Flying Visits Via Projection
:
Skylark Three
"Well, what to do?" asked Seaton as he and Rovol entered the laboratory,
"Tear down this fourth-order projector and tackle the big job? I see the
lens is here, on schedule, so we can hop right into it."
"We shall have further use for this mechanism. We shall need at least
one more lens of this dense material, and other scientists also may have
need of one or two. Then, too, the new projector must be so large that
it cannot be erected in this room."
As he spoke, Rovol seated himself at his control-desk and ran his
fingers lightly over the keys. The entire wall of the laboratory
disappeared, hundreds of beams of force darted here and there, seizing
and working raw materials, and in the portal there grew up, to Seaton's
amazement, a keyboard and panel installation such as the Earth-man, in
his wildest moments, had never imagined. Bank upon bank of
typewriter-like keys; row upon row of keys, pedals, and stops resembling
somewhat those of the console of a gigantic pipe-organ; panel upon panel
of meters, switches, and dials--all arranged about two deeply-cushioned
chairs and within reach of their occupants.
"Whew! That looks like the combined mince-pie nightmares of a whole
flock of linotype operators, pipe-organists, and hard-boiled radio
hams!" exclaimed Seaton when the installation was complete. "Now that
you've got it, what are you going to do with it?"
"There is not a control system in Norlamin adequate for the task we
face, since the problem of the projection of rays of the fifth order has
heretofore been of only academic interest. Therefore it becomes
necessary to construct such a control. This mechanism will, I am
confident, have a sufficiently wide range of application to perform any
operation we shall require of it."
"It sure looks as though it could do almost anything, provided the man
behind it knows how to play a tune on it--but if that rumble seat is for
me, you'd better count me out right now. I followed you for about
fifteen seconds, then lost you completely; and now I'm sunk without a
trace," said Seaton.
"That is, of course, true, and is a point I was careless enough to
overlook." Rovol thought for a moment, then got up, crossed the room to
his control desk, and continued, "We shall dismantle the machine and
rebuild it at once."
"Oh no--too much work!" protested Seaton, "You've got it about done,
haven't you?"
"It is hardly started. Two hundred thousand bands of force must be
linked to it, each in its proper place, and it is necessary that you
should understand thoroughly every detail of this entire projector,"
Rovol answered.
"Why? I'm not ashamed to admit that I haven't got brains enough to
understand a thing like that."
"You have sufficient brain capacity; it is merely undeveloped. There are
two reasons why you must be as familiar with the operation of this
mechanism as you are with the operation of one of your Earthly
automobiles. The first is that a similar control is to be installed in
your new space-vessel, since by its use you can attain a perfection of
handling impossible by any other system. The second, and more important
reason, is that neither I nor any other man of Norlamin could compel
himself, by any force of will, to direct a ray that would take away the
life of any fellow-man."
While Rovol was speaking, he reversed his rays, and soon the component
parts of the new control had been disassembled and piled in orderly
array about the room.
"Hm--m--m. Never thought of that. It's right too," mused Seaton. "How're
you going to get it into my thick skull--with an educator?"
"Exactly," and Rovol sent a beam of force after his highly developed
educational mechanism. Dials and electrodes were adjusted, connections
were established, and the beams and pencils of force began to
reconstruct the great central controlling device. But this time, instead
of being merely a bewildered spectator, Seaton was an active participant
in the work. As each key and meter was wrought and mounted, there were
indelibly impressed upon his brain the exact reason for and function of
the part, and later, when the control itself was finished and the
seemingly interminable task of connecting it up to the output
force-bands of the transformers had begun, he had a complete
understanding of everything with which he was working, and understood
all the means by which the ends he had so long desired were to be
attained. For to the ancient scientist the tasks he was then performing
were the merest routine, to be performed in reflex fashion, and he
devoted most of his attention to transferring from his own brain to that
of his young assistant as much of his stupendous knowledge as the
smaller brain of the Terrestrial was capable of absorbing. More and more
rapidly as the work progressed the mighty flood of knowledge poured into
Seaton's mind. After an hour or so, when enough connections had been
made so that automatic forces could be so directed as to finish the job,
Rovol and Seaton left the laboratory and went into the living room. As
they walked, the educator accompanied them, borne upon its beam of
force.
"Your brain is behaving very nicely indeed," said Rovol, "much better
than I would have thought possible from its size. In fact, it may be
possible for me to transfer to you all the knowledge I have which might
be of use to you. That is why I took you away from the laboratory. What
do you think of the idea?"
"Our psychologists have always maintained that none of us ever uses more
than a minute fraction of the actual capacity of his brain," Seaton
replied after a moment's thought. "If you think you can give me even a
percentage of your knowledge without killing me, go to it--I'm for it,
strong!"
"Knowing that you would be, I have already requested Drasnik, the First
of Psychology, to come here, and he has just arrived," answered Rovol.
And as he spoke, that personage entered the room.
When the facts had been set before him, the psychologist nodded his head
"That is quite possible," he said with enthusiasm, "and I will be only
too glad to assist in such an operation."
"But listen!" protested Seaton, "You'll probably change my whole
personality! Rovol's brain is three times the size of mine."
"Tut-tut--nothing of the kind," Drasnik reproved him. "As you have said,
you are using only a minute portion of the active mass of your brain.
The same thing is true with us--many millions of cycles would have to
pass before we would be able to fill the brains we now have."
"Then why are your brains so large?"
"Merely a provision of Nature that no possible accession of knowledge
shall find her storehouse too small," replied Drasnik, positively.
"Ready?"
All three donned the headsets and a wave of mental force swept into
Seaton's mind, a wave of such power that the Terrestrial's every sense
wilted under the impact. He did not faint, he did not lose
consciousness--he simply lost all control of every nerve and fiber as
his entire brain passed into the control of the immense mentality of the
First of Psychology and became a purely receptive, plastic medium upon
which to impress the knowledge of the aged physicist.
* * * * *
Hour after hour the transfer continued, Seaton lying limp as though
lifeless, the two Norlaminians tense and rigid, every faculty
concentrated upon the ignorant, virgin brain exposed to their gaze.
Finally the operation was complete and Seaton, released from the weird,
hypnotic grip of that stupendous mind, gasped, shook himself, and
writhed to his feet.
"Great Cat!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with astonishment. "I wouldn't
have believed there was as much to know in the entire Universe as I know
right now, and I know it as well as I ever knew elementary algebra.
Thanks, fellows, a million times--but say, did you leave any open spaces
for more? In one way, I seem to know less than I did before, there's so
much more to find out. Can I learn anything more, or did you fill me up
to capacity?"
The psychologist, who had been listening to the exuberant youth with
undisguised pleasure, spoke calmly.
"The mere fact that you appreciate your comparative ignorance shows that
you are still capable of learning. Your capacity to learn is greater
than it ever was before, even though the waste space has been reduced.
Much to our surprise, Rovol and I gave you all of his knowledge that
would be of any use to you, and some of my own, and still theoretically
you can add to it more than nine times the total of your present
knowledge."
The psychologist departed, and Rovol and Seaton returned to the
laboratory, where the forces were still merrily at work. There was
nothing that could be done to hasten the connecting, and it was late in
the following period of labor before they could begin the actual
construction of the projector. Once started, however, it progressed with
amazing rapidity. Now understanding the system, it did not seem strange
to Seaton that he should merely actuate a certain combination of forces
when he desired a certain operation performed; nor did it seem unusual
or worthy of comment that one flick of his finger over that switchboard
would send a force a distance of hundreds of miles to a factory where
other forces were busily at work, to seize a hundred angle-bars of
transparent purple metal that were to form the backbone of the
fifth-order projector. Nor did it seem peculiar that the same force,
with no further instruction, should bring these hundred bars back to
him, in a high loop through the atmosphere; should deposit them gently
in a convenient space near the site of operations; and then should
disappear as though it had never existed! With such tools as that, it
was a matter of only a few hours before the projector was done--a task
that would have required years of planning and building upon Earth.
Two hundred and fifty feet it towered above their heads, a tubular
network of braced and latticed bars of purple metal, fifty feet in
diameter at the base and tapering smoothly to a diameter of about ten
feet at the top. Built of a metal thousands of times as strong and hard
as steel, it was not cumbersome in appearance, and yet was strong enough
to be absolutely rigid. Ten enormous supporting forces held the lens of
neutronium immovable in the exact center of the upper end; at intervals
down the shaft similar forces held variously-shaped lenses and prisms
formed from zones of force; in the center of the bottom or floor of the
towering structure was the double controlling system, with a universal
visiplate facing each operator.
"Well, Rovol, that's that," remarked Seaton as the last connection was
made. "What say we hop in and give the baby a ride over to the Area of
Experiment? Caslor must have the mounting done, and we've got time
enough left in this period to try her out."
"In a moment. I am setting the fourth-order projector to go out to the
dwarf star after an additional supply of neutronium."
Seaton, knowing from the data of their first journey, that the controls
could be so set as to duplicate their feat in every particular without
supervision, stepped into his seat in the new controller, pressed a key,
and spoke.
"Hi, Dottie, what's on your mind?"
"Nothing much," Dorothy's clear voice answered. "Got it done and can I
see it?"
"Sure--sit tight and I'll send a boat after you."
As he spoke, Rovol's flier darted into the air and away; and in two
minutes it returned, slowing abruptly as it landed. Dorothy stepped out,
radiant, and returned Seaton's enthusiastic caresses with equal fervor
before she spoke.
"Lover, I'm afraid you violated all known speed laws getting me over
here. Aren't you afraid of getting pinched?"
"Nope--not here. Besides, I didn't want to keep Rovol waiting--we're all
ready to go. Hop in here with me, this left-hand control's mine."
Rovol entered the tube, took his place, and waved his hand. Seaton's
hands swept over the keys and the whole gigantic structure wafted into
the air. Still upright, it was borne upon immense rods of force toward
the Area of Experiment, which was soon reached. Covered as the Area was
with fantastic equipment, there was no doubt as to their destination,
for in plain sight, dominating all the lesser instruments, there rose a
stupendous telescopic mounting, with an enormous hollow tube of metallic
lattice-work which could be intended for nothing else than their
projector. Approaching it carefully, Seaton deftly guided the projector
lengthwise into that hollow receptacle and anchored it in the exact
optical axis. Flashing beams of force made short work of welding the two
tubes together immovably with angles and lattices of the same purple
metal, the terminals of the variable-speed motors were attached to the
controllers, and everything was in readiness for the first trial.
"What special instructions do we need to run it, if any?" Seaton asked
of the First of Mechanism, who had lifted himself up into the projector.
"Very little. This motor governs the hour motion, that one the right
ascension. The potentiometers regulate the degree of vernier action--any
ratio is possible, from direct drive up to more than a hundred million
complete revolutions of that graduated dial to give you one second of
arc."
"Plenty fine, I'd say. Thanks a lot, ace. Whither away, Rovol--any
choice?"
"Anywhere you please, son, since this is merely a try-out."
"O. K. We'll hop over and tell Dunark hello."
The tube swung around into line with that distant planet and Seaton
stepped down hard, upon a pedal. Instantly they seemed infinite myriads
of miles out in space, the green system barely visible as a faint green
star behind them.
"Wow, that ray's fast!" exclaimed the pilot, ruefully. "I overshot about
a thousand light years. We'll try again, with considerably less power,"
and he rearranged and reset the dials and meters before him. Adjustment
after adjustment and many reductions in power had to be made before the
projection ceased leaping millions of miles at a touch, but finally the
operators became familiar with the new technique and the ray became
manageable. Soon they were hovering above what had been Mardonal, and
saw that all signs of warfare had disappeared. Slowly turning the
controls, Seaton flashed the projection over the girdling Osnomian sea
and guided it through the impregnable metal walls of the palace into the
throne room of Roban, where they saw the Emperor, Tarnan the Karbix, and
Dunark in close conference.
"Well, here we are," remarked Seaton. "Now we'll put on a little
visibility and give the natives a treat."
"Sh-sh," whispered Dorothy, "they'll hear you, Dick--we're intruding
shamefully."
"No, they won't hear us, because I haven't heterodyned the audio in on
the wave yet. And as for intruding, that's exactly what we came over
here for."
* * * * *
He imposed the audio system upon the inconceivably high frequency of
their carrier wave and spoke in the Osnomian tongue.
"Greetings, Roban, Dunark, and Tarnan, from Seaton." All three jumped to
their feet, amazed, staring about the empty room as Seaton went on, "I
am not here in person. I am simply sending you my projection. Just a
moment and I will put on a little visibility."
He brought more forces into play, and solid images of force appeared in
the great hall; images of the three occupants of the controller.
Introductions and greetings over, Seaton spoke briefly and to the point.
"We've got everything we came after--much more than I had any idea we
could get. You need have no more fear of the Fenachrone--we have found a
science superior to theirs. But much remains to be done, and we have
none too much time; therefore I have come to you with certain requests."
"The Overlord has but to command," replied Roban.
"Not command, since we are all working together for a common cause. In
the name of that cause, Dunark, I ask you to come to me at once,
accompanied by Tarnan and any others you may select. You will be piloted
by a ray which we shall set upon your controls. Upon your way here you
will visit the First City of Dasor, another planet, where you will pick
up Sacner Carfon, who will be awaiting you there."
"As you direct, so it shall be," and Seaton flashed the projector to the
neighboring planet of Urvania. There he found that the gigantic
space-cruiser he had ordered had been completed, and requested Urvan and
his commander-in-chief to tow it to Norlamin, piloted by a ray. He then
jumped to Dasor, there interviewing Carfon and being assured of the full
co-operation of the porpoise-men.
"Well, that's that, folks," said Seaton as he shut off the power. "We
can't do much more for a few days, until the gang gets here for the
council of war. How'd it be, Rovol, for me to practice with this outfit
while you are finishing up the odds and ends you want to clean up? You
might suggest to Orlon, too, that it'd be a good deed for him to pilot
those folks over here."
As Rovol wafted himself to the ground from their lofty station, Crane
and Margaret appeared and were lifted up to the place formerly occupied
by the physicist.
"How's tricks, Mart? I hear you're quite an astronomer?" said Seaton.
"Yes, thanks to Orlon and the First of Psychology. He seemed quite
interested in increasing our Earthly knowledge. I certainly know much
more than I had ever hoped to know of anything."
"Yeah, you can pilot us to the Fenachrone system now without any
trouble. You also absorbed some ethnology and kindred sciences. What
d'you think--with Dunark and Urvan, do we know enough to go ahead or
should we take a chance on holding things up while we get acquainted
with some of the other peoples of these planets of the green system?"
"Delay is dangerous, as our time is already short," Crane replied after
a time. "We know enough, I believe; and furthermore, any additional
assistance is problematical; in fact, it is more than doubtful. The
Norlaminians have surveyed the system rather thoroughly, and no other
planet seems to have inhabitants who have even approached the
development attained here."
"Right--that's the way I dope it, exactly. We'll wait until the gang
assembles, then go over the top. In the meantime, I called you over to
take a ride in this projector--it's a darb. I'd like to shoot for the
Fenachrone system first, but I don't quite dare to."
"Don't dare to? You?" scoffed Margaret. "How come?"
"Cancel the 'dare'--change it to 'prefer not to.' Why? Because while
they can't work through a zone of force, some of their real
scientists--and they have lots of them, not like the bull-headed soldier
we captured--may well be able to detect a fifth-order ray--even if they
can't work with them intelligently--and if they detected our ray, it'd
put them on guard."
"You are exactly right, Dick," agreed Crane. "And there speaks the
Norlaminian physicist, and not my old and reckless playmate Richard
Seaton."
"Oh, I don't know--I told you I was getting timid as a mouse. But let's
not sit here twiddling our thumbs--let's go places and do things.
Whither away? I want a destination a good ways off, not something in our
own back yard."
"Go back home, of course, stupe," put in Dorothy, "do you have to be
told every little thing?"
"Sure--never thought of that," and Seaton, after a moment's rapid mental
arithmetic, swung the great tube around, rapidly adjusted a few dials,
and stepped down upon a pedal. There was a fleeting instant of
unthinkable velocity; then they found themselves poised somewhere in
space.
"Well, wonder how far I missed it on my first shot?" Seaton's crisp
voice broke the stunned silence. "Guess that's our sun, over to the
left, ain't it, Mart?"
"Yes. You were about right for distance, and within a few tenths of a
light-year laterally. That is fairly close, I should have said."
"Rotten, for these controls. Except for the effect of relative proper
motions, which I can't calculate yet for lack of data. I should be able
to hit a gnat right in the left eye at this range--and the difference in
proper motions couldn't have thrown me off more than a few hundred feet.
Nope, I was too anxious--hurried too much on the settings of the slow
verniers. I'll snap back and try it again."
He adjusted the verniers very carefully, and again threw on the power.
Again there was the sensation of the barest perceptible moment of
unimaginable speed, and they were in the air some fifty feet above the
ground of Crane Field, almost above the testing shed. Seaton rapidly
adjusted the variable-speed motors until they were perfectly stationary,
relative to the surface of the earth.
"You are improving," commended Crane.
"Yeah--that's more like it. Guess maybe I can learn in time to shoot
this gun. Well, let's go down."
They dropped through the roof into the laboratory where Maxwell, now in
charge of the place, was watching a reaction and occasionally taking
notes.
"Hi, Max! Seaton speaking, on a television. Got your range?"
"Exactly, Chief, apparently. I can hear you perfectly, but can't see
anything," Maxwell stared about the empty laboratory.
"You will in a minute. I knew I had you, but didn't want to scare you
out of a year's growth," and Seaton thickened the image until they were
plainly visible.
"Please call Mr. Vaneman on the phone and tell him you're in touch with
us," directed Seaton as soon as greetings had been exchanged. "Better
yet, after you've broken it to them gently, Dot can talk to them, then
we'll go over and see 'em."
The connection established, Dorothy's image floated up to the telephone
and apparently spoke.
"Mother? This is the weirdest thing you ever imagined. We're not really
here at all you know--we're actually here in Norlamin--no, I mean Dick's
just sending a kind of a talking picture of us to see you on earth
here.... Oh, no, I don't know anything about it--it's like a talkie sent
by radio, only worse, because I am saying this myself right now, without
any rehearsal or anything ... we didn't want to burst in on you without
warning, because you'd be sure to think you were seeing actual ghosts,
and we're not dead the least bit ... we're having the most perfectly
gorgeous time you ever imagined.... Oh, I'm so excited I can't explain
anything, even if I knew anything about it to explain. We'll all four of
us be over there in about a second and tell you all about it. 'Bye!"
Indeed, it was even less than a second--Mrs. Vaneman was still in the
act of hanging up the receiver when the image materialized in the living
room of Dorothy's girlhood home.
"Hello, mother and dad," Seaton's voice was cheerful but matter-of-fact.
"I'll thicken this up so you can see us better in a minute. But don't
think that we are flesh and blood. You'll see simply three-dimensional
talking pictures of ourselves, transmitted by radio."
For a long time Mr. and Mrs. Vaneman chatted with the four visitors from
so far away in space, while Seaton gloried in the working of that
marvelous projector.
"Well, our time's about up," Seaton finally ended the visit. "The
quitting-whistle's going to blow in five minutes, and they don't like
overtime work here where we are. We'll drop in and see you again maybe,
sometime before we come back."
"Do you know yet when you are coming back?" asked Mrs. Vaneman.
"Not an idea in the world, mother, any more than we had when we started.
But we're getting along fine, having the time of our lives, and are
learning a lot besides. So-long!" and Seaton clicked off the power.
* * * * *
As they descended from the projector and walked toward the waiting
airboat, Seaton fell in beside Rovol.
"You know they've got our new cruiser built of dagal, and are bringing
it over here. Dagal's good stuff, but it isn't as good as your purple
metal, inoson, which is the theoretical ultimate in strength possible
for any material possessing molecular structure. Why wouldn't it be a
sound idea to flash it into inoson when it gets here?"
"That would be an excellent idea, and we shall do so. It also has
occurred to me that Caslor of Mechanism, Astron of Energy, Satrazon of
Chemistry, myself, and one of two others, should collaborate in
installing a very complete fifth-order projector in the new Skylark,
as well as any other equipment which may seem desirable. The security of
the Universe may depend upon the abilities and qualities of you
Terrestrials and your vessel, and therefore nothing should be left
undone which it is possible for us to do."
"You chirped something then, old scout--thanks. You might do that, while
I attend to such preliminaries as wiping out the Fenachrone fleet."
In due time the reinforcements from the other planets arrived, and the
mammoth space-cruiser attracted attention even before it landed, so
enormous was she in comparison with the tiny vessels having her in tow.
Resting upon the ground, it seemed absurd that such a structure could
possibly move under her own power. For two miles that enormous mass of
metal extended over the country-side, and while it was very narrow for
its length, still its fifteen hundred feet of diameter dwarfed
everything near by. But Rovol and his aged co-workers smiled happily as
they saw it, erected their keyboards, and set to work with a will.
Meanwhile a group had gathered about a conference table--a group such as
had never before been seen together upon any world. There was Fodan, the
ancient Chief of the Five of Norlamin, huge-headed, with his leonine
mane and flowing beard of white. There were Dunark and Tarnan of Osnome
and Urvan of Urvania--smooth-faced and keen, utterly implacable and
ruthless in war. There was Sacner Carfon Twenty Three Forty Six, the
immense, porpoise-like, hairless Dasorian. There were Seaton and Crane,
representatives of our own Earthly civilization.
Seaton opened the meeting by handing each man a headset and running a
reel showing the plans of the Fenachrone; not only as he had secured
them from the captain of the marauding vessel, but also everything the
First of Psychology had deduced from his own study of that inhuman
brain. He then removed the reel and gave them the tentative plans of
battle. Headsets removed, he threw the meeting open for discussion--and
discussion there was in plenty. Each man had ideas, which were thrown
upon the table and studied, for the most part calmly and
dispassionately. The conference continued until only one point was left,
upon which argument waxed so hot that everyone seemed shouting at once.
"Order!" commanded Seaton, banging his fist upon the table. "Osnome and
Urvania wish to strike without warning, Norlamin and Dasor insist upon a
formal declaration of war. Earth has the deciding vote. Mart, how do we
vote on this?"
"I vote for formal warning, for two reasons, one of which I believe will
convince even Dunark. First, because it is the fair thing to do--which
reason is, of course, the one actuating the Norlaminians, but which
would not be considered by Osnome, nor even remotely understood by the
Fenachrone. Second, I am certain that the Fenachrone will merely be
enraged by the warning and will defy us. Then what will they do? You
have already said that you have been able to locate only a few of their
exploring warships. As soon as we declare war upon them they will almost
certainly send out torpedoes to every one of their ships of war. We can
then follow the torpedoes with our rays, and thus will be enabled to
find and to destroy their vessels."
"That settles that," declared the chairman as a shout of agreement
arose. "We shall now adjourn to the projector and send the warning. I
have a ray upon the torpedo, announcing the destruction by us of their
vessel, and that torpedo will arrive at its destination in less than an
hour. It seems to me that we should make our announcement immediately
after their ruler has received the news of their first defeat."
In the projector, where they were joined by Rovol, Orlon, and several
others of the various "Firsts" of Norlamin, they flashed out to the
flying torpedo, and Seaton grinned at Crane as their fifth-order carrier
beam went through the far-flung detector screens of the Fenachrone
without setting up the slightest reaction. In the wake of that speeding
messenger they flew through a warm, foggy, dense atmosphere, through a
receiving trap in the wall of a gigantic conical structure, and on into
the telegraph room. They saw the operator remove spools of tape from the
torpedo and attach them to a magnetic sender--heard him speak.
"Pardon, your majesty--we have just received a first-degree emergency
torpedo from flagship Y427W of fleet 42. In readiness."
"Put it on, here in the council chamber," a deep voice snapped.
"If he's broadcasting it, we're in for a spell of hunting," Seaton
remarked. "Nope, he's putting it on a tight beam--that's fine, we can
chase it up," and with a narrow detector beam he traced the invisible
transmission beam into the council room.
"'Sfunny. This place seems awfully familiar--I'd swear I'd seen it
before, lots of times--seems like I've been in it, more than once,"
Seaton remarked, puzzled, as he looked around the somber room, with its
dull, paneled metal walls covered with charts, maps, screens, and
speakers; and with its low, massive furniture. "Oh, sure, I'm familiar
with it from studying the brain of that Fenachrone captain. Well, while
His Nibs is absorbing the bad news, we'll go over this once more. You,
Carfon, having the biggest voice of any of us ever heard uttering
intelligible language, are to give the speech. You know about what to
say. When I say 'go ahead' do your stuff. Now, everybody else, listen.
While he's talking I've got to have audio waves heterodyned both ways in
the circuit, and they'll be able to hear any noise any of us make--so
all of us except Carfon want to keep absolutely quiet, no matter what
happens or what we see. As soon as he's done I'll cut off the audio
sending and say something to let you all know we're off the air. Got
it?"
"One point has occurred to me about handling the warning," boomed
Carfon. "If it should be delivered from apparently empty air, directly
at those we wish to address, it would give the enemy an insight into our
methods, which might be undesirable."
"H--m--m. Never thought of that ... it sure would, and it would be
undesirable," agreed Seaton. "Let's see ... we can get away from that by
broadcasting it. They have a very complete system of speakers, but no
matter how many private-band speakers a man may have, he always has one
on the general wave, which is used for very important announcements of
wide interest. I'll broadcast you on that wave, so that every
general-wave speaker on the planet will be energized. That way, it'll
look as if we're shooting from a distance. You might talk accordingly."
"If we have a minute more, there's something I would like to ask,"
Dunark broke the ensuing silence. "Here we are, seeing everything that
is happening there. Walls, planets, even suns, do not bar our vision,
because of the fifth-order carrier wave. I understand that, partially.
But how can we see anything there? I always thought that I knew
something about rays, but I see that I do not. The light-rays must be
released, or deheterodyned, close to the object viewed, with nothing
opaque to light intervening. They must then be reflected from the object
seen, must be gathered together, again heterodyned upon the fifth-order
carrier, and retransmitted back to us. And there is neither receiver nor
transmitter at the other end. How can you do all that from our end?"
"We don't," Seaton assured him. "At the other end there are all the
things you mentioned, and a lot more besides. Our secondary projector
out there is composed of forces, visible or invisible, as we please.
Part of those forces comprise the receiving, viewing, and sending
instruments. They are not material, it is true, but they are
nevertheless fully as actual, and far more efficient, than any other
system of radio, television, or telephone in existence anywhere else. It
is force, you know, that makes radio or television work--the actual
copper, insulation, and other matter serve only to guide and to control
the various forces employed. The Norlaminian scientists have found out
how to direct and control pure forces without using the cumbersome and
hindering material substance...."
He broke off as the record from the torpedo stopped suddenly and the
operator's voice came through a speaker.
"General Fenimol! Scoutship K3296, patrolling the detector zone, wishes
to give you an urgent emergency report. I told them that you were in
council with the Emperor, and they instructed me to interrupt it, no
matter how important the council may be. They have on board a survivor
of the Y427W, and have captured and killed two men of the same race as
those who destroyed our vessel. They say that you will want their report
without an instant's delay."
"We do!" barked the general, at a sign from his ruler. "Put it on here.
Run the rest of the torpedo report immediately afterward."
In the projector, Seaton stared at Crane a moment, then a light of
understanding spread over his features.
"DuQuesne, of course--I'll bet a hat no other Terrestrial is this far
from home. I can't help feeling sorry for the poor devil--he's a darn
good man gone wrong--but we'd have had to kill him ourselves before we
got done with him; so it's probably as well they got him. Pin your ears
back, everybody, and watch close--we want to get this, all of it."