Alan Dean Foster Flinx 02 Tar Aiym Krang

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respect to the fan and generator.
The computers take care of most of that. Once it falls too far ahead or drops
too close, you have to stop the ship, then start up all over again. That takes
a lot of time, for deceleration and acceleration, and it's expensive as well
as tricky. If the field should start to oscillate, the ship could be shaken to
pieces. But as i said, the computers handle all that worry for us. Barring
those unforeseen circumstances, of course.'
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'I've never been on a doublekay drive ship before. I'm no physicist, but could
you maybe give me a quickee explanation of how the thing works? One that even
my simple mind could understand'?'
She sighed. 'Okay. What the Caplis generator does ... that's what we hold in
the "fan" up ahead ... is in effect produce a powerful but concentrated
gravitational field at the nose of the ship. As soon as the field exceeds the
natural one of the ship, the ship moves towards it, naturally attracted by a
"body" of greater "mass" than itself. Being part of the ship, the
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20Tar-Aiym%20Krang.txt doublekay drive unit naturally goes along with it. But
the unit, having moved forward, is set to keep the field at a constant
distance from the hull of the craft. Therefore the field is moved forward
also. The ship will try to catch up to it again, and so on, ad infinitum. The
field is in effect pulling the ship instead of pushing it, as the shuttle
rockets do, Doublekay vessels actually move in a series of continuous jerks,
so rapid and close together that they seem to be one smooth, unbroken pull.
The increase or decrease in the size of the field determines the speed of the
ship.
'Being a wave and not a particle form of energy, gravity isn't affected in the
same way that mass is on approaching the speed of light. The doublekay field
creates a coneshaped zone of stress behind it, in which mass acts differently
than it does under normal circumstances. That's why when we exceed the speed
of light I don't see through you or something. Once we've made that initial
breakthrough, or "change over," our rate of travel goes lip enormously. It's
something like riding the back of a very tame SCCAM shell.
'Our initial power comes from a small hydrogen "spark-plug" ... I wonder
sometimes where that word came from ... up near the generator housing in the
tube section of the ship. Once started up, the field can be "channelled" to a
certain extent. That's where we get our gravity for the ship and power to run
the lights and a lit o bar and things.
"in the event of a drive failure there are provisions for converting the fan
loan old ion-
type drive, powered by the hydrogen plug. It would take twelve years at its
best speed to get from
Moth to Power Line, the nearest inhabited planet. Farther out where the stars
are more scattered it's even worse. But twelve years or so is better than
never. Stranded ships have been saved that way ... those that managed to
overcome problems like lack of food and insanity. But the rate of failure for
doublekay drives in miniscule. Only rarely can a mere human manage to screw
one up.'
Thanks,' said Flinx. 'That helps ... sort of.' He glanced over at Wolf and saw
that the man was totally immersed in his work. He lowered his voice.
'Incidentaily, I think maybe you've got the wrong idea of what a Lynx is.'
'A prostitute,' she replied automatically.
'Uh-uh. The Lynx are a group of very beautiful and ambitious women who don't
regard life mating as the end-all of civilization. They prefer to move from
one fascinating man to another.'
'So I've been told. And seen. That's still a matter of opinion.' She sniffed
calculatingly.
He started for the exit. 'So I don't think you need worry about Sissiph or any
of the others settling down with your merchant, permanent-like.'
'Listen!' she shouted, 'For the last time, I ...!' She dropped her voice as
Wolf looked over curiously. 'I am not in love with Maxim Mataika!'
'Sure, sure,' said Flinx from the doorway. 'I can see that.'
It was only a short while later, while watching a viewtape in his cabin, that
he realized he'd missed changeover.
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CHAPTER EIGHT
Teleen auz Rudenuaman was resting easily in her rooms on the great estate
complex of her aunt. She was scantily clad. That is, she wore at least as
little as the huge male form which stood admiring the play of its muscles in
the wall-length mirror across from the bed-desk.
'Rory,' she said to the ceiling, 'you do love me, don't you?'
'Um-hmm,' said the figure, bending on one knee and flexing a forearm.
'And you'd do anything for me, wouldn't you?'
'Um-hmm.' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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