The Black Star Passes John W. Campbell (good novels to read in english TXT) š
- Author: John W. Campbell
Book online Ā«The Black Star Passes John W. Campbell (good novels to read in english TXT) šĀ». Author John W. Campbell
āArcot,ā said Morey, senior, after the pressmen had left the room, āas president of this company I certainly want to thank you for the tremendous thing you have given us to use. You have āsoldā us this machineā ābut how can we repay you? Before this, time and time again, you have sold us your inventions, the ideas that have made it possible for Transcontinental to attain its present high position in world transportation. All you have ever accepted is the laboratory you use, its upkeep, and a small annual income. What can we do to show our appreciation this time?ā
āWhy,ā answered Arcot smiling, āyou havenāt stated the terms correctly. Actually, I have a fully equipped lab to putter around in, all the time I want for my own amusement, and all the money I want. What more could I ask?ā
āI suppose thatās all trueā ābut you draw only about six thousand a year for personal expensesā āa good clerk could get thatā āand you, admittedly the most brilliant physicist of the Earth, are satisfied! I donāt feel weāre paying you properly!ā
Arcotās expression became suddenly serious. āYou can repay me this time,ā he said, āfor this latest discovery has made a new thing possible. Iāve always wanted to be able to visit other planetsā āas has many a scientist for the last three centuries. This machine has made it possible. If you are willingā āwe could start by the spring of 2117. Iām quite serious about this. With your permission, I want to start work on the first interplanetary ship. Iāll need Fullerās help, of course. The proposition will be expensive, and thatās where I must ask you to help me. I think, however, that it may be a paying proposition, at that, for there will certainly be something of commercial value on the other planets.ā
They had walked out to the shed where Arcotās private molecular motion car stood, the first machine ever built that used the heat of the sun to drive it. Thoughtfully the president of the great Transcontinental Lines looked at it. It was small compared with the great machine that had just brought them east, but of the same swift type. It was a thing of graceful beauty even on the ground, its long curving streamlines giving it wonderful symmetry. They stood in thoughtful silence for a minuteā āthe young men eager to hear the verdict of their prospective backer. Morey, always rather slow of speech, took an unusually long time to answer.
āIf it were only money you asked for, Arcot, Iād gladly give you double the sum, but that isnāt the case. I know perfectly well that if you do go, my son will go with you, and Fuller and Wade will naturally go too.ā He looked at each in turn. āEach of you has come to mean a lot to me. You and Fuller have known Bob since college days. Iāve known Wade only three months, but every day I grow to like him more. Thereās no denying the fact that any such trip is a terrifically dangerous proposition. But if you were lost, there would be more than my personal loss. We would lose some of the most brilliant men on Earth. You, for instance, are conceded as being the worldās most brilliant physicist; Fuller is one of the greatest designing engineers; Wade is rapidly rising into prominence as a chemist and as a physicist; and my son is certainly a good mathematician.ā
He paused, frowning, weighing the situation. āBut you men should know how to get out of scrapes just that much better. Certainly there are few men on Earth who would not be willing to back such a group of menā āor any one of you, for that matter! Iāll back your trip!ā His words became more facetious. āI know that Arcot and you, Bob, can handle a gun fairly well, I donāt know so much about Wade and Fuller. What experience have you two had?ā
Fuller shook his head. āI think Iāll fit best in the galley on the trip, Mr. Morey. Iāve done the cooking on a number of camping trips, and food is an important factor in the success of any expedition. I can shoot a bit, too.ā
Wade spoke rather hesitantly. āI come from the west, and have had a good bit of fun with a gun in the Rockies; there are still some mountain lions and some deer there, you know. I also have a sneaking acquaintance with the new gun, which Arcot developed in connection with his molecular motion. But there is so little you know about meā āand most of it badā āI donāt see how I really get in on this opportunityā ābut,ā he added hastily, āI certainly donāt intend to keep the old boy knockingā āIām with you, since Iām invited!ā
Arcot smiled. āThen youāll definitely support us?ā
āYes, I will,ā replied Morey, senior, seriously, āfor I think itās worth doing.ā
The four young men climbed into the ship, to start for their apartment. Arcot was piloting, and under his sure touch the ship sped out into the cold night air, then up through the atmosphere, till they hung poised at a height of fifty miles on the upper edge of the airy blanket. They looked out in silent thought at the magnificent blazing stars of space. Here, where the dust-laden air could no longer mask their true colors, the stars shone unwinkingly, steadily, and in a glory that earthbound men had never seen before. They shone in a wonderous riot of color, as varied and as beautiful as the display of colored floodlights in some great city. They were tiny pinpoints of radiance, red, green, orange, and yellow, shining with intense brilliance.
Slowly Arcot let the machine settle to the blazing city miles below.
āI love to come out here and look at those cold, pinpoint lights; they seem to draw meā āthe lure of other worlds. Iāve always had a sense of unfulfilled longingā āthe desire to go out thereā āand itās always been so hopeless.
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