The Ultimate Weapon
Page 6
VI
"Hello, Tom?"
The telephone rattled in a peeved sort of way. "Yes, it is. What now?And when am I going to see you in a social sort of way again?"
"Not for a long, long time; I'm busy. I'm busy right now as a matter offact. I'm calling up the vice-president of Faragaut InterplanetaryLines, and I want to place an order."
"Why bother me? We have clerks, you know, for that sort of thing,"suggested Faragaut in a pained voice.
"Tom, do you know how much I'm worth now?"
"Not much," replied Faragaut promptly. "What of it? I hear, as a matterof fact that you're worth even less in a business way. They're talkingquite a lot down this way about an alleged bank you're setting up onLuna. I hear it's got more protective devices, and armor than any IPstation in the System, that you even had it designed by an IP designer,and have a gang of Colonels and Generals in charge. I also hear thatyou've succeeded in getting rid of money at about one million dollars aday--just slightly shy of that."
"You overestimate me, my friend. Much of that is merely contracted for.Actually it'll take me nearly nine months to get rid of it. And by thattime I'll have more. Anyway, I think I have something like ten millionleft. And remember that way back in the twentieth century some oldfellow beat my record. Armour, I think it was, lost a million dollars aday for a couple of months running.
"Anyway, what I called you up for was to say I'd like to order fivehundred thousand tons of mercury, for delivery as soon as possible."
"What! Oh, say, I thought you were going in for business." Faragaut gavea slight laugh of relief.
"Tom, I am. I mean exactly what I say. I wantfive--hundred--thousand--_tons_ of metallic mercury, and just as soon asyou can get it."
"Man, there isn't that much in the system."
"I know it. Get all there is on the market for me, and contract to takeall the 'Jupiter Heavy-Metals' can turn out. You send those ordersthrough, and clean out the market completely. Somebody's about to payfor the work I've been doing, and boy, they're going to pay through thenose. After you've got that order launched, and don't make a christeningparty of the launching either, why just drop out here, and I'll show youwhy the value of mercury is going so high you won't be able to follow itin a space ship."
"The cost of that," said Faragaut, seriously now, "will beabout--fifty-three million at the market price. You'd have to put uptwenty-six cash, and I don't believe you've got it."
Buck laughed. "Tom, loan me a dozen million, will you? You send thatorder through, and then come see what I've got. I've got a break, too!Mercury's the best metal for this use--and it'll stop gamma rays too!"
"So it will--but for the love of the system, what of it?"
"Come and see--tonight. Will you send that order through?"
"I will, Buck. I hope you're right. Cash is tight now, and I'll probablyhave to put up nearer twenty million, when all that buying goes through.How long will it be tied up in that deal, do you think?"
"Not over three weeks. And I'll guarantee you three hundred percent--ifyou'll stay in with me after you start. Otherwise--I don't think makingthis money would be fair just now."
"I'll be out to see you in about two hours, Buck. Where are you? At theestate?" asked Faragaut seriously.
"In my lab out there. Thanks, Tom."
McLaurin was there when Tom Faragaut arrived. And General Logan, andColonel Gerardhi. There was a restrained air of gratefulness about allof them that Tom Faragaut couldn't quite understand. He had been lookingup Buck Kendall's famous bank, and more and more he had begun to wonderjust what was up. The list of stockholders had read like a list of IPheroes and executives. The staff had been a list of IP men with aslender sprinkling of accountants. And the sixty-million dollarstructure was to be a bank without advertising of any sort! Usually sucha venture is planned and published months in advance. This had sprung upsuddenly, with a strange quietness.
Almost silently, Buck Kendall led the way to the laboratory. A smallmetal tank was supported in a peculiar piece of apparatus, and from itled a small platinum pipe to a domed apparatus made largely of insulum.A little pool of mercury, with small red crystals floating in it restedin a shallow hollow surrounded by heavy conductors.
"That's it, Tom. I wanted to show you first what we have, and why Iwanted all that mercury. Within three weeks, every man, woman and childin the system will be clamoring for mercury metal. That's the perfectaccumulator." Quickly he demonstrated the machine, charging it, and thendischarging it. It was better than 99.95% efficient on the charge, andwas 100% efficient on the discharge.
"Physically, any metal will do. Technically, mercury is best for anumber of reasons. It's a liquid. I can, and do it in this, charge acertain quantity, and then move it up to the storage tank. Chargeanother pool, and move it up. In discharge, I can let a stream flow incontinuously if I required a steady, terrific drain of power withoutinterruption. If I wanted it for more normal service, I'd discharge apool, drain it, refill the receiver, and discharge a second pool. Thus,mercury is the metal to use.
"Do you see why I wanted all that metal?"
"I do, Buck--Lord, I do," gasped Faragaut. "That is the perfect powersupply."
"No, confound it, it isn't. It's a secondary source. It isn't primary.We're just as limited in the _supply_ of power as ever--only we haveincreased our distribution of power. Lord knows, we're going to need apower _supply_ badly enough before long--" Buck relapsed into moodysilence.
"What," asked Faragaut, looking around him, "does that mean?"
It was McLaurin who told him of the stranger ship, and Kendall'sinterpretation of its meaning. Slowly Faragaut grasped the meaningbehind Buck's strange actions of the past months.
"The Lunar Bank," he said slowly, half to himself. "Staffed by trainedIP men, experts in expert destruction. Buck, you said something aboutthe profits of this venture. What did you mean?"
Buck smiled. "We're going to stick up IP to the extent necessary to payfor that fort--er--bank--on Luna. We'll also boost the price so thatwe'll make enough to pay for those ships I'm having made. The publicwill pay for that."
"I see. And we aren't to stick the price too high, and just make money?"
"That's the general idea."
"The IP Appropriations Board won't give you what you need, Commander,for real improvements on the IP ships?"
"They won't believe Kendall. Therefore they won't."
"What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"
"Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have therefitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one,and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks. The men will beprotected against the gamma rays."
"Won't the rays affect the power stored in the mercury--perhaps releaseit?"
"We tried it out, of course, and while we can't get the intensities weexpect, and can't really make any measurements of the gamma-ray energyimpinging on the mercury--it seems to absorb, and store that energy!"
"What's next on the program, Buck?"
"Finish those ships I have building. And I want to do some moredevelopment work. The Stranger will return within six months now, Ibelieve. It will take all that time, and more for real refitting of theIP ships."
"How about more forts--or banks, whichever you want to call them. Marsisn't protected."
"Mars is abandoned," replied General Logan seriously. "We haven't anytoo much to protect old Earth, and she must come first. Mars will, ofcourse, be protected as best the IP ships can. But--we're expectingdefeat. This isn't a case of glorious victory. It will be a case of hardwon survival. We don't know anything about the enemy--except that theyare capable of interstellar flights, and have atomic energy. They areevidently far ahead of us. Our battle is to survive till we learn how toconquer. For a time, at least, the Strangers will have possession ofmost of the planets of the system. We do not think they will be able toreach Earth, because Commander McLaurin here will withdraw his ships toEarth to protect the planet--and the
great 'Lunar Bank' will display itstrue character."