose (since a body when it is falling freely is said to be in free fall; and anything with weight has no weight; and for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction or something like that)。 The petty looked up and snarled and pulled Bill back down to the deck。
〃None of your bowby spacelubber tricks; trooper。 Name?〃
〃Bill; spelled with two L's。〃
〃Bil;〃 the petty mumbled; licking the end of his stylo; then inscribing it in the ship's roster with round; illiterate letters。 〃Two ‘L's' for officers only; bowb…learn your place。 What's your classification?〃
〃Recruit; unskilled; untrained; spacesick。〃
〃Well don't puke in here; that's what you have your own quarters for。 You are now a Fuse Tender Sixth Class; unskilled。 Bunk down in partment 34J…89T…ooi。 Move。 And keep that woopsy…sack over your head。〃
No sooner had Bill found his quarters and thrown his bags into a bunk; where they floated five inches over the reclaimed rock…wool mattress; than Eager Beager ca