Part 5 (2/2)
_Seven men_--to rebuild a civilization!
The men at the controls knew what reaction would take place by movement of a lever, but _didn't understand why_! d.i.c.k became slightly worried about reaching their destination--it was beyond all reason. Earthmen wouldn't have attempted to operate equipment they knew nothing about, by movement of controls to obtain the proper action.
It was no wonder these people had found it necessary to find engineers to run their machines!
Months slipped by as the s.h.i.+p moved steadily toward the giant planet.
Every piece of equipment seemed to be the answer to perfection. This voyage had taught them more about mechanics than was covered in a complete engineering course on earth. It was of a far different kind, with gravity the basis of all operation. Even the s.p.a.ce s.h.i.+p employed some of the same power, drawn from the nearest heavy body, then amplified until it reached enormous proportions.[1]
Peter Yarbro was a practical chemist, and spent many hours trying to a.n.a.lyze the fuel. It was highly inflammable, yet could stand terrific compression without effect. When it was allowed to expand again, it reached the flash point immediately, creating enormous amounts of heavy gas. He believed it might be duplicated from crude oil, properly refined.
When d.i.c.k learned that there was a history of the s.p.a.ce s.h.i.+p, in the metal books, his curiosity was aroused. He could read the language of the domes slightly, but not enough to study the intricate explanations.
It was through these books that the dome men had learned to control the s.h.i.+p, and set the course for any desired planet.
Morquil's aid was enlisted, to translate the text, and he learned some amazing facts. A description of the fuel was given, but the base for manufacture was unknown, being of natural origin on Jupiter. As Morquil read farther and explained sections that d.i.c.k couldn't understand, the earthman felt uneasy.
The crew had abandoned all hope of returning to their home planet, the first time they started from the earth. They didn't understand what it meant to feel responsible for equipment. They manufactured enough fuel for two trips, according to the rating of consumption in the books--but d.i.c.k wondered?
The tanks were filled to capacity before the first trip, and hadn't been tested since. The happy dome people didn't consider that their ancestors might have been mistaken, or that actual operation might vary from the original plan.
For the first time in twenty years, the gauges were examined. Barrow and McCarthy crawled through the dust-coated pa.s.sage beneath the floor of the machinery hold. They found a light switch, but the bulbs were so dust-coated that only a faint glow shed on the surrounding metal. They sneezed and coughed, as the dust-laden air filled their lungs.
”Darned if you don't get the craziest ideas, d.i.c.k. What good will it do to know how much 's.h.i.+p juice' there is, anyway? We can't _make_ it! This hole wasn't built for self-respecting men to crawl through.”
”I don't know, John, but this trip may not be as easy as it appears.
They've been driving at full force for months, when it seems to me that less power might carry us when we're not within the pull of some planet.
I want to make _sure_ that there's plenty of fuel. According to the books, the designers didn't expect the s.h.i.+p to be driven this hard.”
John did a little cussing when they located the gauges, and found them so thick with grime that they had to be cleaned. He headed back through the dust for a cloth, with d.i.c.k's laugh following. ”Alright, alright, but don't rub it in. Just because you happened to be in front of me, and there isn't room to pa.s.s, don't give you the right to laugh. Some day you'll be eating your share of dust, and will _I_ laugh! I bet that the domes are _all_ a mess.”
d.i.c.k wrote down the reading of each gauge, as John cleaned the surfaces.
He couldn't understand the strange numerals, and had to go over them with Morquil. Both men breathed a sigh of relief as they crawled back through the floor of the hold, and dropped the trap door in place.
An hour later d.i.c.k began to worry. According to Morquil, the tanks were _less than one-eighth full_. The big-headed man had gone over the figures twice, and was showing signs of agitation as he checked them again at Barrow's request. When he glanced up, d.i.c.k knew there was no mistake.
”The fuel _is_ low d.i.c.k. According to the other trip, the greatest use of power is at the time we approach the planet, to fight the pull of gravity. Our trip from earth is only half completed, with the greatest need of fuel still ahead. You must think my race very stupid not to have thought of it?”
It took d.i.c.k a long time to answer. His mind was searching frantically for some solution. It was useless to ask help of the crew--they couldn't even _think_ scientifically!
”No, Morquil. I don't think you're stupid, but I do consider your people very foolish. From the appearance of things _we will never reach the domes_!
”Unless something drastic is accomplished, the s.h.i.+p will smash to pieces on your planet. You don't know _anything_ about the s.h.i.+p's operation, and we've only studied it for a short time.”
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