Skylark Three

of Force

se mathematical treatise in Science. Margaret was working upon a bit of embroidery. Dorothy, seated upon a cushion on the fl

it up. Just finished sealing off and flashing out this ca

; then simultaneously started his stop-watch and pressed the button which caused a minute couple to be applied to the needle. Instantly

t of order, after all?"

all objects as men, so I threw a million ohms in series with the impulse. That cuts down the free rotation

ra-sensitive needle came to rest. When it had done so, Seaton calcul

close as we can hope to check on as small a mass as a man. Well, that's that-nothing to do about

stigation is

cross-legged on a pillow and eat candy, like that Titian blonde over there on the floor. I know what-I'll build me a me

rfect the way he is. Especially don't do it if he'd talk the

n expressed in imperishable print is not subject to revision-its crudities can never be remodeled into more subtle, more gracious shading. It is my contention that, due to these inescapable conditions, the

one lithe motion, rose and h

rhaps you had better bui

rying hard to learn, and the continuous use of

sk him.

entered the room from his ga

to talk English like Crane the

ly, unable to take su

"Doctor Seaton can build a machine which

nary difference from Nipponese-no can do. Dictionary useful but ..." he flipped pages dexte

in, smiled,

thing. So long, folks, I

ures which became meaningless, even when expressed in thousands of miles per second. Still she seemed stationary to her occupants, and only different from a vessel motionless upon the surface of the Earth in that objects within her hull had lost three-sixteenths of thei

hundred and eighty degrees around the motionless cage which housed the enormous gyroscopes. Still apparently motionless and exactly as she had been before, the Skyla

ton announced that the mechanical educator was

possessed numerous tubes, kino-lamps, and photo-electric cells, as well as many coils of p

" asked Crane. "I know that it does work, but I coul

one Dunark used, Dick," ob

ng chemistry, didn't know why the educator worked or what it worked on-he found out by experiment that it did work; just as we found out about electricity. This three-dimensional model, or view, or whatever you want to call it, is converted into electricity in the headsets, and the resulting modulated wave goes back to the educator. There it is heterodyned with another wave-this second frequency was found after thousands of trials and is, I believe, the exact frequency existing in the optic nerves themselves-and sent to the receiving headset. Modulated as it is, and producing a three-dimensional picture, after rectification in the receiver, it reproduces exactly what has been 'viewed,' if d

arked a series of explosive syllables

and Dorothy, the ir

What are the improvements you

ark's machine couldn't work against resistance-if the subject wasn't willing to give up his thoughts he couldn't get them. This one can take them away by force. In fact, by increasing plate and grid voltages in the amplifier, I can pretty nearly burn out a man's brain. Yesterday,

e transfer?" Crane was

on for Shiro, and we

en Shiro had come in, smiling and bowing as usual.

als and clamped the electrodes over his own

se while we're at it,

le I was in Japan, but it was altoget

d it, depressed two more, opene

arked a series of explosive syllables

though you had never spoken any other tongue. I am very g

rls-anything you want

is too darn weird to suit me. Besides, if I knew as muc

e I care to...."

by the penetrating s

laimed Seaton, "I never

eship detector-shows that there's a boatload of bad news around here somewhere. Grab the visiplates quick, folks," as he rang Shiro's bell. "I'll take

but the purple light continued to flash, a

d we're almost stopped. Wonder if somebody's there ahead of us? Maybe Dunark is doing

the Kofedix from the spe

ee if you were. What

yet. Bette

be stopped directly. Whatever it is, it's dead ahead. It's a long ways off yet, but we'd bet

ether, we'll use the hand-language. You may not know that you know it,

wer was shut off abruptly, and S

nguage when we couldn't hear anything-and that was most of the time. I

nst the stars, and knew it to be the searchlight of the Kondal. Soon the two vessels were almost side by side, moving cautiously forward, and Seaton set up a s

inute-this reflector increases the power of the regular indicator." He studied meters and adjusted dials. "Set on nineteen hours forty

tion harmful?"

it; then I'll throw out a screen against it. When it's st

It is moving in sharper now. Yes, it is a s

Dunark?" Se

ed it. Read

ing to run. Let's

and Seaton shook his head t

ulty?" as

craft as that-it must be a thousand feet long and is certainly neither Terres

oncurred Crane

, although the observers could see that Dunark was raging. Seaton swu

ming out, with at least twice the acceleration we could get with bo

tand a higher acceleration than we ca

matter how much of a start we had-and it looks now as though he wanted us. Two of us stand a lot better chance than one of licking

gan making contacts, rapidly but with precision. "Heat wave two-seven. Induction, five-eight. O

of force. Let him shoot first, because he may be pea

your scr

ndle the rest of this stuff. Better strap yourselves in solid, folks-this

and shot in the master switch that actuated the complex offensive armament of his dreadnought of the skies. An intense, livid violet glow hid completely main and auxiliary power bars, and long flashes leaped between metallic objects in all parts of the ves

d upon the enemy and the enormous generators continued to pour forth their deadly frequencies. The bars glowed more fiercely as they were advanced to full working load-the stranger was one

u've got upon one spot-rig

isruption. From the forward end of the strange craft there erupted prominence after prominence of searing, unbearable flame as the terrific charges of explosive copper struck the mark and exploded, liberating instantaneously their millions upon

se screens, he knew that there were superhuman and inconceivable forces being directed against them, and his right hand flashed to the switch controlling the zone of force. Fast as he was, much happened in the mere moment that passed before his flying hand could close the switch. In the last infinitesimal instant of time before the zone closed in, a gaping black hole appeared in the incandescence of the inner screen, and a small portion of a ray of energy so stupendous as to be palpable, struck, like a tangi

or the generators. He had forgotten the efforts of the zone of force, however,

pped, as Seaton bent over one of t

nd get that bird. We can't lick him with Osnomian rays or with our explosive copper,

eapon. Furthermore, you must discover his exact location, and must get close enough to him to use the zone as a weapon, all withou

t," Seaton replied, the fire dying out of h

raction of one second when you cut in the zone of force. Either they underestimated our strength at f

ng, man! We can't just sit h

y wise and proper. In fact, at the present ti

zone on-and you say just sit here. Suppose they know all about th

o down in the first few seconds, but now that it has held this long it will, in all probability, continue to hold indefinitely. Third, they most certainly will not ram us, for several reasons. They probably have encountered few, if any, foreign vessels able to stand against them for a minute, and will act accordingly. Then, too, it is probably safe to assume that their vessel is damaged, to some slight extent at least; for I do not believe that any pos

n't hurt us. That's using the old bean, Mart! I was going off half-

at she was fighting for self-control. Drawing himse

! This man's war a

tin just been admitting to each other that you can'

s so manifest that she recovered instantly. "We've just dug a hole and pulled the hole in after us, that's all! Whe

mind and the judicial disposition, and can think circles around me. From what little you've seen of those fo

ident that they have solved the secret of intra-atomic energy. Their vessels are not propelled as ours are

igure that?"

Nothing even semi-human, and probably nothi

er thought

is not a recent development with them, as it is with us. Since the green system is close to the center of the Galaxy, it seems reasonable, as a working hypothesis, to assume that they

othy, who was li

d also from the nature of that attack. This vessel is probably a scout or an exploring ship, since it seems to be alone. It is not altog

e neighbors-but I guess you're hitti

errible neighbors. For my next point, are we justified in as

, wouldn't they be able to get through it? Of course it may be a real and total barrier in the ether-in that case they'd know that they couldn't do a thing

as far as we can go upon the meager data we have-considerably farther than we really are justified in going. We must now try to come to some conclusion concerning their present activities. If our ideas as to their natures are even approximately correct, they are waiting, proba

my idea now is to wait until they relax a trifle, and then slip a fast one over on them. One more bubble out of the old think-tank and I'll let you off for the day. At what time

or instant use. After this period of vigilance, regular ship's routine would be resumed. Half the force, probably, would go off duty-for, if they are even remotely like any organic beings with which we are familiar, they require sleep or its equivalent at intervals. The men on duty-the normal force, that is-would be doubly careful for a time. Then habit will assert itself, if we have done nothing to create suspicion, and their watchfulness will relax to the point of ordinary careful observation. Towa

ks. You've probably saved the lives of the party

w could you?" Do