UNDEFEATABLE OR UNCONTROLLABLE?
Fifteen minutes after they started, they came to Shesto. They were to land, and explain, for their ship was not the popular Talsonian idea of a life-saver.
Shesto was by two of the machines, and each machine had been with two accumulators. Their four possible were to be protection, and, so far, had been. The city had been twice, according to Tho Stan Drel, the Talsonian: once by a single ship which had been destroyed, and once by a of six ships. The had permitted time to the accumulator, and the had been treated. Of the six ships, four had been in succession, and the two ships had fled.
When the city had been out, with a of life well in the hundreds of thousands, the other had, to limit of their abilities, set up the apparatus. Apparently the Thessians were off for the present.
"In a way," said Morey seriously, "it was that we were almost at once. Their of would have for the one needed to send the Ancient Mariner to blazes." He laughed, but it was a laugh.
The ship in a great court, and out of respect for the of the turf, Arcot left the ship on its power units, a above the surface. Then he, Morey and the Talsonian left the ship. Zezdon Afthen was left with the ship and with Wade in charge, for if some were encountered, Wade would be able to help them with the ship, and Zezdon Afthen with the power of his apparatus, was out the Thessian stronghold.
A party of men of Talso met the the ship.
"Welcome, Men of another world, and to you go our thanks for the of one of our enemies." The clear of the his ability to concentrate.
"And to your world must go our thanks for saving of our lives, and more important, our ship," Arcot. "For the ship a thing of value to this entire star-system."
"I see—understand—your—thoughts that you wish to learn more of this we use. You that it is a question among us as to it is undefeatable, or just un-understandable. We have had success with it. It is not a weapon, was not as such; it was an in the line of electric-waves. How it works, what it is, what happens—we do not know.
"But men who can create so a ship as this of yours, of a ship of the Thessians with their own must be able to any machine we may make—and you have power?" he eagerly.
"Practically power. I will into any power line you suggest, all the direct you wish." Arcot's were pure reflection, but the Talsonian at once.
"I it might be alternating—but we can direct current. All our is done at high direct current. What do you generate? Will we have to changers?"
"We D.C. at any up to fifty million, any power up to that needed to ten men through their own in this time a second." The power twenty horsepower.
The Talsonian's blank with as he looked at the ship. "In that thing you such power?" he asked in amazement.
"In that ship we more than one times that power," Arcot said.
"Our power are over," the man emphatically.
"Our are not over," a who had joined the party, with equal emphasis. "As a of fact, they are than ever. More tantalizing. What he says means that we have a power source, but it is in one spot. How are you going to the power? We can't possibly move any power near that amount. We couldn't touch it to our lines without having them all go up in one of glory.
"We cannot such a of power through our power pipes of silver."
"This man is Stel Felso Theu," said Tho Stan Drel. "The of our scientists, the man who has this which alone to offer us hope. And I am he is right. See, there is the University. For the power of their laboratories, a power line has been installed, and it was that you leads into it." His than ever.
"We can always some power into the lines. Let us see just what there is. I think that it would be to the power lines at once," Morey.
Ten minutes later, with but a single officer now them, Tho Stan Drel, the scientist, and the Talsonian scientist were the power installation.
They had entered a large building, into which very wires. The were glass. Their a of well over one hundred thousand, and such a very amperage, so that a was expected.
Within the were a series of tubes, their three thick, and so, with rods. Inside the were such as the of their machine carried. Great into them, and now their were a red.
Along the were the switchboards, of them, all sizes, all of instruments, to the of the terrestrians, and in all the light-beam was used, no pointers, but a very line of light as a needle. The thus had no inertia.
"Are these the changers?" asked Arcot at the tubes.
"They are; each will up to a hundred thousand volts," said Stel Felso Theu.
"But I fear, Stel Felso Theu, that these will power only one way; that is, it would be for power to be from here into the power house, though the can be reversed," pointed out Arcot. "Radio work only one way, which is why they can act as rectifiers. The same was true of these tubes. They power one way only."
"True, of in general," the Talsonian, "and I see by that that you know the entire of our tubes, which is abstruse."
"We use them on the ship, in special form," Arcot.
"Then I will only say that the college here has a very complete electric power plant of its own. On special occasions, the power here is needed by the city, and so we the with which the flow. At present they are to power into the city.
"If your ship can such power, I that it would be to the from the circuit, for they put restrictions on the line. The main power plant in the city has banks of anything the line would. I that your be set at the maximum that the line will without breakdown, and the can be as high as possible without loss."
"Good enough. The line to the city power will what pressure?"
"It is good for the maximum of these tubes," the Talsonian.
"Then into with the city plant and tell them to prepare for every work-unit they can carry. I'll the generator." Arcot turned, and on his power to the ship.
In a moments he was back, a pistol in one hand, and in of him on nothing but a of air, to all appearances, a apparatus, with a small base.
The was about four long, and the box about eighteen on a side.
"What is that, and what supports it?" asked the Talsonian scientists in surprise.
"The thing is supported by a which the of a small in the top clamp, it up," Morey, "and that is the generator."
"That! Why it is as big as a man!" the Talsonian.
"Nevertheless, it can a billion horsepower. But you couldn't the power away if you did it." He toward Arcot, and called to him.
"Arcot—set it and let her on about a for a second or so. Air arc. Won't it—she's of and relux."
Arcot grinned, and set it on the ground. "Make an in the ground."
"Oh—go ahead. It will satisfy this fellow, I think," Morey.
Arcot a very thin metal from his pocket, and one end of a long to one switch, and the other to a second. Then he three small dials. The wire in hand, he to a of nearly two hundred feet, while Morey the Talsonians back. Arcot one end of his cord.
Instantly a nearly the men, a solid of in a into the air for nearly fifty feet. The for a moment, then the was so that Arcot no more, and the cord. The died instantly, though a briefly. In a moment it had to white, and was slowly through orange—red deep—red—
The for thirty about was gone, the for ten about was molten, boiling. The machine itself was in a little crater, in rock. The Talsonians in amazement. Then a of them and they started forward. Arcot his pistol, a green out, and the was black. It settled down, and a was the only of the action.
Arcot walked over the now rock, by the action of the ray. In the downward, the work was done by the of these molecules. The machine was in the solid lava.
"Brilliant idea, Morey," said Arcot disgustedly. "It'll be a job it loose."
Morey the metal in the top clamp, walked off some distance, and on the power. The about the machine was again. A touch of the pistol to the metal bar, and the machine jumped free of the rock.
Morey off the power. The machine was perfectly clean, and hot.
"And your ship is of that stuff!" the Talsonian scientist. "What will it?"
"Your will, apparently."
"But do you that we have power enough?" asked Morey with a smile.
"No—it's too much. Can you that to a level?"
