"You took quite a chance, Sergeant, in handling that Martian espionage ring yourself. After all, we of the Secret Service have to make a living, you know. And if, in the future, you and other members of the armed forces take to breaking up spy rings on your own hook, we'll be out of jobs."
Sergeant Shane gave a falsely modest laugh. "It wasn't hard, Sir. I suspected they wanted them atomic mine positions, and so, when I figured they were about ready to pull their fast Martian sneak stuff, I gave 'em false positions to go by."
The stern old Secret Service duck beamed. "It was fortunate that Clenoka and his spies, escaping in a space launch spaceradioed those false positions to the Martian space-raiding fleet waiting to pounce on us. The dirty devils blew themselves into eternity trying to get through the atomic mine positions that had been changed."
Sergeant Shane nodded proudly. A grin splitting his ape-like mug. I was still too stunned to chime in with even a word.
And don't think that little bit of work won't be brought to the Attention of the Federation authorities, with additional recomendation for citation," the stern old duck declared.
"Thank you, Sir," Shane declared. He was a cat rolling in cream. "I only seen my duty and performed it."
"And as for you, Corporal," the Secret Service duck said, "we will forget the break you made from our custody, only under previous considerations, and the fact that you were answering your call to emergency duty."
"Thank you, Sir," I managed weakly.
We left, then, for which I was just as glad. Another ten minutes of that and my knees wouldn't have held me up any longer. Sergeant Shane strutted along beside me, lost in a cloud of lofty self esteem.
"Cut it out, Shane," I growled. "You're nothing but a lucky bum and you know it."
Shane flushed, stopped. "Whatdyuh mean?" he demanded.
"You know what I mean. You weren't wise to Clenoka's being a spy when you took that money out of the bank."
SHANE looked guiltily right and left, then seeing we were beyond betraying earshot, he said, "Okay, I wasn't wise then. And I hadn't been wise to him when I was piloting him and his launch through the mine fields the times before. But I did get wise to him that last time. You don't think I'm a sucker, do you?"
"I won't answer that," I said. "It's beyond question." Then I added, "What made you wise to Clenoka, if you really were, that last time?"
"He wouldn't take my money," Shane said. "And he didn't want me to go along with him to look at the asteroids. He said he had to go out and look at them himself to check up on some things."
"And that's what made you suspicious?" I asked.
"Sure," Shane said. "Anyone who doesn't want to take my money should certainly be suspicious."
"Maybe," I said, marveling at the snarled cogs in my chum's thinking machine, "you've got something there."
"Certainly I have," Shane said indignantly. "I had a hunch that he wasn't going to let me in on that good real estate deal after all. I had a hunch he wanted to take somebody else out to look at them asteroids. Even after he promised me he'd let me buy in on them!"
I could only shake my head. "And
