George Strong snorted at his partnerÆs declaration. ôDelos, why donÆt you give up? YouÆve been singing this tune for years. Maybe someday men will get to the Moon, though I doubt it. In any case, you and I will never live to see it. The loss of the power satellite washes the matter up for our generation.ö
D. D. Harriman grunted. ôWe wonÆt see it if we sit on our fat behinds and donÆt do anything to make it happen. But we can make it happen.ö
ôQuestion number one: how? Question number two: why?ö
ôæWhy?Æ The man asks æwhy.Æ George, isnÆt there anything in your soul but discounts, and dividends? DidnÆt you ever sit with a girl on a soft summer night and stare up at the Moon and wonder what was there?ö
ôYeah, I did once. I caught a cold.ö
Harriman asked the Almighty why he had been delivered into the hands of the Philistines. He then turned back to his partner. ôI could tell you why, the real æwhy,Æ but you wouldnÆt understand me. You want to know why in terms of cash, donÆt you? You want to know how Harriman & Strong and Harriman Enterprises can show a profit, donÆt you?ö
ôYes,ö admitted Strong, ôand donÆt give me any guff about tourist trade and fabulous lunar jewels. IÆve had it.ö
ôYou ask me to show figures on a brand-new type of enterprise, knowing I canÆt. ItÆs like asking the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk to estimate how much money Curtiss-Wright Corporation would someday make out of building airplanes. IÆll put it another way, You didnÆt want us to go into plastic houses, did you? If you had had your way we would still be back in Kansas City, subdividing cow pastures and showing rentals.ö
Strong shrugged.
"How much has New World Homes made to date?ö
Strong looked absent-minded while exercising the talent he brought to the partnership. ôUh . . . $172,946,004.62, after taxes, to the end of the last fiscal year. The running estimate to date isùö
ôNever mind. What was our share in the take?ö
ôWell, uh, the partnership, exclusive of the piece you took personally and then sold to me later, has benefited from New World Homes during the same period by $1 3,010,437.20, ahead of personal taxes. Delos, this double taxation has got to stop. Penalizing thrift is a sure way to run this country straight intoùö
ôForget it, forget it! How much have we made out of Skyblast Freight and Antipodes Transways?ö
Strong told him.
ôAnd yet I had to threaten you with bodily harm to get you to put up a dime to buy control of the injector patent. You said rockets were a passing fad.ö
ôWe were lucky,ö objected Strong. ôYou had no way of knowing that there would be a big uranium strike in Australia. Without it, the Skyways group would have left us in the red. For that matter New World Homes would have failed, too, if the roadtowns hadnÆt come along and given us a market out from under local building codes.ö
ôNuts on both points. Fast transportation will pay; it always has. As for New World, when ten million families need new houses and we can sell æem cheap, theyÆll buy. They wonÆt let building codes stop them, not permanently. We gambled on a certainty. Think back, George: what ventures have we lost money on and what ones have paid off? Everyone of my crack-brain ideas has made money, hasnÆt it? And the only times weÆve lost our ante was on conservative, blue-chip investments.ö
ôBut weÆve made money on some conservative deals, too,ö protested Strong.
ôNot enough to pay for your yacht. Be fair about it, George; the Andes Development Company, the integrating pantograph patent, every one of my wildcat schemes IÆve had to drag you intoùand every one of them paid.ö
ôIÆve had to sweat blood to make them pay,ö Strong grumbled.
ôThatÆs why we are partners. I get a wildcat by the tail; you harness him and put him to work. Now we go to the Moonùand youÆll make it pay.ö
ôSpeak for yourself. IÆm not going to the Moon.ö
ôI am.ö
ôHummph! Delos, granting that we have gotten rich by speculating on your hunches, itÆs a steel-clad fact that if you keep on gambling you lose your shirt. ThereÆs an old saw about the pitcher that went once too often to the well.ö
ôDamn it, GeorgeùIÆm going to the Moon! If you wonÆt back me up, letÆs liquidate and IÆll do it alone.ö
Strong drummed on his desk top. ôNow, Delos, nobody said anything about not backing you up.ö
ôFish or cut bait. Now is the opportunity and my mindÆs made up. IÆm going to be the Man in the Moon.ö
ôWell . . . letÆs get going. WeÆll be late to the meeting.ö
As they left their joint office, Strong, always penny conscious, was careful to switch off the light. Harriman had seen him do so a thousand times; this time he commented. ôGeorge, how about a light switch that turns off automatically when you leave a room?ö
ôHmmùbut suppose someone were left in the room?ö
ôWell. . . hitch it to stay on only when someone was in the roomùkey the switch to the human bodyÆs heat radiation, maybe.ö
ôToo expensive and too complicated.ö
ôNeednÆt be. IÆll turn the idea over to Ferguson to fiddle with. It should be no larger than the present light switch and cheap enough so that the power saved in a year will pay for it.ö
ôHow would it work?ö asked Strong.
ôHow should I know? IÆm no engineer; thatÆs for Ferguson and the other educated laddies.ö
Strong objected, ôItÆs no good commercially. Switching off a light when you leave a room is a matter of temperament. IÆve got it; you havenÆt. If a man hasnÆt got it, you canÆt interest him in such a switch.ö
ôYou can if power continues to be rationed. There is a power shortage now; and there will be a bigger one.ö
ôJust temporary. This meeting will straighten it out.ö
ôGeorge, there is nothing in this world so permanent as a temporary emergency. The switch will sell.ö
Strong took out a notebook and stylus. ôIÆll call Ferguson in about it tomorrow.ö
Harriman forgot the matter, never to think of it again. They had reached the roof; he waved to a taxi, then turned to Strong. ôHow much could we realize if we unloaded our holdings in Roadways and in Belt Transport Corporationùyes, and in New World Homes?ö
ôHuh? Have you gone crazy?ö
ôProbably. But IÆm going to need all the cash you can shake loose for me. Roadways and Belt Transport are no good anyhow; we should have unloaded earlier.ö
ôYou are crazy! ItÆs the one really conservative venture youÆve sponsored.ö
ôBut it wasnÆt conservative when I sponsored it. Believe me, George, roadtowns are on their way out. They are growing moribund, just as the railroads did. In a hundred years there wonÆt be a one left on the continent. WhatÆs the formula for making money, George?ö
ôBuy low and sell high.ö
ôThatÆs only half of it. . . your half. WeÆve got to guess which way things are moving, give them a boost, and see that we are cut in on the ground floor. Liquidate that stuff, George; IÆll need money to operate.ö The taxi landed; they got in and took off.
The taxi delivered them to the roof of the Hemisphere Power Building they went to the power syndicateÆs board room, as far below ground as the landing platform was aboveùin those days, despite years of peace, tycoons habitually came to rest at spots relatively immune to atom bombs. The room did not seem like a bomb shelter; it appeared to be a chamber in a luxurious penthouse, for a ôview windowö back of the chairmanÆs end of the table looked out high above the city, in convincing, live stereo, relayed from the roof.
The other directors were there before them. Dixon nodded as they came in, glanced at his watch finger and said, ôWell, gentlemen, our bad boy is here, we may as well begin.ö He took the chairmanÆs seat and rapped for order.
ôThe minutes of the last meeting are on your pads as usual. Signal when ready.ö Harriman glanced at the summary before him and at once flipped a switch on the table top; a small green light flashed on at his place. Most of the directors did the same.
ôWhoÆs holding up the procession?ö inquired Harriman, looking around. ôOhùyou, George. Get a move on.ö
ôI like to check the figures,ö his partner answered testily, then flipped his own switch. A larger green light showed in front of Chainnan Dixon, who then pressed a button; a transparency, sticking an inch or two above the table top in front of him lit up with the word RECORDING.
ôOperations report,ö said Dixon and touched another switch. A female voice came out from nowhere. Harriman followed the report from the next sheet of paper at his place. Thirteen Curie-type power piles were now in operation, up five from the last meeting. The Susquehanna and Charleston piles had taken over the load previously borrowed from Atlantic Roadcity and the roadways of that city were now up to normal speed. It was expected that the Chicago-Angeles road could be restored to speed during the next fortnight. Power would continue to be rationed but the crisis was over.
All very interesting but of no direct interest to Harriman. The power crisis that had been caused by the explosion of the power satellite was being satisfactorily metùvery good, but HarrimanÆs interest in it lay in the fact that the cause of interplanetary travel had thereby received a setback from which it might not recover.
When the Harper-Erickson isotopic artificial fuels had been developed three years before it had seemed that, in addition to solving the dilemma of an impossibly dangerous power source which was also utterly necessary to the economic life of the continent, an easy means had been found to achieve interplanetary travel.
The Arizona power pile had been installed in one of the largest of the Antipodes rockets, the rocket powered with isotopic fuel created in the power pile itself, and the whole thing was placed in an orbit around the Earth. A much smaller rocket had shuttled between satellite and Earth, carrying supplies to the staff of the power pile, bringing back synthetic radioactive fuel for the power-hungry technology of Earth.
As a director of the power syndicate Harriman had backed the power satelliteùwith a private ax to grind: he expected to power a Moon ship with fuel manufactured in the power satellite and thus to achieve the first trip to the Moon almost at once. He had not even attempted to stir the Department of Defense out of its sleep; he wanted no government subsidyùthe job was a cinch; anybody could do itùand Harriman would do it. He had the ship; shortly he would have the fuel.
The ship had been a freighter of his own Antipodes line, her chem-fuel motors replaced, her wings removed. She still waited, ready for fuelùthe recommissioned Santa Maria, nee City of Brisbane.
But the fuel was slow in coming. Fuel had to be eannarked for the shuttle rocket; the power needs of a rationed continent came nextùand those needs grew faster than the power satellite could turn out fuel. Far from being ready to supply him for a ôuselessö Moon trip, the syndicate had seized on the safe but less efficient low temperature uranium-salts and heavy water, Curie-type power piles as a means of using uranium directly to meet the ever growing need for power, rather than build and launch more satellites.
Unfortunately the Curie piles did not provide the fierce star-interior conditions necessary to breeding the isotopic fuels needed for an atomic-powered rocket. Harriman had reluctantly come around to the notion that he would have to use political pressure to squeeze the necessary priority for the fuels he wanted for the Santa Maria.
Then the power satellite had blown up.
Harriman was stirred out of his brown study by DixonÆs voice. ôThe operations report seems satisfactory, gentlemen. If there is no objection, it will be recorded as accepted. You will note that in the next ninety days we will be back up to the power level which existed before we were forced to close down the Arizona pile.ö
ôBut with no provision for future needs,ö pointed out Harriman. ôThere have been a lot of babies born while we have been sitting here.ö
ôIs that an objection to accepting the report, D.D.?ö
"No."
ôVery well. Now the public relations reportùlet me call attention to the first item, gentlemen. The vice-president in charge recommends a schedule of annuities, benefits, scholarships and so forth for dependents of the staff of the power satellite and of the pilot of the Charon: see appendix æCÆ.ö
A director across from HarrimanùPhineas Morgan, chairman of the food trust, Cuisine, Incorporatedùprotested, ôWhat is this, Ed? Too bad they were killed of course, but we paid them skyhigh wages and carried their insurance to boot. Why the charity?ö
Harriman grunted. ôPay itùI so move. ItÆs peanuts. æDo not bind the mouths of the kine who tread the grain.Æö
ôI wouldnÆt call better than nine hundred thousand æpeanuts,Æö protested Morgan.
ôJust a minute, gentlemenùö It was the vice-president in charge of public relations, himself a director. ôIf youÆll look at the breakdown, Mr. Morgan, you will see that eighty-five percent of the appropriation will be used to publicize the gifts.ö
Morgan squinted at the figures. ôOhùwhy didnÆt you say so? Well, I suppose the gifts can be considered unavoidable overhead, but itÆs a bad precedent.ö
ôWithout them we have nothing to publicize.ö
ôYes, butùö
Dixon rapped smartly. ôMr. Harriman has moved acceptance. Please signal your desires.ö The tally board glowed green; even Morgan, after hesitation, okayed the allotment. ôWe have a related item next,ö said Dixon. ôA Mrs.ùuh, Garfield, through her attorneys, alleges that we are responsible for the congenital crippled condition of her fourth child. The putative facts are that her child was being born just as the satellite exploded and that Mrs. Garfield was then on the meridian underneath the satellite. She wants the court to award her half a million.ö
Morgan looked at Harriman. ôDelos, I suppose that you will say to settle out of court.ö
ôDonÆt be silly. We fight it.ö
Dixon looked around, surprised. ôWhy, D.D.? ItÆs my guess we could settle for ten or fifteen thousandùand that was what I was about to recommend. IÆm surprised that the legal department referred it to publicity.ö
ôItÆs obvious why; itÆs loaded with high explosive. But we should fight, regardless of bad publicity. ItÆs not like the last case; Mrs. Garfield and her brat are not our people. And any dumb fool knows you canÆt mark a baby by radioactivity at birth; you have to get at the germ plasm of the previous generation at least. In the third place, if we let this get by, weÆll be sued for every double-yolked egg thatÆs laid from now on. This calls for an open allotment for defense and not one damned cent for compromise.ö
ôIt might be very expensive,ö observed Dixon.
ôItÆll be more expensive not to fight. If we have to, we should buy the judge.ö
The public relations chief whispered to Dixon, then announced, ôI support Mr. HarrimanÆs view. ThatÆs my departmentÆs recommendation.ö
It was approved. ôThe next item,ö Dixon went on, ôis a whole sheaf of suits arising out of slowing down the roadcities to divert power during the crisis. They alleged loss of business, loss of time, loss of this and that, but they are all based on the same issue. The most touchy, perhaps, is a stockholderÆs suit which claims that Roadways and this company are so interlocked that the decision to divert the power was not done in the interests of the stockholders of Roadways. Delos, this is your pidgin; want to speak on it?ö
ôForget it.ö
ôWhy?ö
ôThose are shotgun suits. This corporation is not responsible; I saw to it that Roadways volunteered to sell the power because I anticipated this. And the directorates donÆt interlock; not on paper, they donÆt. ThatÆs why dummies were born. Forget itùfor every suit youÆve got there, Roadways has a dozen. WeÆll beat them.ö
ôWhat makes you so sure?ö
ôWellùö Harriman lounged back and hung a knee over the arm of his chair. ôùa good many years ago I was a Western Union messenger boy. While waiting around the office I read everything I could lay hands on, including the contract on the back of the telegram forms. Remember those? They used to come in big pads of yellow paper; by writing a message on the face of the form you accepted the contract in the fine print on the backT only most people didnÆt realize that. Do you know what that contract obhgated the company to do?ö
ôSend a telegram, I suppose.ö
ôIt didnÆt promise a durn thing. The company offered to attempt to deliver the message, by camel caravan or snail back, or some equally streamlined method, if convenient, but in event of failure, the company was not responsible. I read that fine print until I knew it by heart. It was the loveliest piece of prose I had ever seen. Since then all my contracts have been worded on the same principle. Anybody who sues Roadways will find that Roadways canÆt be sued on the element of time, because time is not of the essence. In the event of complete non-performanceùwhich hasnÆt happened yetù Roadways is financially responsible only for freight charges or the price of the personal transportation tickets. So forget it.ö
Morgan sat up. ôD.D., suppose I decided to run up to my country place tonight, by the roadway, and there was a failure of some sort so that I didnÆt get there until tomorrow? You mean to say Roadways is not liable?ö
Harriman grinned. ôRoadways is not liable even if you starve to death on the trip. Better use your copter.ö He turned back to Dixon. ôI move that we stall these suits and let Roadways carry the ball for us.ö
ôThe regular agenda being completed,ö Dixon announced later, ôtime is allotted for our colleague, Mr. Harriman, to speak on a subject of his own choosing. He has not listed a subject in advance, but we will listen until it is your pleasure to adjourn.ö
Morgan looked sourly at Harriman. ôI move we adjourn.ö
Harriman grinned. ôFor two cents IÆd second that and let you die of curiosity.ö The motion failed for want of a second. Harriman stood up.
ôMr. Chairman, friendsùö He then looked at Morgan. ôùand associates. As you know, I am interested in space travel.ö
Dixon looked at him sharply. ôNot that again, Delos! If I werenÆt in the chair, IÆd move to adjourn myself.ö
ôæThat againÆ,ö agreed Harriman. ôNow and forever. Hear me out. Three years ago, when we were crowded into moving the Arizona power pile out into space, it looked as if we had a bonus in the shape of interplanetary travel. Some of you here joined with me in forming Spaceways, Incorporated, for experimentation, explorationùand exploitation.
ôSpace was conquered; rockets that could establish orbits around the globe could be modified to get to the Moonùand from there, anywhere! It was just a matter of doing it. The problems remaining were financialùand political.
ôIn fact, the real engineering problems of space travel have been solved since World World II. Conquering space has long been a matter of money and politics. But it did seem that the Harper-Erickson process, with its concomitant of a round-the-globe rocket and a practical economical rocket fuel, had at last made it a very present thing, so close indeed that I did not object when the early allotments of fuel from the satellite were earmarked for industrial power.ö
He looked around. ôI shouldnÆt have kept quiet. I should have squawked and brought pressure and made a hairy nuisance of myself until you allotted fuel to get rid of me. For now we have missed our best chance. The satellite is gone; the source of fuel is gone. Even the shuttle rocket is gone. We are back where we were in 19 50. Thereforeùö
He paused again. ôThereforeùI propose that we build a space ship and send it to the Moon!ö
Dixon broke the silence. ôDelos, have you come unzipped? You just said that it was no longer possible. Now you say to build one.ö
ôI didnÆt say it was impossible; I said we had missed our best chance. The time is overripe for space travel. This globe grows more crowded every day. In spite of technical advances the daily food intake on this planet is lower than it was thirty years agoùand we get 46 new babies every minute, 6;,ooo every day, 25,ooo,ooo every year. Our race is about to burst forth to the planets; if weÆve got the initiative Cod promised an oyster we will help it along!
ôYes, we missed our best chance-but the engineering details can be solved. The real question is whoÆs going to foot the bill? That is why I address you gentlemen, for right here in this room is the financial capital of this planet.ö
Morgan stood up. ôMr. Chairman, if all company business is finished, I ask to be excused.ö
Dixon nodded. Harriman said, ôSo long, Phineas. DonÆt let me keep you. Now, as I was saying, itÆs a money problem and here is where the money is. I move we finance a trip to the Moon.ö
The proposal produced no special excitement; these men knew Harriman. Presently Dixon said, ôIs there a second to D.D.Æs proposal?ö
ôJust a minute, Mr. Chairmanùö It was Jack Entenza, president of Two-Continents Amusement Corporation. ôI want to ask Delos some questions.ö He turned to Harriman. ôD.D., you know I strung along when you set up Spaceways. It seemed like a cheap venture and possibly profitable in educational and scientific valuesùI never did fall for space liners plying between planets; thatÆs fantastic. I donÆt mind playing along with your dreams to a moderate extent, but how do you propose to get to the Moon? As you say, you are fresh out of fuel.ö
Harriman was still grinning. ôDonÆt kid me, Jack, I know why you came along. You werenÆt interested in science; youÆve never contributed a dime to science. You expected a monopoly on pix and television for your chain. Well, youÆll get æem, if you stick with meùotherwise IÆll sign up æRecreations, UnlimitedÆ; theyÆll pay just to have you in the eye.ö
Entenza looked at him suspiciously. ôWhat will it cost me?ö
ôYour other shirt, your eye teeth, and your wifeÆs wedding ringùunless æRecreationsÆ will pay more.ö
ôDamn you, Delos, youÆre crookeder than a dogÆs hind leg.ö
ôFrom you, Jack, thatÆs a compliment. WeÆll do business. Now as to how IÆm going to get to the Moon, thatÆs a silly question. ThereÆs not a man in here who can cope with anything more complicated in the way of machinery than a knife and fork. You canÆt tell a left-handed monkey wrench from a reaction engine, yet you ask me for blue prints of a space ship.
ôWell, IÆll tell you how IÆll get to the Moon. IÆll hire the proper brain boys, give them everything they want, see to it that they have all the money they can use, sweet talk them into long hoursùthen stand back and watch them produce. IÆll run it like the Manhattan Projectùmost of you remember the A-bomb job; shucks, some of you can remember the Mississippi Bubble. The chap that headed up the Manhattan Project didnÆt know a neutron from Uncle Georgeùbut he got results. They solved that trick four ways. ThatÆs why IÆm not worried about fuel; weÆll get a fuel. WeÆll get several fuels.ö
Dixon said, ôSuppose it works? Seems to me youÆre asking us to bankrupt the company for an exploit with no real value, aside from pure science, and a one-shot entertainment exploitation. IÆm not against youùI wouldnÆt mind putting in ten, fifteen thousand to support a worthy ventureùbut I canÆt see the thing as a business proposition.ö
Harriman leaned on his fingertips and stared down the long table. ôTen or fifteen thousand gum drops! Dan, I mean to get into you for a couple of megabucks at leastùand before weÆre through youÆll be hollering for more stock. This is the greatest real estate venture since the Pope carved up the New World. DonÆt ask me what weÆll make a profit on; I canÆt itemize the assetsùbut I can lump them. The assets are a planetùa whole planet, Dan, thatÆs never been touched. And more planets beyond it. If we canÆt figure out ways to swindle a few fast bucks out of a sweet set-up like that then you and I had better both go on relief. ItÆs like having Manhattan Island offered to you for twenty-four dollars and a case of whiskey.ö
Dixon grunted. ôYou make it sound like the chance of a lifetime.ö
ôChance of a lifetime, nuts! This isÆ the greatest chance in all history. ItÆs raining soup; grab yourself a bucket.ö
Next to Entenza sat Gaston P. Jones, director of Trans-America and half a dozen other banks, one of the richest men in the room. He carefully removed two inches of cigar ash, then said dryly, ôMr. Harriman, I will sell you all of my interest in the Moon, present and future, for fifty cents.ö
Harriman looked delighted. ôSold!ö
Entenza had been pulling at his lower lip and listening with a brooding expression on his face. Now he spoke up. ôJust a minute, Mr. JonesùIÆll give you a dollar for it.ö
ôDollar fifty,ö answered Harriman.
ôTwo dollars,ö Entenza answered slowly.
ôFive!ö
They edged each other up. At ten dollars Entenza let Harriman have it and sat back, still looking thoughtful. Harriman looked happily around. ôWhich one of you thieves is a lawyer?ö he demanded. The remark was rhetorical; out of seventeen directors the normal percentageùeleven, to be exactùwere lawyers. ôHey, Tony,ö he continued, ôdraw me up an instrument right now that will tie down this transaction so that it couldnÆt be broken before the Throne of God. All of Mr. JonesÆ interests, rights, title, natural interest, future interests, interests held directly or through ownership of stock, presently held or to be acquired, and so forth and so forth. Put lots of Latin in it. The idea is that every interest in the Moon that Mr. Jones now has or may acquire is mine-for a ten spot, cash in hand paid.ö Harriman slapped a bill down on the table. ôThat right, Mr. Jones?ö
Jones smiled briefly. ôThatÆs right, young fellow.ö He pocketed the bill. ôIÆll frame this for my grandchildrenùto show them how easy it is to make money.ö EntenzaÆs eyes darted from Jones to Harriman.
ôGood!ö said Harriman. ôGentlemen, Mr. Jones has set a market price for one human beingÆs interest in our satellite. With around three billion persons on this globe that sets a price on the Moon of thirty billion dollars.ö He hauled out a wad of money. ôAny more suckers? IÆm buying every share thatÆs offered, ten bucks a copy.ö
ôIÆll pay twenty!ö Entenza rapped out.
Harriman looked at him sorrowfully. ôJackùdonÆt do that! WeÆre on the same team. LetÆs take the shares together, at ten.ö
Dixon pounded for order. ôGentlemen, please conduct such transactions after the meeting is adjourned. Is there a second to Mr. HarrimanÆs motion?ö
Gaston Jones said, ôI owe it to Mr. Harriman to second his motion, without prejudice. LetÆs get on with a vote.ö
No one objected; the vote was taken. It went eleven to three against HarrimanùHarriman, Strong, and Entenza for; all others against. Harriman popped up before anyone could move to adjourn and said, ôI expected that. My real purpose is this: since the company is no longer interested in space travel, will it do me the courtesy of selling me what I may need of patents, processes, facilities, and so forth now held by the company but relating to space travel and not relating to the production of power on this planet? Our brief honeymoon with the power satellite built up a backlog; I want to use it. Nothing formalùjust a vote that it is the policy of the company to assist me in any way not inconsistent with the primary interest of the company. How about it, gentlemen? ItÆll get me out of your hair.ö
Jones studied his cigar again. ôI see no reason why we should not accommodate him, gentlemen . . . and I speak as the perfect disinterested party.ö
ôI think we can do it, Delos,ö agreed Dixon, ôonly we wonÆt sell you anything, weÆll lend it to you. Then, if you happen to hit the jackpot, the company still retains an interest. Has anyone any objection?ö he said to the room at large.
There was none; the matter was recorded as company policy and the meeting was adjourned. Harriman stopped to whisper with Entenza and, finally, to make an appointment. Gaston Jones stood near the door, speaking privately with Chairman Dixon. He beckoned to Strong, HarrimanÆs partner. ôGeorge, may I ask a personal question?ö
ôI donÆt guarantee to answer. Go ahead.ö
ôYouÆve always struck me as a level-headed man. Tell me-why do you string along with Harriman? Why, the manÆs mad as a hatter.ö
Strong looked sheepish. ôI ought to deny that, heÆs my friend . . . but I canÆt. But dawggone it! Every time Delos has a wild hunch, it turns out to be the real thing. I hate to string alongùit makes me nervousùbut IÆve learned to trust his hunches rather than another manÆs sworn financial report.ö
Jones cocked one brow. ôThe Midas touch, eh?ö
ôYou could call it that.ö
ôWell, remember what happened to King Midasùin the long run. Good day, gentlemen.ö
Harriman had left Entenza; Strong joined him. Dixon stood staring at them, his face very thoughtful.
CHAPTER TWO
HARRIMANÆS HOME had been built at the time when everyone who could was decentralizing and going underground. Above ground there was a perfect little Cape Cod cottageùthe clapboards of which concealed armor plateù and most delightful, skillfully landscaped grounds; below ground there was four or five times as much floorspace, immune to anything but a direct hit and possessing an independent air supply with reserves for one thousand hours. During the Crazy Years the conventional wall surrounding the grounds had been replaced by a wall which looked the same but which would stop anything short of a broaching tankùnor were the gates weak points; their gadgets were as personally loyal as a well-trained dog.
Despite its fortress-like character the house was comfortable. It was also very expensive to keep up.
Harriman did not mind the expense; Charlotte liked the house and it gave her something to do. When they were first married she had lived uncomplainingly in a cramped flat over a grocery store; if Charlotte now liked to play house in a castle, Harriman did not mind.
But he was again starting a shoe-string venture; the few thousand per month of ready cash represented by the household expenses might, at some point in the game, mean the difference between success and the sheriffÆs bailiffs. That night at dinner, after the servants fetched the coffee, and port, he took up the matter.
ôMy dear, IÆve been wondering how you would like a few months in Florida.ö
His wife stared at him. ôFlorida? Delos, is your mind wandering? Florida is unbearable at this time of the year.ö
ôSwitzerland, then. Pick your own spot. Take a real vacation, as long as you like.ö
ôDelos, you are up to something.ö
Harriman sighed. Being ôup to somethingö was the unnameable and unforgivable crime for which any American male could be indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced in one breath. He wondered how things had gotten rigged so that the male half of the race must always behave to suit feminine rules and feminine logic, like a snotty-nosed school boy in front of a stern teacher.
ôIn a way, perhaps. WeÆve both agreed that this house is a bit of a white elephant. I was thinking of closing it, possibly even of disposing of the landù itÆs worth more now than when we bought it. Then, when we get around to it, we could build something more modern and a little less like a bombproof.ö
Mrs. Harriman was temporarily diverted. ôWell, I have thought it might be nice to build another place, Delosùsay a little chalet tucked away in the mountains, nothing ostentatious, not more than two servants, or three. But we wonÆt close this place until itÆs built, Delosùafter all, one must live somewhere.ö
ôI was not thinking of building right away,ö he answered cautiously. ôWhy not? WeÆre not getting any younger, Delos; if we are to enjoy the good things of life we had better not make delays. You neednÆt worry about it; IÆll manage everything.ö
Harriman turned over in his mind the possibility of letting her build to keep her busy. If he earmarked the cash for her ôlittle chalet,ö she would live in a hotel nearby wherever she decided to build itùand he could sell this monstrosity they were sitting in. With the nearest roadcity now less than ten miles away, the land should bring more than CharlotteÆs new house would cost and he would be rid of the monthly drain on his pocketbook.
ôPerhaps you are right,ö he agreed. ôBut suppose you do build at once; you wonÆt be living here; youÆll be supervising every detail of the new place. I say we should unload this place; itÆs eating its head off in taxes, upkeep, and running expenses.ö
She shook her head. ôUtterly out of the question, Delos. This is my home.ö He ground out an almost unsmoked cigar. ôIÆm sorry, Charlotte, but you canÆt have it both ways. If you build, you canÆt stay here. If you stay here, weÆll close these below-ground catacombs, fire about a dozen of the parasites I keep stumbling over, and live in the cottage on the surface. IÆm cutting expenses.ö
ôDischarge the servants? Delos, if you think that I will undertake to make a home for you without a proper staff, you can justùö
ôStop it.ö He stood up and threw his napkin down. ôIt doesnÆt take a squad of servants to make a home. When we were first married you had no servantsùand you washed and ironed my shirts in the bargain. But we had a home then. This place is owned by that staff you speak of. Well, weÆre getting rid of them, all but the cook and a handy man.ö
She did not seem to hear. ôDelos! sit down and behave yourself. Now whatÆs all this about cutting expenses? Are you in some sort of trouble? Are you? Answer me!ö
He sat down wearily and answered, ôDoes a man have to be in trouble to want to cut out unnecessary expenses?ö
ôIn your case, yes. Now what is it? DonÆt try to evade me.ö
ôNow see here, Charlotte, we agreed a long time ago that I would keep business matters in the office. As for the house, we simply donÆt need a house this size. It isnÆt as if we had a passel of kids to fill upùö
ôOh! Blaming me for that again!ö
ôNow see here, Charlotte,ö he wearily began again, ôI never did blame you and IÆm not blaming you now. All I ever did was suggest that we both see a doctor and find out what the trouble was we didnÆt have any kids. And for twenty years youÆve been making me pay for that one remark. But thatÆs all over and done with now; I was simply making the point that two people donÆt fill up twenty-two rooms. IÆll pay a reasonable price for a new house, if you want it, and give you an ample household allowance.ö He started to say how much, then decided not to. ôOr you can close this place and live in the cottage above. ItÆs just that we are going to quit squandering moneyùfor a while.ö
She grabbed the last phrase. ôæFor a while.Æ WhatÆs going on, Delos? What are you going to squander money on?ö When he did not answer she went on. ôVery well, if you wonÆt tell me, IÆll call George. He will tell me.ö
ôDonÆt do that, Charlotte. IÆm warning you. IÆllùö
ôYouÆll what!ö She studied his face. ôI donÆt need to talk to George; I can tell by looking at you. YouÆve got the same look on your face you had when you came home and told me that you had sunk all our money in those crazy rockets.ö
ôCharlotte, thatÆs not fair. Skyways paid off. ItÆs made us a mint of money.ö
ôThatÆs beside the point. I know why youÆre acting so strangely; youÆve got that old trip-to-the-Moon madness again. Well, I wonÆt stand for it, do you hear? IÆll stop you; I donÆt bave to put up with it. IÆm going right down in the morning and see Mr. Kamens and find out what has to be done to make you behave yourself.ö The cords of her neck jerked as she spoke.
He waited, gathering his temper before going on. ôCharlotte, you have no real cause for complaint. No matter what happens to me, your future is taken care of.ö
ôDo you think I want to be a widow?ö
He looked thoughtfully at her. ôI wonder.ö
ôWhyù Why, you heartless beast.ö She stood up. ôWeÆll say no more about it; do you mind?ö She left without waiting for an answer.
His ômanö was waiting for him when he got to his room. Jenkins got up hastily and started drawing HarrimanÆs bath. ôBeat it,ö Harriman grunted. ôI can undress myself.ö
ôYou require nothing more tonight, sir?ö
ôNothing. But donÆt go unless you feel like it. Sit down and pour yourself a drink. Ed, how long you been married?ö
ôDonÆt mind if I do.ö The servant helped himself. ôTwenty-three years, come May, sir.ö
ôHowÆs it been, if you donÆt mind me asking?ö -
ôNot bad. Of course there have been timesùö
ôI know what you mean. Ed, if you werenÆt working for me, what would you be doing?ö
ôWell, the wife and I have talked many times of opening a little restaurant, nothing pretentious, but good. A place where a gentleman could enjoy a quiet meal of good food.ö
ôStag, eh?ö
ôNo, not entirely, sirùbut there would be a parlorÆ for gentlemen only. Not even waitresses, IÆd tend that room myself.ö
ôBetter look around for locations, Ed. YouÆre practically in business.ö
CHAPTER THREE
STRONG ENTERED THEIR JOINT OFFICES the next morning at a precise nine oÆclock, as usual. He was startled to find Harriman there before him. For Harriman to fail to show up at all meant nothing; for him to beat the clerks in was significant.
Harriman was busy with a terrestrial globe and a bookùthe current Nautical Almanac, Strong observed. Harriman barely glanced up. ôMorning, George. Say, whoÆve we got a line to in Brazil?ö
ôWhy?ö
ôI need some trained seals who speak Portuguese, thatÆs why. And some who speak Spanish, too. Not to mention three or four dozen scattered around in this country. IÆve come across something very, very interesting. Look here. . . according to these tables the Moon only swings about twentyeight, just short of twenty-nine degrees north and south of the equator.ö He held a pencil against the globe and spun it. ôLike that. That suggest anything?ö
ôNo. Except that youÆre getting pencil marks on a sixty dollar globe.ö
ôAnd you an old real estate operator! What does a man own when he buys a parcel of land?ö
ôThat depends on the deed. Usually mineral rights and other subsurface rights are-ö
ôNever mind that. Suppose he buys the works, without splitting the rights: how far down does he own? How far up does he own?ö
ôWell, he owns a wedge down to the center of the Earth. That was settled in the slant-drilling and off-set oil lease cases. Theoretically he used to own the space above the land, too, out indefinitely, but that was modified by a series of cases after the commercial airlines came inùand a good thing, for us, too, or we would have to pay tolls every time one of our rockets took off for Australia.ö
ôNo, no, no, George! you didnÆt read those cases right. Right of passage was establishedùbut ownership of the space above the land remained unchanged. And even right of passage was not absolute; you can build a thousand-foot tower on your own land right where airplanes, or rockets, or whatever, have been in the habit of passing and the ships will thereafter have to go above it, with no kick back on you. Remember how we had to lease the air south of Hughes Field to insure that our approach wasnÆt built up?ö
Strong looked thoughtful. ôYes. I see your point. The ancient principle of land ownership remains undisturbedùdown to the center of the Earth, up to infinity. But what of it? ItÆs a purely theoretical matter. YouÆre not planning to pay tolls to operate those spaceships youÆre always talking about, are you?ö He grudged a smile at his own wit.
ôNot on your tintype. Another matter entirely. George-who owns the Moon?ö
ôI am not. IÆll ask you again: if basic law says that a man owns the wedge of sky above his farm out to infinity, who owns the Moon? Take a look at this globe and tell me.ö
Strong looked. ôBut it canÆt mean anything, Delos. Earth laws wouldnÆt apply to the Moon.ö
ôThey apply here and thatÆs where I am worrying about it. The Moon stays constantly over a slice of Earth bounded by latitude twenty-nine north and the same distance south; if one man owned all that belt of EarthùitÆs roughly the tropical zone-then heÆd own the Moon, too, wouldnÆt he? By all the theories of real property ownership that our courts pay any attention to. And, by direct derivation, according to the sort of logic that lawyers like, the various owners of that belt of land have title-good vendable titleùto the Moon somehow lodged collectively in them. The fact that the distribution of the title is a little vague wouldnÆt bother a lawyer; they grow fat on just such distributed titles every time a will is probated.ö
ôItÆs fantastic!ö
ôGeorge, when are you going to learn that æfantasticÆ is a notion that doesnÆt bother a lawyer?ö
ôYouÆre not planning to try to buy the entire tropical zone-thatÆs what you would have to do.ö
ôNo,ö Harriman said slowly, ôbut it might not be a bad idea to buy right, title and interest in the Moon, as it may appear, from each of the sovereign countries in that belt. If I thought I could keep it quiet and not run the market up, I might try it. You can buy a thing awful cheap from a man if he thinks itÆs worthless and wants to sell before you regain your senses.
ôBut thatÆs not the plan,ö he went on. ôGeorge, I want corporationsù local corporationsùin every one of those countries. I want the legislatures of each of those countries to grant franchises to its local corporation for lunar exploration, exploitation, et cetera, and the right to claim lunar soil on behalf of the countryùwith fee simple, naturally, being handed on a silver platter to the patriotic corporation that thought up the idea. And I want all this done quietly, so that the bribes wonÆt go too high. WeÆll own the corporations, of course, which is why I need a flock of trained seals. There is going to be one hell of a fight one of these days over who owns the Moon; I want the deck stacked so that we win no matter how the cards are dealt.ö
ôIt will be ridiculously expensive, Delos. And you donÆt even know that you will ever get to the Moon, much less that it will be worth anything after you get there.ö
ôWeÆll get there! ItÆll be more expensive not to establish these claims. Anyhow it need not be very expensive; the proper use of bribe money is a homoeopathic artùyou use it as a catalyst. Back in the middle of the last century four men went from California to Washington with $40,000; it was all they had. A few weeks later they were broke-but Congress had awarded them a billion dollarsÆ worth of railroad right of way. The trick is not to run up the market.ö
Strong shook his head. ôYour title wouldnÆt be any good anyhow. The Moon doesnÆt stay in one place; it passes over owned land certainlyùbut so does a migrating goose.ö
ôAnd nobody has title to a migrating bird. I get your pointùbut the Moon always stays over that one belt. If you move a boulder in your garden, do you lose title to it? Is it still real estate? Do the title laws still stand? This is like that group of real estate cases involving wandering islands in the Mississippi, Georgeùthe land moved as the river cut new channels, but somebody always owned it. In this case I plan to see to it that we are the æsomebody.Æö
Strong puckered his brow. ôI seem to recall that some of those island-andriparian cases were decided one way and some another.ö
ôWeÆll pick the decisions that suit us. ThatÆs why lawyersÆ wives have mink coats. Come on, George; letÆs get busy.ö
ôOn what?ö
ôRaising the money.ö
ôOh.ö Strong looked relieved. ôI thought you were planning to use our money.ö
ôI am. But it wonÆt be nearly enough. WeÆll use our money for the senior financing to get things moving; in the meantime weÆve got to work out ways to keep the money rolling in.ö He pressed a switch at his desk; the face of Saul Kamens, their legal chief of staff, sprang out at him. ôHey, Saul, can you slide in for a p0w-wow?ö
ôWThatever it is, just tell them æno,Æö answered the attorney. ôIÆll fix it.ö
ôGood. Now come on inùtheyÆre moving Hell and IÆve got an option on the first ten loads.ö
Kamens showed up in his own good time. Some minutes later Harriman had explained his notion for claiming the Moon ahead of setting foot on it. ôBesides those dummy corporations,ö he went on, ôwe need an agency that can receive contributions without having to admit any financial interest on the part of the contributorùlike the National Geographic Society.ö
Kamens shook his head. ôYou canÆt buy the National Geographic Society.ö
ôDamn it, who said we were going to? WeÆll set up our own.ö
ôThatÆs what I started to say.ö
ôGood. As I see it, we need at least one tax-free, non-profit corporation headed up by the right people-weÆll hang on to voting control, of course. WeÆll probably need more than one; weÆll set them up as we need them. And weÆve got to have at least one new ordinary corporation, not tax-freeù but it wonÆt show a profit until we are ready. The idea is to let the nonprofit corporations have all of the prestige and all of the publicityùand the other gets all of the profits, if and when. We swap assets around between corporations, always for perfectly valid reasons, so that the non-profit corporations pay the expenses as we go along. Come to think about it, we had better have at least two ordinary corporations, so that we can let one of them go through bankruptcy if we find it necessary to shake out the water. ThatÆs the general sketch. Get busy and fix it up so that itÆs legal, will you?ö
Kamens said, ôYou know, Delos, it would be a lot more honest if you did it at the point of a gun.ö
ôA lawyer talks to me of honesty! Never mind, Saul; IÆm not actually going to cheat anyone-ö
ôHumph!ö
ôùand IÆm just going to make a trip to the Moon. ThatÆs what everybody will be paying for; thatÆs what theyÆll get. Now fix it up so that itÆs legal, thatÆs a good boy.ö
ôIÆm reminded of something the elder VanderbiltÆs lawyer said to the old man under similar circumstances: æItÆs beautiful the way it is; why spoil it by making it legal?Æ Okeh, brother gonoph, IÆll rig your trap. Anything else?ö
ôSure. Stick around, you might have some ideas. George, ask Montgomery to come in, will you?ö Montgomery, HarrimanÆs publicity chief, had two virtues in his employerÆs eyes: he was personally loyal to Harriman, and, secondly, he was quite capable of planning a campaign to convince the public that Lady Godiva wore a Caresse-brand girdle during her famous ride
or that Hercules attributed his strength to Crunchies for breakfast. He arrived with a large portfolio under his arm. ôGlad you sent for me, Chief. Get a load of thisùö He spread the folder open on HarrimanÆs desk and began displaying sketches and layouts. ôKinskyÆs workùis that boy hot!ö Harriman closed the portfolio. ôWhat outfit is it for?ö
ôHuh? New World Homes.ö
ôI donÆt want to see it; weÆre dumping New World Homes. Wait a minute-donÆt start to bawl. Have the boys go through with it; I want the price kept up while we unload. But open your ears to another matter.ö He explained rapidly the new enterprise.
Presently Montgomery was nodding. ôWhen do we start and how much do we spend?ö
ôRight away and spend what you need to. DonÆt get chicken about expenses; this is the biggest thing weÆve ever tackled.ö Strong flinched; Harriman went on, ôHave insomnia over it tonight; see me tomorrow and weÆll kick it around.ö
ôWait a see, Chief. How are you going to sew up all those franchises from the, uhùthe Moon states, those countries the Moon passes over, while a big publicity campaign is going on about a trip to the Moon and how big a thing it is for everybody? ArenÆt you about to paint yourself into a corner?ö
ôDo I look stupid? WeÆll get the franchise before you hand out so much as a fillerùyouÆll get æem, you and Kamens. ThatÆs your first job.ö
ôHmmm. . . .ô Montgomery chewed a thumb nail. ôWell, all rightùI can see some angles. How soon do we have to sew it up?ö
ôI give you six weeks. Otherwise just mail your resignation in, written on the skin off your back.ö
ôIÆll write it right now, if youÆll help me by holding a mirror.ö
ôDamn it, Monty, I know you canÆt do it in six weeks. But make it fast; we canÆt take a cent in to keep the thing going until you sew up those franchises. If you dilly-dally, weÆll all starve-and we wonÆt get to the Moon, either.ö
Strong said, ôD.D., why fiddle with those trick claims from a bunch of moth-eaten tropical countries? If you are dead set on going to the Moon, letÆs call Ferguson in and get on with the matter.ö
ôI like your direct approach, George,ö Harriman said, frowning. ôMmmm back about i 84; or æ46 an eager-beaver American army officer captured California. You know what the State Department did?ö
ôThey made him hand it back. Seems he hadnÆt touched second base, or something. So they had to go to the trouble of capturing it all over again a few months later. Now I donÆt want that to happen to us. ItÆs not enough just to set foot on the Moon and claim it; weÆve got to validate that claim in terrestrial courtsùor weÆre in for a peck of trouble. Eh, Saul?ö
Kamens nodded. ôRemember what happened to Columbus.ö
ôExactly. We arenÆt going to let ourselves be rooked the way Columbus was.ö
Montgomery spat out some thumb nail. ôBut, Chiefùyou know damn well those banana-state claims wonÆt be worth two cents after I do tie them up. Why not get a franchise right from the U.N. and settle the matter? IÆd as lief tackle that as tackle two dozen cockeyed legislatures. In fact IÆve got an angle alreadyùwe work it through the Security Council andùö
ôKeep working on that angle; weÆll use it later. You donÆt appreciate the full mechanics of the scheme, Monty. Of course those claims are worth nothingùexcept nuisance value. But their nuisance value is all important. Listen: we get to the Moon, or appear about to. Every one of those countries puts up a squawk; we goose them into it through the dummy corporations they have enfranchised. Where do they squawk? To the U.N., of course. Now the big countries on this globe, the rich and important ones, are all in the northern temperate zone. They see what the claims are based on and they take a frenzied look at the globe. Sure enough, the Moon does not pass over a one of them. The biggest country of allùRussia-doesnÆt own a spadeful of dirt south of twenty-nine north. So they reject all the claims.
ôOr do they?ö Harriman went on. ôThe U.S. balks. The Moon passes over Florida and the southern part of Texas. Washington is in a tizzy. Should they back up the tropical countries and support the traditional theory of land title or should they throw their weight to the idea that the Moon belongs to everyone? Or should the United States try to claim the whole thing, seeing as how it was Americans who actually got there first?
ôAt this point we creep out from under cover. It seems that the Moon ship was owned and the expenses paid by a non-profit corporation chartered by the U.N. itselfùö
ôHold it,ö interrupted Strong. ôI didnÆt know that the U.N. could create corporations?ö
ôYouÆll find it can,ö his partner answered. ôHow about it, Saul?ö Kamens nodded. ôAnyway,ö Harriman continued, ôIÆve already got the corporation. I had it set up several years ago. It can do most anything of an educational or scientific nature-and brother, that covers a lot of ground! Back to the pointùthis corporation, the creature of the U.N., asks its parent to declare the lunar colony autonomous territory, under the protection of the U.N. We wonÆt ask for outright membership at first because we want to keep it simpleùö
ôSimple, he calls it!ö said Montgomery.
ôSimple. This new colony will be a de facto sovereign state, holding title to the entire Moon, andùlisten closely!ùcapable of buying, selling, passing laws, issuing title to land, setting up monopolies, collecting tariffs, et cetera without end. And we own it.ö
ôThe reason we get all this is because the major states in the U.N. canÆt think up a claim that sounds as legal as the claim made by the tropical states, they canÆt agree among themselves as to how to split up the swag if they were to attempt brute force and the other major states arenÆt willing to see the United States claim the whole thing. TheyÆll take the easy way out of their dilemma by appearing to retain title in the U.N. itself. The real title, the title controlling all economic and legal matters, will revert to us. Now do you see my point, Monty?ö
Montgomery grinned. ôDamned if I know if itÆs necessary, Chief, but I love it. ItÆs beautiful.ö
ôWell, I donÆt think so,ö Strong grumbled. ôDelos, IÆve seen you rig some complicated dealsùsome of them so devious that they turned even my stomachùbut this one is the worst yet. I think youÆve been carried away by the pleasure you get out of cooking up involved deals in which somebody gets double-crossed.ö
Harriman puffed hard on his cigar before answering, ôI donÆt give a damn, George. Call it chicanery, call it anything you want to. IÆm going to the Moon! If I have to manipulate a million people to accomplish it, IÆll do it.ö
ôBut itÆs not necessary to do it this way.ö
ôWell, how would you do it?ö
ôMe? IÆd set up a straightforward corporation. IÆd get a resolution in Congress making my corporation the chosen instrument of the United Statesùö
ôBribery?ö
ôNot necessarily. Influence and pressure ought to be enough. Then I would set about raising the money and make the trip.ö
ôAnd the United States would then own the Moon?ö
ôNaturally,ö Strong answered a little stiffly.
Harriman got up and began pacing. ôYou donÆt see it, George, you donÆt see it. The Moon was not meant to be owned by a single country, even the United States.ö
ôIt was meant to be owned by you, I suppose.ö
ôWell, if I own itùfor a short whileùI wonÆt misuse it and IÆll take care that others donÆt. Damnation, nationalism should stop at the stratosphere. Can you see what would happen if the United States lays claim to the Moon? The other nations wonÆt recognize the claim. It will become a permanent bone of contention in the Security Councilùjust when we were beginning to get straightened out to the point where a man could do business planning without having his elbow jogged by a war every few years. The other nationsùquite rightfullyùwill be scared to death of the United States. They will be able to look up in the sky any night and see the main atom-bomb rocket base of the United States staring down the backs of their necks. Are they going to hold still for it? No, sirreeùthey are going to try to clip off a piece of the Moon for their own national use. The Moon is too big to hold, all at once. There will be other bases established there and presently there will be the worst war this planet has ever seenùand weÆll be to blame.
ôNo, itÆs got to be an arrangement that everybody will hold still forùand thatÆs why weÆve got to plan it, think of all the angles, and be devious about it until we are in a position to make it work.
ôAnyhow, George, if we claim it in the name of the United States, do you know where we will be, as business men?ö
ôIn the driverÆs seat,ö answered Strong.
ôIn a pigÆs eye! WeÆll be dealt right out of the game. The Department of National Defense will say, æThank you, Mr. Harriman. Thank you, Mr. Strong. We are taking over in the interests of national security; you can go home now.Æ And thatÆs just what we would have to doùgo home and wait for the next atom war.
ôIÆm not going to do it, George. IÆm not going to let the brass hats muscle in. IÆm going to set up a lunar colony and then nurse it along until it is big enough to stand on its own feet. IÆm telling youùall of you!ùthis is the biggest thing for the human race since the discovery of fire. Handled right, it can mean a new and braver world. Handle it wrong and itÆs a one-way ticket to Armageddon. ItÆs coming, itÆs coming soon, whether we touch it or not. But I plan to be the Man in the Moon myselfùand give it my personal attention to see that itÆs handled right.ö
He paused. Strong said, ôThrough with your sermon, Delos?ö
ôNo, IÆm not,ö Harriman denied testily. ôYou donÆt see this thing the right way. Do you know what we may find up there?ö He swung his arm in an arc toward the ceiling. ôPeople!ö
ôOn the Moon?ö said Kamens.
ôWhy not on the Moon?ö whispered Montgomery to Strong.
ôNo, not on the Moonùat least IÆd be amazed if we dug down and found anybody under that airless shell. The Moon has had its day; I was speaking of the other planetsùMars and Venus and the satellites of Jupiter. Even maybe out at the stars themselves. Suppose we do find people? Think what it will mean to us. WeÆve been alone, all alone, the only intelligent race in the only world we know. We havenÆt even been able to talk with dogs or apes. Any answers we got we had to think up by ourselves, like deserted orphans. But suppose we find people, intelligent people, who have done some thinking in their own way. We wouldnÆt be alone any more! We could look up at the stars and never be afraid again.ö
He finished, seeming a little tired and even a little ashamed of his outburst, like a man surprised in a private act. He stood facing them, searching their faces.
ôGee whiz, Chief,ö said Montgomery, ôI can use that. How about it?ö
ôThink you can remember it?ö
ôDonÆt need toùI flipped on your æsilent steno.ö
ôWell, damn your eyes!ö
ôWeÆll put it on videoùin a play I think.ö
Harriman smiled almost boyishly. ôIÆve never acted, but if you think itÆll do any good, IÆm game.ö
ôOh, no, not you, Chief,ö Montgomery answered in horrified tones. ôYouÆre not the type. IÆll use Basil Wilkes-Booth, I think. With his organlike voice and that beautiful archangel face, heÆll really send æem.ö
Harriman glanced down at his paunch and said gruffly, ôO.K.ùback to business. Now about money. In the first place we can go after straight donations to one of the non-profit corporations, just like endowments for colleges. Hit the upper brackets, where tax deductions really matter. How much do you think we can raise that way?ö
ôVery little,ö Strong opined. ôThat cow is about milked dry.ö
ôItÆs never milked dry, as long as there are rich men around who would rather make gifts than pay taxes. How much will a man pay to have a crater on the Moon named after him?ö
ôI thought they all had names?ö remarked the lawyer.
ôLots of them donÆtùand we have the whole back face thatÆs not touched yet. We wonÆt try to put down an estimate today; weÆll just list it. Monty, I want an angle to squeeze dimes out of the school kids, too. Forty million school kids æat a dime a head is $4,000,000.00ùwe can use that.ö
ôWhy stop at a dime?ö asked Monty. ôIf you get a kid really interested heÆll scrape together a dollar.ö
ôYes, but what do we offer him for it? Aside from the honor of taking part in a noble venture and so forth?ö
ôMmmm. . . .ô Montgomery used up more thumb nail. ôSuppose we go after both the dimes and the dollars. For a dime he gets a card saying that heÆs a member of the Moonbeam clubùö
ôNo, the æJunior SpacemenÆ.ö
ôO.K., the Moonbeams will be girlsùand donÆt forget to rope the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts into it, too. We give each kid a card; when he kicks in another dime, we punch it. When heÆs punched out a dollar, we give him a certificate, suitable for framing, with his name and some process engraving, and on the back a picture of the Moon.ö
ôOn the front,ö answered Harriman. ôDo it in one print job; itÆs cheaper and itÆll look better. We give him something else, too, a steelclad guarantee that his name will be on the rolls of the Junior Pioneers of the Moon, which same will be placed in a monument to be erected on the Moon at the landing site of the first Moon shipùin microfilm, of course; we have to watch weight.ö
ôFine!ö agreed Montgomery. ôWant to swap jobs, Chief? V/hen he gets up to ten dollars we give him a genuine, solid gold-plated shooting star pin ~nd heÆs a senior Pioneer, with the right to vote or something or other. And his name goes outside of the monumentùmicroengraved on a platinum strip.ö
Strong looked as if he had bitten a lemon. ôWhat happens when he reaches a hundred dollars?ö he asked.
ôWhy, then,ö Montgomery answered happily, ôwe give him another card and he can start over. DonÆt worry about it, Mr. Strongùif any kid goes that high, heÆll have his reward. Probably we will take him on an inspection tour of the ship before it takes off and give him, absolutely free, a picture of himself standing in front of it, with the pilotÆs own signature signed across the bottom by some female clerk.ö
ôChiseling from kids. Bah!ö
ôNot at all,ö answered Montgomery in hurt tones. ôIntangibles are the most honest merchandise anyone can sell. They are always worth whatever you are willing to pay for them and they never wear out. You can take them to your grave untarnished.ö
ôHmmmph!ö
Harriman listened to this, smiling and saying nothing. Kamens cleared his throat. ôIf you two ghouls are through cannibalizing the youth of the land, IÆve another idea.ö
ôSpill it.ö
ôGeorge, you collect stamps, donÆt you?ö
ôYes.ö
ôHow much would a cover be worth which had been to the Moon and been cancelled there?ö
ôHuh? But you couldnÆt, you know.ö
ôI think we could get our Moon ship declared a legal post office substation without too much trouble. What would it be worth?ö
ôUh, that depends on how rare they are.ö
ôThere must be some optimum number which will fetch a maximum return. Can you estimate it?ö
Strong got a faraway look in his eye, then took out an old-fashioned pencil and commenced to figure. Harriman went on, ôSaul, my minor success in buying a share in the Moon from Jones went to my head. How about selling building lots on the Moon?ö
ôLetÆs keep this serious, Delos. You canÆt do that until youÆve landed there.ö
ôI am serious. I know you are thinking of that ruling back in the æforties that such land would have to be staked out and accurately described. I want to sell land on the Moon. You figure out a way to make it legal. IÆll sell the whole Moon, if I canùsurface rights, mineral rights, anything.ö
ôSuppose they want to occupy it?ö
ôFine. The more the merrier. IÆd like to point out, too, that weÆll be in a position to assess taxes on what we have sold. If they donÆt use it and wonÆt pay taxes, it reverts to us. Now you figure out how to offer it, without going to jail. You may have to advertise it abroad, then plan to peddle it personally in this country, like Irish Sweepstakes tickets.ö
Kamens looked thoughtful. ôWe could incorporate the land company in Panama and advertise by video and radio from Mexico. Do you really think you can sell the stuff?ö
ôYou can sell snowballs in Greenland,ö put in Montgomery. ôItÆs a matter of promotion.ö
Harriman added, ôDid you ever read about the Florida land boom, Saul? People bought lots they had never seen and sold them at tripled prices without ever having laid eyes on them. Sometimes a parcel would change hands a dozen times before anyone got around to finding out that the stuff was ten-foot deep in water. We can offer bargains better than thatùan acre, a guaranteed dry acre with plenty of sunshine, for maybe ten dollarsùor a thousand acres at a dollar an acre. WhoÆs going to turn down a bargain like that? Particularly after the rumor gets around that the Moon is believed to be loaded with uranium?ö
ôIs it?ö
ôHow should I know? When the boom sags a little we will announce the selected location of Luna Cityùand it will just happen to work out that the land around the site is still available for sale. DonÆt worry, Saul, if itÆs real estate, George and I can sell it. Why, down in the Ozarks, where the land stands on edge, we used to sell both sides of the same acre.ö Harriman looked thoughtful. ôI think weÆll reserve mineral rightsùthere just might actually be uranium there!ö
Kamens chuckled. ôDelos, you are a kid at heart. Just a great big, overgrown, lovableùjuvenile delinquent.ö
Strong straightened up. ôI make it half a million,ö he said.
ôHalf a million what?ö asked Harriman.
ôFor the cancelled philatelic covers, of course. ThatÆs what we were talking about. Five thousand is my best estimate of the number that could be placed with serious collectors and with dealers. Even then we will have to discount them to a syndicate and hold back until the ship is built and the trip looks like a probability.ö
ôOkay,ö agreed Harriman. ôYou handle it. IÆll just note that we can tap you for an extra half million toward the end.ö
ôDonÆt I get a commission?ö asked Kamens. ôI thought of it.ö
ôYou get a rising vote of thanksùand ten acres on the Moon. Now what other sources of revenue can we hit?ö
ôDonÆt you plan to sell stock?ö asked Kamens.
ôI was coming to that. Of course-but no preferred stock; we donÆt want to be forced through a reorganization. Participating common, non-votingùö
ôSounds like another banana-state corporation to me.ö
ôNaturallyùbut I want some of it on the New York Exchange, and youÆll have to work that out with the Securities Exchange Commission somehow. Not too much of itùthatÆs our show case and weÆll have to keep it active and moving up.ö
ôWouldnÆt you rather I swam the Hellespont?ö
ôDonÆt be like that, Saul. It beats chasing ambulances, doesnÆt it?ö
ôIÆm not sure.ö
ôWell, thatÆs what I want youùwups!ö The screen on HarrimanÆs desk had come to life. A girl said, ôMr. Harriman, Mr. Dixon is here. He has no appointment but he says that you want to see him.ö
ôI thought I had that thing shut off,ö muttered Harriman, then pressed his key and said, ôO.K., show him in.ö
ôVery well, sirùoh, Mr. Harriman, Mr. Entenza came in just this second.ö
ôLook whoÆs talking,ö said Kamens.
Dixon came in with Entenza behind him. He sat down, looked around, started to speak, then checked himself. He looked around again, especially at Entenza.
ôGo ahead, Dan,ö Harriman encouraged him. ôæTainÆt nobody here at all but just us chickens.ö
Dixon made up his mind. ôIÆve decided to come in with you, D.D.,ö he announced. ôAs an act of faith I went to the trouble of getting this.ö He took a formal-looking instrument from his pocket and displayed it. It was a sale of lunar rights, from Phineas Morgan to Dixon, phrased in exactly the same fashion as that which Jones had granted to Harriman.
Entenza looked startled, then dipped into his own inner coat pocket. Out came three more sales contracts of the same sort, each from a director of the power syndicate. Harriman cocked an eyebrow at them. ôJack sees you and raises you two, Dan. You want to call?ö
Dixon smiled ruefully. ôI can just see him.ö He added two more to the pile, grinned and offered his hand to Entenza.
ôLooks like a stand off.ö Harriman decided to say nothing just yet about seven telestated contracts now locked in his deskùafter going to bed the night before he had been quite busy on the phone almost till midnight. ôJack, how much did you pay for those things?ö
ôStandish held out for a thousand; the others were cheap.ö
ôDamn it, I warned you not to run the price up. Standish will gossip. How about you, Dan?ö
ôI got them at satisfactory prices.ö
ôSo you wonÆt talk, eh? Never mindùgentlemen, how serious are you about this? How much money did you bring with you?ö
Entenza looked to Dixon, who answered, ôHow much does it take?ö
ôHow much can you raise?ö demanded Harriman.
Dixon shrugged. ôWeÆre getting no place. LetÆs use figures. A hundred thousand.ö
Harriman sniffed. ôI take it what you really want is to reserve a seat on the first regularly scheduled Moon ship. IÆll sell it to you at that price.ö
ôLetÆs quit sparring, Delos. How much?ö
HarrimanÆs face remained calm but he thought furiously. He was caught short, with too little informationùhe had not even talked figures with his chief engineer as yet. Confound it! Why had he left that phone hooked in? ôDan, as I warned you, it will cost you at least a million just to sit down in this game.ö
ôSo I thought. How much will it take to stay in the game?ö
ôAll youÆve got.ö
ôDonÆt be silly, Delos. IÆve got more than you have.ö
Harriman lit a cigar, his only sign of agitation. ôSuppose you match us, dollar for dollar.ö
ôFor which I get two shares?ö
ôOkay, okay, you chuck in a buck whenever each of us doesùshare and share alike. But I run things.ö
ôYou run the operations,ö agreed Dixon. ôVery well, IÆll put up a million now and match you as necessary. You have no objection to me having my own auditor, of course.ö
ôWhen have I ever cheated you, Dan?ö
ôNever and there is no need to start.ö
ôHave it your own wayùbut be damned sure you send a man who can keep his mouth shut.ö
ôHeÆll keep quiet. I keep his heart in a jar in my safe.ö
Harriman was thinking about the extent of DixonÆs assets. ôWe just might let you buy in with a second share later, Dan. This operation will be expensive.ö
Dixon fitted his finger tips carefully together. ôWeÆll meet that question when we come to it. I donÆt believe in letting an enterprise fold up for lack of capital.ö
ôGood.ö Harriman turned to Entenza. ôYou heard what Dan had to say, Jack. Do you like the terms?ö
EntenzaÆs forehead was covered with sweat. ôI canÆt raise a million that fast.ö
ôThatÆs all right, Jack. We donÆt need it this morning. Your note is good; you can take your time liquidating.ö
ôBut you said a million is just the beginning. I canÆt match you indefinitely; youÆve got to place a limit on it. IÆve got my family to consider.ö
ôNo annuities, Jack? No monies transferred in an irrevocable trust?ö
ôThatÆs not the point. YouÆll be able to squeeze me-freeze me out.ö
Harriman waited for Dixon to say something. Dixon finally said, ôWe wouldnÆt squeeze you, Jackùas long as you could prove you had converted every asset you hold. We would let you stay in on a pro rata basis.ö
Harriman nodded. ôThatÆs right, Jack.ö He was thinking that any shrinkage in EntenzaÆs share would give himself and Strong a clear voting majority.
Strong had been thinking of something of the same nature, for he spoke up suddenly, ôI donÆt like this. Four equal partnersùwe can be deadlocked too easily.ö
Dixon shrugged. ôI refuse to worry about it. I am in this because I am betting that Delos can manage to make it profitable.ö
ôWeÆll get to the Moon, Dan!ö
ôI didnÆt say that. I am betting that you will show a profit whether we get to the Moon or not. Yesterday evening I spent looking over the public records of several of your companies; they were very interesting. I suggest we resolve any possible deadlock by giving the DirectorùthatÆs you, Delosù the power to settle ties. Satisfactory, Entenza?ö
ôOh, sure!ö
Harriman was worried but tried not to show it. He did not trust Dixon, even bearing gifts. He stood up suddenly. ôIÆve got to run, gentlemen. I leave you to Mr. Strong and Mr. Kamens. Come along, Monty.ö Kamens, he was sure, would not spill anything prematurely, even to nominal full partners. As for StrongùGeorge, he knew, had not even let his left hand know how many fingers there were on his right.
He dismissed Montgomery outside the door of the partnersÆ personal office and went across the hall. Andrew Ferguson, chief engineer of Harriman Enterprises, looked up as he came in. ôHowdy, Boss. Say, Mr. Strong gave me an interesting idea for a light switch this morning. It did not seem practical at first butùö
ôSkip it. Let one of the boys have it and forget it. You know the line we are on now.ö
ôThere have been rumors,ö Ferguson answered cautiously.
ôFire the man that brought you the rumor. No-send him on a special mission to Tibet and keep him there until we are through. Well, letÆs get on with it. I want you to build a Moon ship as quickly as possible.ö
Ferguson threw one leg over the arm of his chair, took out a pen knife and began grooming his nails. ôYou say that like it was an order to build a privy.ö
ôWhy not? There have been theoretically adequate fuels since way back in æ49. You get together the team to design it and the gang to build it; you build itùI pay the bills. What could be simpler?ö
Ferguson stared at the ceiling. ôæAdequate fuelsùÆö he repeated dreamily.
ôSo I said. The figures show that hydrogen and oxygen are enough to get a step rocket to the Moon and backùitÆs just a matter of proper design.ö
ôæProper design,Æ he says,ö Ferguson went on ifl the same gentle voice, then suddenly swung around, jabbed the knife into the scarred desk top and bellowed, ôWhat do you know about proper design? Where do I get the steels? What do I use for a throat liner? How in the hell do I burn enough tons of your crazy mix per second to keep from wasting all my power breaking loose? How can I get a decent mass-ratio with a step rocket? Why in the hell didnÆt you let me build a proper ship when we had the fuel?ö
Harriman waited for him to quiet down, then said, ôWhat do we do about it, Andy?ö
ôHmmm. . . . I was thinking about it as I lay abed last nightùand my old lady is sore as hell at you; I had to finish the night on the couch. In the first place, Mr. Harriman, the proper way to tackle this is to get a research appropriation from the Department of National Defense. Then youùö
ôDamn it, Andy, you stick to engineering and let me handle the political and financial end of it. I donÆt want your advice.ö
ôDamn it, Delos, donÆt go off half-cocked. This is engineering IÆm talking about. The government owns a whole mass of former art about rocketryùall classified. Without a government contract you canÆt even get a peek at it.ö
ôIt canÆt amount to very much. What can a government rocket do that a Skyways rocket canÆt do? You told me yourself that Federal rocketry no longer amounted to anything.ö
Ferguson looked supercilious. ôI am afraid I canÆt explain it in lay terms. You will have to take it for granted that we need those government research reports. ThereÆs no sense in spending thousands of dollars in doing work that has already been done.ö
ôSpend the thousands.ö
ôMaybe millions.ö
ôSpend the millions. DonÆt be afraid to spend money. Andy, I donÆt want this to be a military job.ö He considered elaborating to the engineer the involved politics back of his decision, thought better of it. ôHow bad do you actually need that government stuff? CanÆt you get the same results by hiring engineers who used to work for the government? Or even hire them away from the government right now?ö
Ferguson pursed his lips. ôIf you insist on hampering me, how can you expect me to get results?ö
ôI am not hampering you. I am telling you that this is not a government project. If you wonÆt attempt to cope with it on those terms, let me know now, so that I can find somebody who will.ö
Ferguson started playing mumblety-peg on his desk top. When he got to ônosesöùand missedùhe said quietly, ôI mind a boy who used to work for the government at White Sands. He was a very smart lad indeed-design chief of section.ö
ôYou mean he might head up your team?ö
ôThat was the notion.ö
ôWhatÆs his name? Where is he? WhoÆs he working for?ö
ôWell, as it happened, when the government closed down White Sands, it seemed a shame to me that a good boy should be out of a job, so I placed him with Skyways. HeÆs maintenance chief engineer out on the Coast.ö
ôMaintenance? What a hell of a job for a creative man! But you mean heÆs working for us now? Get him on the screen. Noùcall the coast and have them send him here in a special rocket; weÆll all have lunch together.ö
ôAs it happens,ö Ferguson said quietly, ôI got up last night and called himùthatÆs what annoyed the Missus. HeÆs waiting outside. CosterùBob Coster.ö
A slow grin spread over HarrimanÆs face. ôAndy! You black-hearted old scoundrel, why did you pretend to balk?ö
ôI wasnÆt pretending. I like it here, Mr. Harriman. Just as long as you donÆt interfere, IÆll do my job. Now my notion is this: weÆll make young Coster chief engineer of the project and give him his head. I wonÆt joggle his elbow; IÆll just read the reports. Then you leave him alone, dÆyou hear me? Nothing makes a good technical man angrier than to have some incompetent nitwit with a check book telling him how to do his job.ö
ôSuits. And I donÆt want a penny-pinching old fool slowing him down, either. Mind you donÆt interfere with him, either, or IÆll jerk the rug out from under you. Do we understand each other?ö
ôI think we do.ö
ôThen get him in here.ö
Apparently FergusonÆs concept of a ôladö was about age thirty-five, for such Harriman judged Coster to be. He was tall, lean, and quietly eager. Harriman braced him immediately after shaking hands with, ôBob, can you build a rocket that will go to the Moon?ö
Coster took it without blinking. ôDo you have a source of X-fuel?ö he countered, giving the rocket manÆs usual shorthand for the isotope fuel formerly produced by the power satellite.
Coster remained perfectly quiet for several seconds, then answered, ôI can put an unmanned messenger rocket on the face of the Moon.ö
ôNot good enough. I want it to go there, land, and come back. Whether it lands here under power or by atmosphere braking is unimportant.ö
It appeared that Coster never answered promptly; Harriman had the fancy that he could hear wheels turning over in the manÆs head. ôThat would be a very expensive job.ö
ôWho asked you how much it would cost? Can you do it?ö
ôI could try.ö
ôTry, hell. Do you think you can do it? Would you bet your shirt on it? Would you be willing to risk your neck in the attempt? If you donÆt believe in yourself, man, youÆll always lose.ö
ôHow much will you risk, sir? I told you this would be expensive-and I doubt if you have any idea how expensive.ö
ôAnd I told you not to worry about money. Spend what you need; itÆs my job to pay the bills. Can you do it?ö
ôI can do it. IÆll let you know later how much it will cost and how long it will take.ö
ôGood. Start getting your team together. Where are we going to do this, Andy?ö he added, turning to Ferguson. ôAustralia?ö
ôNo.ö It was Coster who answered. ôIt canÆt be Australia; I want a mountain catapult. That will save us one step-combination.ö
ôHow big a mountain?ö asked Harriman~ ôWill Pikes Peak do?ö
ôIt ought to be in the Andes,ö objected Ferguson. ôThe mountains are taller and closer to the equator. After all, we own facilities thereùor the Andes Development Company does.ö
ôDo as you like, Bob,ö Harriman told Coster. ôI would prefer Pikes Peak, but itÆs up to you.ö He was thinking that there were tremendous business advantages to locating EarthÆs space port ~ i inside the United Statesùand he could visualize the advertising advantage of having Moon ships blast off from the top of Pikes Peak, in plain view of everyone for hundreds of miles to the East.
ôIÆll let you know.ö
ôNow about salary. Forget whatever it was we were paying you; how much do you want?ö
Coster actually gestured, waving the subject away. ôIÆll work for coffee and cakes.ö
ôDonÆt be silly.ö
ôLet me finish. Coffee and cakes and one other thing: I get to make the trip.
Harriman blinked. ôWell, I can understand that,ö he said slowly. ôIn the meantime IÆll put you on a drawing account.ö He added, ôBetter calculate for a three-man ship, unless you are a pilot.ö
ôIÆm not.ö
ôThree men, then. You see, IÆm going along, too.ö
CHAPTER FOUR
ôA GOOD THING YOU DECIDED to come in, Dan,ö Harriman was saying, ôor you would find yourself out of a job. IÆm going to put an awful crimp in the power company before IÆm through with this.ö
Dixon buttered a roll. ôReally? How?ö
ôWeÆll set up high-temperature piles, like the Arizona job, just like the one that blew up, around the corner on the far face of the Moon. WeÆll remote-control them; if one explodes it wonÆt matter. And IÆll breed more X-fuel in a week than the company turned out in three months. Nothing personal about it; itÆs just that I want a source of fuel for interplanetary liners. If we canÆt get good stuff here, weÆll have to make it on the Moon.ö
ôInteresting. But where do you propose to get the uranium for six piles? The last I heard the Atomic Energy Commission had the prospective supply earmarked twenty years ahead.ö
ôUranium? DonÆt be silly; weÆll get it on the Moon.ö
ôOn the Moon? Is there uranium on the Moon?ö
ôDidnÆt you know? I thought that was why you decided to join up with me?ö
ôNo, I didnÆt know,ö Dixon said deliberately. ôWhat proof have you?ö
ôMe? IÆm no scientist, but itÆs a well-understood fact. Spectroscopy, or something. Catch one of the professors. But donÆt go showing too much interest; we arenÆt ready to show our hand.ö Harriman stood up. ôIÆve got to run, or IÆll miss the shuttle for Rotterdam. Thanks for the lunch.ö He grabbed his hat and left.
Harriman stood up. ôSuit yourself, Mynheer van der Velde. IÆm giving you and your colleagues a chance to hedge your bets. Your geologists all agree that diamonds result from volcanic action. What do you think we will find there?ö He dropped a large photograph of the Moon on the HollanderÆs desk.
The diamond merchant looked impassively at the pictured planet, pockmarked by a thousand giant craters. ôIf you get there, Mr. Harriman.ö
Harriman swept up the picture. ôWeÆll get there. And weÆll find diamondsùthough I would be the first to admit that it may be twenty years or even forty before there is a big enough strike to matter. IÆve come to you because I believe that the worst villain in our social body is a man who introduces a major new economic factor without planning his innovation in such a way as to permit peaceful adjustment. I donÆt like panics. But all I can do is warn you. Good day.ö
ôSit down, Mr. Harriman. IÆm always confused when a man explains how he is going to do me good. Suppose you tell me instead how this is going to do you good? Then we can discuss how to protect the world market against a sudden influx of diamonds from the Moon.ö
Harriman sat down.
Harriman liked the Low Countries. He was delighted to locate a dog-drawn milk cart whose young master wore real wooden shoes; he happily took pictures and tipped the child heavily, unaware that the set-up was arranged for tourists. He visited several other diamond merchants but without speaking of the Moon. Among other purchases he found a brooch for Charlotteù a peace offering.
Then he took a taxi to London, planted a story with the representatives of the diamond syndicate there, arranged with his London solicitors to be insured by LloydÆs of London through a dummy, against a successful Moon flight, and called his home office. He listened to numerous reports, especially those concerning Montgomery, and found that Montgomery was in New Delhi. He called him there, spoke with him at length, then hurried to the port just in time to catch his ship. He was in Colorado the next morning.
At Peterson Field, east of Colorado Springs, he had trouble getting through the gate, even though it was now his domain, under lease. Of course he could have called Coster and gotten it straightened out at once, but he wanted to look around before seeing Coster. Fortunately the head guard knew him by sight; he got in and wandered around for an hour or more, a tn-colored badge pinned to his coat to give him freedom.
The machine shop was moderately busy, so was the foundry . . . but most of the shops were almost deserted. Harriman left the shops, went into the main engineering building. The drafting room and the loft were fairly active, as was the computation section. But there were unoccupied desks in the structures group and a churchlike quiet in the metals group and in the adjoining metallurgical laboratory. He was about to cross over into the chemicals and materials annex when Coster suddenly showed up.
ôMr. Harriman! I just heard you were here.ö
ôSpies everywhere,ö remarked Harriman. ôI didnÆt want to disturb you.ö
ôNot at all. LetÆs go up to my office.ö
Settled there a few moments later Harriman asked, ôWellùhowÆs it going?ö
Coster frowned. ôAll right, I guess.ö
Harriman noted that the engineerÆs desk baskets were piled high with papers which spilled over onto the desk. Before Harriman could answer, CosterÆs desk phone lit up and a feminine voice said sweetly, ôMr. Costerù Mr. Morgenstern is calling.ö
ôTell him IÆm busy.ö
After a short wait the girl answered in a troubled voice, ôHe says heÆs just got to speak to you, sir.ö
Coster looked annoyed. ôExcuse me a moment, Mr. HarrimanùO.K., put him on.ö
The girl was replaced by a man who said, ôOh there you are-what was the hold up? Look, Chief, weÆre in a jam about these trucks. Every one of them that we leased needs an overhaul and now it turns out that the White Fleet company wonÆt do anything about itùtheyÆre sticking to the fine print in the contract. Now the way I see it, weÆd do better to cancel the contract and do business with Peak City Transport. They have a scheme that looks good to me. They guarantee toùö
ôTake care of it,ö snapped Coster. ôYou made the contract and you have authority to cancel. You know that.ö
ôYes, but Chief, I figured this would be something you would want to pass on personally. It involves policy andùö
ôTake care of it! I donÆt give a damn what you do as long as we have transportation when we need it.ö He switched off.
ôWho is that man?ö inquired Harriman.
ôWho? Oh, thatÆs Morgenstern, Claude Morgenstem.ö
ôNot his nameùwhat does he do?ö
ôHeÆs one of my assistantsùbuildings, grounds, and transportation.ö
ôFire him!ö
Coster looked stubborn. Before he could answer a secretary came in and stood insistently at his elbow with a sheaf of papers. He frowned, initialed them, and sent her out.
ôOh, I donÆt mean that as an order,ö Harriman added, ôbut I do mean it as serious advice. I wonÆt give orders in your backyard,ùbut will you listen to a few minutes of advice?ö
ôNaturally,ö Coster agreed stiffly.
ôMmm . . . this your first job as top boss?ö
Coster hesitated, then admitted it.
ôI hired you on FergusonÆs belief that you were the engineer most likely to build a successful Moon ship. IÆve had no reason to change my mind. But top administration ainÆt engineering, and maybe I can show you a few tricks there, if youÆll let me.ö He waited. ôIÆm not criticizing,ö he added. ôTop bossing is like sex; until youÆve had it, you donÆt know about it.ö Harriman had the mental reservation that if the boy would not take advice, he would suddenly be out of a job, whether Ferguson liked it or not.
Coster drummed on his desk. ôI donÆt know whatÆs wrong and thatÆs a fact. It seems as if I canÆt turn anything over to anybody and have it done properly. I feel as if I were swimming in quicksand.ö
ôDone much engineering lately?ö
ôI try to.ö Coster waved at another desk in the corner. ôI work there, late at night.ö
ôThatÆs no good. I hired you as an engineer. Bob, this setup is all wrong. The joint ought to be jumpingùand itÆs not. Your office ought to be quiet as a grave. Instead your office is jumping and the plant looks like a graveyard.ö
Coster buried his face in his hands, then looked up. ôI know it. I know what needs to be done-but every time I try to tackle a technical problem some bloody fool wants me to make a decision about trucksùor telephonesùor some damn thing. IÆm sorry, Mr. Harriman. I thought I could do it.ö Harriman said very gently, ôDonÆt let it throw you, Bob. You havenÆt had much sleep lately, have you? Tell you whatùweÆll put over a fast one on Ferguson. IÆll take that desk youÆre at for a few days and build you a set-up to protect you against such things. I want that brain of yours thinking about reaction vectors and fuel efficiencies and design stresses, not about contracts for trucks.ö Harriman stepped to the door, looked around the outer office and spotted a man who might or might not be the officeÆs chief clerk. ôHey, you! CÆmere.ö
The man looked startled, got up, came to the door and said, ôYes?ö
ôI want that desk in the corner and all the stuff thatÆs on it moved to an empty office on this floor, right away.ö
The clerk raised his eyebrows. ôAnd who are you, if I may ask?ö
ôDamn itùö
ôDo as he tells you, Weber,ö Coster put in.
ôI want it done inside of twenty minutes,ö added Harriman. ôJump!ö He turned back to CosterÆs other desk, punched the phone, and presently was speaking to the main offices of Skyways. ôJim, is your boy Jock Berkeley around? Put him on leave and send him to me, at Peterson Field, right away, special trip. I want the ship he comes in to raise ground ten minutes after we sign off. Send his gear after him.ö Harriman listened for a moment, then answered, ôNo, your organization wonÆt fall apart if you lose Jockù or, if it does, maybe weÆve been paying the wrong man the top salary .
"Okay, okay, youÆre entitled to one swift kick at my tail the next time you catch up with me but send Jock. So long.ö
He supervised getting Coster and his other desk moved into another office, saw to it that the phone in the new office was disconnected, and, as an afterthought, had a couch moved in there, too. ôWeÆll install a projector, and a drafting machine and bookcases and other junk like that tonight,ö he told Coster. ôJust make a list of anything you needùto work on engineering. And call me if you want anything.ö He went back to the nominal chiefengineerÆs office and got happily to work trying to figure where the organization stood and what was wrong with it.
Some four hours later he took Berkeley in to meet Coster. The chief engineer was asleep at his desk, head cradled on his arms. Harriman started to back out, but Coster roused. ôOh! Sorry,ö he said, blushing, ôI must have dozed off.ö
ôThatÆs why I brought you the couch,ö said Harriman. ôItÆs more restful. Bob, meet Jock Berkeley. HeÆs your new slave. You remain chief engineer and top, undisputed boss. Jock is Lord High Everything Else. From now on youÆve got absolutely nothing to worry aboutùexcept for the little detail of building a Moon ship.ö
They shook hands. ôJust one thing I ask, Mr. Coster,ö Berkeley said seriously, ôbypass me all you want to-youÆll have to run the technical showùbut for GodÆs sake record it so IÆll know whatÆs going on. IÆm going to have a switch placed on your desk that will operate a sealed recorder at my desk.ö
ôFine!ö Coster was looking, Harriman thought, younger already.
ôAnd if you want something that is not technical, donÆt do it yourself. Just flip a switch and whistle; itÆll get done!ö Berkeley glanced at Harriman. ôThe Boss says he wants to talk with you about the real job. IÆll leave you and get busy.ö He left.
Harriman sat down; Coster followed suit and said, ôWhew!ö
ôFeel better?ö
ôI like the looks of that fellow Berkeley.ö
ôThatÆs good; heÆs your twin brother from now on. Stop worrying; IÆve used him before. YouÆll think youÆre living in a well-run hospital. By the way, where do you live?ö
ôAt a boarding house in the Springs.ö
ôThatÆs ridiculous. And you donÆt even have a place here to sleep?ö Harriman reached over to CosterÆs desk, got through to Berkeley. ôJockùget a suite for Mr. Coster at the Broadmoor, under a phony name.ö
ôRight.ö
ôAnd have this stretch along here adjacent to his office fitted out as an apartment.ö
ôRight. Tonight.ö
ôNow, Bob, about the Moon ship. Where do we stand?ö
They spent the next two hours contentedly running over the details of the problem, as Coster had laid them out. Admittedly very little work had been done since the field was leased but Coster had accomplished considerable theoretical work and computation before he had gotten swamped in administrative details. Harriman, though no engineer and certainly not a mathematician outside the primitive arithmetic of money, had for so long devoured everything he could find about space travel that he was able to follow most of what Coster showed him.
ôI donÆt see anything here about your mountain catapult,ö he said presently.
Coster looked vexed. ôOh, that! Mr. Harriman, I spoke too quickly.ö
ôHuh? How come? IÆve had MontgomeryÆs boys drawing up beautiful pictures of what things will look like when we are running regular trips. I intend to make Colorado Springs the spaceport capital of the world. We hold the franchise of the old cog railroad now; whatÆs the hitch?ö
ôWell, itÆs both time and money.ö
ôForget money. ThatÆs my pidgin.ö
ôTime then. I still think an electric gun is the best way to get the initial acceleration for a chem-powered ship. Like thisùö He began to sketch rapidly. ôIt enables you to omit the first step-rocket stage, which is bigger than all the others put together and is terribly inefficient, as it has such a poor mass-ratio. But what do you have to do to get it? You canÆt build a tower, not a tower a couple of miles high, strong enough to take the thrustsùnot this year, anyway. So you have to use a mountain. Pikes Peak is as good as any; itÆs accessible, at least.
ôBut what do you have to do to use it? First, a tunnel in through the side, from Manitou to just under the peak, and big enough to take the loaded shipùö
ôLower it down from the top,ö suggested Harriman.
Coster answered, ôI thought of that. Elevators two miles high for loaded space ships arenÆt exactly built out of string, in fact they arenÆt built out of any available materials. ItÆs possible to gimmick the catapult itself so that the accelerating coils can be reversed and timed differently to do the job, but believe me, Mr. Harrima; it will throw you into other engineering problems quite as great . . . such as a giant railroad up to the top of the ship. And it still leaves you with the shaft of the catapult itself to be dug. It canÆt be as small as the ship, not like a gun barrel for a bullet. ItÆs got to be considerably larger; you donÆt compress a column of air two miles high with impunity. Oh, a mountain catapult could be built, but it might take ten yearsùor longer.ö
ôThen forget it. WeÆll build it for the future but not for this flight. No, waitùhow about a surface catapult. We scoot up the side of the mountain and curve it up at the end?ö
ôQuite frankly, I think something like that is what will eventually be used. But, as of today, it just creates new problems. Even if we could devise an electric gun in which you could make that last curveùwe canÆt, at presentù the ship would have to be designed for terrific side stresses and all the additional weight would be parasitic so far as our main purpose is concerned, the design of a rocket ship.ö
ôWell, Bob, what is your solution?ö
Coster frowned. ôGo back to what we know how to doùbuild a step rocket.ö
CHAPTER FIVE
ôMONTYùö
ôYeah, Chief?ö
ôHave you ever heard this song?ö Harriman hummed, ôThe Moon belongs to everyone; the best things in life are freeù,ö then sang it, badly off key.
ôCanÆt say as I ever have.ö
ôIt was before your time. I want it dug out again. I want it revivτd, plugged until Hell wouldnÆt have it, and on everybodyÆs lips.ö
ôO.K.ö Montgomery took out his memorandum pad. ôWhen do you want it to reach its top?ö
Harriman considered. ôIn, say, about three months. Then I want the first phrase picked up and used in advertising slogans.ö
ôA cinch.ö
ôHow are things in Florida, Monty?ö
ôI thought we were going to have to buy the whole damned legislature until we got the rumor spread around that Los Angeles had contracted to have a City-Limits-of-Los-Angeles sign planted on the Moon for publicity pix. Then they came around.ö
ôGood.ö Harriman pondered. ôYou know, thatÆs not a bad idea. How much do you think the Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles would pay for such a picture?ö
Montgomery made another note. ôIÆll look into it.ö
ôI suppose you are about ready to crank up Texas, now that Florida is loaded?ö
ôMost any time now. WeÆre spreading a few snide rumors first.ö
Headline from Dallas-Fort Worth Banner:
ôTHE MOON BELONGS TO TEXAS!!!ö
ôùand thatÆs all for tonight, kiddies. DonÆt forget to send in those box tops, or reasonable facsimiles. Rememberùfirst prize is a thousand-acre ranch on the Moon itself, free and clear; the second prize is a six-foot scale model of the actual Moon ship, and there are fifty, count them, fifty third prizes, each a saddle-trained Shetland pony. Your hundred word composition æWhy I want to go to the MoonÆ will be judged for sincerity and originality, not on literary merit. Send those boxtops to Uncle Taffy, Box 214, Juarez, Old Mexico.ö
Harriman was shown into the office of the president of the Moka-Coka Company (ôOnly a Moke is truly a cokeöù~ ôDrink the Cola drink with the Liftö). He paused at the door, some twenty feet from the presidentÆs desk and quickly pinned a two-inch wide button to his lapel.
Patterson Griggs looked up. ôWell, this is really an honor, D.D. Do come in andùö The soft-drink executive stopped suddenly, his expression changed. ôWhat are you doing wearing that?ö he snapped. ôTrying to annoy me?ö
ôThatö was the two-inch disc; Harriman unpinned it and put it in his pocket. It was a celluloid advertising pin, in plain yellow; printed on it in black, almost covering it, was a simple 6+, the trademark of Moka-CokaÆs only serious rival.
ôNo,ö answered Harriman, ôthough I donÆt blame you for being irritated. I see half the school kids in the country wearing these silly buttons. But I came to give you a friendly tip, not to annoy you.ö
ôWhat do you mean?ö
ôWhen I paused at your door that pin on my lapel was just the sizeùto you, standing at your deskùas the full Moon looks when you are standing in your garden, looking up at it. You didnÆt have any trouble reading what was on the pin, did you? I know you didnÆt; you yelled at me before either one of us stirred.ö
ôWhat about it?ö
ôHow would you feelùand what would the effect be on your salesùif there was æsix-plusÆ written across the face of the Moon instead of just on a school kidÆs sweater?ö
Griggs thought about it, then said, ôD.D., donÆt make poor jokes. IÆve had a bad day.ö
ôIÆm not joking. As you have probably heard around the St~reet, IÆm behind this Moon trip venture. Between ourselves, Pat, itÆs quite an expensive undertaking, even for me. A few days ago a man came to meùyouÆll pardon me if I donÆt mention names? You can figure it out. Anyhow, this man represented a client who wanted to buy the advertising concession for the Moon. He knew we werenÆt sure of success; but he said his client would take the risk.
ôAt first I couldnÆt figure out what he was talking about; he set me straight. Then I thought he was kidding. Then I was shocked. Look at thisùö Harriman took out a large sheet of paper and spread it on GriggsÆ desk. ôYou see the equipment is set up anywhere near the center of the Moon, as we see it. Eighteen pyrotechnics rockets shoot out in eighteen directions, like the spokes of a wheel, but to carefully calculated distances. They hit and the bombs they carry go off, spreading finely divided carbon black for calculated distances. ThereÆs no air on the Moon, you know, Patùa fine powder will throw just as easily as a javelin. HereÆs your result.ö He turned the paper over; on the back there was a picture of the Moon, printed lightly. Overlaying it, in black, heavy print was:
ôSo it is that outfitùthose poisoners!ö
ôNo, no, I didnÆt say so! But it illustrates the point; six-plus is only two symbols; it can be spread large enough to be read on the face of the Moon.ö
Griggs stared at the horrid advertisement. ôI donÆt believe it will work!ö
ôA reliable pyrotechnics firm has guaranteed that it willùprovided I can deliver their equipment to the spot. After all, Pat, it doesnÆt take much of a pyrotechnics rocket to go a long distance on the Moon. Why, you could throw a baseball a couple of miles yourselfùlow gravity, you know.ö
ôPeople would never stand for it. ItÆs sacrilege!ö
Harriman looked sad. ôI wish you were right. But they stand for skywritingùand video commercials.ö
Griggs chewed his lip. ôWell, I donÆt see why you come to me with it,ö he exploded. ôYou know damn well the name of my product wonÆt go on the face of the Moon. The letters would be too small to read.ö
Harriman nodded. ôThatÆs exactly why I came to you. Pat, this isnÆt just a business venture to me; itÆs my heart and soul. It just made me sick to think of somebody actually wanting to use the face of the Moon for advertising. As you say, itÆs sacrilege. But somehow, these jackals found out I was pressed for cash. They came to me when they knew I would have to listen.
ôI put them off. I promised them an answer on Thursday. Then I went home and lay awake about it. After a while I thought of you.ö
ôMe?ö
ôYou. You and your company. After all, youÆve got a good product and you need legitimate advertising for it. It occurred to me that there are more ways to use the Moon in advertising than by defacing it. Now just suppose that your company bought the same concession, but with the public-spirited promise of never letting it be used. Suppose you featured that fact in your ads? Suppose you ran pictures of a boy and girl, sitting out under the Moon, sharing a bottle of Moke? Suppose Moke was the only soft drink carried on the first trip to the Moon? But I donÆt have to tell you how to do it.ö He glanced at his watch finger. ôIÆve got to run and I donÆt want to rush you. If you want to do business just leave word at my office by noon tomorrow and IÆll have our man Montgomery get in touch with your advertising chief.ö
The head of the big newspaper chain kept him waiting the minimum time reserved for tycoons and cabinet members. Again Harriman stopped at the threshold of a large office and fixed a disc to his lapel.
ôHowdy, Delos,ö the publisher said, ôhowÆs the traffic in green cheese today?ö He then caught sight of the button and frowned. ôIf that is a joke, it is in poor taste.ö
Harriman pocketed the disc; it displayed not 6+, but the hammer-and-sickle.
ôNo,ö he said, ôitÆs not a joke; itÆs a nightmare. Colonel, you and I are among the few people in this country who realize that communism is still a menace.ö
Sometime later they were talking as chummily as if the ColonelÆs chain had not obstructed the Moon venture since its inception. The publisher waved a cigar at his desk. ôHow did you come by those plans? Steal them?ö
ôThey were copied,ö Harriman answered with narrow truth. ôBut they arenÆt important. The important thing is to get there first; we canÆt risk having an enemy rocket base on the Moon. For years IÆve had a recurrent nightmare of waking up and seeing headlines that the Russians had landed on the Moon and declared the Lunar Sovietùsay thirteen men and two female scientistsùand had petitioned for entrance into the U.S.S.R.ùand the petition had, of course, been graciously granted by the Supreme Soviet. I used to wake up and tremble. I donÆt know that they would actually go through with painting a hammer and sickle on the face of the Moon, but itÆs consistent with their psychology. Look at those enormous posters they are always hanging up.ö
The publisher bit down hard on his cigar. ôWeÆll see what we can work out. Is there any way you can speed up your take-off?ö
CHAPTER SIX
ôMR. HARRIMAN?ö
ôYes?ö
ôThat Mr. LeCroix is here again.ö
ôTell him I canÆt see him.ö
ôYes, sirùuh, Mr. Harriman, he did not mention it the other day but he says he is a rocket pilot.ö
ôSend him around to Skyways. I donÆt hire pilots.ö
A manÆs face crowded into the screen, displacing HarrimanÆs reception secretary. ôMr. HarrimanùIÆm Leslie LeCroix, relief pilot of the Charon.ö
ôI donÆt care if you are the Angel Gabù Did you say Charon?ö
ôI said Charon. And IÆve got to talk to you.ö
ôCome in.ö
Harriman greeted his visitor, offered him tobacco, then looked him over with interest. The Charon, shuttle rocket to the lost power satellite, had been the nearest thing to a space ship the world had yet seen. Its pilot, lost in the same explosion that had destroyed the satellite and the Charon had been the first, in a way, of the coming breed of spacemen.
Harriman wondered how it had escaped his attention that the Charon had alternating pilots. He had known it, of courseùbut somehow he had forgotten to take the fact into account. He had written off the power satellite, its shuttle rocket and everything about it, ceased to think about them. He now looked at LeCroix with curiosity.
He saw a small, neat man with a thin, intelligent face, and the big, competent hands of a jockey. LeCroix returned his inspection without embarrassment. He seemed calm and utterly sure of himself.
ôWell, Captain LeCroix?ö
ôYou are building a Moon ship.ö
ôWho says so?ö
ôA Moon ship is being built. The boys all say you are behind it.ö
ôYes?ö
ôI want to pilot it.ö
ôWhy should you?ö
ôIÆm the best man for it.ö
Harriman paused to let out a cloud of tobacco smoke. ôIf you can prove that, the billet is yours.ö
ôItÆs a deal.ö LeCroix stood up. ôIÆll leave my nameand address outside.ö
ôWait a minute. I said æif.Æ LetÆs talk. IÆm going along on this trip myself; I want to know more about you before I trust my neck to you.ö
They discussed Moon flight, interplanetary travel, rocketry, what they might find on the Moon. Gradually Harriman warmed up, as he found another spirit so like his own, so obsessed with the Wonderful Dream. Subconsciously he had already accepted LeCroix; the conversation began to assume that it would be a joint venture.
After a long time Harriman said, ôThis is fun, Les, but IÆve got to do a few chores yet today, or none of us will get to the Moon. You go on out to Peterson Field and get acquainted with Bob CosterùIÆll call him. If the pair of you can manage to get along, weÆll talk contract.ö He scribbled a chit and handed it to LeCroix. ôGive this to Miss Perkins as you go out and sheÆll put you on the payroll.ö
ôThat can wait.ö
ôManÆs got to eat.ö
LeCroix accepted it but did not leave. ôThereÆs one thing I donÆt understand, Mr. Harriman.ö
ôHuh?ö
ôWhy are you planning on a chemically powered ship? Not that I object; IÆll herd her. But why do it the hard way? I know you had the City of Brisbane refitted for X-fuelùö
Harriman stared at him. ôAre you off your nut, Les? YouÆre asking why pigs donÆt have wingsùthere isnÆt any X-fuel and there wonÆt be any more until we make some ourselvesùon the Moon.ö
ôWho told you that?ö
ôWhat do you mean?ö
ôThe way I heard it, the Atomic Energy Commission allocated X-fuel, under treaty, to several other countriesùand some of them werenÆt prepared to make use of it. But they got it just the same. What happened to it?ö
ôOh, that! Sure, Les, several of the little outfits in Central America and South America were cut in for a slice of pie for political reasons, even though they had no way to eat it. A good thing, tooùwe bought it back and used it to ease the immediate power shortage.ö Harriman frowned. ôYouÆre right, though. I should have grabbed some of the stuff then.ö
ôAre you sure itÆs all gone?ö
ôWhy, of course, IÆmù No, IÆm not. IÆll look into it. GÆbye, Les.ö
His contacts were able to account for every pound of X-fuel in short orderùsave for Costa RicaÆs allotment. That nation had declined to sell back its supply because its power plant, suitable for X-fuel, had been almost finished at the time of the disaster. Another inquiry disclosed that the power plant had never been finished.
Montgomery was even then in Managua; Nicaragua had had a change in administration and Montgomery was making certain that the special position of the local Moon corporation was protected. Harriman sent him a coded message to proceed to San JosΘ, locate X-fuel, buy it and ship it backùat any cost. He then went to see the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
That official was apparently glad to see him and anxious to be affable. Harriman got around to explaining that he wanted a license to do experimental work in isotopesùX-fuel, to be precise.
ôThis should be brought up through the usual channels, Mr. Harriman.ö
ôIt will be. This is a preliminary inquiry. I want to know your reactions.ö
ôAfter all, I am not the only commissioner . . . and we almost always follow the recommendations of our technical branch.ö
ôDonÆt fence with me, Carl. You know dern well you control a working majority. Off the record, what do you say?ö
ôWell, D.D.ùoff the recordùyou canÆt get any X-fuel, so why get a license?ö
ôLet me worry about that.ö
ôMmmm . . we werenÆt required by law to follow every millicurie of X-fuel, since it isnÆt classed as potentially suitable for mass weapons. Just the same, we knew what happened to it. ThereÆs none available.ö
Harriman kept quiet.
ôIn the second place, you can have an X-fuel license, if you wishùfor any purpose but rocket fuel.ö
ôWhy the restriction?ö
ôYou are building a Moon ship, arenÆt you?ö
ôMe?ö
ôDonÆt you fence with me, D.D. ItÆs my business to know things. You canÆt use X-fuel for rockets, even if you can find itùwhich you canÆt.ö The chairman went to a vault back of his desk and returned with a quarto volume, which he laid in front of Harriman. It was titled: Theoretical Investigation into the Stability of Several Radioisotopic FuelsùWith Notes on the Charon-Power-Satellite Disaster. The cover had a serial number and was stamped: SECRET.
Harriman pushed it away. ôIÆve got no business looking at thatùand I wouldnÆt understand it if I did.ö
The chairman grinned. ôVery well, IÆll tell you whatÆs in it. IÆm deliberately tying your hands, D.D., by trusting you with a defense secretùö
ôI wonÆt have it, I tell you!ö
ôDonÆt try to power a space ship with X-fuel, D.D. ItÆs a lovely fuelù but it may go off like a firecracker anywhere out in space. That report tells why.ö
ôConfound it, we ran the Charon for nearly three years!ö
ôYou were lucky. It is the officialùbut utterly confidentialùopinion of the government that the Charon set off the power satellite, rather than the satellite setting off the Charon. We had thought it was the other way around at first, and of course it could have been, but there was the disturbing matter of the radar records. It seemed as if the ship had gone up a split second before the satellite. So we made an intensive theoretical investigation. X-fuel is too dangerous for rockets.ö
ôThatÆs ridiculous! For every pound burned in the Charon there were at least a hundred pounds used in power plants on the surface. How come they didnÆt explode?ö
ôItÆs a matter of shielding. A rocket necessarily uses less shielding than a stationary plant, but the worst feature is that it operates out in space. The disaster is presumed to have been triggered by primary cosmic radiation. If you like, IÆll call in one of the mathematical physicists to elucidate.ö
Harriman shook his head. ôYou know I donÆt speak the language.ö He considered. ôI suppose thatÆs all there is to it?ö
ôIÆm afraid so. IÆm really sorry.ö Harriman got up to leave. ôUh, one more thing, D.D.ùyou werenÆt thinking of approaching any of my subordinate colleagues, were you?ö
ôOf course not. Why should I?ö
ôIÆm glad to hear it. You know, Mr. Harriman, some of our staff may not be the most brilliant scientists in the worldùitÆs very hard to keep a first-class scientist happy in the conditions of government service. But there is one thing I am sure of; all of them are utterly incorruptible. Knowing that, I would take it as a personal affront if anyone tried to influence one of my peopleùa very personal affront.ö
ôSo?ö
ôYes. By the way, I used to box light-heavyweight in college. IÆve kept it up.ö
ôHmmm . . . well, I never went to college. But I play a fair game of poker.ö Harriman suddenly grinned. ôI wonÆt tamper with your boys, Carl. It would be too much like offering a bribe to a starving man. Well, so long.ö
When Harriman got back to his office he called in one of his confidential clerks. ôTake another coded message to Mr. Montgomery. Tell him to ship the stuff to Panama City, rather than to the States.ö He started to dictate another message to Coster, intending to tell him to stop work on the Pioneer, whose skeleton was already reaching skyward on the Colorado prairie, and shift to the Santa Maria, formerly the City of Brisbane.
He thought better of it. Take-off would have to be outside the United States; with the Atomic Energy Commission acting stuffy, it would not do to try to move the Santa Maria: it would give the show away.
Nor could she be moved without refitting her for chem-powered flight. No, he would have another ship of the Brisbane class taken out of service and sent to Panama, and the power plant of the Santa Maria could be disassembled and shipped there, too. Coster could have the new ship ready in six weeks, maybe sooner . . . and he, Coster, and LeCroix would start for the Moon!
The devil with worries over primary cosmic rays! The Charon operated for three years, didnÆt she? They would make the trip, they would prove it could be done, then, if safer fuels were needed, there would be the incentive to dig them out. The important thing was to do it, make the trip. If Columbus had waited for decent ships, weÆd all still be in Europe. A man had to take some chances or he never got anywhere.
Contentedly he started drafting the messages that would get the new scheme underway.
He was interτupted by a secretary. ôMr. Harriman, Mr. Montgomery wants to speak to you.ö
ôEh? Has he gotten my code already?ö
ôI donÆt know, sir.ö
ôWell, put him on.ö
Montgomery had not received the second message. But he had news for Harriman:Costa Rica had sold all its X-fuel to the English Ministry of Power, soon after the disaster. There was not an ounce of it left, neither in Costa Rica, nor in England.
Harriman sat and moped for several minutes after Montgomery had cleared the screen. Then he called Coster. ôBob? Is LeCroix there?ö
ôRight here-we were about to go out to dinner together. Here he is, now.ö
ôHowdy, Les. Les, that was a good brain storm of yours, but it didnÆt work. Somebody stole the baby.ö
ôEh? Oh, I get you. IÆm sorry.ö
ôDonÆt ever waste time being sorry. WeÆll go ahead as originally planned. WeÆll get there!ö
ôSure we will.ö
CHAPTER SEVEN
FROM THE JUNE ISSUE of Popular Technics magazine: ôURANIUM PROSPECTING ON THE MOONùA Fact Article about a soon-to-come Major Industry.ö
From HOLIDAY: ôHoneymoon on the MoonùA Discussion of the Miracle Resort that your children will enjoy, as told to our travel editor.ö
From the American Sunday Magazine: ôDIAMONDS ON THE MOON?ùA World Famous Scientist Shows Why Diamonds Must Be Common As Pebbles in the Lunar Craters.ö
ôOf course, Clem, I donÆt know anything about electronics, but here is the way it was explained to me. You can hold the beam of a television broadcast down to a degree or so these days, canÆt you?ö
ôYesùif you use a big enough reflector.ö
ôYouÆll have plenty of elbow room. Now Earth covers a space two degrees wide, as seen from the Moon. Sure, itÆs quite a distance away, but youÆd have no power losses and absolutely perfect and unchanging conditions for transmission. Once you made your set-up, it wouldnÆt be any more expensive than broadcasting from the top of a mountain here, and a derned sight less expensive than keeping copters in the air from coast to coast, the way youÆre having to do now.ö
ôItÆs a fantastic scheme, Delos.ö
ôWhatÆs fantastic about it? Getting to the Moon is my worry, not yours. Once we are there, thereÆs going to be television back to Earth, you can bet your shirt on that. ItÆs a natural set-up for line-of-sight transmission. If you arenÆt interested, IÆll have to find someone who is.ö
ôI didnÆt say I wasnÆt interested.ö
ôWell, make up your mind. HereÆs another thing, ClemùI donÆt want to go sticking my nose into your business, but havenÆt you had a certain amount of trouble since you lost the use of the power satellite as a relay station?ö
ôYou know the answer; donÆt needle me. Expenses have gone out of sight without any improvement in revenue.ö
ôThat wasnÆt quite what I meant. How about censorship?ö
The television executive threw up his hands. ôDonÆt say that word! How anybody expects a man to stay in business with every two-bit wowser in the country claiming a veto over wLhat we can say and canÆt say and what we can show and what we canÆt showùitÆs enough to make you throw up. The whole principle is wrong; itÆs like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby canÆt eat steak. If I were able to lay my hands on those confounded, prurient-minded, slimyùö
ôEasy! Easy!ö Harriman interrupted. ôDid it ever occur to you that there is absolutely no way to interfere with a telecast from the Moonùand that boards of censorship on Earth wonÆt have jurisdiction in any case?ö
ôWhat? Say that again.ö
ôLIFE goes to the Moon.Æ LIFE-TIME Inc. is proud to announce that arrangements have been completed to bring LIFEÆS readers a personally conducted tour of the first trip to our satellite. In place of the usual weekly feature æLIFE Goes to a PartyÆ there will commence, immediately after the return of the first successfulùö
ôASSURANCE FOR THE NEW AGEö
(An excerpt from an advertisement of the North Atlantic Mutual Insurance and Liability Company)
ôùthe same looking-to-the-future that protected our policy-holders after the Chicago Fire, after the San Francisco Fire, after every disaster since the War of 1812, now reaches out to insure you from unexpected loss even on the Moonùö
ôTHE UNBOUNDED FRONTIERS OF TECHNOLOGYö
ôWhen the Moon ship Pioneer climbs skyward on a ladder of flame, twenty-seven essential devices in her æinnardsÆ will be powered by especiallyengineered DELTA batteriesùö
ôMr. Harriman, could you come out to the field?ö
ôWhatÆs up, Bob?ö
ôTrouble,ö Coster answered briefly.
ôWhat sort of trouble?ö
Coster hesitated. ôIÆd rather not talk about it by screen. If you canÆt come, maybe Les and I had better come there.ö
ôIÆll be there this evening.ö
When Harriman got there he saw that LδCroixÆs impassive face concealed bitterness, Coster looked stubborn and defensive. He waited until the three were alone in CosterÆs workroom before he spoke. ôLetÆs have it, boys.ö
LeCroix looked at Coster. The engineer chewed his lip and said, ôMr. Harriman, you know the stages this design has been through.ö
ôMore or less.ö
ôWe had to give up the catapult idea. Then we had thisùö Coster rummaged on his desk, pulled out a perspective treatment of a four-step rocket, large but rather graceful.ôTheoretically it was a possibility; practically it cut things too fine. By the time the stress group boys and the auxiliary group and the control group got through adding things we were forced to come to thisùö He hauled out another sketch; it was basically like the first, but squattier, almost pyramidal. ôWe added a fifth stage as a ring around the fourth stage. We even managed to save some weight by using most of the auxiliary and control equipment for the fourth stage to control the fifth stage. And it still had enough sectional density to punch through the atmosphere with no important drag, even if it was clumsy.ö
Harriman nodded. ôYou know, Bob, weÆre going to have to get away from the step rocket idea before we set up a schedule run to the Moon.ö
ôI donÆt see how you can avoid it with chem-powered rockets.ö
ôIf you had a decent catapult you could put a single-stage chem-powered rocket into an orbit around the Earth, couldnÆt you?ö
ôSure.ö
ôThatÆs what weÆll do. Then it will refuel in that orbit.ö
ôThe old space-station set-up. I suppose that makes sense-in fact I know it does. Only the ship wouldnÆt refuel and continue on to the Moon. The economical thing would be to have special ships that never landed anywhere make the jump from there to another fueling station around the Moon. Thenùö
LeCroix displayed a most unusual impatience. ôAJ1 that doesnÆt mean anything now. Get on with the story, Bob.ö
ôRight,ö agreed Harriman.
ôWell, this model should have done it. And, damn it, it still should do it.ö Harriman looked puzzled. ôBut, Bob, thatÆs the approved design, isnÆt it? ThatÆs what youÆve got two-thirds built right out there on the field.ö
ôYes.ö Coster looked stricken. ôBut it wonÆt do it. It wonÆt work.ö
ôWhy not?ö
ôBecause IÆve had to add in too much dead weight, thatÆs why. Mr. Harriman, you arenÆt an engineer; youÆve no idea how fast the performance falls off when you have to clutter up a ship with anything but fuel and power plant. Take the landing arrangements for the fifth-stage power ring. You use that stage for a minute and a half, then you throw it away. But you donÆt dare take a chance of it falling on Wichita or Kansas City. We have to include a parachute sequence. Even then we have to plan on tracking it by radar and cutting the shrouds by radio control when itÆs over empty countryside and not too high. That means more weight, besides the parachute. By the time we are through, we donÆt get a net addition of a mile a second out of that stage. ItÆs not enough.ö
Harriman stirred in his chair. ôLooks like we made a mistake in trying to launch it from the States. Suppose we took off from someplace unpopulated, say the Brazil coast, and let the booster stages fall in the Atlantic; how much would that save you?ö
Coster looked off in the distance, then took out a slide rule. ôMight work.ö
ôHow much of a chore will it be to move the ship, at this stage?ö
ôWell . . . it would have to be disassembled completely; nothing less would do. I canÆt give you a cost estimate off hand, but it would be expensive.ö
ôHow long would it take?ö
ôHmm. . .shucks, Mr. Harriman, I canÆt answer off hand. Two yearsù eighteen months, with luck. WeÆd have to prepare a site. WeÆd have to build shops.ö
Harriman thought about it, although he knew the answer in his heart. His shoe string, big as it was, was stretched to the danger point. He couldnÆt keep up the promotion, on talk alone, for another two years; he had to have a successful flight and soonùor the whole jerry-built financial structure would burst. ôNo good, Bob.ö
ôI was afraid of that. Well, I tried to add still a sixth stage.ö He held up another sketch. ôYou see that monstrosity? I reached the point of diminishing returns. The final effective velocity is actually less with this abortion than with the five-step job.ö
ôDoes that mean you are whipped, Bob? You canÆt build a Moon ship?ö
"No, Iùö
LeCroix said suddenly, ôClear out Kansas.ö
ôEh?ö asked Harriman.
ôClear everybody out of Kansas and Eastern Colorado. Let the fifth and fourth sections fall anywhere in that area. The third section falls in the Atlantic; the second section goes into a permanent orbitùand the ship itself goes on to the Moon. You could do it if you didnÆt have to waste weight on the parachuting of the fifth and fourth sections. Ask Bob.ö
ôSo? How about it, Bob?ö
ôThatÆs what I said before. It was the parasitic penalties that whipped us. The basic design is all right.ö
ôHmmm. . . somebody hand me an Atlas.ö Harriman looked up Kansas and Colorado, did some rough figuring. He stared off into space, looking surprisingly, for the moment, as Coster did when the engineer was thinking about his own work. Finally he said, ôIt wonÆt work.ö
ôWhy not?ö
ôMoney. I told you not to worry about moneyùfor the ship. But it would cost upward of six or seven million dollars to evacuate that area even for a day. WeÆd have to settle nuisance suits out of hand; we couldnÆt wait. And there would be a few diehards who just couldnÆt move anyhow.ö
LeCroix said savagely, ôIf the crazy fools wonÆt move, let them take their chances.ö
ôI know how you feel, Les. But this project is too big to hide and too big to move. Unless we protect the bystanders weÆll be shut down by court order and force. I canÆt buy all the judges in two states. Some of them wouldnÆt be for sale.ö
ôIt was a nice try, Les,ö consoled Coster.
ôI thought it might be an answer for all of us,ö the pilot answered.
Harriman said, ôYou were starting to mention another solution, Bob?ö Coster looked embarrassed. ôYou know the plans for the ship itselfùa three-man job, space and supplies for three.ö
ôYes. What are you driving at?ö
ôIt doesnÆt have to be three men. Split the first step into two parts, cut the ship down to the bare minimum for one man and jettison the remainder. ThatÆs the only way I see to make this basic design work.ö He got out another sketch. ôSee? One man and supplies for less than a week. No airlockù the pilot stays in his pressure suit. No galley. No bunks. The bare minimum to keep one man alive for a maximum of two hundred hours. It will work.ö
ôIt will work,ö repeated LeCroix, looking at Coster.
Harriman looked at the sketch with an odd, sick feeling at his stomach. Yes, no doubt it would workùand for the purposes of the promotion it did not matter whether one man or three went to the Moon and returned. Just to do it was enough; he was dead certain that one successful flight would cause money to roll in so that there would be capital to develop to the point of practical, passenger-carrying ships.
The Wright brothers had started with less.
ôIf that is what I have to put up with, I suppose I have to,ö he said slowly. Coster looked relieved. ôFine! But there is one more hitch. You know the conditions under which I agreed to tackle this jobùI was to go along. Now Les here waves a contract under my nose and says he has to be the pilot.ö
ôItÆs not just that,ö LeCroix countered. ôYouÆre no pilot, Bob. YouÆll kill yourself and ruin the whole enterprise, just through bull-headed stubbornness.ö
ôIÆll learn to fly it. After all, I designed it. Look here, Mr. Harriman, I hate to let you in for a suitùLes says he will sue-but my contract antedates his. I intend to enforce it.ö
ôDonÆt listen to him, Mr. Harriman. Let him do the suing. IÆll fly that ship and bring her back. HeÆll wreck it.ö
ôEither I go or I donÆt build the ship,ö Coster said flatly.
Harriman motioned both of them to keep quiet. ôEasy, easy, both of you. You can both sue me if it gives you any pleasure. Bob, donÆt talk nonsense; at this stage I can hire other engineers to finish the job. You tell me it has to be just one man.ö
ôThatÆs right.ö
ôYouÆre looking at him.ö
They both stared.
ôShut your jaws,ö Harriman snapped. ôWhatÆs funny about that? You both knew I meant to go. You donÆt think I went to all this trouble just to give you two a ride to the Moon, do you? I intend to go. WhatÆs wrong with me as a pilot? IÆm in good health, my eyesight is all right, IÆm still smart enough to learn what I have to learn. If I have to drive my own buggy, IÆll do it. I wonÆt step aside for anybody, not anybody, dÆyou hear me?ö
Coster got his breath first. ôBoss, you donÆt know what you are saying.ö Two hours later they were still wrangling. Most of the time Harriman had stubbornly sat still, refusing to answer their arguments. At last he went out of the room for a few minutes, on the usual pretext. When he came back in he said, ôBob, what do you weigh?ö
ôMe? A little over two hundred.ö
ôClose to two twenty, IÆd judge. Les, what do you weigh?ö
ôOne twenty-six.ö
ôBob, design the ship for a net load of one hundred and twenty-six pounds.ö
ôHuh? Now wait a minute, Mr. Harrimanùö
ôShut up! If I canÆt learn to be a pilot in six weeks, neither can you.ö
ôBut IÆve got the mathematics and the basic knowledge toùö
ôShut up I said! Les has spent as long learning his profession as you have learning yours. Can he become an engineer in six weeks? Then what gave you the conceit to think that you can learn his job in that time? IÆm not going to have you wrecking my ship to satisfy your swollen ego. Anyhow, you gave out the real key to it when you were discussing the design. The real limiting factor is the actual weight of the passenger or passengers, isnÆt it? Everythingùeverything works in proportion to that one mass. Right?ö
ôYes, butùö
ôRight or wrong?ö
ôWell . . . yes, thatÆs right. I just wantedùö
ôThe smaller man can live on less water, he breathes less air, he occunies less space. Les goes.ö Harriman walked over and put a hand on CosterÆs shoulder. ôDonÆt take it hard, son. It canÆt be any worse on you than it is on me. This trip has got to succeedùand that means you and I have got to give up the honor of being the first man on the Moon. But I promise you this: weÆll go on the second trip, weÆll go with Les as our private chauffeur. It will be the first of a lot of passenger trips. Look, Bob-you can be a big man in this game, if youÆll play along now. How would you like to be chief engineer of the first lunar colony?ö
Coster managed to grin. ôIt might not be so bad.ö
ôYouÆd like it. Living on the Moon will be an engineering problem; you and I have talked about it. HowÆd you like to put your theories to work? Build the first city? Build the big observatory weÆll found there? Look around and know that you were the man who had done it?ö
Coster was definitely adjusting himself to it. ôYou make it sound good. Say, what will you be doing?ö
ôMe? Well, maybe IÆll be the first mayor of Luna City.ö It was a new thought to him; he savored it. ôThe Honorable Delos David Harriman, Mayor of Luna City. Say, I like that! You know, IÆve never held any sort of public office; IÆve just owned things.ö He looked around. ôEverything settled?ö
ôI guess so,ö Coster said slowly. Suddenly he stuck his hand out at LeCroix. ôYou fly her, Les; IÆll build her.ö
LeCroix grabbed his hand. ôItÆs a deal. And you and the Boss get busy and start making plans for the next job-big enough for all of us.ö
ôRight!ö
Harriman put his hand on top of theirs. ôThatÆs the way I like to hear you talk. WeÆll stick together and weÆll found Luna City together.ö
ôI think we ought to call it ôHarriman,ö LeCroix said seriously.
ôNope, IÆve thought of it as Luna City ever since I was a kid; Luna City itÆs going to be. Maybe weÆll put Harriman Square in the middle of it,ö he added.
ôIÆll mark it that way in the plans,ö agreed Coster.
Harriman left at once. Despite the solution he was terribly depressed and did not want his two colleagues to see it. It had been a Pyrrhic victory; he had saved the enterprise but he felt like an animal who has gnawed off his own leg to escape a trap.
CHAPTER EIGHT
STRONG WAS ALONE in the offices of the partnership when he got a call from Dixon. ôGeorge, I was looking for D.D. Is he there?ö
ôNo, heÆs back in Washingtonùsomething about clearances. I expect him back soon.ö
ôHmmm. . . . Entenza and I want to see him. WeÆre coming over.ö They arrived shortly. Entenza was quite evidently very much worked up over something; Dixon looked sleekly impassive as usual. After greetings Dixon waited a moment, then said, ôJack, you had some business to transact, didnÆt you?ö
Entenza jumped, then snatched a draft from his pocket.
ôOh, yes! George, IÆm not going to have to pro-rate after all. HereÆs my payment to bring my share up to full payment to date.ö
Strong accepted it. ôI know that Delos will be pleased.ö He tucked it in a drawer.
ôWell,ö said Dixon sharply, ôarenÆt you going to receipt for it?ö
ôIf Jack wants a receipt. The cancelled draft will serve.ö However, Strong wrote out a receipt without further comment; Entenza accepted it.
They waited a while. Presently Dixon said, ôGeorge, youÆre in this pretty deep, arenÆt you?ö
ôPossibly.ö
ôWant to hedge your bets?ö
ôHow?ö
ôWell, candidly, I want to protect myself. Want to sell one half of one. percent of your share?ö
Strong thought about it. In fact he was worriedùworried sick. The presence of DixonÆs auditor had forced them to keep on a cash basisùand only Strong knew how close to the line that had forced the partners. ôWhy do you want it?ö
ôOh, I wouldnÆt use it to interfere with DelosÆs operations. HeÆs our man; weÆre backing him. But I would feel a lot safer if I had the right to call a halt if he tried to commit us to something we couldnÆt pay for. You know Delos; heÆs an incurable optimist. We ought to have some sort of a brake on him.ö
Strong thought about it. The thing that hurt him was that he agreed with everything Dixon said; he had stood by and watched while Delos dissipated two fortunes, painfully built up through the years. D.D. no longer seemed to care. Why, only this morning he had refused even to look at a report on the H & S automatic household switchùafter dumping it on Strong.
Dixon leaned forward. ôName a price, George. IÆll be generous.ö
Strong squared his stooped shoulders. ôIÆll sellùö
ôGood!ö
ôùif Delos okays it. Not otherwise.ö
Dixon muttered something. Enteuza snorted. The conversation might have gone acrimoniously further, had not Harriman walked in.
No one said anything about the proposal to Strong. Strong inquired about the trip; Harriman pressed a thumb and finger together. ôAll in the groove! But it gets more expensive to do business in Washington every day.ö He turned to the others. ôHowÆs tricks? Any special meaning to the assemblage? Are we in executive session?ö
Dixon turned to Entenza. ôTell him, Jack.ö
Entenza faced Harriman. ôWhat do you mean by selling television rights?ö
Harriman cocked a brow. ôAnd why not?ö
ôBecause you promised them to me, thatÆs why. ThatÆs the original agreement; IÆve got it in writing.ö
ôBetter take another look at the agreement, Jack. And donÆt go off halfcocked. You have the exploitation rights for radio, television, and other amusement and special feature ventures in connection with the first trip to the Moon. YouÆve still got æem. Including broadcasts from the ship, provided we are able to make any.ö He decided that this was not a good time to mention that weight considerations had already made the latter impossible; the Pioneer would carry no electronic equipment of any sort not needed in astrogation. ôWhat I sold was the franchise to erect a-television station on the Moon, later. By the way, it wasnÆt even an exclusive franchise, although Clem Haggerty thinks it is. If you want to buy one yourself, we can accommodate you.ö
ôBuy it! Why youùö
ôWups! Or you can have it free, if you can get Dixon and George to agree that you are entitled to it. I wonÆt be a tightwad. Anything else?ö
Dixon cut in. ôJust where do we stand now, Delos?ö
ôGentlemen, you can take it for granted that the Pioneer will leave on scheduleùnext Wednesday. And now, if you will excuse me, IÆm on my way to Peterson Field.ö
After he had left his three associates sat in silence for some time, Entenza muttering to himself, Dixon apparently thinking, and Strong just waiting. Presently Dixon said, ôHow about that fractional share, George?ö
ôYou didnÆt see fit to mention it to Delos.ö
ôI see.ö Dixon carefully deposited an ash. ôHeÆs a strange man, isnÆt he?ö Strong shifted around. ôYes.ö
ôHow long have you known him?ö
ôLet me seeùhe came to work for me inùö
ôHe worked for you?ö
ôFor several months. Then we set up our first company.ö Strong thought back about it. ôI suppose he had a power complex, even then.ö
ôNo,ö Dixon said carefully. ôNo, I wouldnÆt call it a power complex. ItÆs more of a Messiah complex.ö
Entenza looked up. ôHeÆs a crooked son of a bitch, thatÆs what he is!ö
Strong looked at him mildly. ôIÆd rather you wouldnÆt talk about him that way. IÆd really rather you wouldnÆt.ö
ôStow it, Jack,ö ordered Dixon. ôYou might force George to take a poke at you. One of the odd things about him,ö went on Dixon, ôis that he seems to be able to inspire an almost feudal loyalty. Take yourself. I know you are cleaned out, George-yet you wonÆt let me rescue you. That goes beyond logic; itÆs personal.ö
Strong nodded. ôHeÆs an odd man. Sometimes I think heÆs the last of the Robber Barons.ö
Dixon shook his head. ôNot the last. The last of them opened up the American West. HeÆs the first of the new Robber Baronsùand you and I wonÆt see the end of it. Do you ever read Carlyle?ö
Strong nodded again. ôI see what you mean, the æHeroÆ theory, but I donÆt necessarily agree with it.ö
ôThereÆs something to it, though,ö Dixon answered. ôTruthfully, I donÆt think Delos knows what he is doing. HeÆs setting up a new imperialism.
ThereÆll be the devil to pay before itÆs cleaned up.ö He stood up. ôMaybe we should have waited. Maybe we should have balked himùif we could have. Well, itÆs done. WeÆre on the merry-go-round and we canÆt get off. I hope we enjoy the ride.. Come on, Jack.ö
CHAPTER NINE
THE COLORADO p~ArRIE was growinÆ~ dusky. The Sun was behind the peak and the broad white face of Luna, full and round, was rising in the east. In the middle of Peterson Field the Pioneer thrust toward the sky. A barbedwire fence, a thousand yards from its base in all directions, held back the crowds. Just inside the barrier guards patrolled restlessly. More guards circulated through the crowd. Inside the fence, close to it, trunks and trailers for camera, sound, and television equipment were parked and, at the far ends of cables, remote-control pick-ups were located both near and far from the ship on all sides. There were other trucks near the ship and a stir of organized activity.
Harriman waited in CosterÆs office; Coster himself was out on the field, and Dixon and Entenza had a room to themselves. LeCroix, still in a drugged sleep, was in the bedroom of CosterÆs on-the-job living quarters.
There was a stir and a challenge outside the door. Harriman opened it a crack. ôIf thatÆs another reporter, tell him æno.Æ Send him to Mr. Montgomery across the way. Captain LeCroix will grant no unauthorized interviews.ö
ôDelos! Let me in.ö
ôOhùyou, George. Come in. WeÆve been hounded to death.ö
Strong came in and handed Harriman a large and heavy handbag. ôHere it is.ö
ôHere is what?ö
ôThe cancelled covers for the philatelic syndicate. You forgot them. ThatÆs half a million dollars, Delos,ö he complained. ôIf I hadnÆt noticed them in your coat locker weÆd have been in the soup.ö
Harriman composed his features. ôGeorge, youÆre a brick, thatÆs what you are.ö
ôShall I put them in the ship myself?ö Strong said anxiously.
ôHuh? No, no. Les will handle them.ö He glanced at his watch. ôWeÆre about to waken him. IÆll take charge of the covers.ö He took the bag and added, ôDonÆt come in now. YouÆll have a chance to say goodbye on the field.ö
Harriman went next door, shut the door behind him, waited for the nurse to give the sleeping pilot a counteracting stimulant by injection, then chased her out. When he turned around the pilot was sitting up, rubbing his eyes. ôHow do you feel, Les?ö
ôFine. So this is it.ö
ôYup. And weÆre all rooting for you, boy. Look, youÆve got to go out and face them in a couple of minutes. Everything is readyùbut IÆve got a couple of things IÆve got to say to you.ö
ôYes?ö
ôSee this bag?ö Harriman rapidly explained what it was and what it signified.
LeCroix looked dismayed. ôBut I canÆt take it, Delos; ItÆs all figured to the last ounce.ö
ôWho said you were going to take it? Of course you canÆt; it must weigh sixty, seventy pounds. I just plain forgot it. Now hereÆs what we do: for the time being IÆll just hide it in hereùö Harriman stuffed the bag far back into a clothes closet. ôWhen you land, IÆll be right on your tail. Then we pull a sleight-of-hand trick and you fetch it out of the ship.ö
LeCroix shook his head ruefully. ôDelos, you beat me. Well, IÆm in no mood to argue.ö
ôIÆm glad youÆre not; otherwise IÆd go to jail for a measly half million dollars. WeÆve already spent that money. Anyhow, it doesnÆt matter,ö he went on. ôNobody but you and me will know itùand the stamp collectors will get their moneyÆs worth.ö He looked at the younger man as if anxious for his approval.
ôOkay, okay,ö LeCroix answered. ôWhy should I care what happens to a stamp collectorùtonight? LetÆs get going.ö
ôOne more thing,ö said Harriman and took out a small cloth bag. ôThis you take with youùand the weight has been figured in. I saw to it. Now here is what you do with it.ö He gave detailed and very earnest instructions.
LeCroix was puzzled. ôDo I hear you straight? I let it be foundùthen I tell the exact truth about what happened?ö
ôThatÆs right.ö
ôOkay.ö LeCroix zipped the little bag into a pocket of his coveralls. ôLetÆs get out to the field. H-hour minus twenty-one minutes already.ö
Strong joined Harriman in the control blockhouse after LeCroix had gone up inside the ship. ôDid they get aboard?ö he demanded anxiously. ôLeCroix wasnÆt carrying anything.ö
ôOh, sure,ö said Harriman. ôI sent them ahead. Better take your place. The ready flare has already gone up.ö
Dixon, Entenza, the Governor of Colorado, the Vice-President of the United States, and a round dozen of V.I.P.Æs were already seated at periscopes, mounted in slits, on a balcony above the control level. Strong and Harriman climbed a ladder and took the two remaining chairs.
Harriman began to sweat and realized he was trembling. Through his periscope out in front he could see the ship; from below he could hear CosterÆs voice, nervously checking departure station reports. Muted through a speaker by him was a running commentary of one of the newscasters reporting the show. Harriman himself was theùwell, the admiral, he decidedùof the operation, but there was nothing more he could do, but wait, watch, and try to pray.
A second flare arched up in the sky, burst into red and green. Five minutes.
The seconds oozed away. At minus two minutes Harriman realized that he could not stand to watch through a tiny slit; he had to be outside, take part in it himselfùhe had to. He climbed down, hurried to the exit of the blockhouse. Coster glanced around, looked startled, but did not try to stop him; Coster could not leave his post no matter what happened. Harriman elbowed the guard aside and went outdoors.
To the east the ship towered skyward, her slender pyramid sharp black against the full Moon. He waited.
And waited.
What had gone wrong? There had remained less than two minutes when he had come out; he was sure of thatùyet there she stood, silent, dark, unmoving. There was not a sound, save the distant ululation of sirens warning the spectators behind the distant fence. Harriman felt his own heart stop, his breath dry up in his throat. Something had failed. Failure.
A single flare rocket burst from the top of the blockhouse; a flame licked at the base of the ship.
It spread, there was a pad of white fire around the base. Slowly, almost lumberingly, the Pioneer lifted, seemed to hover for a moment, balanced on a pillar of fire-then reached for the sky with acceleration so great that she was above him almost at once, overhead at the zenith, a dazzling circle of flame. So quickly was she above, rather than out in front, that it seemed as if she were arching back over him and must surely fall on him. Instinctively and futilely he threw a hand in front of his face.
The sound reached him.
Not as soundùit was a white noise, a roar in all frequencies, sonic, subsonic, supersonic, so incredibly loaded with energy that it struck him in the chest. He heard it with his teeth and with his bones as well as with his ears. He crouched his knees, bracing against it.
Following the sound at the snailÆs pace of a hurricane came the backwash of the splash. It ripped at his clothing, tore his breath from his lips. He stumbled blindly back, trying to reach the lee of the concrete building, was knocked down.
He picked himself up coughing and strangling and remembered to look at the sky. Straight overhead was a dwindling star. Then it was gone.
He went into the blockhouse.
The room was a babble of high-tension, purposeful confusion. HarrimanÆs ears, still ringing, heard a speaker blare, ôSpot One! Spot One to blockhouse! Step five loose on scheduleùship and step five showing separate blipsùö and CosterÆs voice, high and angry, cutting in with, ôGet Track One! Have they picked up step five yet? Are they tracking it?ö
In the background the news commentator was still blowing his top. ôA great day, folks, a great day! The mighty Pioneer, climbing like an angel of the Lord, flaming sword at hand, is even now on her glorious way to our sister planet. Most of you have seen her departure on your screens; I wish you could have seen it as I did, arching up into the evening sky, bearing her precious load ofùö
ôShut that thing off!ö ordered Coster, then to the visitors on the observation platform, ôAnd pipe down up there! Quiet!ö
The Vice-President of the United States jerked his head around, closed his mouth. He remembered to smile. The other V.I.P.Æs shut up, then resumed again in muted whispers. A girlÆs voice cut through the silence, ôTrack One to Blockhouseùstep five tracking high, plus two.ö There was a stir in the corner. There a large canvas hood shielded a heavy sheet of Plexiglass from direct light. The sheet was mounted vertically and was edge-lighted; it displayed a coordinate map of Colorado and Kansas in fine white lines; the cities and towns glowed red. Unevacuated farms were tiny warning dots of red light.
A man behind the transparent map touched it with a grease pencil; the reported location of step five shone out. In front of the map screen a youngish man sat quietly in a chair, a pear-shaped switch in his hand, his thumb lightly resting on the button. He was a bombardier, borrowed from the Air Forces; when he pressed the switch, a radio-controlled circuit in step five should cause the shrouds of step fiveÆs landing æchute to be cut and let it plummet to Earth. He was working from radar reports aloi~e with no fancy computing bombsight to think for him. He was working almost by instinctù or, rather, by the accumulated subconscious knowledge of his trade, integrating in his brain the meager data spread before him, deciding where the tons of step five would land if he were to press his switch at any particular instant. He seemed unworried.
ôSpot One to Blockhouse!ö came a manÆs voice again. ôStep four free on schedule,ö and almost immediately following, a deeper voice echoed, ôTrack Two, tracking step four, instantaneous altitude nine-five-one miles, predicted vector.ö
No one paid any attention to Harriman.
Under the hood the observed trajectory of step five grew in shining dots of grease, near to, but not on, the dotted line of its predicted path. Reaching out from each location dot was drawn a line at right angles, the reported altitude for that location.
The quiet man watching the display suddenly pressed down hard on his switch. He then stood up, stretched, and said, ôAnybody got a cigaret?ö ôTrack Two!ö he was answered. ôStep fourùfirst impact predictionùforty miles west of Charleston, South Carolina.ö
ôRepeat!ö yelled Coster.
The speaker blared out again without pause, ôCorrection, correctionù forty miles east, repeat east.ö
Coster sighed. The sigh was cut short by a report. ôSpot One to Blockhouseùstep three free, minus five seconds,ö and a talker at CosterÆs control desk called out, ôMr. Coster, Mister CosterùPalomar Observatory wants to talk to you.ö
ôTell æem to goùno, tell æem to wait.ö Immediately another voice cut in with, ôTrack One, auxiliary range FoxùStep one about to strike near Dodge City, Kansas~ö
ôHow near?ö
There was no answer. Presently the voice of Track One proper said, ôImpact reported approximately fifteen miles southwest of Dodge City.ö
ôCasualties?ö
Spot One broke in before Track One could answer, ôStep two free, step two free-the ship is now on its own.ö
ôMr. Costerùplease, Mr. Costerùö
And a totally new voice: ôSpot Two to Blockhouse-we are now tracking the ship. Stand by for reported distances and bearings. Stand byùö
ôTrack Two to Blockhouse-step four will definitely land in Atlantic, estimated point of impact oh-five-seven miles east of Charleston bearing ohnine-three. I will repeatùö
Coster looked around irritably. ôIsnÆt there any drinking water anywhere in this dump?ö
ôMr. Coster, please-Palomar says theyÆve just got to talk to you.ö
Harriman eased over to the door and stepped out. He suddenly felt very much let down, utterly weary, and depressed.
The field looked strange without the ship. He had watched it grow; now suddenly it was gone. The Moon, still rising, seemed obliviousùand space travel was as remote a dream as it had been in his boyhood.
There were several tiny figures prowling around, the flash apron where the ship had stoodùsouvenir hunters, he thought contemptuously. Someone came up to him in the gloom. ôMr. Harriman?ö
ôEh?ö
ôHopkinsùwith the A.P. How about a statement?ö
ôUh? No, no comment. IÆm bushed.ö
ôOh, now, just a word. How does it feel to have backed the first successful Moon flightùif it is successful.ö
ôIt will be successful.ö He thought a moment, then squared his tired shoulders and said, ôTell them that this is the beginning of the human raceÆs greatest era. Tell them that every one of them will have a chance to follow in Captain LeCroixÆs footsteps, seek out new planets, wrest a home for themselves in new lands. Tell them that this means new frontiers, a shot in the arm for prosperity. It meansùö He ran down. ôThatÆs all tonight. IÆm whipped, son. Leave me alone, will you?ö
Presently C⌠ster came out, followed by the V.I.P.Æs. Harriman went up to Coster. ôEverything all right?ö
ôSure. Why shouldnÆt it be? Track three followed him out to the limit of range-all in the groove.ö Coster added, ôStep five killed a cow when it grounded.ö
ôForget itùweÆll have steak for breakfast.ö Harriman then had to make conversation with the Governor and the Vice-President, had to escort them out to their ship. Dixon and Entenza left together, less formally; at last Coster and Harriman were alone save for subordinates too junior to constitute a strain and for guards to protect them from the crowds. ôWhere you headed, Bob?ö
ôUp to the Broadmoor and about a weekÆs sleep. How about you?ö
ôif you donÆt mind, IÆll doss down in your apartment.ö
ôHelp yourself. Sleepy pills in the bathroom.ö
ôI wonÆt need them.ö They had a drink together in CosterÆs quarters, talked aimlessly, then Coster ordered a copter cab and went to the hotel. Harriman went to bed, got up, read a day-old copy of the Denver Post filled with pictures of the Pioneer, finally gave up and took two of CosterÆs sleeping capsules.
CHAPTER TEN
SOMEONE WAS SHAKING HIM. ôMr. Harriman! Wake upùMr. Caster is on the screen.ö
ôHuh? Wazza? Oh, all right.ö He got up and padded to the phone. Caster was :ooking tousie-headea and excited. ôHey, Bossùhe made it!ö
ôHuh? What do you mean?ö
ôPalomar just called me. They saw the mark and now theyÆve spotted the ship itself. Heùö
ôWait a minute, Bob. Slow up. He canÆt be there yet. He just left last night.ö
Coster looked disconcerted. ôWhatÆs the matter, Mr. Harriman? DonÆt you feel well? He left Wednesday.ö
Vaguely, Harriman began to be oriented. No, the take-off had not been the night beforeùfuzzily he recalled a drive up into the mountains, a day spent dozing in the sun, some sort of a party at which he had drunk too much. What day was today? He didnÆt know. If LeCroix had landed on the Moon, thenùnever mind. ôItÆs all right, Bob-I was half asleep. I guess I dreamed the take-off all over again. Now tell me the news, slowly.ö
Coster started over. ôLeCroix has landed, just west of Archimedes crater. They can see his ship, from Palomar. Say that was a great stunt you thought up, marking the spot with carbon black. Les must have covered two acres with it. They say it shines out like a billboard, through the Big Eye.ö
ôMaybe we ought to run down and have a look. Noùlater,ö he amended. ôWeÆll be busy.ö
ôI donÆt see what more we can do, Mr. Harriman. WeÆve got twelve of our best ballistic computers calculating possible routes for you now.ö
Harriman started to tell the man to put on another twelve, switched off the screen instead. He was still at Peterson Field, with one of SkywaysÆ best stratoships waiting for him outside, waiting to take him to whatever point on the globe LeCroix might ground. LeCroix was in the upper stratosphere, had been there for more than twenty-four hours. The pilot was slowly, cautiously wearing out his terminal velocity, dissipating the incredible kinetic energy as shock wave and radiant heat.
They had tracked him by radar around the globe and around againùand again . . . yet there was no way of knowing just where and what sort of landing the pilot would choose to risk. Harriman listened to the running radar reports and cursed the fact that they had elected to save the weight of radio equipment.
The radar figures started coming closer together. The voice broke off and started again: ôHeÆs in his landing glide!ö
ôTell the field to get ready!ö shouted Harriman. He held his breath and waited. After endless seconds another voice cut in with, ôThe Moon ship is now landing. It will ground somewhere west of Chihuahua in Old Mexico.ö
Harriman started for the door at a run.
Coached by radio en route, HarrimanÆs pilot spotted the Pioneer incredibly small against the desert sand. He put his own ship quite close to it, in a beautiful landing. Harriman was fumbling at the cabin door before the ship was fairly stopped.
LeCroix was sitting on the ground, resting his back against a skid of his ship and enjoying the shade of its stubby triangular wings. A paisano sheepherder stood facing him, open-mouthed. As Harriman trotted out and lumbered toward him LeCroix stood up, flipped a cigaret butt away and said, ôHi, Boss!ö
ôLes!ö The older man threw his arms around the younger. ôItÆs good to see you, boy.ö
ôItÆs good to see you. Pedro here doesnÆt speak my language.ö LeCroix glanced around; there was no one else nearby but the pilot of HarrimanÆs ship. ôWhereÆs the gang? WhereÆs Bob?ö
ôI didnÆt wait. TheyÆll surely be along in a few minutesùhey, there they come now!ö It was another stratoship, plunging in to a landing. Harriman turned to his pilot. ôBillùgo over and meet them.ö
ôHuh? TheyÆll come, never fear.ö
ôDo as I say.ö
ôYouÆre the doctor.ö The pilot trudged through the sand, his back expressing disapproval. LeCroix looked puzzled. ôQuick, Lesùhelp me with this.ö
ôThisö was the five thousand cancelled envelopes which were supposed to have been to the Moon. They got them out of HarrimanÆs stratoship and into the Moon ship, there to be stowed in an empty food locker, while their actions were still shielded from the later arrivals by the bulk of the strataship. ôWhew!ö said Harriman. ôThat was close. Half a million dollars. We need it, Les.ö
ôSure, but look, Mr. Harriman, the diùö
ôSssh! The others are coming. How about the other business? Ready with your act?ö
ôYes. But I was trying to tell youùö
ôQuiet!ö
It was not their colleagues; it was a shipload of reporters, camera men, mike men, commentators, technicians. They swarmed over them.
Harriman waved to them jauntily. ôHelp yourselves, boys. Get a lot of pictures. Climb through the ship. Make yourselves at home. Look at anything you want to. But go easy on Captain LeCroixùheÆs tired.ö
Another ship had landed, this time with Caster, Dixon and Strong. Entenza showed up in his own chartered ship and began bossing the TV, pix, and radio men, in the course of which he almost had a fight with an unauthorized camera crew. A large copter transport grounded and spilled out nearly a platoon of khaki-clad Mexican troops. Fom somewhereùout of the sand apparentlyùseveral dozen native peasants showed up. Harriman broke away from reporters, held a quick and expensive discussion with the captain of the local troops and a degree of order was restored in time to save the Pioneer from being picked to pieces.
ôJust let that be!ö It was LeCroixÆs voice, from inside the Pioneer. Harriman waited and listened. ôNone of your business!ö the pilotÆs voice went on, rising higher, ôand put them back!ö
Harriman pushed his way to the door of the ship. ôWhatÆs the trouble, Les?ö
Inside the cramped cabin, hardly large enough for a TV booth, three men stood, LeCroix and two reporters. All three men looked angry. ôWhatÆs the trouble, Les?ö Harriman repeated.
LeCroix was holding a small cloth bag which appeared to be empty. Scattered on the pilotÆs acceleration rest between him and the reporters were several small, dully brilliant stones. A reporter held one such stone up to the light.
ôThese guys were poking their noses into things that didnÆt concern them,ö LeCroix said angrily.
The reporter looked at the stone said, ôYou told us to look at what we liked, didnÆt you, Mr. Harriman?ö
ôYes.ö
ôYour pilot here-ö He jerked a thumb at LeCroix. ôùapparently didnÆt expect us to find these. He had them hidden in the pads of his chair.ö
ôWhat of it?ö
ôTheyÆre diamonds.ö
ôWhat makes you think so?ö
ôTheyÆre diamonds all right.ö
Harriman stopped and unwrapped a cigar. Presently he said, ôThose diamonds were where you found them because I put them there.ö
A flashlight went off behind Harriman; a voice said, ôHold the rock up higher, Jeff.ö
The reporter called Jeff obliged, then said, ôThat seems an odd thing to do, Mr. Harriman.ö
ôI was interested in the effect of outer space radiations on raw diamonds. On my orders Captain LeCroix placed that sack of diamonds in the ship.ö
Jeff whistled thoughtfully. ôYou know, Mr. Harriman, if you did not have that explanation, IÆd think LeCroix had found the rocks on the Moon and was trying to hold out on you.ö
ôPrint that and you will be sued for libel. I have every confidence in Captain LeCroix. Now give me the diamonds.ö
JeffÆs eyebrows went up. ôBut not confidence enough in him to let him keep them,.maybe?ö
ôGive me the stones. Then get out.ö
Harriman got LeCroix away from the reporters as quickly as possible and into HarrimanÆs own ship. ôThatÆs all for now,ö he told the news and pictures people. ôSee us at Peterson Field.ö
Once the ship raised ground he turned to LeCroix. ôYou did a beautiful job, Les.ö
ôThat reporter named Jeff must be sort of confused.ö
ôEh? Oh, that. No, I mean the flight. You did it. YouÆre head man on this planet.ö
LeCroix shrugged it off. ôBob built a good ship. It was a cinch. Now about those diamondsùö
ôForget the diamonds. YouÆve done your part. We placed those rocks in the ship; now we tell everybody we didùtruthful as can be. ItÆs not our fault if they donÆt believe us.ö
ôBut Mr. Harrimanùö
ôWhat?ö
LeCroix unzipped a pocket in his coveralls, hauled out a soiled handkerchief, knotted into a bag. He untied itùand spilled into HarrimanÆs hands many more diamonds than had been displayed in the shipùlarger, finer diamonds.
Harriman stared at them. He began to chuckle.
Presently he shoved them back at LeCroix. ôKeep them.ö
ôI figure they belong to all of us.ö
ôWell, keep them for us, then. And keep your mouth shut about them. No, wait.ö He picked out two large stones. ôIÆll have rings made from these two, one for you, one for me. But keep your mouth shut, or they wonÆt be worth anything, except as curiosities.ö
It was quite true, he thought. Long ago the diamond syndicate had realized that diamonds in plentiful supply were worth little more than glass, except for industrial uses. Earth had more than enough for that, more than enough for jewels. If Moon diamonds were literally ôcommon as pebblesö then they were just thatùpebbles.
Not worth the expense of bringing them to earth. But now take uranium. If that were plentifulù Harriman sat back and indulged in daydreaming. Presently LeCroix said softly, ôYou know, Boss, itÆs wonderful there.ö
ôEh? Where?ö
ôWhy, on the Moon of course. IÆm going back. IÆm going back just as soon as I can. WeÆve got to get busy on the new ship.ö
ôSure, sure! And this time weÆll build one big enough for all of us. This time I go, too!ö
ôYou bet.ö
ôLesùö The older man spoke almost diffidently. ôWhat does it look like when you look back and see the Earth?ö
ôHuh? It looks likeù It looksùö LeCroix stopped. ôHellÆs bells, Boss, there isnÆt any way to tell you. ItÆs wonderful, thatÆs all. The sky is black andùwell, wait until you see the pictures I took. Better .yet, wait and see it yourself.ö
Harriman nodded. ôBut itÆs hard to wait.ö
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ôFIELDS OF DIAMONDS ON THE MOONU!ö
ôBILLIONAIRE BACKER DENIES DIAMOND STORY Says Jewels Taken Into Space for Science Reasonsö
ôMOON DIAMONDS: HOAX OR FACT?ö
ôùbut consider this, friends of the invisible audience: why would anyone take diamonds to the moon? Every ounce of that ship and its cargo was calculated; diamonds would not be taken along without reason. Many scientific authorities have pronounced Mr. HarrimanÆs professed reason an absurdity. It is easy to guess that diamonds might be taken along for the purpose of æsaltingÆ the Moon, so to speak, with earthly jewels, with the intention of convincing us that diamonds exist on the Moonùbut Mr. Harriman, his pilot Captain LeCroix, and everyone connected with the enterprise have sworn from the beginning that the diamonds did not come from the Moon. But it is an absolute certainty that the diamonds were in the space ship when it landed. Cut it how you will; this reporter is going to try to buy some lunar diamond mining stockùö
Strong was, as usual, already in the office when Harriman came in. Before the partners could speak, the screen called out, ôMr. Harriman, Rotterdam calling.ö
ôTell them to go plant a tulip.ö
ôMr. van der Velde is waiting, Mr. Harriman.ö
ôOkay.ö
Harriman let the Hollander talk, then said, ôMr. van der Velde, the statements attributed to me are absolutely correct. I put those diamonds the reporters saw into the ship before it took off. They were mined right here on Earth. In fact I bought them when I came over to see you; I can prove it.ö
ôBut Mr. Harrimanùö
ôSuit yourself. There may be more diamonds on the Moon than you can run and jump over. I donÆt guarantee it. But I do guarantee that those diamonds the newspapers are talking about came from Earth.ö
ôMr. Harriman, why would you send diamonds to the Moon? Perhaps you intended to fool us, no?ö
ôHave it your own way. But IÆve said all along that those diamonds came from Earth. Now see here: you took an optionùan option on an option, so to speak. If you want to make the second payment on that option and keep it in force, the deadline is nine oÆclock Thursday, New York time, as specified in the contract. Make up your mind.ö
He switched off and found his partner looking at him sourly. ôWhatÆs eating you?ö
ôI wondered about those diamonds, too, Delos. So IÆve been looking through the weight schedule of the Pioneer.ö
ôDidnÆt know you were interested in engineering.ö
ôI can read figures.ö
ôWell, you found it, didnÆt you? Schedule F-i 7-c, two ounces, allocated to me personally.ö
ôI found it. It sticks out like a sore thumb. But I didnÆt find something else.ö
Harriman felt a æcold chill in his stomach. ôWhat?ö
ôI didnÆt find a schedule for the cancelled covers.ö Strong stared at him.
ôIt must be there. Let me see that weight schedule.ö
ôItÆs not there, Delos. You know, I thought it was funny when you insisted on going to meet Captain LeCroix by yourself. What happened, Delos? Did you sneak them aboard?ö He continued to stare while Harriman fidgeted. ôWeÆve put over some sharp business dealsùbut this will be the first time that anyone can say that the firm of Harriman and Strong has cheated.ö
ôGeorgeùI would cheat, lie, steal, beg, bribeùdo anything to accomplish what we have accomplished.ö
Harriman got up and paced the room. ôWe had to have that money, or the ship would never have taken off. WeÆre cleaned out. You know that, donÆt you?ö
Strong nodded. ôBut those covers should have gone to the Moon. ThatÆs what we contracted to do.ö
ôI just forgot it. Then it was too late to figure the weight in. But it doesnÆt matter. I figured that if the trip was a failure, if LeCroix cracked up, nobody would know or care that the covers hadnÆt gone. And I knew if he made it, it wouldnÆt matter; weÆd have plenty of money. And we will, George, we will!ö
ôWeÆve got to pay the money back.ö
ôNow? Give me time, George. Everybody concerned is æhappy the way it is. Wait until we recover our stake; then IÆll buy every one of those covers backùout of my own pocket. ThatÆs a promise.ö
Strong continued to sit. Harriman stopped in front of him. ôI ask you, George, is it worth while to wreck an enterprise of this size for a purely theoretical point?ö
Strong sighed and said, ôWhen the time comes, use the firmÆs money.ö
ôThatÆs the spirit! But IÆll use my own, I promise you.ö
ôNo, the firmÆs money. If weÆre in it together, weÆre in it together.ö
ôO.K., if thatÆs the way you want it.ö
Harriman turned back to his desk. Neither of the two partners had anything to say for a long while. Presently Dixon and Entenza were announced.
ôWell, Jack,ö said Harriman. ôFeel better now?ö
ôNo thanks to you. I had to fight for what I did put on the airùand some of it was pirated as it was. Delos, there should have been a television pick-up in the ship.ö
ôDonÆt fret about it. As I told you, we couldnÆt spare the weight this time. But there will be the next trip, and the next. Your concession is going to be worth a pile of money.ö
Dixon cleared his throat. ôThatÆs what we came to see you about, Delos. What are your plans?ö
ôPlans? We go right ahead. Les and Coster and I make the next trip. We set up a permanent base. Maybe Coster stays behind. The third trip we send a real colonyùnuclear engineers, miners, hydroponics experts, communications engineers. WeÆll found Luna City, first city on another planet.ö
Dixon looked thoughtful. ôAnd when does this begin to pay off?ö
ôWhat do you mean by æpay offÆ? Do you want your capital back, or do you want to begin to see some return on your investment? I can cut it either way.ö
Entenza was about to say that he wanted his investment back; Dixon cut in first, ôProfits, naturally. The investment is already made.ö
ôFine!ö
ôBut I donÆt see how you expect profits. Certainly, LeCroix made the trip and got back safely. There is honor for all of us. But where are the royalties?ö
ôGive the crop time to ripen, Dan. Do I look worried? What are our assets?ö Harriman ticked them off on his fingers. ôRoyalties on pictures, television, radioù.ö
ôThose things go to Jack.ö
ôTake a look at the agreement. He has the concession, but he pays the firmùthatÆs all of usùfor them.ö
Dixon said, ôShut up, Jack!ö before Entenza could speak, then added, ôWhat else? That wonÆt pull us out of the red.ö
ôEndorsements galore. MontyÆs boys are working on that. Royalties from the greatest best seller yetùIÆve got a ghost writer and a stenographer following LeCroix around this very minute. A franchise for the first and only space line-ö
ôFrom whom?ö
ôWeÆll get it. Kamens and Montgomery are in Paris now, working on it. IÆm joining them this afternoon. And weÆll tie down that franchise with a franchise from the other end, just as soon as we can get a permanent colony there, no matter how small. It will be the autonomous state of Luna, under the protection of the United Nationsùand no ship will land or take off in its territory without its permission. Besides that weÆll have the right to franchise a dozen other companies for various purposesùand tax them, tooùjust as soon as we set up the Municipal Corporation of the City of Luna under the laws of the State of Luna. WeÆll sell everything but vacuumù weÆll even sell vacuum, for experimental purposes. And donÆt forgctùweÆll still have a big chunk of real estate, sovereign title in usùas a state-and not yet sold. The Moon is big.ö
ôYour ideas are rather big, too, Delos,ö Dixon said dryly. ôBut what actually happens next?ö
ôFirst we get title confirmed by the U.N. The Security Council is now in secret session; the Assembly meets tonight. Things will be popping; thatÆs why IÆve got to be there. When the United Nations decidesùas it will!ù that its own non-profit corporation has the only real claim to the Moon, then I get busy. The poor little weak non-profit corporation is going to grant a number of things to some real honest-to-god corporations with hair on their chestsùin return for help in setting up a physics research lab, an astronomical observatory, a lunography institute and some other perfectly proper nonprofit enterprises. ThatÆs our interim pitch until we get a permanent colony with its own laws. Then we-ö
Dixon gestured impatiently. ôNever mind the legal shenanigans, Delos. IÆve known you long enough to know that you can figure out such angles. What do we actually have to do next?ö
ôHuh? WeÆve got to build another ship, a bigger one. Not actually bigger, but effectively bigger. Coster has started the design of a surface catapultù it will reach from Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak. With it we can put a ship in free orbit around the Earth. Then weÆll use such a ship to fuel more shipsùit amounts to a space station, like the power station. It adds up to a way to get there on chemical power without having to throw away nine-tenths of your ship to do it.ö
ôSounds expensive.ö
ôIt will be. But donÆt worry; weÆve got a couple of dozen piddling little things to keep the money coming in while we get set up on a commercial basis, then we sell stock. We- sold stock before; now weÆll sell a thousand dollarsÆ worth where we sold ten before.ö
ôAnd you think that will carry you through until the enterprise as a whole is on a paying basis? Face it, Delos, the thing as a whole doesnÆt pay off until you have ships plying between here and the Moon on a paying basis, figured in freight and passenger charges. That means customers, with cash. What is there on the Moon to shipùand who pays for it?ö
ôDan, donÆt you believe there will be? If not, why are you here?ö
ôI believe in it, Delosùor I believe in you. But whatÆs your time schedule? WhatÆs your budget? WhatÆs your prospective commodity? And please donÆt mention diamonds; I think I understand that caper.ö
Harriman chewed his cigar for a few moments. ôThereÆs one valuable commodity weÆll start shipping at once.ö
ôWhat?ö
ôKnowledge.ö
Entenza snorted. Strong looked puzzled. Dixon nodded. ôIÆll buy that. Knowledge is always worth somethingùto the man who knows how to exploit it. And IÆll agree that the Moon is a place to find new knowledge. IÆll assume that you can make the next trip pay off. WhatÆs your budget and your time table for that?ö
Harriman did not answer. Strong searched his face closely. To him HarrimanÆs poker face was as revealing as large printùhe decided that his partner had been crowded into a corner. He waited, nervous but ready to back HarrimanÆs play. Dixon went on, ôFrom the way you describe it, Delos, I judge that you donÆt have money enough for your next stepùand you donÆt know where you will get it. I believe in you, Delosùand I told you at the start that I did not believe in letting a new business die of anemia. IÆm ready to buy in with a fifth share.ö
Harriman stared. ôLook,ö he said bluntly, ôyou own JackÆs share now, donÆt you?ö
ôI wouldnÆt say that.ö
ôYou vote it. It sticks out all over.ö
Entenza said, ôThatÆs not true. IÆm independent. Iùö
ôJack, youÆre a damn liar,ö Harriman said dispassionately. ôDan, youÆve got fifty percent now. Under the present rules I decide deadlocks, which gives me control as long as George sticks by me. If we sell you another share, you vote three-fifthsùand are boss. Is that the deal you are looking for?ö
ôDelos, as I told you, I have confidence in you.ö
ôBut youÆd feel happier with the whip hand. Well, I wonÆt do it. IÆll let space travelùreal space travel, with established runsùwait another twenty years before IÆll turn loose. IÆll let us all go broke and let us live on glory before IÆll turn loose. YouÆll have to think up another scheme.ö
Dixon said nothing. Harriman got up and began to pace. He stopped in front of Dixon. ôDan, if you really understood what this is all about, IÆd let you have control. But you donÆt. You see this is just another way to money and to power. IÆm perfectly willing to let you vultures get richùbut I keep control. IÆm going to see this thing developed, not milked. The human race is heading out to the starsùand this adventure is going to present new problems compared with which atomic power was a kidÆs toy. Unless the whole matter is handled carefully, it will be fouled up. YouÆll foul it up, Dan, if I let you have the deciding vote in itùbecause you donÆt understand it.ö
He caught his breath and went on, ôTake safety for instance. Do you know why I let LeCroix take that ship out instead of taking it myself? Do you think I was afraid? No! I wanted it to come backùsafely. I didnÆt want space travel getting another set-back. Do you know why we have to have a monopoly, for a few years at least? Because every so-and-so and his brother is going to want to build a Moon ship, now that they know it can be done. Remember the first days of ocean flying? After Lindbergh did it, every so-called pilot who could lay hands on a crate took off for some over-water point. Some of them even took their kids along. And most of them landed in the drink. Airplanes get a reputation for being dangerous. A few years after that the airlines got so hungry for quick money in a highly competitive field that you couldnÆt pick up a paper without seeing headlines about another airliner crash.
ôThatÆs not going to happen to space travel! IÆm not going to let it happen.
Space ships are too big and too expensive; if they get a reputation for being unsafe as well, we might as well have stayed in bed. I run things.ö
He stopped. Dixon waited and then said, ôI said I believed in you, Delos. How much money do you need?ö
ôEh? On what terms?ö
ôYour note.ö
ôMy note? Did you say my note?ö
ôIÆd want security, of course.ö
Harriman swore. ôI knew there was a hitch in it. Dan, you know everything IÆve got is tied up in this venture.ö
ôYou have insurance. You have quite a lot of insurance, I know.ö
ôYes, but thatÆs all made out to my wife.ö
ôI seem to have heard you say something about that sort of thing to Jack Entenza,ö Dixon said. ôCome, nowùif I know your tax-happy sort, you have at least one irrevocable trust, or paid-up annuities, or something, to keep Mrs. Harriman out of the poor house.ö
Harriman thought fiercely about it. ôWhenÆs the call date on this note?ö
ôIn the sweet bye and bye. I want a no-bankruptcy clause, of course.ö
ôWhy? Such a clause has no legal validity.ö
ôIt would be valid with you, wouldnÆt it?ö
ôMmm . . . yes. Yes, it would.ö
ôThen get out your policies and see how big a note you can write.ö Harriman looked at him, turned abruptly and went to his safe. He came back with quite a stack of long, stiff folders. They added them up together; it was an amazingly large sumùfor those days. Dixon then consulted a memorandum taken from his pocket and said, ôOne seems to be missingù a rather large one. A North Atlantic Mutual policy, I think.ö
Harriman glared at him. ôAm I going to have to fire every confidential clerk in my force?ö
ôNo,ö Dixon said mildly, ôI donÆt get my information from your staff. Harriman went back to the safe, got the policy and added it to the pile. Strong spoke up, ôDo you want mine, Mr. Dixon?ö
ôNo,ö answered Dixon, ôthat wonÆt be necessary.ö He started stuffing the policies in his pocket. ôIÆll keep these, Delos, and attend to keeping up the premiums. IÆll bill you of course. You can send the note and the changeof-beneficiary forms to my office. HereÆs your draft.ö He took out another slip of paper; it was the draftùalready made out in the amount of the policies.
Harriman looked at it. ôSometimes,ö he said slowly, ôI wonder whoÆs kidding who?ö He tossed the draft over to Strong. ôO.K., George, take care of it. IÆm off to Paris, boys. Wish me luck.ö He strode out as jauntily as a fox terrier.
Strong looked from the closed door to Dixon, then at the note. ôI ought to tear this thing up!ö
ôDonÆt do it,ö advised Dixon. ôYou see, I really do believe in him.ö He added, ôEver read Carl Sandburg, George?ö
ôIÆm not much of a reader.ö
ôTry him some time. He tells a story about a man who started a rumor that they had struck oil in hell. Pretty soon everybody has left for hell, to get in on the boom. The man who started the rumor watches them all go, then scratches his head and says to himself that there just might be something in it, after all. So he left for hell, too.ö
Strong waited, finally said, ôI donÆt get the point.ö
ôThe point is that I just want to be ready to protect myself if necessary, Georgeùand so should you. Delos might begin believing his own rumors. Diamonds! Come, Jack.ö
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE ENSUING MONTHS were as busy as the period before the flight of the Pioneer (now honorably retired to the Smithsonian Institution). One engineering staff and great gangs of men were working on the catapult, two more staffs were busy with two new ships; the Mayflower, and the Colonial; a third ship was on the drafting tables. Ferguson was chief engineer for all of this; Coster, still buffered by Jock Berkeley, was engineering consultant, working where and as he chose. Colorado Springs was a boom town; the Denver-Trinidad roadcity settlements spread out at the Springs until they surrounded Peterson Field.
Harriman was as busy as a cat with two tails. The constantly expanding exploitation and promotion took eight full days a week of his time, but, by working Kamens and Montgomery almost to ulcers and by doing without sleep himself, he created frequent opportunities to run out to Colorado and talk things over with Caster.
Luna City, it was decided, would be founded on the very next trip. The Mayflower was planned for a pay-load not only of seven passengers, but with air, water and food to carry four of them over to the next trip; they would live in an aluminum Quonset-type hut, sealed, pressurized, and buried under the loose soil of Luna untilùand assumingùthey were succored.
The choice of the four extra passengers gave rise to another contest, another publicity exploitationùand more sale of stock. Harriman insisted that they be two married couples, over the united objections of scientific organizations everywhere. He gave in only to the extent of agreeing that there was no objection to all four being scientists, providing they constituted two married couples. This gave rise to several hasty marriagesùand some divorces, after the choices were announced.
The Mayflower was the maximum size that calculations showed would be capable of getting into a free orbit around the Earth from the boost of the catapult, plus the blast of her own engines. Before she took off, four other ships, quite as large, would precede her. But they were not space ships; they were mere tankersùnameless. The most finicky of ballistic calculations, the most precise of launchings, would place them in the same orbit at the same spot. There the Mayflower would rendezvous and accept their remaining fuel.
This was the trickiest part of the entire project. If the four tankers could be placed close enough together, LeCroix, using a tiny maneuvering reserve, could bring his new ship to them. If notùwell, it gets very lonely out in Space.
Serious thought was given to placing pilots in the tankers and accepting as a penalty the use of enough fuel from one tanker to permit a get-away boat, a life boat with wings, to decelerate, reach the atmosphere and brake to a landing. Caster found a cheaper way.
A radar pilot, whose ancestor was the proximity fuse and whose immediate parents could be found in the homing devices of guided missiles, was given the task of bringing the tankers together. The first tanker would not be so equipped, but th~ second tanker through its robot would smell out the first and home on it with a pint-sized rocket engine, using the smallest of vectors to bring them together. The third would home on the first two and the fourth on the group.
LeCroix shouid have no trouble-if the scheme worked.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
STRONG WANTED TO SHOW HARRIMAN the sales reports on the H & S automatic household switch; Harriman brushed them aside.
Strong shoved them back under his nose. ôYouÆd better start taking an interest in such things, Delos. Somebody around this office had better start seeing to it that some money comes inùsome money that belongs to us, personally-or youÆll be selling apples on a street corner.ö
Harriman leaned back and clasped his hands back of his head. ôGeorge, how can you talk that way on a day like this? Is there no poetry in your soul? DidnÆt you hear what I said when I came in? The rendezvous worked. Tankers one and two are as close together as Siamese twins. WeÆll be leaving within the week.ö
ôThatÆs as may be. Business has to go on.ö
ôYou keep it going; IÆve got a date. When did Dixon say he would be over?ö
ôHeÆs due now.ö
ôGood!ö Harriman bit the end off a cigar and went on, ôYou know, George, IÆm not sorry I didnÆt get to make the first trip. Now IÆve still got it t~ do. IÆm as expectant as a bridegroomùand as happy.ö He started to hum.
Dixon came in without Entenza, a situation that had obtained since the day Dixon had dropped the pretence that he controlled only one share. He shook hands. ôYou heard the news, Dan?ö
ôGeorge told me.ö
ôThis is it-or almost. A week from now, more or less, IÆll be on the Moon. I can hardly believe it.ö
Dixon sat down silently. Harriman went on, ôArenÆt you even going to congratulate me? Man, this is a great daylö
Dixon said, ôD.D., why are you going?ö
ôHuh? DonÆt ask foolish questions. This is what I ~have been working toward.ö
ôItÆs not a foolish question. I asked why you were going. The four colonists have an obvious reason, and each is a selected specialist observer as well. LeCroix is the pilot. Coster is the man who is designing the permanent colony. But why are you going? WhatÆs your function?ö
ôMy function? Why, IÆm the guy who runs things. Shucks, IÆm going to run for mayor when I get there. Have a cigar, friendùthe nameÆs Harriman. DonÆt forget to vote.ö He grinned.
Dixon did not smile. ôI did not know you planned on staying.ö
Harriman looked sheepish. ôWell, thatÆs still up in the air. If we get the shelter built in a hurry, we may save enough in the way of supplies to let me sort of lay over until the next trip. You wouldnÆt begrudge me that, would you?ö
Dixon looked him in the eye. ôDelos, I canÆt let you go at all.ö
Harriman was too startled to talk at first. At last he managed to say, ôDonÆt joke, Dan. IÆm going. You canÆt stop me. Nothing on Earth can stop me.ö
Dixon shook his head. ôI canÆt permit it, Delos. IÆve got too much sunk in this. If you go and anything happens to you, I lose it all.ö
ôThatÆs silly. You and George would just carry on, thatÆs all.ö
ôAsk George.ö
Strong had nothing to say. He did not seem anxious to meet HarrimanÆs eyes. Dixon went on, ôDonÆt try to kid your way out of it, Delos. This venture is you and you are this venture. If you get killed, the whole thing folds up. I donÆt say space travel folds up; I think youÆve already given that a boost that will carry it along even with lesser men in your shoes. But as for this ventureùour companyùit will fold up. George and I will have to liquidate at about half a cent on the dollar. It would take sale of patent rights to get that much. The tangible assets arenÆt worth anything.ö
ôDamn it, itÆs the intangibles we sell. You knew that all along.ö
ôYou are the intangible asset, Delos. You are the goose that lays the golden eggs. I want you to stick around until youÆve laid them. You must not risk your neck in space flight until you have this thing on a profit-making basis, so that any competent manager, such as George or myself, thereafter can keep it solvent. I mean it, Delos. IÆve got too much in it to see you risk it in a joy ride.ö
Harriman stood up and pressed his fingers down on the edge of his desk. He was breathing hard. ôYou canÆt stop me!ö he said slowly and forcefully. ôNot all the forces of heaven or hell can stop me.ö
Dixon answered quietly, ôIÆm sorry, Delos. But I can stop you and I will. I can tie up that ship out there.ö
ôTry it! I own as many lawyers as you doùand better ones!ö
ôI think you will find that you are not as popular in American courts as you once were-not since the United States found out it didnÆt own the Moon after all.ö
ôTry it, I tell you. IÆll break you and IÆll take your shares away from you, too.ö
ôEasy, Delos! IÆve no doubt you have some scheme whereby you could milk the basic company right away from George and me if you decided to. But it wonÆt be necessary. Nor will it be necessary to tie up the ship. I want the flight to take place as much as you do. But you wonÆt be on it, because you will decide not to go.ö
ôI will, eh? Do I look crazy from where you sit?ö
ôNo, on the contrary.ö
ôThen why wonÆt I go?ö
ôBecause of your note that I hold. I want to collect it.ö
ôWhat? ThereÆs no due date.ö
ôNo. But I want to be sure to collect it.ö
ôWhy, you dumb fool, if I get killed you collect it sooner than ever.ö
ôDo I? You are mistaken, Delos. If you are killed-on a flight to the MoonùI collect nothing. I know; IÆve checked with every one of the companies underwriting you. Most of them have escape clauses covering experimental vehicles that date back to early aviation. In any case all of them will cancel and fight it out in court if you set foot inside that ship.ö
ôYou put them up to this!ö
ôCalm down, Delos. YouÆll be bursting a blood vessel. Certainly I queried them, but I was legitimately looking after my own interests. I donÆt want to collect on that note-not now, not by your death. I want you to pay it back out of your own earnings, by stajÆing here and nursing this company through till itÆs stable.ö
Harriman chucked his cigar, almost unsmoked and badly chewed, at a waste basket. He missed. ôI donÆt give a hoot if you lose on it. If you hadnÆt stirred them up, theyÆd have paid without a quiver.ö
ôBut it did dig up a weak point in your plans, Delos. If space travel is to be a success, insurance will have to reach out and cover the insured anywhere.ö
ôConfound it, one of them does nowùN. A. Mutual.ö
ôIÆve seen their ad and IÆve looked over what they claim to offer. ItÆs just window dressing, with the usual escape clause. No, insurance will have to be revamped, all sorts of insurance.ö
Harriman looked thoughtful. ôIÆll look into it. George, call Kamens. Maybe weÆll have to float our own company.ö
ôNever mind Kamens,ö objected Dixon. ôThe point is you canÆt go on this trip. You have too many details of that sort to watch and plan for and nurse along.ö
Harriman looked back at him. ôYou havenÆt gotten it through your head, Dan, that IÆm going! Tie up the ship if you can. If you put sheriffs around it, IÆll have goons there to toss them aside.ö
Dixon looked pained. ôI hate to mention this point, Delos, but I am afraid you will be stopped even if I drop dead.ö
ôHow?ö
ôYour wife.ö
ôWhatÆs she got to do with it?ö
ôSheÆs ready to sue for separate maintenance right nowùsheÆs found out about this insurance thing. When she hears about this present plan, sheÆll force you into court and force an accounting of your assets.ö
ôYou put her up to it!ö
Dixon hesitated. He knew that Entenza had spilled the beans to Mrs. Harrimanùmaliciously. Yet there seemed no point in adding to a personal feud. ôSheÆs bright enough to have done some investigating on her own account. I wonÆt deny IÆve talked to herùbut she sent for me.ö
ôIÆll fight both of you!ö Harriman stomped to a window, stood looking outùit was a real window; he liked to look at the sky.
Dixon came over and put a hand on his shoulder, saying softly, ôDonÆt take it this way, Delos. NobodyÆs trying to keep you from your dream. But you canÆt go just yet; you canÆt let us down. WeÆve stuck with you this far; you owe it to us to stick with us until itÆs done.ö
Harriman did not answer; Dixon went on, ôIf you donÆt feel any loyalty toward me, how about George? HeÆs stuck with you against me, when it hurt him, when he thought you were ruining himùand you surely were, unless you finish this job. How about George, Delos? Are you going to let him down, too?ö
Harriman swung around, ignoring Dixon and facing Strong. ôWhat about it, George? Do you think I should stay behind?ö
Strong rubbed his hands and chewed his lip. Finally he looked up. ôItÆs all right with me, Delos. You do what you think is best.ö
Harriman stood looking at him for a long moment, his face working as if he were going to cry. Then he said huskily, ôOkay, you rats. Okay. IÆll stay behind.ö
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
IT WAS ONE OF THOSE GLORIOUS EVENINGS so common in the Pikes Peak region, after a day in which the sky has been well scrubbed by thunderstorms. The track of the catapult crawled in a straight line up the face of the mountain, whole shoulders having been carved away to permit it. At the temporary space port, still raw from construction, Harriman, in company with visiting notables, was saying good-bye to the passengers and crew of the Mayflower.
The crowds came right up to the rail of the catapult. There was no need to keep them back from the ship; the jets would not blast until she was high over the peak. Only the ship itself was guarded, the ship and the gleaming rails.
Dixon and Strong, together for company and mutual support, hung back at the edge of the area roped off for passengers and officials. They watched Harriman jollying those about to leave: ôGood-bye, Doctor. Keep an eye on him, Janet. DonÆt let him go looking for Moon Maidens.ö They saw him engage Coster in private conversation, then clap the younger man on the back.
ôKeeps his chin up, doesnÆt he?ö whispered Dixon.
ôMaybe we should have let him go,ö answered Strong.
ôEh? Nonsense! WeÆve got to have him. Anyway, his place in history is secure.ö
ôHe doesnÆt care about history,ö Strong answered seriously, ôhe just wants to go to the Moon.ö
ôWell, confound itùhe can go to the Moon . . . as soon as he gets his job done. After all, itÆs his job. He made it.ö
ôI know.ö
Harriman turned around, saw them, started toward them. They shut up. ôDonÆt duck,ö he said jovially. ôItÆs all right. IÆll go on the next trip. By then I plan to have it running itself. YouÆll see.ö He turned back toward the Mayflower. ôQuite a sight, isnÆt she?ö
The outer door was closed; ready lights winked along the track and from the control tower. A siren sounded.
Harriman moved a step or two closer.
ôThere she goes!ö
It was a shout from the whole crowd. The great ship started slowly, softly up the track, gathered speed, and shot toward the distant peak. She was already tiny by the time she curved up the face and burst into the sky.
She hung there a split second, then a plume of light exploded from her tail. Her jets had fired.
Then she was a shining light in the sky, a ball of flame, thenùnothing. She was gone, upward and outward, to her rendezvous with her tankers.
The crowd had pushed to the west end of the platform as the ship swarmed up the mountain. Harriman had stayed where he was, nor had Dixon and Strong followed the crowd. The three were alone, Harriman most alone for he did not seem aware that the others were near him. He was watching the sky.
Strong was watching him. Presently Strong barely whispered to Dixon, ôDo you read the Bible?ö
ôSome.ö
ôHe looks as Moses must have looked, when he gazed out over the promised land.ö
Harriman dropped his eyes from the sky and saw them. ôYou guys still here?ö he said. ôCome onùthereÆs work to be done.ö
