Big Black Mark

A tale from the log of John Grimes, the Captain Birdseye of science fiction, as penned by Aussie Bertram Chandler, himself a ship's captain and boulevardier of the spaceways. In this one John Grimes, the Captain Hornblower of Outer Space, screws up in a big way, leading to the solitary (but BIG) black mark on his distinguished service record. Fortunately it does not prevent the horny captain from getting his leg over and squeezing in a shag or two, regardless of danger and distractions. Like many of his peers and contemporaries, Chandler followed Don Wollheim to DAW, having been a prolific - and always entertaining - contributor to the former Ace science fiction editor's list of Ace doubles.