Звездный десант

           "MissKendrick,whatmarkdidCadetByrdreceiveinmilitarylawlastterm?"

           Heranswercamebackatonce:"Ninety-threepercent,Commandant."

           "Thankyou."Hecontinued,"Yousee?IsignanythingifMissKendrickhasinitialedit.IwouldhatetohaveaninvestigatingcommitteefindouthowoftenshesignsmynameandIdon’tevenseeit.Tellme,Mr.Byrd...ifIdropdead,doesMissKendrickcarryontokeepthingsmoving?"

           "Why,uh—"Birdielookedpuzzled."Isuppose,withroutinematters,shewoulddowhatwasnecess—"

           "Shewouldn’tdoablessedthing!"theColonelthundered."UntilColonelChaunceytoldherwhattodo—hisway.Sheisaverysmartwomanandunderstandswhatyouapparentlydonot,namely,thatsheisnotinthelineofcommandandhasnoauthority."

           Hewenton,"‘Lineofcommand’isn’tjustaphrase;it’sasrealasaslapintheface.IfIorderedyoutocombatasacadetthemostyoucoulddowouldbetopassalongsomebodyelse’sorders.Ifyourplatoonleaderboughtitandyouthengaveanordertoaprivate--agoodorder,sensibleandwise—youwouldbewrongandhewouldbejustaswrongifheobeyedit.Becauseacadetcannotbeinthelineofcommand.Acadethasnomilitaryexistence,norank,andisnotasoldier.Heisastudentwhowillbecomeasoldier—eitheranofficer,orathisformalrank.WhileheisunderArmydiscipline,heisnotintheArmy.Thatiswhy—"

           Azero.Anoughtwithnorim.