Rockets in Ursa Major (13 page)

At last he moved off. Inspecting the cover again, I noticed quite a lot of rust on one side, and I hit this part hard until it began to move. It squeaked and groaned and then yielded. As I eased it up slowly, it fell on one side and caught my finger. It wasn't my day. This was a ridiculous situation -- a respected scientist from a distinguished university with his head poking out of a manhole cover in the middle of the multi-launching pad, with security men running around like rabbits.

Betelgeuse's rocket stood motionless about a hundred yards away. The whole scene looked rather macabre with flashes of flame leaping round.

I eased myself out of the hole and ran towards the foreign ship: I listened intently for running feet but there weren't any. Just the thundering sound of a rocket going up.

Near Betelgeuse's ship a rather nasty thought struck me. What happens if the airlock doors aren't open? It was impossible to see whether they were open or not until I was right up against the craft. They weren't. Looking back over my shoulder I could see a small security vehicle approaching at high speed. They must have a bell or something, I thought to myself, searching for some way of getting in. To my surprise, the doors swung apart. Inside I made for the lift door, which opened as soon as the outer doors had closed. A great feeling of relief and hysteria came over me, and the more I tried to control the situation the worse it became and I started to laugh.

`You have a strange way of visiting us,' said Alcyone, standing by the lift as the door into the main cabin opened.

`Why?' I said, laughing.

Betelgeuse, who was over at the far side of the cabin also started to laugh. 'You looked so funny,' he said. `Suddenly appearing from a hole in the ground and running towards us.'

`It felt funny,' I said, with tears beginning to come into my eyes.

`You're both stupid,' Alcyone said crossly.

`Alcyone,' I said. 'It is only an outlet for emotion and tension.'

`Maybe so, but what about that?' she said, pointing at the slumped figure of Betelgeuse. He lifted his head and I thought he looked tired and rather sad.

`You are right,' he said soberly. 'It is a wonderful relief for tension and frustration.'

I walked over to where he now sat. 'What do you think?' I said, looking over his shoulder at the small TV monitor. The security car was parked below us and they seemed to be having difficulty in opening the airlock doors. Then Betelgeuse manually moved the outside camera to take in more of the area. Another ship fired up and left the launching area in a cloud of sparks.

I said, 'They don't look any different from the ships that have been going up for years.'

`They're not any different except for more advanced radar and weapons,' Alcyone said, coming to join us. `But why?' I said to myself.

`They don't believe the seriousness of the enemy.'

`What about your forces?' I asked Betelgeuse.

`I have had them withdrawn deep into space out of the way of what will happen.'

`Ours are going to be massacred.'

`They are being. There's a big panic on. The first ships have already been picked off by the Essan advanced force. It would also appear that there's a very big concentration of ships somewhere on the far side of the sun.'

`Then . . I was so flabbergasted at the thought of what the world governments were up to, I had to sit down. I lost no more time. 'Betelgeuse, there is only one way of getting on equal terms with the enemy.'

`How do you mean?' Alcyone asked anxiously.

`Well, let's face it, any creature that can move large quantities of gas around at great speed, has an advantage over you as well as us here on Earth. But we have one ally more powerful than the enemy,' I said enthusiastically.

`Impossible,' Betelgeuse said.

`No, the Sun, our Sun.'

`The Sun! How can it help?' asked Alcyone.

`Increase the flare activity enormously,' I said, warming to my thoughts. 'Cause it to emit a tremendous blast of high-speed particles -- cosmic rays really -- which would completely cook any living matter inside the solar system.'

`A very interesting idea, but it would seem to be impractical,' Betelgeuse said.

`No, look, it's very well known the activity going on, on the Sun's surface -- flares, sunspots and so on -- comes from the boiling motion of gas just below the skin.'

Both Alcyone and Betelgeuse nodded.

`The next point is the cause of the boiling motion,' I said.

`Heat from below,' Alcyone said.

`Yes. If there was no heat from below there would be no boiling -- naturally. But also, if the extreme surface skin of the Sun were different -- if it contained a much higher concentration of metal atoms -- there wouldn't be any boiling either. O.K.?' I said, even more enthusiastic with the idea. 'Well, I want to increase the concentration of metals in that surface skin -- to stop the need for the boiling. The idea being that all the energy of motion existing at the moment would suddenly be released in an explosion -- of flares and cosmic rays.'

`It is a rather strange theory,' said Betelgeuse.

`You see, we could drop a load of metals at the surface. I think it would trigger off a big outburst.' `Any particular metal?' asked Alcyone.

`I think it would be best to use the lightest one--lithium -- so that we could carry more of the stuff. I want a sort of solar lithium bomb. I know it sounds a crazy idea, but it's just possible it might work.'

`You need our help?' Betelgeuse said.

`Yes,' I said rather shyly after my outburst. 'It isn't easy to drop anything directly into the Sun; if you're the slightest bit off target, your bomb will whip into orbit around the Sun instead of falling to its surface.'

`Yes. You'll have to go a long way in towards the Sun, before starting off the bomb.'

`Quite. The problem with our ships is they're not well enough refrigerated for a trip far in, close to the Sun. We'd fry long before we were near enough.'

`Alcyone,' said Betelgeuse. 'Could I have the spectra of this Sun?'

Rigel and the rest of the crew appeared from the lift. Alcyone dimmed the lights and a large spectrum appeared on the wall. Betelgeuse explained very quickly what I'd been saying. Rigel looked long and hard at the spectrum, and made some calculations.

`It could be the right sort of star,' Rigel said thoughtfully.

`Dwarf G2,' said Betelgeuse.

`Dwarf G2!' I said.

`Yes, it seems possible that your idea could work,' Rigel said with a somewhat wicked smile.

`That's wonderful,' I said.

`Dick,' Alcyone said. 'We may be able to drop your bomb, but someone will have to get the bomb, as well as convince your authorities that it will not affect Earth.

Have you thought of that?'

`I don't really think the Earth will get that cooked. Our atmosphere and magnetic field should protect us.'

`Not if the cosmic rays come in with very high energies,' Betelgeuse said.

`Yes, I suppose so. The showers could come right down to ground level. But it isn't likely the energies would be that high.'

`Nevertheless, you will have to clear this with your people. We can't be responsible for cooking Earth,' Betelgeuse said with a grin.

`No, no. Of course you can't,' I said. 'I will present the idea to a friend and see what his reaction is. Then we can move from there.'

I LEFT Betelgeuse's ship in high spirits. It occurred to me as the lift descended that they might think I was mad, but the idea was too good not to try.

The airlock doors opened and there stood Colonel Rhodes and Ganges. Ganges looked very angry indeed.

`Dick,' said Rhodes, standing there with his hands on his hips.

`Hello, Colonel; you weren't worried, were you?'

`Of course we were, old man. It's a bad loophole in our security system. I'd never thought of those communication tunnels,' said Colonel.

`Makes me look ruddy stupid,' said Ganges. `If you'd come to the front gate we wouldn't have had this damned security panic,' he said, looking very upset. We all turned and walked over to the terminal buildings.

`Would you have let me through?'

'No,' he bristled.

`Is everything O.K.?' I asked Colonel.

`I think so,' he said in a whisper.

`Why didn't you tell me you wanted to come,' Colonel said in a loud voice so Ganges could hear.

I looked at him and winked. 'Impulse, I think. What's going on?'

`We've got to get all this lot off the ground as fast as possible,' Ganges answered.

Do you know you're losing your forward ships?' I said.

`Betelgeuse told you?' Colonel said, looking hard at me.

Was there anything wrong in that?' I asked.

`Of course there was. He's just laughing at our vain attempts to have a go at these creatures. It makes me livid; he's withdrawn all his fleet into deep space, leaving us wide open,' Ganges said.

`Wouldn't you?' I said, defending Betelgeuse.

`How do you mean?'

`Well, did you or your commanders inform him of what had been decided?'

`I've no idea,' said Ganges.

`He thinks you're mad. Wasting your lives in a fruitless attempt. I can see his point. Why should he join our foolishness; he went through all that when the galactic war started.'

`What the hell were we expected to do? Sit and think about the problem until they fry us a lovely golden brown? You scientists are all the same,' Ganges said.

`Nobody consulted me,' I said turning to Colonel.

`Why should we, you'd only sit and think,' Ganges said angrily.

`Maybe, but if the politicians and military had bothered to use their brains, there does happen to be another solution to the immediate problem,' I retaliated.

`I suppose that means you've got some hare-brained scheme to save the world,' Ganges said sarcastically.

`No, let's say an idea that might save the present situation, not necessarily a permanent solution.'

`What did the great white chief say?' Colonel said, indicating Betelgeuse's ship.

`He's willing to put his life and ship in danger to see if it will work.'

We walked on in silence into the building. The place was in turmoil. Crews getting instructions -- illuminated maps flashing numbers and the constant noise from the TV monitors giving the latest world information on how the operation was going.

Rhodes wended his way through all these bodies and equipment until he reached an office. I closed the door behind us, and the silence was almost beautiful. Ganges and I sat down and Colonel went behind his desk and pressed some buttons.

`Andy, have you any idea where the Chief is?' Colonel said.

`He's on his way to W.H.Q., sir,' came the voice.

`Well, that's given us a break. Ganges, can we give Dick a pass?'

Ganges thought for a moment and then nodded. 'It'll save wear and tear on the tunnels.'

`Ganges,' I blurted out. 'You must have known about the tunnels. It was a bit too easy.'

`Hrrmph,' snorted Ganges. 'Carry out orders as best I can -- don't expect crackpots to creep through tunnels to have a chat with friends.'

`I had to see Betelgeuse -- I'm really on to something.' `Yes, so Sir John thought,' drawled Ganges. 'Too long through usual channels -- so use tunnels.'

`Ganges, you're a damned old fraud!'

`Wish Sir John was as complimentary,' he chortled. `Boffins!'

`Andy, can you bring me a security pass?' Colonel said into his intercom and closed the channel. We waited in a suspended silence until the pass had been delivered.

`Here you are, Dick. Next time let us know,' said Ganges with a grin, signing the card and handing it to me.

`Well, what is this idea?' Colonel said.

`It's very simple really. The enemy will be proceeding farther into our solar system. Now we don't have much of a chance with our weapons, even a Quark torpedo, in out-shooting them. The idea came to me, we could use the Sun as a sort of radiation bomb,' I said, looking at the two grim-faced men.

`What sort of radiation bomb?'

`I was thinking of dropping a load of lithium on to the Sun's surface.' Briefly I explained the whole idea. `Lithium bomb, eh? Quite ingenious. Fry the enemy,'

Ganges said unwinding his dejected body and getting up. `You think it has possibilities?' Colonel said to both of us.

Problem is -- who's going to drop it? -- got a charley?'

`We can't,' said Colonel, 'our ships haven't got the gear.'

`Betelgeuse has agreed to take it,' I said.

`Couldn't be better -- good judge of a man -- he'll do!' Ganges' shorthand hid a mind few guessed at. 'What about you?'

`Certainly. If it was thought necessary.'

`Work out what you'd need -- I'll put military wheels in motion,' Ganges said, opening the door. 'Good idea, very good,' he said and closed the door behind him.

Colonel looked at me, and we both laughed.

`A strange man,' I said.

`Certainly, but now he's got the bit between his teeth you're set.'

`Do you really think he can do anything? He's always rubbed me up the wrong way.'

`Certainly. As you gather, he's got a wonderful ability for cutting through all the red tape, when it suits his purpose.'

There was a loud knock at the door.

`Come in,' Colonel said abruptly.

`Good evening, Colonel Rhodes,' said one of the police officers coming into the room.

`Good evening, officer. What can I do for you?'

`We're looking for a man who might have entered the launching pad area,' said the policeman.

`Really! How do we know?' Rhodes said, looking sideways at me.

`Well, we had a report from Cambridge that someone stole a canoe and a hover speed boat. When we were looking round, we found the hover boat on the river, near one of the radar aerials.'