Ten minutes later they had processed it; it read:
— “NULL BESULT FULL IDENTSEARCH BASLIM THORBY GDSMN THIRD. AUTH & DRT TRANSFER ANY RECEIVING STATION RETRANSFER HEKATE INVESTIGATION DISPOSITION — CHFBUPEBS.”
“Stinky, ain’t that a mess?”
Stancke shrugged. “It’s how the dice roll, boss.”
“I feel as if I had let the Old Man down. He was sure the kid was a citizen.”
“I misdoubt there are millions of citizens who would have a bad time proving who they are. Colonel Baslim may have been right — and still it can’t be proved.”
“I hate to transfer him. I feel responsible.”
“Not your fault.”
“You never served under Colonel Baslim. He was easy to please . . . all he wanted was one-hundred-percent perfection. And this doesn’t feel like it.”
“Quit blaming yourself. You have to accept the record.”
“Might as well get it over with. Eddie! I want to see Ordnanceman Baslim.”
Thorby noticed that the Skipper looked grim — but then he often did. “Acting Ordnanceman Third Class Baslim reporting, sir.”
“Thorby . . .”
“Yes, sir?” Thorby was startled. The Skipper sometimes used his first name because that was what he answered to under hypnosis — but this was not such a time.
“The identification report on you came.”
“Huh?” Thorby was startled out of military manners. He felt a surge of joy — he was going to know who he was!
“They can’t identify you.” Brisby waited, then said sharply, “Did you understand?”
Thorby swallowed. “Yes, sir. They don’t know who I am. I’m not . . . anybody.”
“Nonsense! You’re still yourself.”
“Yes, sir. Is that all, sir? May I go?”
“Just a moment. I have to transfer you back to Hekate.” He added hastily, seeing Thorby’s expression, “Don’t worry. They’ll probably let you serve out your enlistment if you want to. In any case, they can’t do anything to you; you haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Yes, sir,” Thorby repeated dully.
Nothing and nobody — He had a blinding image of an old, old nightmare . . . standing on the block, hearing an auctioneer chant his description, while cold eyes stared at him. But he pulled himself together and was merely quiet the rest of the day. It was not until the compartment was dark that he bit his pillow and whispered brokenly, “Pop . . . oh, Pop!”
The Guards uniform covered Thorby’s legs, but in the showers the tattoo on his left thigh could be noticed. When this happened, Thorby explained without embarrassment what it signified. Responses varied from curiosity, through half-disbelief, to awed surprise that here was a man who had been through it — capture, sale, servitude, and miraculously, free again. Most civilians did not realize that slavery still existed; Guardsmen knew better.
No one was nasty about it.
But the day after the null report on identification Thorby encountered “Decibel” Peebie in the showers. Thorby did not speak; they had not spoken much since Thorby had moved out from under Peebie, even though they sat at the same table. But now Peebie spoke. “Hi, Trader!”
“Hi.” Thorby started to bathe.
“What’s on your leg? Dirt?”
“Where?”
“On your thigh. Hold still. Let’s see.”
“Keep your hands to yourself!”
“Don’t be touchy. Turn around to the light. What is it?”
“It’s a slaver’s mark,” Thorby explained curtly.
“No foolin’? So you’re a slave?”
“I used to be.”
“They put chains on you? Make you kiss your master’s foot?”
“Don’t be silly!”
“Look who’s talking! You know what, Trader boy? I heard about that mark — and I think you had it tattooed yourself. To make big talk. Like that one about how you blasted a bandit ship.”
Thorby cut his shower short and got out.
At dinner Thorby was helping himself from a bowl of mashed potatoes. He heard Peebie call out something but his ears filtered out “Decibel’s” endless noise.
Peebie repeated it “Hey, Slave! Pass the potatoes! You know who I mean! Dig the dirt out of your ears!”
Thorby passed him the potatoes, bowl and all, in a flat trajectory, open face of the bowl plus potatoes making perfect contact with the open face of Decibel.
The charge against Thorby was “Assaulting a Superior Officer, the Ship then being in Space in a Condition of Combat Readiness.” Peebie appeared as complaining witness.