IMPROVEMENTS AND CALCULATIONS
"It is still incredible. But you have done it. It is successful!" said the Talsonian scientist with conviction.
Arcot his head. "Far from it—we have not a thousandth part of the possibilities of this invention. We must work and and then invent.
"Think of the possibilities as a shield—naturally if we can make the we should be able to its properties in any way we like. We should be able to make it opaque, transparent, or any color." Arcot was speaking to Morey now. "Do you remember, when we were in that in space when we left this universe, that I said that I had an idea for energy so that it would be to its power?[1] I mentioned that I would attempt to it if there was need? The need exists. I want to that secret."
Stel Felso Theu was looking out through the window at a group of men beckoning. He called the attention of the others to them, and himself out. Arcot and Wade joined him in a moment.
"They tell me that Fellsheh, well to the poleward of here has used four of its eight shots. They are still being attacked," the Talsonian gravely.
"Well, in," Arcot as he ran to the ship. Stel Felso followed, and the Ancient Mariner into the air, and away, poleward, to the Talsonian's directions. The ground them at a speed that the scientist the hand-rail with a that his nervousness.
As they approached, a and a great of light in the sky them of the early of Thessians. But a was about the city. Arcot approached low, and was able to close detection. His screen was up and Morey had the apparatus, small as it was, for operation. He a of the Ancient Mariner, and it toward the nearest Thessian, just as a the Ancient Mariner's screen.
The with violence, the metal walls. The pressure of the light was so great that the were inward. The ground was suddenly, fused.
"Lord—they won't pass a screen, obviously," Morey muttered, himself from where he had fallen.
"Hey—easy there. You off the screen, and our is weakened," called Arcot, a note of worry in his voice.
"No with the screen up. I'll use the magnet," called Morey.
He off the apparatus, and to the control. The power room was crowded, and now that the was in truth, with three ships simultaneously, the power of the ship's was not sufficient, and the had been into the operation. Morey looked at the a moment. They were all up to capacity, save the from the coils. That wasn't yet. Suddenly it flicked, and the other to zero. They were in space.
"Come here, will you, Morey," called Arcot. In a moment Morey joined his much friend.
"That won't work through screens. The Thessians had to protect against here, and didn't have them up—hence the wrought. We can't take our screen down, and we can't use our most with it up. If we had a big outfit, we might a screen around the whole ship, and sail right in. But we haven't.
"We can't ten against that fleet. I'm going to their base, and make them for help." Arcot a one for the instant, then it back. They were millions miles from the planet. "Quicker," he explained, "to those ships home—go in time."
With the telectroscope, he took views at distances, thus them to their at the of the planet. Instantly Arcot down, the in less than a second, by of the space device.
A of rose from rocky, plains. The thing was nearly a mile high, a that an area almost three-quarters of a mile in diameter. Titanic—that was the only word that it. About it there was the of a screen.
Morey to the power room and set his into operation. He a of the ship and it at the fort. It with a as it the of the screen. Almost a second one followed. The was violent, the ground about was fused, and the screen was opened for a moment. Arcot all his on the screen, as Morey sent bomb after bomb at it. The the energy, the beneath. Each energy the ray-screen for a moment, and the of the through the opened screen, and the behind. It now in a spot twenty across. But the was thick. Thirty Morey hurled, while they their position without difficulty, their and at the fort.
Arcot the ship into space, moved, and nearly three hundred yards on. A of the eyes, and he saw that the was now. He again into space, and retreated. Discretion was the part of valor. But his plan had worked.
He waited an hour, and returned. From a the told him that one ship was the fort. He moved toward it, up the mountains. His magnetic out. The ship and fell. The magnetic out toward the fort, from which a had already, up the waste which had him. The ray-screen stopped it, while again Morey the magnetic on—this time against the fort. The on! Arcot hastily.
"They the secret, all right. No use, Morey, come on up," called the pilot. "They put magnetic around the apparatus. That means the magnetic is no good to us any more. They will every other base, and have them protection."
"Why didn't you try the magnetic on our attack?" asked Zezdon Afthen.
"If it had worked, their sending would have been destroyed, and no message have been sent to call their off Fellsheh. By them to their I got results I couldn't by the fleet," Arcot said.
"I think there is little more I can do here, Stel Felso Theu. I will take you to Shesto, and there make final till my return, with of your enemies. If you wish to me—you may." He around at the others of his party. "And our next move will be to return to Earth with what we have. Then we will the Sirian planets, and learn anything they may have of interest, thence—to the space, the of space, and an attempt to learn the of that power."
They returned to Shesto, and there Arcot that the only they spare, the one already in their possession, might be used till other ships more. They left for Earth. Hour after hour they through the void, till at last old Sol was ahead of them, and Earth itself was large on the screens. They to a drive, and to the Vermont from which they had taken off.
During the long voyage, Morey and Arcot had much of the time on the time-distortion field, which would give them a over time, either or their time enormously. At last, this finished, they had on the theory, to the point where they the shape of the perfectly, though as yet they not its exact nature. The possibility of such was, however, definitely proven by the results the had them. Arcot had been more in the of form. He the nature as to or to all that normal is or to. Light would pass, or not as he chose, but he not stop would radio or be stopped by any present he make.
They had signaled, as soon as they the atmosphere, and when they settled to the field, Arcot's father and a number of very scientists had already arrived.
Arcot senior his son very warmly, but he was worried, as his son soon saw.
"What's happened, Dad—won't they your statements?"
"They when I to Luna for a session with the Interplanetary Council, but they say much, they had of proof of my statements," the older man answered. "News came that a of Planetary Guard ships had been out by a of ships from space. They were things—nearly a mile in length. The Guard ships up to them—fifty of them—and to for a conference. The white ship was out—we don't know how. They didn't have screens, but that wasn't it. Whatever it was—slightly in space—it the energy of the metal and of the ship. Being of light energy by photonic attraction, it let go with terrible energy. They can do it almost from a distance. The other Guards at once let with all their and cosmics. The enemy off the moleculars, and out the Guard almost instantly.
"Of course, I the screen, but not the ray. I am to from other that the destruction, though reported as an explosion, was not that. Other ships have been destroyed, and they to catch fire, and burn, but with speed, more like gun than coal. It to start a decomposition, the ship lasts ten minutes. If it instantly, the of such a energy would the planet.
"At any rate, the great separated, twelve to the North Pole of Earth, twelve to the south, and twelve to each of Venus. Then one of them turned, and to it had come from, to report. Just and vanished. Similarly one from Venus and vanished. That twelve at each of the four poles, for, as I said, there were an fifty.
"They all the same on landing, so I'll tell what in Attica. In the North they had to one of the a to the south of the pole. They melted about a hundred square miles of ice to one.
"The ships themselves in a circle around the place, and hundreds of men out of each and to work. In a time, they had set up a number of machines, the parts from the ships. These at once set to work, and they up a wall. That was at least six thick; the was with thick as well as the roof, which is a of the in a perfect dome. They had so many on it, that twenty-four hours they had it finished.
"We twice, once in our entire force, with some ray-shield machines. The result was disastrous. The second attack was with only, and little was done to either side, though the enemy were by of ice into their position. Their was by its absence.
"Yesterday—and it a longer than that, son—they started it again. They'd been it from the ship evidently. We had had ray-shielded out, but they melted. They down, and Earth retreated. They're in their now. We don't know how to them. Now, for God's sake, tell us you have learned of some weapon, son!"
The older man's was lined. His iron his to hours of on his work.
"Some," Arcot briefly. He around. Other men had arrived, men he met in his work. But there were Venerians here, too, in their suits, against the cold of Earth, and against its atmosphere.
"First, though, gentlemen, allow me to Stel Felso Theu of the Talso, one of our in this struggle, and Zezdon Afthen and Fentes of Ortol, one of our other allies.
"As to progress, I can say only that it is in a more or less stage. We have the for great progress, a of value—but it is only the basis. It must be out. I am with you today the calculations and of the time field, the used by the Thessian in their ships at a speed than that of light. Also, the calculations in to another matter, a which our ally, Talso, has us, in for the we gave in them the use of one of our generators. Unfortunately the ship not more than the single generator. I a number of to Talso in freighters. They need power—power of dimensions.
"I have stopped on Earth only temporarily, and I want to as soon as possible. I intend, however, to attempt an attack on the Arctic of the Thessians, in that they have not against one that the Ancient Mariner carries—though I sadly that old Earth herself has played us false here. I to use the magnetic beam, but Earth's may have them to armor, and they may have material to the effects."
Morey already had a ground the ship. He gave designs to on hand to make special panels for the large machines. Arcot and Wade got some needed equipment.
In six hours, Arcot had himself ready, and a of Planetary Guard ships were to the Ancient Mariner.
They approached the cautiously, and were by the and of ice melting into water which into steam under a ray. It was from an of the camp, a under a great of ice. But the was of relux. A from a Guard ship—and the Guard ship as of from the points it.
"They know how to this of a war. That's their biggest advantage," Arcot. Wade swore.
"Ray screens, no moleculars!" Arcot into the transmitter. He was not their leader, but they saw his wisdom, and the the as an order. In the meantime, another ship had fallen. The had its screen up, the of to for it.
"Hmm—something to when have to retire to forts. They will, too, this is over. That way the main doesn't have to its screen to fight," Arcot. He was as a ship away from one of the larger machines, and a powerful started at the fort's screen. The ship nothing but a projector, which was what it was.
As they had hoped, the new out from on the of the fort. It was not the fort.
"Which means," pointed out Morey, "that they can't make to that. Probably the projector would be vulnerable."
But a of which had no effect. The little radio-controlled projector on the under the melted ice, with the energy of the relux.
"Now to try the test we came here for," Morey to the power room, and on the of the magnetic beam. The ship was aligned, and then he the last switch. The great of the machine violently, and as the the magnetic of the Earth.
Morey not see it, but almost the of the screen on the died out. The out from the Thessian projector—and dead. Frantically the Thessians after weapon, and them almost as soon as they were on—which was the natural result in the magnetic field.
And these men had iron bones, their very were by the beam; they toward the ship as the touched them, but, to the of an world, most of them were not killed.
"Ah—!" Arcot. He up the and spoke again to the Squadron Commander. "Squadron Commander Tharnton, what your ship carry?"
"Inch and a quarter," the voice of the commander.
"Any of the other ships heavier?"
"Yes, the special five inches. What shall we do?"
"Tell him to his screen, and let at once on all forts. His will for the time needed to them for their own screens, unless some to it out. As soon as the other ships can their screens, tell them to do so, and tell them to join in. I'll be able to help then. My has been burned, and I'm to the screen. It's thin already."
The was as he the as a command.
Almost at once a single ship, blunt, an almost perfect cylinder, its screen. In an the of the on it, but its dozen projectors were at work. Fort after opalescent, then into of screening. Quickly other ships their screens, and joined in. In a moment more, the had been to their screens for protection.
A of ten across appeared the Ancient Mariner. It with speed, the great of the fort, and the caved, in, still more—but would not puncture. The retreated, a cone, and in again. This time the point through the relux, and a small hole. The to gradually, melting into a of twenty diameter, and the expanded. It to as the a disc, a hundred across, set in the wall.
Suddenly it dissolved. There was a roar, and a of white out of the hole. Figures of Thessians by the came out. The was at last visible. The pressure was the line of ships about like thistledown. The Ancient Mariner under the blast of gas. The that to the water was not water, in toto; some was dioxide—and some in the of the gas. It was the dome. The of Thessians were of the life-giving air pressure to which they were accustomed. But all this was visible for but an instant.
Then a small, thin of the fort, and on the dome. Like a knife open an orange, it around the dome's edge, the great like the of a under the pressure remaining—then under its own weight.
The was again a disc. It settled over the exact center of the dome—and down. The in. It was under a inestimable. Then the great disc, like some tamper, the entire of the Thessians into the bed-rock of the island. Every ship, every fort, every man was under it—and annihilated.
The dissolved. A of played over the island, and the melted, over the ruins, and left only the of steam from the Arctic ice from a red-hot: of rock, a pool.
The Battle of the Arctic was done.
