him, over him, or across from him- what you will. It seemed an impractical arrangement. 'I'm not very hungry,' one youngster said faintly.
'You ought to be,' Lopez answered reasonably. 'It's been five hours or more since you had breakfast. We're on the same time schedule here as Hayworth Hall, zone plus eight, Terra. Why aren't you hungry?'
'Uh, I don't know, sir. I'm just not.'
Lopez grinned and suddenly looked as young as his charges. 'I was just pulling your leg, kiddo. The chief engineer will have some spin on us in no time, as soon as we break loose from the Bolivar. Then you can sit down on your soft, round fanny and console your tender stomach in peace. You'll have an appetite. In the meantime, take it easy.'
Two more squads filtered in. While they waited Matt said to Lopez, 'How fast will the ship spin, sir?'
'We'll build up to one gravity at the outer skin. Takes about two hours to do it, but we'll eat as soon as we're heavy enough for you groundhogs to swallow your soup without choking.'
'But how fast is that, sir?'
'Can you do simple arithmetic?'
'Why, yes, sir.'
'Then do it. The Randolph is two hundred feet through and we spin on her main axis. The square of the rim speed divided by her radius-what's the rpm?'
Matt got a faraway look on his face. Lopez said, 'Come, now, Mr. Dodson- pretend you're heading for the surface and about to crash. What's the answer?'
'Uh-I'm afraid I can't do it in my head, sir.'
Lopez looked around. 'All right-who's got the answer?' No one spoke up. Lopez shook his head mournfully. 'And you laddies expect to learn to astrogate! Better by far you should have gone to cow colleges. Never mind-it works out to about five and four-tenths revolutions per minute. That gives one full gravity for the benefit of the women and children. Then it's cut down day by day, until a month from now we're in free fall again. That gives you time to get used to it-or else.'
Someone said, 'Gee, it must take a lot of power.'
Lopez answered, 'Are you kidding? It's done by electric-braking the main axis flywheels. The shaft has field coils wound on it; you cut it in as a generator and let the reaction between the wheel and the ship put a spin on the ship. You store the juice. Then when you want to take the spin off, you use the juice to drive it as a motor and you are back where you started, free for nothing, except for minor losses. Savvy?'
'Er, I guess so, sir.'
'Look it up in the ship's library, sketch the hook-up, and show it to me after supper.' The junior cadet said nothing; Lopez snapped. 'What's the matter, Mister? Didn't you hear me?'
'Yes, sir-aye aye, sir.'
'That's better.'
Very slowly they drifted against a side wall, bumped against it, and started sliding slowly toward the outboard wall, the one to which the mess tables were fastened. By the time they reached it there was enough spin on the ship to enable them to stand up and the mess tables now assumed their proper relationship, upright on the floor, while the hatch through which they had lately floated was a hole in the ceiling above.
Matt found that there was no sensation of dizziness; the effect was purely one of increasing weight. He still felt light, but he weighed enough to sit down at a mess table and stay in contact with his seat; minute by minute, imperceptibly, he grew heavier.
He looked over his place at the table, seeking controls that would permit him to order his meal. There were clips and locking holes, which he guessed, were intended for use in free flight, but nothing else. He looked up as Lopez banged on the table.
'And now, gentlemen, this is not a resort hotel. Count off, around the table.' He waited until the youngsters had done so, then said, 'Remember your order. Numbers one and two will rustle up the calories today, and all of you in rotation thereafter.'
'Where, sir?'
'Use your eyes. Over there.'
'Over there' was a door which concealed a delivery conveyor. Cadets from other tables were gathering around it. The two cadets designated as waiters went over and returned shortly with a large metal rack containing twenty rations, each packed in its service platter and still steaming hot. Clipped to each were knife, fork, and spoons-and sipping tubes.
Matt found that the solid foods were covered by lids that snapped back over the food unless clipped up out of the way, while the liquids were in covered containers fitted with valves through which sipping tubes might be slipped. He had never before seen table utensils adapted for free-fall conditions in space. They delighted him, even though Earth-side equipment would have served as long as the ship was under spin.
Lunch was hot roast beef sandwiches with potatoes, green salad, lime sherbert, and tea. Lopez kept up a steady fire of questions throughout the meal, but Matt did not come into his range. Twenty minutes later the metal tray in front of Matt was polished almost as well as the sterilizer would achieve. He sat back, feeling that the Patrol was a good outfit and the Randolph a fine place to be.
Before turning his charges loose Lopez gave them each their schedule of assignments. Mart's room number was A-5197. All living quarters were on A- deck which was the insulated outer skin of the ship. Lopez gave them a brief, condescending lecture on the system of numbering the spaces in the ship and dismissed them. His manner gave no hint
that he himself had been lost for one full day shortly after his own arrival a year earlier.
Matt got lost, of course.
He attempted to take a short cut straight through the ship on the advice of a passing marine and got completely twisted when he found himself at the no-weight center of the Randolph. When he had worked his way back down levels of increasing weight until he found himself at one gravity and could go no further he stopped the first cadet with a black arm band whom he could find and threw himself on his mercy. A few minutes later he was led to corridor five and found his own room.
Tex was already there. 'Hello, Matt,' he greeted him. 'What do you think of our little cabin in the sky?'
Matt put down his jump bag. 'Looks all right, but the first time I have to leave it I'm going to unroll a ball of string. Is there a viewport?'
'Not likely! What did you expect? A balcony?'
'I don't know. I sort of hoped that we'd be able to look out and see Earth.' He started poking around, opening doors. 'Where's the 'fresher?'
'Better start unrolling your ball of string. It's way down the passage.'
'Oh. Kind of primitive. Well, I guess we can stand it.' He went on exploring. There was a common room about fifteen feet square. It had doors, two on each side, leading into smaller cubicles. 'Say, Tex,' he announced when he had opened them all, 'this place is fitted up for four people.'
'Go to the head of the class.'
'I wonder who we'll draw.'
'So do I.' Tex took out his assignment sheet. 'It says here that we can reshuffle roommates until supper time tomorrow. Got any ideas, Matt?'
'No, I can't say I really know anybody but you. It doesn't matter as long as they don't snore-and as long as it isn't Burke.'
They were interrupted by a rap on the door. Tex called out, 'Come in!' and Oscar Jensen stuck his blond head inside.
'Busy?'
'Not at all.'
'I've got a problem. Pete and I found ourselves assigned to one of these four-way rooms and the two roommates we landed with want us to make room for two other fellows. Are you guys tied down as yet?'
Tex looked at Matt, who nodded. Tex turned back to Oscar. 'You can kiss me, Oscar-we're practically married.'
An hour later the four had settled down to domesticity. Pete was in high spirits. 'The Randolph is just what the doctor ordered,' he announced. 'I'm going to like it here. Any time my legs start to ache all I have to do is go up to
