Islands of Space

bed after more than thirty hours of hard work. That, coupled with the exhaustion of working under four

thers and had turned on the dri

thorough inspection of the hull when the others awoke. The terrific strain might have opened cracks in the lux me

nks were full and all was ready. Then he went into the library, g

later, he found Arcot still

he chair beside Arcot, "I thought you'd

r chance of meeting another such region is about one in a million million million million. Considering those chances, I

er stuck his h

er if one of you could tell me just what it was we hi

, then," grinned Morey. "Y

ing. "Not before breakfast. Ju

in space where cosmic rays a

ere's nothing out here

erely say they are created here. I want to do more work on this. My idea fo

distorted terrifically by the titanic forces at work. It is bent and twisted far out of

metimes reinforced and sometimes cancelled out by the twisted space around it, and the tremendous surges of current back and forth from the main power coil to the storage coils caused the electric discharges that kept burning throu

ls of the ship. "Well, the Anci

space waves' at once, it might have given it an acceleration in two different directions at once, which would strain the walls with a force amounting to thousands of tons. I laid ou

eyes. It was evident he had not yet washed, and his growing beard, which was heavy and black on h

rch down in the lab you can use, if you wish. The rest of us are going outside." Then Arcot's voice became serious. "By the way, don't try any little jokes like starting off with a little a

a radio for communication with each other and with the ship, but

desire to be left all by myself on this

of the airlock and set to work, using power flashlights

could only be seen when they hit the relux inner wall at such an angle that they were reflected directly into the observer's eyes. The lux metal wall, being transparent, was natu

re inch of the surface. However, a crack would be rough, and hence

ul inspection, none of them had found any signs of a cra

ities of motion that had been observed in the stars at the edge of the island universe they were approaching. Since these stars revolved about the mass of the entire galaxy, it was possible to calculate the mass of the entire universe by averag

ly nearer their goal-gradually, despite thei

y field, they stopped for observation. They were now so near the Is

and light years distant, I

d Wade. "Why can't we calculate the distance

"Take the angle, will you,

distance from experience, they were able to calculate the diameter of th

more and more-a galaxy the eyes of men had never before seen at such close range! This galaxy had not yet condensed entirely to stars, and in its heart there still remai

; it looked only like some model, for they were sti

ld be there in about three hours. Suppose we go at full

ical boss, Morey," s

they drew nearer to this new universe, they began to feel

see nothing at that velocity except the two ghost ships that

disc with the naked eye. But they could not see clearly; the entire sky was misty

ere off!" called Arcot. "

ve of the space-strain apparatus. The entire space about them was lit with

ry dark space, with its

with my calculations?

off. We landed right in the middle of the central gas cloud, and we were plowing through i

stars in the process; if we had, we

n't burn up at that v

etter vacuum than the best pump could give you on Earth; there a

to take photographs going in; if we want to find the star again, we can ta

o Morey to find

also wanted to find one of the same magnitude, or brilliance. At last, after investigating several such suns, he discovered one

before them, they saw the one which was their goal. A bright, slow

is it?" a

uries," replied Morey, w

Then, suddenly, Morey cr

d?" asked Arc

as a G-0 giant which had burned up most of the hydrogen that stars normally use for fuel. When that happens, a star be

nova is produced. The star blows away most of its gaseous envelope, leaving only the superdense core. In other

ble fate of beings whose sun had suddenly colla

and Arcot snapped the ship over to the molecular motion drive at once. He kne

aming star. It was not exceedingly hot, despite the high temperatu

orbit, for, at their velocity, the sun

close so that I can use the star's attraction as a brake. At this distance, it will be

e are any planets. We can break free and

hours to reduce their speed to a point which would ma

vatory and swept the sk

took angular readings on it and on the central sun. A little later, he took more readings. Because of the changing veloci

ced to less than four miles a second. When they reached the planet, A

the control room, the men looke