Astounding British Edition, Vol. 6, No. 8 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

# THE CATSPAW _ 13 unknown road because he is unable to make the necessary predictions. I’ve explained where this road leads to, and the con- sequences of following it blindly. He must be stopped!” “Mathematics,” said Barden, “and I quote Dr. Murdoch of the Board of Review of the Terran Physical Society: ‘And may I add that when mathematics and experiment do not agree, it is the math that is changed. As witness Galileo’s experiments with the falling bodies.’ No one can make a certain Ba ein postulated on mathematics unless e has cognizance of every term. Miss Ward, are you aware of every factor?” “No but—” “Then your mathematics is faulty. And your opinion is, therefore, reduced to a per- sonal opinion and not a scientific statement of fact. I’ve heard that a physicist is a learned one who leaps from an unfounded opinion to a foregone conclusion.” “You sound like an orator,” snapped Edith Ward, “and orators seldom follow full fact unless it enhances their point.” “Tm sorry that you have that opinion,” said Barden. “However, Miss Ward and gentlemen, regardless of what you do, of how you attempt to restrain me, I shall - pursue this matter to the bitter end. If you deny me the right to work on Terra or any other solid body of the system, I shall take my laboratory into space and then we shall have two space laboratories—one of which will function in the medium for which it was named!” Barden nodded affably, turned, and left : the room. One of the committeemen smiled sar- donically and said: “I think he has just said, ‘To Hell with us’!” Another one nodded glumly and said: “Me, I think he’s right. No one can stand in the way of progress.” Edith Ward blazed. “Progress! Progress! Is destruction progress? Well,.if the ultimate goal of mankind is to go out in a blazing holocaust of his own making, then this is true progress. One proper step toward the final Gotterdammerung!” The committeeman smiled at her toler- antly. “Twilight of the Gods, Miss Ward? Oh come now, we aren’t gods and I daresay. that the universe will continue to function without man’s aid and abetment.” Edith Ward snorted through her patrician nose. “Correct,” she snapped. “But after we leave, who’s here to care?” Dr. Edith Ward was surprised by his arrival at the Solar Space Laboratory. She didn’t expect him. He had won his battle, and she knew he was not the kind of man to gloat over a defeated enemy. Therefore she reasoned that she might never see him again for certainly she would not go to his place to see him—and everitually the whole system would go up, triggered by the un- trained hand of Thomas Barden. Then to have him call—it bothered her. Why—? He entered, carrying a small olive branch, and he smiled boyishly as he handed it to her with a small bow. “A truce,” he suggested. “There can be no truce,” she said stonily. “It will either be you or me that is shown right.” “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” he said with a smile. “Look, Miss Ward, I’ve never. dis- regarded the possibility that you might be correct. prove it instead of merely writing it off on the grounds of possible danger. One never knows what will happen until one tries. Therefore I wanted to continue. I’ve com- pleted the ship and it is awaiting a trial. Any time we're ready.” “Ts this a last attempt at mollification—a salving of your somewhat rusty conscience?” “Not at all,” he said. “I want you to go along with me as a qualified observer.” “To observe what? Terra going up in flames?” “Nope. Not necessary. The ship still retains its normal drive. We'll take it out beyond the orbit of Pluto by a couple of billion miles and let it go out there. I dare- say that if you are correct, the fury of a few hundred tons of spacecraft going up in sheer energy will not damage the solar system much. Especially from that distance. Then if . it does run, we’re also on our way to one of the nearby stars. Like?” “Sounds reasonable.” “Certainly,” he said, “Frankly I've con- sidered that ever since you mentioned the problem.” “TI wonder if my informant considered it, too?” she said slowly. “Probably.” “Then his warning was truly helpful.” “Tffen- and providen again,” “he grinned. “But if he is so nicely altruistic, why didn’t he tell us how to get a real superspeed drive?” “Maybe there is none.” “Then,” said Barden, “why knock out a solar system that is so far away that nothing it does can have any effect upon you?” “A very valid point,” said Edith Ward. Her eyes opened wide and her jaw fell slack. “Goodness,” she breathed. “Are we?” he asked hollowly. His expres- sion was one of wonder and amazement. “Well, if we win and it works, they’ve hazarded nothing and still have their science. If we lose, they will not miss us in the first place and also they'll quickly abandon that point,” “Guinea pigs,” snorted Edith. She stood up and put one slim hand in his. She gave it a hearty shake and a firm grasp. “I’m in— from right now to the point where the whole cosmos gocs up in a cloud of nuclear par- Gomicbookssco I’ve wanted was a chance to.