<h2><SPAN name="CHAPTER_5" id="CHAPTER_5">CHAPTER 5</SPAN></h2>
<p>"I'm pointing for Alpha Centauri," said Paul. "And so that's what we
calculate for."</p>
<p>Nora looked at the bays of neat equipment and shook her head. "Why not
aim at it and run?" she asked. "Surely you do not need this billion
dollars' worth of stuff to point out your destination."</p>
<p>"We do," objected Paul. "You see, if I took off with my telescope
pointed along the axis of drive with the cross-hairs pointing at Alpha
Centauri, I'd be heading for the star where it was four years ago. I
intend to be on the way for nine days. So I'll want to point the nose
of the ship at the spot where Alpha will be nine days in the future
instead of four years in the past. Since Sol and Alpha drift in space,
the motion and velocities of both systems must be taken into account,
a correction-angle found, and then used to aim my ship. My telescope
will angle away from the ship's axis by that correction-angle. Add
to that the fact that I am taking off from earth, which will give me
some angular velocity and some rotational velocity differing from an
hypothetical take-off from Sol itself. Furthermore, I want Proxima
Centauri instead of Alpha, and that must be taken into consideration
too.</p>
<p>"Then there is the question of velocity and time. We cannot see
when we are exceeding the velocity of light. We must run at so many
light-velocities for so many seconds. A minor error in timing or
velocity will create a rather gross error in position at the end of the
run."</p>
<p>"Oh," said Nora, but her tone indicated a lack of comprehension.</p>
<p>Paul smiled. "One second of error at one light-velocity equals a
hundred and eighty-six thousand miles of error. One second of error at
a hundred times the velocity of light equals eighteen millions of miles
error. Not much as cosmic distance goes, but a long way to walk."</p>
<p>Nora understood that, and said so.</p>
<p>Grayson's data had been handed to him by Haedaecker. But apparently the
long-range calculations that had been temporarily halted were still
halted, for the operator was taking this opportunity of feeding some
future flight-constant information to the big machine.</p>
<p>It was not a complex calculation as some computations may go, but
there were a myriad of factors. Terran latitude and longitude, the
instant of take-off as applied to the day and the year, an averaging
of previous dispersion-factors noted from previous trips, velocities,
vector angles, momentum, and others, all obtained from tables and
entered in the machine before the start lever was pulled. The machine
mulled the information over, tossed electrons back and forth, chewed
and digested a ream of binary digits, and handed forth a strip of paper
printed with an entire set of coordinates in decimal angles.</p>
<p>Paul showed Nora his folder of data. "The rest," he said, "is up to me."</p>
<p>He led Nora from the computation room, intending to hit the dining room
for coffee. Half-way across the lobby of the administration building he
was hailed by the autocall. He went to the telephone.</p>
<p>It was Stacey.</p>
<p>"I've a couple of things to let you think over," said Stacey.</p>
<p>"So?"</p>
<p>"I've been on the job. I haven't much, but there are a few items you
might mull over."</p>
<p>"Shoot."</p>
<p>"One. Your deceased thief was an ex-convict, escaped from the penal
colony on Antarctica."</p>
<p>"This I've heard."</p>
<p>"Then I suppose you know that the guy was cashiered from the Neoterra
run for smuggling."</p>
<p>"Huh?" blurted Paul.</p>
<p>"An ex-pilot, tossed out on his right ear for conduct hardly becoming a
safecracker and a thief, let alone an officer and a gentleman."</p>
<p>"That I didn't know. How long ago?"</p>
<p>"Five years, almost."</p>
<p>It was not quite the ten that Nora had claimed.</p>
<p>"Well, that makes it—"</p>
<p>"That ain't all," came Stacey's voice. "The weapons carried by the
Spaceport guards are regulation Police Positives. Our erstwhile felon
was shot once, right between the eyes, with a forty-five, which
according to all of the expert opinion, came from an automatic at a
distance of three feet, plus or minus six inches. Know what that means?"</p>
<p>"I'm just digesting the information now. You tell me."</p>
<p>"It means that the ex-crook was killed by a party or parties unknown,
someone other than one of the guards. Furthermore, he was facing his
executioner, not taking it on the lam. How do you make that?"</p>
<p>"It doesn't make good sense."</p>
<p>"Sure it does. It keystones nicely. Men of that calibre are often
chilled because they fumble a job and the mainspring doesn't enjoy
the prospect of having a fumbler running around with information
that might lead to the capture, arrest, conviction, and/or demise of
aforementioned mainspring. They made one error. They should have used a
thirty-eight revolver instead of a forty-five automatic. The forty-five
is a gangster's weapon. And they should have drilled their ex-companion
from behind between the scapulae to make it look as though the guards
were better shots than they really are."</p>
<p>"That's food for thought," said Paul.</p>
<p>"That isn't all," said Stacey. "Here's one more bit of information that
may be either juicy or full of sawdust depending upon how you taste it.
Your girl friend, Nora Phillips was born and raised on Neoterra."</p>
<p>"You're certain of that?"</p>
<p>"So the Bureau of Vital Statistics claims."</p>
<p>"But how—?"</p>
<p>"Negative evidence, my fine scientist. Negative evidence. I offer you
two alternatives. Either she was born on Neoterra, or she is employing
an alias, pseudonym, or nom de jour." Stacey's French lacked a certain
vocabulary, but it was none the less to the point. "She is certainly
not born Nora Phillips of Terra. I'll let you pick your choice. But
enough of that. A couple of hours ago she received a telephone call.
Nice position she must have. She chinned for about three minutes and
then leaped to her feet and took off like jet propelled. Didn't bother
to say anything to the management of the joint at all. Then—"</p>
<p>"Where does she work?" asked Paul.</p>
<p>"Timothy, McBride, and Webster, Attorneys-at-Law. We couldn't tap their
telephone, but we had a lip-reader peering at her through a telescope
from a room in the building opposite hers."</p>
<p>"What did he catch?"</p>
<p>"Nothing, she just listened, and then took off. And can that dame
drive! If we didn't have an idea of where she was going after the first
few minutes, my man would have lost her for certain. She with you now?"</p>
<p>"Uh-huh."</p>
<p>Paul thought fast. Just what unearthly reason why people would try to
stop his plans for creating voice-fast communications with Neosol, Paul
could not fathom. Obviously there was one faction working against him.
But how had they—</p>
<p>Paul paled.</p>
<p>Had the criminal hoped to lay Paul low enough to keep him quiet until
the criminal could take off in Paul's place? True identification
would be impossible once the crook were in space. But what could he
accomplish? Certainly—</p>
<p>Suppose the thief that clipped him intended to place Paul in a position
where he could be captured easily. To take Paul's place to perform
certain acts in Paul's name, while Paul was held captive. Then, once
these acts were consummated Paul could be found in the wreck of a
spacecraft or the ruin of a radio beacon on Proxima Centauri I.</p>
<p>But why? Columbus had been kicked around for having screwy ideas, and
the Brothers Wright had been thoroughly laughed-at. But people did not
try to murder characters who had cockeyed ideas. Of course, there was
Galileo, but Galileo had publicized his screwy ideas, whereas Paul
Grayson's theories were known to very few.</p>
<p>But Nora Phillips could not be held as part of that particular mob. It
seemed to Paul that the woman had done a fine job towards keeping Paul
hale, hearty, healthy, and imbued with ideas available only to a man in
the finest of health of mind and body. If Nora belonged to some group
intent on stopping Paul Grayson, she was working against them, too. For
she had done a fine job of smoothing the headache out of his skull with
fingers that acted with experience and practise.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Nora Phillips had behaved as though she wanted Paul
to succeed, and she acted—if this were an act—as though she enjoyed
her work.</p>
<p>So what had really happened last night when Paul Grayson was clipped
unconscious?</p>
<p>Had Nora forestalled them—<i>them</i>?</p>
<p>Nora was quite a woman. Her loveliness was not of the untouchable,
fragile, bandbox variety; perfection that must not be marred by a
misplaced hair or a wrinkle in the frock—or a clue of rouge, printed
offset from her own ripe lips to her own smooth cheek by Paul. Nora
was all-desirable woman, and neither complete dishabille nor minor
imperfection would mar her appeal. Paul recalled the lithe slenderness
of her body. Her sculptured arms were molded with the smooth, well
balanced muscle of fine tonus. Her waist was slender but not too soft—</p>
<p>"Hey! Are you there?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, Stacey. I was thinking."</p>
<p>"Don't think so hard."</p>
<p>"Look, Stacey. Can you tell me whether the man who clipped me turned up
with scratches on his face?"</p>
<p>"I don't know. Why?"</p>
<p>"Just a loose end."</p>
<p>"I might be able to find out."</p>
<p>"Take a swing at it; but it's not too important."</p>
<p>"Okay, Paul. Have I given you something to think about?"</p>
<p>"More than," said Paul soberly. He hung up, turned, and saw the guard
of the previous evening standing near by, about to go on duty. Paul
went over and asked: "Hi!"</p>
<p>"Hello. Say, I'm sorry about last night—"</p>
<p>"Forget it, you were doing your duty. But can you tell me: Did the guy
who used my identification last night have any scratches on his face?"</p>
<p>The guard frowned in thought. "All he had was some well-applied
make-up, and a fine job it was, too. He looked me right in the eye."</p>
<p>"No marks?"</p>
<p>"Not a trace."</p>
<p>Paul smiled and went back to Nora, thinking furiously. Something must
have interfered with their little plan. He looked at Nora, lissome,
lovely, as lithe as a tiger. All desirable—</p>
<p>But maybe it might be a good idea for him to learn her desires, to
ascertain her limit before he took any liberties with her beautiful
white body. Intelligent women did not scream or faint these days, nor
did they rake their attacker with fingernails. They employed Judo.</p>
<p>Now, if Nora Phillips knew Judo, it was plausible that the erstwhile
footpad instead of finding an inert victim and an hysterical woman,
discovered that the woman was capable of defending her outraged
dignity, revenging their cowardly attack, and thwarting any further
plans the criminal held for them both. It would explain in part why the
criminal's little idea did not culminate as expected.</p>
<p>If Nora Phillips knew Judo.</p>
<p>Paul smiled faintly. He had not changed his mind about Nora Phillips;
she was still the type of woman that would react unfavorably to any
crude attempt at approach.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether her interest in him were an act, swift passion,
or the awakening of tender love, Paul knew that she would not employ
the punishing Judo holds upon him, if she knew Judo. On the other hand,
Paul believed that instinct might react faster than intellect, and that
her first instinctive move would give her away.</p>
<p>So Paul took her hand as he came close to her. He drew her forward, his
free arm gliding towards her waist and around it.</p>
<p>Nora's free hand moved forward, upward, touched his cheek, and then
went on around his neck. The hand that he held came free and joined the
other. She was warm and supple in his arms and her lips were soft and
clinging.</p>
<p>It was a satisfying emotional experience. Intellectually it proved
nothing that had not been empirical knowledge for a couple of millions
of years.</p>
<p>Paul would never learn whether Nora knew Judo by that method. He
abandoned his primary intrigue for the moment and indulged in one of
his favorite indoor sports.</p>
<p>Then she moved back a bit, and Paul's hands slipped to either side of
her waist. "I could learn to like this sort of thing," he said.</p>
<p>Nora looked up into his eyes. Her own eyes were a trifle dreamy, but a
trace of smile lurked in the deep corners of her mouth. "But how do I
know you'll be true to me?" she asked him in a voice that sounded like
pure soap opera. "In space—"</p>
<p>"I've a dame in every port," he told her. "I'm true to 'em all."</p>
<p>"But why so many?" chuckled Nora.</p>
<p>"Variety." Paul let go of Nora's waist and she stepped back a bit. He
turned around and started leading her the rest of the way towards the
coffee shop. "I've a couple of hours left," he said. "I'd prefer to
soak up some dinner in candlelight, with music, et al. But Ptomaine
Joe's is handy. I've hit so many snags so far that I'm inclined to find
me an advantage and then sit on it until I'm safe in space."</p>
<p>Nora shuddered a bit. "Safe in space," she said softly. "That's a
strange thing to say."</p>
<p>"Why?" he asked.</p>
<p>"So far out there, away from the friendly earth; nothing solid to stand
upon, nothing to—"</p>
<p>Paul laughed. "No footpads to raise lumps on the skull, no taxicabs to
dodge, no—"</p>
<p>"No women to kiss?"</p>
<p>"You've convinced me! But I'm baffled by you. What kind of job do you
hold?"</p>
<p>"Why?"</p>
<p>"It isn't everybody that can pick up and leave their work for an idle
afternoon."</p>
<p>"Oh," and her laugh was genuine. "I'm librarian for a large office of
lawyers. I can get away because of polite confusion. No matter who
misses me, he assumes that I am looking up a batch of stuff for one of
the others. There are so many of them that they couldn't possibly get
their heads together close enough to check up. Actually I'm doing just
that often enough so that I can play hookey once in a while and not get
caught."</p>
<p>Paul laughed with Nora. He felt at ease with her and her presence made
him forget all of the niggling little questions that bothered him. Time
passed swiftly enough to surprise them both when the announcer called
the time and number of Paul's spaceflight.</p>
<p>"This is it," he said ruefully.</p>
<p>"So it is," she agreed. "There's another day."</p>
<p>"I'll call for it when I get back."</p>
<p>"Do that," she said. It was not a tone of command. It was more a tone
of absolute agreement. It pleased him.</p>
<p>"Raging Vegan Gorgons couldn't stop me," he chuckled. He reached for
her and she went into his arms forward for a good-bye kiss. Paul made
the most of it; gave it all he knew how to give, and for his efforts he
received a pleasant promise for the future in return.</p>
<p>Nora leaned back in his arms, took his hands from around her waist, and
turned him to face the spaceport door.</p>
<p>"It's that way," she said in a throaty voice. She gave him a gentle
shove. He went through the door and out upon the spacefield, walking
across the sandy floor towards the spacecraft numbered BurAst P.G.1.</p>
<p>Actually, the spacecraft was quite close to the shape of a hen's egg.
It stood upon its smaller end, supported by four heavy vanes that held
the drivers. Above them, the bulge of the hull swelled out in the
gentle curve, and about the place where the soft-boiled-egg gourmet
cuts the top off of his breakfast food, the hard metal stopped and the
upper curving dome of the spacecraft was made of window. Not a clear
expanse of glass, but more like the greenhouse roof. Small facets set
between rigid girders in a neat and efficient pattern. The girders were
reasonably heavy, because each one held shutter flaps that would snap
closed if the pane of glass beside it became pierced because of contact
with cosmic detritus.</p>
<p>At the very top of this dome the glass was a smooth sheet, polished
and unbroken. This section, a full ten feet in diameter, was optically
perfect. For through this dome of glass the spacecraft was aimed.</p>
<p>If the stars actually were where they looked to be to the eye, there
would have been something less of a problem. A set of precision
cross-hairs set along the axis of ship's drive could be used as a
line-of-sight aiming point. Like a ship near the shore, the bow could
be aimed at the pier, the power set, and then the rest would take care
of itself.</p>
<p>But stars move in their heavenly way. A poor ten to fifty miles per
second can become a rather awesome gulf after four years. Alpha
Centauri is a little more than four light years away. That means that
the star as seen by the naked eye will be quite some distance from
where it really is. Students of trigonometry will understand; a second
of arc will subtend a cosmic sine at the end of four light years.</p>
<p>To help the pilot, the spotter was used. The spotter was a tender
spacecraft that roamed the solar system far out from Sol. Two light
hours away it was. When one of the star ships was scheduled to fly,
the elecalc would compute the course and the big telescopes would
direct the spotter spacecraft via the Z-wave until the distant ship was
directly in the line of aim between Terra and the calculated spot in
the heavens where the distant star would be at the end of the ship's
flying time. Once the spotter was properly located, two hours before
the take-off time the spotter would emit an atomic spotlight for a half
hour.</p>
<p>Two hours later the light from this immense searchlight would arrive at
Terra to provide an aiming point for the space pilot. The ship could
take off on this line of sight, aiming for it directly. Of course, by
the time the space travelling ship reached the spot, the spotter craft
would have moved aside; the light would have ceased, and the star ship
was heading for deep space with nothing to impede its course.</p>
<p>Paul was handicapped. The spotter was not available. Lacking the
spotter to use as a point of aim, Paul was forced to choose the aiming
telescope in the dome instead of the more precise cross-hairs on the
optical-glass. This added to the error, and to add once more to that
error was the fact that spacecraft in flight tend to revolve along
their driving axis so that the angle between the true line of flight
and the aiming point changed in angle. Paul would have to use Alpha
Centauri itself as a point-of-aim. The correction-angle was supplied by
the observatory, and applied to the aiming telescope in the dome.</p>
<p>A lot of minute errors that added up to a gross at the end of flight.
Basically, the job of the galactic survey would remove one of the
errors: That of the crude measurement of distance between the stars
themselves.</p>
<p>Paul was a good pilot. He cut the aiming-star close and watched it in
the 'scope until it disappeared. He was now in that blackness that
surrounded every ship during the faster-than-light speed. He was on
his way. Nothing to do for two weeks but wait for the course to end.
Nothing to do but to sit and think, and plan, and dream. To think of
Haedaecker and the Z-wave; to plan for the future when his discoveries
brought him fame and fortune; to dream of Nora Phillips.</p>
<p>Paul began to hum, and after a moment or two the humming broke out into
a full-throated, but dubious baritone:</p>
<div class="poetry">
<div class="stanza">
<div class="verse">"<i>Round and round and round go the deuterons</i></div>
<div class="verse"><i>Round and round the magnet swings 'em</i></div>
<div class="verse"><i>Round and round and round go the deuterons</i></div>
<div class="verse"><i>SMACK! in the target go the microamps!</i>"</div>
</div></div>
<hr class="chap" />
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