The Black Star Passes

by Jr. John W. Campbell

  III

  Early the next morning Fuller moved his equipment over to the laboratoryand set up his table for work. There Arcot and Morey joined him, and thedesigning of the new machine was started.

  "First, let's get some idea of the most advisable shape," Fuller beganmethodically. "We'll want it streamlined, of course; roughly speaking, acylinder modified to fit the special uses to which it will be put. Butyou probably have a general plan in mind, Arcot. Suppose you sketch itfor us."

  The big physicist frowned thoughtfully. "Well, we don't know much aboutthis yet, so we'll have to work it out. You'll have plenty of funfiguring out strains in this machine, so let's be safe and use a factorof safety of five. Let's see what we'll need.

  "In the first place, our machine must be proof against the Pirate's gas,for we won't be riding a beam with instruments to guide us safely, if wepass out. I've thought that over, and I think that the best system isjust what we used in the sample bottles--a vacuum. His gas is stopped bynothing, so to speak, but there is no substance that will stop it! Itwill no doubt penetrate the outer shell, but on reaching the vacuum, itwill tend to stay there, between the inner and outer walls. Here it willcollect, since it will be fighting air pressure in going either in orout. The pressure inside will force it back, and the pressure outsidewill force it in. If we did not pump it out, it would soon build uppressure enough to penetrate the interior wall. Now, since the stuff canleak through any material, what kind of a pump shall we use? It won't bepushed by a piston, for it will leak through either the cylinder wallsor the piston. A centrifugal pump would be equally ineffective. Amercury vapor pump will take it out, of course, and keep a high vacuum,but we'd never make any progress.

  "Our new machine gives us the answer. With it we can just have a numberof openings in the wall of the outer shell, and set in them one of thesemolecular motion directors, and direct the molecules into the outsideair. They can't come in through it, and they will go out!"

  "But," Morey objected, "the vacuum that keeps out the gas will also keepout heat, as well! Since our generator is to run on heat energy, it willbe rather chilly inside if we don't remedy that. Of course, our powerunits could be placed outside, where the blast of air will warm them,but we really won't have a very good streamline effect if we hang a bigelectric generator outside."

  "I've thought of that too," Arcot answered. "The solution is obvious--ifwe can't bring the generator to the air, we must bring the air to it."He began sketching rapidly on the pad before him, "We'll have all thepower equipment in this room here in the back, and the control room upin front, here. The relays for controlling will be back here, so we cancontrol electrically the operation of the power equipment from our warm,gas-tight room. If it gets too warm in there, we can cool it by using alittle of the heat to help accelerate the ship. If it is too cold, wecan turn on an electric heater run by the generator. The air for thegenerator can come in through a small sort of scoop on top, and leavethrough a small opening in the rear. The vacuum at the tail will assureus a very rapid circulation, even if the centrifugal pump action of theenclosed generator isn't enough."

  His thoughts began moving more rapidly than his words. "We'll want thegenerator greatly over power to run tests over a greater range. Won'tneed more than one hundred kilowatts altogether, but should installabout a thousand--A.C., of course. Batteries in the keel for startingthe generator.... Self-supporting when it's rolling....

  "But let's set down some actual figures on this."

  For the rest of the day the three men were working on the general planof the new ship, calculating the strengths needed, supplementingmathematics with actual experiments with the machines on hand. Thecalculating machines were busy continuously, for there were few rulesthat experience could give them. They were developing something entirelynew, and though they were a designing staff of three of the foremostmathematicians in the world, it was a problem that tested theiringenuity to the utmost.

  By the evening of the first day, however, they had been able to give thefinished designs for the power units to the mechanics who were to makethem. The order for the storage battery and the standard electricalequipment had been placed at once. By the time they had completed thedrawings for the mail casting, the materials were already beingassembled in a little private camp that Morey owned, up in the hills ofVermont. The giant freight helicopters could land readily in the widefield that had been cleared on the small plateau, in the center of whichnestled a little blue lake and a winding trout brook.

  The mechanics and electrical engineers had been sent up therealready--officially on vacation. The entire program could be carried outwithout attracting the least attention, for such orders from the greatTranscontinental lines were so frequent that no importance was attachedto them.

  Four days after the final plans had been completed the last of thesupplies were being assembled in the portable metal shed that was tohouse the completed machine. The shining tungsto-steel alloy framemembers were rapidly being welded in place by cathode ray weldingtorches in the hands of skilled artisans.

  Already at the other end of the shop the generator had been arranged foruse with the molecular motion power units. The many power units to driveand support the ship were finished and awaiting installation as the crewquit work on the fourth evening. They would be installed on the frame inthe morning, and the generator would be hoisted into place with thesmall portable crane. The storage batteries were connected, and in placein the hull. The great fused quartz windows rested in their cases alongone wall, awaiting the complete application of the steel alloy plates.They were to be over an inch thick, an unnecessary thickness, perhaps,but they had no need to economize weight, as witnessed by their choiceof steel instead of light metal alloys throughout the construction.

  The three men had arrived late that afternoon in a small helicopter, andhad gone directly to the shops to see what progress had been made. Theyhad been forced to remain in New York to superintend the shipment of thenecessary supplies to the camp site, and since no trouble wasanticipated in the making of the steel framework, they had not felt itnecessary to come. But now they would be needed to superintend the moredelicate work.

  "She's shaping up nicely, isn't she?" Arcot gazed at the rapidlyrounding frame with a critical eye. Unhindered as they were by thetraditional shapes, by wings or other protuberances, they had been ableto design a machine of striking beauty. The ship was to retain itsnatural metallic sheen, the only protection being a coat of "passivitypaint"--a liquid chemical that could be brushed or sprayed on iron,chromium, nickel or cobalt alloys, rendering them passive to practicallyall chemical agents. The new "paint" left the iron or steel asbrilliantly glossy as ever, but overcast with a beautiful iridescence,and immune to the most powerful reagents.

  The three men walked around the rapidly growing hull, and looked withexcited interest at the heavy welded joints and the great beams. Theship seemed capable of withstanding a fall of several hundred feet withlittle damage. The location of the power units was plainly visible andeasily recognized, for at each point there came together four or fivegreat beams, welded into one great mass of tough metal, and in it therewere set heavy tungsten bolts that would hold the units in place.

  They inspected each joint minutely for signs of flaws, using a smallportable X-ray fluoroscope to see the interior of the metal. Each jointseemed perfect. They retired, satisfied that everything was ready forthe work of the next day.

  The morning began early with a long swim in the lake, and a heartybreakfast of country cured ham and eggs. Then the work on the greatframework was continued, and that day saw the power units bolted inplace, removable if change was thought advisable. Each power unit wasequipped with long streamlined copper fins lying close to the roundedhull, that they might absorb heat more rapidly.

  Day by day the structure drew nearer completion, and, with the largecrew of highly skilled workers, the craft was practically completewithin a week. Only the instruments remained to be installed. Then atlast even
these had been put in place, and with the aid of Fuller, Moreyjunior, and his own father, Arcot had connected their many complicatedcircuits.

  "Son," remarked Arcot senior, looking critically at the greatswitchboard, with its maze of connections, its many rheostats andcontrols, and its heavy bus bar connectors behind it, "no one man cankeep an eye on all those instruments. I certainly hope you have agood-sized crew to operate your controls! We've spent two days gettingall those circuits together, and I'll admit that some of them still haveme beat. I don't see how you intend to watch all those instruments, andat the same time have any idea what's going on outside."

  "Oh," laughed Arcot junior, "these aren't intended for constantwatching. They're merely helps in a lot of tests I want to make. I wantto use this as a flying laboratory so I can determine the necessarypowers and the lowest factor of safety to use in building othermachines. The machine is very nearly completed now. All we need is theseats--they are to be special air-inflated gyroscopically controlledseats, to make it impossible for a sudden twist of the ship to put thestrain in the wrong direction. Of course the main gyroscopes willbalance the ship laterally, horizontally, and vertically, but each chairwill have a separate gyroscopic mounting for safety."

  "When do you expect to start after the Pirate?" Fuller asked.

  "I plan to practice the manipulation of the machine for at least fourdays," Arcot replied, "before I try to chase the Pirate. I'd ordinarilyrecommend the greatest haste, but the man has stolen close to tenmillion already, and he's still at it. That would not be done by anyonein his right mind. I suppose you've heard, the War Department considershis new gas so important that they've obtained a pardon for him oncondition they be permitted to have the secret of it. They demand thereturn of the money, and I have no doubt he has it. I am firmlyconvinced that he is a kleptomaniac. I doubt greatly if he will stoptaking money before he is caught. Therefore it will be safe to waituntil we can be sure of our ability to operate the machine smoothly. Anyother course would be suicidal. Also, I am having some of thosetool-makers make up a special type of molecular motion machine for useas a machine gun. The bullets are steel, about three inches long, and asthick as my thumb. They will be perfectly streamlined, except for alittle stabilizer at the tail, to guide 'em. They won't spin as a riflebullet does, and so there will be no gyroscopic effect to hold them noseon, but the streamlining and the stabilizer will keep them on theircourse. I expect them to be able to zip right through many inches ofarmour plate, since they will have a velocity of over four miles asecond.

  "They'll be fed in at the rate of about two hundred a minute--faster ifI wish, and started by a small spring. They will instantly come into thefield of a powerful molecular motion director, and will be shot outwith terrific speed. It will be the first rifle ever made that couldshoot bullets absolutely parallel to the ground.

  "But that is all we can do today. The guns will be mounted outside, andcontrolled electrically, and the charts will be installed tomorrow. Bythe day after tomorrow at eight A.M. I plan to take off!"

  The work the next day was rushed to completion far earlier than Arcothad dared to hope. All the men had been kept isolated at the farm, lestthey accidentally spread the news of the new machine. It was withexcited interest that they helped the machine to completion. The gunshad not been mounted as yet, but that could wait. Mid-afternoon foundthe machine resting in the great construction shed, completely equippedand ready to fly!

  "Dick," said Morey as he strode up to him after testing the last of thegyroscopic seats, "she's ready! I certainly want to get her going--it'sonly three-thirty, and we can go around to the sunlight part of theworld when it gets dark at the speeds we can travel. Let's test hernow!"

  "I'm just as anxious to start as you are, Bob. I've sent for a U.S. AirInspector. As soon as he comes we can start. I'll have to put an 'X'license indication on her now. He'll go with us to test it--I hope.There will be room for three other people aboard, and I think you andDad and I will be the logical passengers."

  He pointed excitedly. "Look, there's a government helicopter coming.Tell the men to get the blocks from under her and tow her out. Two powertrucks should do it. Get her at least ten feet beyond the end of thehangar. We'll start straight up, and climb to at least a five mileheight, where we can make mistakes safely. While you're tending to that,I'll see if I can induce the Air Inspector to take a trip with us."

  Half an hour later the machine had been rolled entirely out of the shed,on the new concrete runway.

  The great craft was a thing of beauty shimmering in the bright sunlightThe four men who were to ride in it on its maiden voyage stood off toone side gazing at the great gleaming metal hull. The long sweepinglines of the sides told a story of perfect streamlining, and impliedhigh speed, even at rest. The bright, slightly iridescent steel hullshone in silvery contrast to the gleaming copper of the power units'heat-absorption fins. The great clear windows in the nose and the low,streamlined air intake for the generator seemed only to accentuate thegraceful lines of the machine.

  "Lord, she's a beauty, isn't she, Dick!" exclaimed Morey, a broad smileof pleasure on his face.

  "Well, she did shape up nicely on paper, too, didn't she. Oh, Fuller,congratulations on your masterpiece. It's even better looking than wethought, now the copper has added color to it. Doesn't she look fast? Iwish we didn't need physicists so badly on this trip, so you could go onthe first ride with us."

  "Oh, that's all right, Dick, I know the number of instruments in there,and I realize they will mean a lot of work this trip. I wish you allluck. The honor of having designed the first ship like that, the firstheavier-than-air ship that ever flew without wings, jets, or props--thatis something to remember. And I think it's one of the most beautifulthat ever flew, too."

  "Well, Dick," said his father quietly, "let's get under way. It shouldfly--but we don't really know that it will!"

  The four men entered the ship and strapped themselves in the gyroscopicseats. One by one they reported ready.

  "Captain Mason," Arcot explained to the Air Inspector, "these seats mayseem to be a bit more active than one generally expects a seat to be,but in this experimental machine, I have provided all the safety devicesI could think of. The ship itself won't fall, of that I am sure, but thepower is so great it might well prove fatal to us if we are not in aposition to resist the forces. You know all too well the effect of sharpturns at high speed and the results of the centrifugal force. Thismachine can develop such tremendous power that I have to make provisionfor it.

  "You notice that my controls and the instruments are mounted on the armof the chair really; that permits me to maintain complete control of theship at all times, and still permits my chair to remain perpendicular tothe forces. The gyroscopes in the base here cause the entire chair toremain stable if the ship rolls, but the chair can continue to revolveabout this bearing here so that we will not be forced out of our seats.I'm confident that you'll find the machine safe enough for a license.Shall we start?"

  "All right, Dr. Arcot," replied the Air Inspector. "If you and yourfather are willing to try it, I am."

  "Ready, Engineer?" asked Arcot.

  "Ready, Pilot!" replied Morey.

  "All right--just keep your eye on the meters, Dad, as I turn on thesystem. If the instruments back there don't take care of everything, andyou see one flash over the red mark--yank open the main circuit. I'llcall out what to watch as I turn them on."

  "Ready son."

  "Main gyroscopes!" There was a low snap, a clicking of relays in therear compartment, and then a low hum that quickly ran up the scale."Main generators!" Again the clicking switch, and the relays thuddinginto action, again the rising hum. "Seat-gyroscopes." The low click wassucceeded by a quick shrilling sound that rose in moments above therange of hearing as the separate seat-gyroscopes took up their work."Main power tube bank!" The low hum of the generator changed to amomentary roar as the relays threw on full load. In a moment theautomatic controls had brought it up to speed.
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  "Everything is working perfectly so far. Are we ready to start now,son?"

  "Main vertical power units!" The great ship trembled throughout itslength as the lift of the power units started. A special instrument hadbeen set up on the floor beside Arcot, that he might be able to judgethe lift of his power units; it registered the apparent weight of theship. It had read two hundred tons. Now all eyes were fixed on it, asthe pointer dropped quickly to 150-100-75-50-40-20-10--there was aclick and the instrument flopped back to 300--it was registering inpounds now! Then the needle moved to zero, and the mighty structurefloated into the air, slowly moving down the field as a breeze carriedit along the ground.

  The men outside saw it rise swiftly into the sky, straight toward theblue vault of heaven. In two or three minutes it was disappearing. Theglistening ship shrank to a tiny point of light; then it was gone! Itmust have been rising at fully three hundred miles an hour!

  To the men in the car there had been a tremendous increase in weightthat had forced them into the air cushions like leaden masses. Then theground fell away with a speed that made them look in amazement. Thehouse, the construction shed, the lake, all seemed contracting beneaththem. So quickly were they rising that they had not time to adjust theirmental attitude. To them all the world seemed shrinking about them.

  Now they were at a tremendous height; over twenty miles they had riseninto the atmosphere; the air about them was so thin that the sky seemedblack, the stars blazed out in cold, unwinking glory, while the greatfires of the sun seemed reaching out into space like mighty arms seekingto draw back to the parent body the masses of the wheeling planets.About it, in far flung streamers of cold fire shone the mighty zodiacallight, an Aurora on a titanic scale. For a moment they hung there, whilethey made readings of the meters.

  Arcot was the first to speak and there was awe in his voice. "I neverbegan to let out the power of this thing! What a ship! When these aremade commercially, we'll have to use about one horsepower generators inthem, or people will kill themselves trying to see how fast they cango."

  Methodically the machine was tried out at this height, testing varioussettings of the instruments. It was definitely proven that the valuesthat Arcot and Morey had assigned from purely theoretical calculationswere correct to within one-tenth of one percent. The power absorbed bythe machine they knew and had calculated, but the terrific power of thedriving units was far beyond their expectations.

  "Well, now we're off for some horizontal maneuvers," Arcot announced."I'm sure we agree the machine can climb and can hold itself in the air.The air pressure controls seem to be working perfectly. Now we'll testher speed."

  Suddenly the seats swung beneath them; then as the ship shot forwardwith ever greater speed, ever greater acceleration, it seemed that itturned and headed upward, although they knew that the main stabilizinggyroscopes were holding it level. In a moment the ship was headed outover the Atlantic at a speed no rifle bullet had ever known. The radiospeedometer needle pushed farther and farther over as the speedincreased to unheard of values. Before they left the North Americanshoreline they were traveling faster than a mile a second. They were inthe middle of the Atlantic before Arcot gradually shut off theacceleration, letting the seats drop back into position.

  A hubbub of excited comments rose from the four men. Momentarily, withthe full realization of the historical importance of this flight, no onepaid any attention to anyone else. Finally a question of the AirInspector reached Arcot's ears.

  "What speed did we attain, Dr. Arcot? Look--there's the coast of Europe!How fast are we going now?"

  "We were traveling at the rate of three miles a second at the peak."Arcot answered. "Now it has fallen to two and a half."

  Again Arcot turned his attention to his controls. "I'm going to try tosee what the ultimate ceiling of this machine is. It must have aceiling, since it depends on the operation of the generator to operatethe power-units. This, in turn, depends on the heat of the air, helpedsomewhat by the sun's rays. Up we go!"

  The ship was put into a vertical climb, and steadily the great machinerose. Soon, however, the generator began to slow down. The readings ofthe instruments were dropping rapidly. The temperature of theexceedingly tenuous air outside was so close to absolute zero that itprovided very little energy.

  "Get up some forward speed," Morey suggested, "so that you'll have theaid of the air scoop to force the air in faster."

  "Right, Morey." Arcot slowly applied the power to the forward propulsionunits. As they took hold, the ship began to move forward. The increasein power was apparent at once. The machine started rising again. But atlast, at a height of fifty-one miles, her ceiling had been reached.

  The cold of the cabin became unbearable, for every kilowatt of powerthat the generator could get from the air outside was needed to run thepower units. The air, too, became foul and heavy, for the pumps couldnot replace it with a fresh supply from the near-vacuum outside. Oxygentanks had not been carried on this trip. As the power of the generatorwas being used to warm the cabin once more, they began to fall. Thoughthe machine was held stable by the gyroscopes, she was dropping freely;but they had fifty miles to fall, and as the resistance of the denserair mounted, they could begin to feel the sense of weight return.

  "You've passed, but for the maneuvers, Dr. Arcot!" The Air Inspector wasdecidedly impressed. "The required altitude was passed so long ago--whywe are still some miles above it, I guess! How fast are we falling?"

  "I can't tell unless I point the nose of the ship down, for theapparatus works only in the direction in which the ship is pointed. Holdon, everyone, I am going to start using some power to stop us."

  It was night when they returned to the little field in Vermont. They hadestablished a new record in every form of aeronautical achievementexcept endurance! The altitude record, the speed record, the speed ofclimb, the acceleration record--all that Arcot could think of had beenpassed. Now the ship was coming to dock for the night. In the morning itwould be out again. But now Arcot was sufficiently expert with thecontrols to maneuver the ship safely on the ground. They finally solvedthe wind difficulty by decreasing the weight of the ship to about fiftypounds, thus enabling the three men to carry it into the hanger!

  * * * * *

  The next two days were devoted to careful tests of the power factors ofthe machine, the best operating frequency, the most efficient altitudeof operation, and as many other tests as they had time for. Each of thethree younger men took turns operating, but so great were the strains ofthe sudden acceleration, that Arcot senior decided it would be wisestfor him to stay on the ground and watch.

  In the meantime reports of the Pirate became fewer and fewer as less andless money was shipped by air.

  Arcot spent four days practicing the manipulation of the machine, forthough it handled far more readily than any other craft he had evercontrolled, there was always the danger of turning on too much powerunder the stress of sudden excitement.

  The night before, Arcot had sailed the ship down and alighted on theroof of Morey senior's apartment, leaving enough power on to reduce theweight to but ten tons, lest it fall through the roof, while he wentdown to see the President of the Lines about some "bait" for the Pirate.

  "Send some cash along," said Arcot, when he saw Morey senior, "say aquarter of a million. Make it more or less public knowledge, and talk itup so that the Pirate may think there's a real haul on board. I am goingto accompany the plane at a height of about a quarter of a mile above. Iwill try to locate him from there by means of radar, and if I have myapparatus on, I naturally can't locate him. I hope he won't be scaredaway--but I rather believe he won't. At any rate, you won't lose on thetry!"