 What is the name of the Captain in charge of briefing the Major when he arrives on Venus?
There were more Joes on Venus than you could shake a ray-gun at. Perhaps there was method in Colonel Walsh's madness—murder-madness—when he ordered Major Polk to scan the planet for a guy named Joe. [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Planet Stories November 1952. For example, he could have chosen a Second Looie for the job on Venus. We were somewhere in Area Two on Earth, takeoff point for any operations in Space II. The rest was gravy, and Colonel Walsh wasn't going to let me get by with gravy. "It will be a simple assignment, Major," he said to me, peering over his fingers. "It will involve finding one man, a Venusian native." "I always figured Venus was under the jurisdiction of Space III, sir. It so happens this Venusian is the one man who can help us understand just what's happening on Mars." It had been going on for six months now and we'd lost at least a thousand men from Space II. "And this man is on Venus now?" I'd never been to Venus, being in Space II ever since I'd left the Moon run. "This man is on Venus." He'd goofed off on a pile of uranium that could've, and almost did, blow the barracks sky-high that night. "Well, physically he's like any of the other Venusians, so I can't give you much help there. The trip to Venus came off without a hitch. Venus was hotter than I'd expected it to be. "The guys back in Space II are searching high and low for you," I told him. "You've got the wrong number," he said, and I was a little surprised at his use of Terran idiom. My orders said I was to report to Captain Bransten immediately upon arrival. "Where's the Officer's Club?" I asked the Venusian. The Officer's Club was a plasteel hut with window shields that protected it from the heat of the sun. I started to pick up my bag as another Venusian entered. "Yes," I said, still thinking of Colonel Walsh. He was wearing a tropical tunic, but he still resembled a wilted lily more than he did an officer. A tall, blue Venusian stepped lithely into the room. "Sure thing," the Venusian answered. "I hadn't realized this was your first time on Venus," he said.
 Bransten
 Bransten  Trader Joe  Walsh  Bartender Joe