"I think that sums them up."
* * * * *
"Well," Camhorn said judiciously, "if the IPA is to be of much use
to us in this investigation, it should be better informed than that.
The rumors are interesting, though satisfactorily inaccurate. Ym-400,
to begin with, is not a single element. It's a compound of several
elements of the same series. The symbol attached to it is quite
meaningless...."
"For security reasons?"
"Of course. Now, with one notable exception, all elements in this
series were discovered during the Overgovernment's investigation of
Riemann space properties in the two intragalactic creation areas we
have mapped to date. As you may recall, that program was initiated
forty-five years ago. The elements we're talking about are radioactive:
half-life of up to an hour. It was suspected they had a connection with
the very curious, apparently random distortions of space-time factors
found in the creation areas, but their essential properties made it
impossible to produce them in sufficient quantity for a sufficient
length of time to conduct a meaningful examination.
"Ymir, the last element of this series, was not discovered in the
same areas, or at the same time. It was located ten years later, in
stable trace-quantities in the asteroid belt you've mentioned, and
to date it has not been found anywhere else. Ymir is a freak. It is
chemically very similar to the rest of the series and has an unstable
structure. Theoretically, its presence as and where it was found was an
impossibility. But it was recognized eventually that Ymir produces a
force field which inhibits radioactivity. Until the field is interfered
with the element is stable...."
"What interferes with it?"
Camhorn grinned. "People. Until it's deliberately tampered with, Ymir
is changeless--as far as we know. Furthermore it will, in compound,
extend its inhibiting field effect instantaneously to three other
elements of the same series. A very fortunate circumstance, because
Ymir has been found only in minute amounts, and unknown factors
still prevent its artificial production. The other three elements
are produced readily, and since a very small proportion of Ymir
retains them in stable--or pseudostable--form, they can be conserved
indefinitely."
"_That's_ the Ym-400 compound?" Fry asked.
"That's it."
Fry said thoughtfully, "Perhaps I should remind you, Howard, that this
conversation is being recorded."
Camhorn nodded. "That's all right. Now that we know someone else is
in possession of sixty-eight kilograms of Ym-400, we're confronted
with radically altered circumstances. The loss incurred by the theft
isn't important in itself. The Ymir component in such a quantity is
detectable almost only by its effects, and the other components can be
produced at will.
* * * * *
"The question is how much the people who have the stolen compound in
their hands actually know about it. We would prefer them to know
several things. For example, up to a point Ym-400 is easily handled.
It's a comparatively simple operation to reduce or restore the force
field effect. The result is a controlled flow of radioactivity from the
compound, or its cessation. Now, you've mentioned having heard that
Ym-400 transmutes space-time stresses--"
Fry nodded.
"Well," Camhorn said, "as a matter of fact, that's exactly what it
appears to do--as was surmised originally of the unstable elements in
the series. The active compound transmutes space-time stresses into a
new energy with theoretically predictable properties. Theoretically,
for example, this new energy should again be completely controllable.
Have you picked up any rumors of what our experiments with the
substance were supposed to achieve?"
Fry said, "Yes. I forgot that. I've heard two alternate theories. One
is that the end result will be an explosive of almost unimaginable
violence. The other is that you're working to obtain a matter
transmitter--possibly one with an interstellar range."
Camhorn nodded. "Potentially," he said, "Ym-400 is an extremely
violent explosive. No question about it. The other speculation--it
isn't actually too far-fetched--well, that would be the equivalent of
instantaneous space-travel, wouldn't it?"