"As I was saying, I thought that if the sun establishes grooves for the
planets to travel in, what would happen if we establish the grooves by
means of planets without a sun? Why, it follows as the noon the morning
that with the conditions just right, a sun would have to come into
existence. When we started those asteroids whizzing around we created
a sort of 'mass vacuum' in the center, and mass just had to rush in
to fill it. Or maybe it isn't even mass; just energy with an apparent
mass due to an apparent attraction. Anyway, there's your sun. We can
sell lots. We go to the boys and ask them how big a plant they want to
build, government supervision doesn't hold in free space you know, so
we can go in, snag an asteroid of the right size and set it up in a
slow orbit around our little power plant. Charges will be reasonable
but sufficient. And all the free beer we want."
Listless belched hopefully.
"That's very important," put in Murphy.
"You win the brass plated bus bar, Doc," conceded Listless. "But, oh
boy, if it hadn't worked."
"The thing to do now," said the ever-practical Murphy, "is to set up
a couple of choice locations. Listless, how about hopping back to the
Belt and picking up a nice, big, round rock to set up the first plant
on?"
"It's okay with me," Listless agreed.
"I don't like to leave the set up yet," I protested. "I'm not sure of
the equilibrium point. Let's take that control out to One and set it up
there. Murphy and I will stick there and keep our eyes on the system
until you get back. I can handle any slight variables that may show up."
So we put up a dome on the first planetoid and moved the control
equipment into it. With enough food and an air supply to last a couple
of days, we decided that Listless could head straight for Earth and see
if he could interest one of the lesser brewers in our plan.
After Listless had gone, Murphy and I sat around lazily, telling each
other what we would do after we got the beer industry running smoothly.
We puttered around with our minds, taking an occasional glance at the
new sun, dropping off for a cat nap when we felt like it. I was in the
middle of one of those when Murphy woke me up shaking my shoulder.
"Huh?" I said sleepily.
"Get up, Doc, there's a ship coming in." I rubbed my eyes and gazed out
through the dome port. It wasn't the _Buster_. There were no stripes on
it. And this ship had different lines.
It seemed to be searching for something. Stopping here and there among
the whirling planetoids, like a huge shark smelling for game, the pilot
must have spotted the gleam of our dome, for suddenly he headed right
for us.
* * * * *
I jumped into my spacealls just ahead of Murphy. We didn't know who
it was, but I had a darned good idea. Something told me that our long
delayed visit from Drake was about to arrive.
The ship pulled in close to headquarters, the lock opened and three
figures appeared. Hooking in their lines they sailed over to us.
As they came closer I could make out Dudley's handsome features. With
an expression on them I didn't like. The other two just looked familiar.
"Hello, Outhouse," he sneered. "You too, genius. I must admit you did
it. It's really too bad that your sun isn't stable, isn't it?"