The chapter opens at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where Jim is waiting for his daughter. He tells Jim that his father was married to an officer, not a wife. Jim asks Jim if he's drunk, and Jim says he is. Jim tells him that he can't see Jim's son-in-law, who's in a "constant flux" . Jim wonders if Jim is dreaming, or if his son is drunk. Jim says that Jim is in a constant state of flux, and he cannot figure out what's going on with Jim. He asks Jim to check on his daughter, who is at a baseball match. Jim is worried that Jim'll be late for the match. He's also worried about the commander of the Air Force, Lieutenant Aguilar, who has been training for a mission to the moon. He says that the mission is to observe the moon's surface and to defend the United States. Jim doesn't want to obey the orders of the commander, so he tells him to stay calm.