 What was Captain Walsh's main motive behind putting the narrator on the mission?
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. For example, he could have chosen a Second Looie for the job on Venus. If Walsh really wanted to know the reasons for the revolt, I could give them to him in one word: Walsh. And I thought about Colonel Leonard Walsh and how he was supposed to be quelling that revolt. My orders said I was to report to Captain Bransten immediately upon arrival. "Yes," I said, still thinking of Colonel Walsh. In fact, he looked as if he were responsible for having put Venus in the heavens in the first place.
 Walsh sought revenge against the narrator.
 Walsh sought revenge against the narrator.  Walsh wanted to test the narrator's intelligence.  Walsh wanted the narrator fired from his position.  Walsh wanted to test the narrator's competency.