"Well, give it the works."
The space warp started again, and again the project was wrenched
through the barrier.
* * * * *
"VanMaanen's Star must be that one back there," observed Hendricks.
"Hard to say, but we hit it up about that far to get to Eureka."
Rhodes looked up from the sub-radio. "That's them," he said. "And they
want to know how in the name of the seven devils we got out here so far
in such a short time."
"Short time? Nonsense. They flew in subspace for an hour, it took us a
half hour to land on Eureka, and Billy spent another half hour digging
pay-dirt. After which we raced off for, say a half hour or maybe an
hour before we went into space two. Our stay in space two was about
fifteen minutes, and the passage through space one was made in less
than a minute. Call it a total of three hours."
Rhodes checked his chronometer. "We've been gone about three hours," he
said into the set. The answer came back immediately, for all to hear.
"Like the devil. You've been fifteen minutes since you fastened on to
the star and were jerked off of VMS I."
"What's your nav-chronometer say?" asked Billy.
"Seventeen-forty-three."
"And we left the scene about seventeen twenty-eight?"
"Approximately."
"Well, chew this over. Our nav-chron says twenty fifty-one."
"Snap on the differential timer," suggested Hendricks.
Microsecond pulse signals crossed space, both ways. The timer started
counting. Three hours and twenty-three minutes and eleven seconds went
by before the timers stopped. There Hendricks and Thompson went into
another conference.
"We have the following observations regarding subspace: One is that
the matter is unlike Terrene matter. The other is that there is a
differential in time passage. The latter may be quite useful. We'll
have the gang check everything possible, of course, and probably even
set up a laboratory in the lower spaces. This lack of gravity--has me
stopped cold," said Hendricks.
"Excepting for the observation that Newton's Law mentioned every
particle in the universe--"
"I don't think Newton was trying to be snobbily semantic," laughed
Hendricks. "Besides, his Law is a translation from the Latin, and at
that time they weren't even sure of space, let alone subspace and space
two, et cetera."
"I've always wondered about the conservation of energy and the
problem of how gravitic attraction couples into that. It could be,
of course, that the universal attraction comes from the fact that
all the universe was once a single body that exploded because of its
own mass-warp. Energy driving the mass apart during the formation of
the universe--which is still expanding--and because it took work to
separate one body from another, the conservation of energy dictates
that they undo that work to get them back together. Since our project
was not a part of subspace, no expanding work had been done on it, and
therefore no potential energy had been stored which would be released
by gravity taking place."
Hendricks smiled. "It's as good a theory as the next," he said. "But is
it solving the Sscantovian problem?"
"No, but I have an idea that may. We can set up our warping beam and
transfer the resultant forces in the same manner as we transmit other
energy. We can't jerk the insides out of a star, nor can we compress
the matter there. But there is nothing that says that we cannot change
the physical constants prevailing in a certain sphere of influence, and
thus warp anything within that sphere into subspace."
"Sounds good. So instead of pulling the middle out of a star we'll just
rotate the middle into subspace. Well we have our work cut out for us,"
smiled Hendricks. "I'll get a corps of techs on subspace, and a gang
working on the space two. We'll run up a couple of spaces, too, just
in case. I'll have a crew go to work on the subspace matter, and we'll
eventually have a crew working on admixtures of extra spatial matter
with spatial matter. We have enough work for ten lifetimes. Y'know,
Billy, I'm going to set a slew of brand new college kids to tinkering
with the subspace problem under the direction of a hand-picked crew of
elders. They've got a field that isn't over-crowded, anyway."
Billy scratched his head. "Look, Jim, I have an idea. Superdrive
is fine stuff for batting around the Solar Sector. A run of fifty
light-years, though, is a reasonable jaunt, and Sscantoo is off about a
hundred and fifty light-years. Now if this time-difference in subspace
is workable, we might be able to get to Sscantoo in jig time."
"I suppose so. But remember that this jig time you speak of is real
time to you. To someone in space, you'll make the hop in record time,
but to someone on the ship with you, the same time of a spatial trip
will ensue."
"It's no great advantage as goes time or power," agreed Billy, "but
when you're fighting a time limit, as we are, time in this space is
what counts and if we have to go into subspace and study until we are
a hundred years old before we find the answer, to come back with only
a year gone, that's it. So see what you can do about tacking a warper
into a spaceship, will you? And take another swing at the core of
VanMaanen's Star. As soon as you have something, drop everything and
bring it to Terra. I've got to get back, but quick."
* * * * *
Hotang Lu's return to Tlembo was hailed with silence. It was the
silence of defeat, the sympathetic attitude for one who has tried,
succeeded in his attempt, and found that his attempt lacked a vital
factor. Hotang Lu had done his part. It was Terra that failed. Tlembo
had guessed wrong. Yet Tlembo must try again and again until they
became successful. The Little People were tenacious. They wanted their
liberty, not slavery to the Loard-vogh.
And they would fight to the last Tlemban for it.
Not for Hotang Lu were parades and hordes of people to cheer him on
his march up the broad avenue of his home city. He was whisked to the
temple of government almost invisibly, yet the mental rapport of all
Tlembans told them that Hotang Lu had returned--unsuccessfully.
Indan Ko, their ruler, gave Hotang Lu immediate audience.
"I've mentioned none of our plans," said the ruler, "because I fear
interception."
"Plans?" asked Hotang Lu bitterly. "With success in our grasp, they
throw it away. What more can we ask?"
"Your tone is that of defeat. We must not admit it, even to ourselves."
"Self-delusion," spat Hotang Lu.
"Not at all. We know a set-back when we see one. But we must not dwell
upon it, lest we become single-minded and believe that our cause is
doomed."
"Is there a better bet in the Galaxy than Terra?"
"There must be. Terra seemed a best bet. Yet perhaps their survival
factor was so great that they prefer slavery to extermination. Is that
rational?"
Hotang Lu nodded dumbly.
"We have Sscantoo."
"But they are almost at the pinnacle of their culture," objected the
emissary. "We cannot energize their minds."
"Agreed. But they are an ungregarious race. They cling together
only because civilization demands tribe-protection. They are fierce
fighters. They hate every alien being. They dislike even contact
between themselves, yet prefer that to traffic with an alien culture.
Go to Sscantoo, Hotang Lu, and convince Linzete that his race is in
danger of slavery at the hands of the Loard-vogh. Tell him, if he does
not know already, that the Loard-vogh have conquered Terra. Perhaps
Linzete knows what Terra's secret weapon is. Was it ever disclosed?"
"The end came too soon. It was never used. Nor--and I cannot
understand--did I see anything of its manufacture."
"Linzete has most of Terra's secrets by mutual agreement. Perhaps he
has also that secret."
"Again I fight time," growled Hotang Lu. "Time--and I feel, the
inevitable."
"I'd suggest a consultation with Norvan Ge, the psychiatrist. He will
enable you to conquer that defeatist attitude of yours."
"I shall see him," said Hotang Lu. "I admit that the shock of being
plunged all the way from almost-certain victory to utter defeat in a
few short minutes has shaken my faith in even myself. I shall see him.
Then I shall go to Sscantoo."
"Tell me," said Indan Ko, "what was the Terran attitude?"
"They accepted defeat as the inevitable. Their statement was that they
fought to gain the respect of the Loard-vogh only; they did not hope
to win. This I cannot understand. If you know that you cannot win, why
fight?"
Indan Ko shook his head.
"It is my belief that they are rationalizing. No one accepts defeat.
They have forced themselves into the belief that since victory is
impossible for them, they must bow to the Loard-vogh or die."
"They may have some deep-seated purpose."
"Name it."
"Visit your psychiatrist," smiled Indan Ko. "Then consider. You were
once their mental superior. It is hard to admit inferiority to one
that was one time inferior to you. Accept their mental superiority and
consider that they may have some plan."
"Plan?" asked Hotang Lu bitterly. "How can they plan? How can they
execute any plan? Planning and building is for a free race, without
the shackles of an overseer on their people or the restrictions placed
upon a servile race. Could they build a modine without the Loard-vogh
knowing? Could they hope to instigate a ten thousand year plan of
expansion to eventually crowd the Loard-vogh out of the Galaxy?"
"I admit your point. I was hoping against hope. Clutching at straws.
Perhaps we should both go to Norvan Ge. Tlembo will stop counting on
Terra and fix our hopes on Sscantoo."
"I will be in Sscantoo within seven months. It will take that long
in constant flight--and with your permission I shall take Norvan Ge
with me. In seven months, the psychiatrist can aid me, and give me the
self-confidence necessary to convince Linzete of his danger."
"Seven months," muttered Indan Ko. "And I will wager that Vorgan has
his fleet poised for a blow at Sscantoo right now."
"So long as any Tlemban lives," said Hotang Lu, with a momentary return
of his determination, "we will never stop hoping and fighting to
preserve ourselves and all the Galaxy from the conquering hordes of
the Loard-vogh. I curse them, their name, and what they represent."
"I'll join you in that curse."
They lifted the slender tubes, inhaled deeply, and sipped the fluid.
Indan Ko waved Hotang Lu farewell. "Go in haste and good fortune,"
said the ruler of Tlembo--the fourteenth Tlembo since the start of the
Loard-vogh conquest.