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The Universe - or Nothing by Moldeven, Meyer, 1917
The Universe - or Nothing by Moldeven, Meyer, 1917
The Universe - or Nothing by Moldeven, Meyer, 1917
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
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Language: English
by Meyer Moldeven
Table Of Contents
The Preface
"It is difficult to say
what is impossible,
for the dream of yesterday
is the hope of today and
the reality of tomorrow."
-- Dr. Robert H. Goddard
The Prologue
The Present
##
The Future
##
THE UNIVERSE
-- or nothing
Chapter ONE
##
##
##
##
Chapter TWO
"Comments?"
Chapter THREE
"Follow me."
Seconds passed.
"Hodak."
Chapter FOUR
Chapter FIVE
"Yes, sir."
"I do."
"Understood. Next?"
"Kumiko?"
"Quite a group."
Chapter SIX
"Big order."
"Yes, it is."
"Absolutely."
"I refuse."
Brad stared.
"Yes."
"The 'other'."
Ram grinned.
Chapter SEVEN
##
"Sure."
The clerk repeated his grin-scowl, snickered, and
slapped Hodak on the shoulder.
Chapter EIGHT
##
##
Chapter NINE
##
Chapter TEN
Chapter ELEVEN
The bar-room's heavy vapors seemed to cease
their dreary ballet. An uneasy cackle, strident and
jarring, erupted from a corner, accompanied by
the flat slap of a hard hand against the bar's rough
counter. The tension dissolved into a ripple of
raucous laughter. The hubbub resumed, and quickly
returned to its former level.
Chapter TWELVE
"Oh?"
"Why?"
Chapter THIRTEEN
Drummer shrugged.
##
"The Proclamation."
##
Chapter FIFTEEN
"I have."
"Lay it out."
"The penalties?"
"Three days."
"Do it."
"Test them."
"How?"
"...and?"
##
Scarf entered and waited for Narval to notice him.
Narval's eyes were fixed on his hands. He spoke
without looking up.
"Hold off, Scarf. You can have him when I'm done
with the pack, including Drummer. Until then, put
your anger aside."
"Yes, sir."
Chapter SIXTEEN
"Right."
##
A long pause.
"I read."
Chapter SEVENTEEN
Silence.
"Yes."
"I have."
"Yes, sir."
"Admiral Drummer?"
Chapter EIGHTEEN
Drummer frowned.
"That I go along."
##
"Scarf?"
Chapter NINETEEN
Scarf panicked.
Cordy.
Silence.
"Stay close."
"Alive."
"Hatch up ahead."
"Might be it."
Brad gasped. Even in the light pseudo-gravity,
Scarf's bulk was hard to maneuver.
"Take a peek."
"Looks clear."
Brad had the door to the outer air lock open, Scarf
on the deck inside. Kumiko rushed past Brad and
he slammed the door and clipped it sealed. She
snatched an emergency space stretcher from
a bulkhead rack and snapped it open. It took the
two of them to roll Scarf's inert body into the
envelope, seal it around him and start an oxygen
flow.
Chapter TWENTY-ONE
"What's happening?"
"Oh?"
##
"Me?"
Narval grinned.
Chapter TWENTY-TWO
"Me."
"Partly."
"Isn't it obvious?"
"Indeed?"
"So be it then."
Chapter TWENTY-THREE
Silence.
##
"I do."
Chapter TWENTY-FOUR
"The message."
##
Brad waited.
##
Chapter TWENTY-FIVE
Silence.
Brad grinned.
##
"When?"
"Talk to me."
"That's weird."
"Would it work?"
"The message?"
"What authorization?"
The guard's head wagged in his helmet.
Chapter TWENTY-SIX
A short pause.
"Hanno."
"I accept."
"Understood. Ready?"
##
Chapter TWENTY-SEVEN
"Without question."
"Narval, too?"
##
##
##
##
Chapter TWENTY-EIGHT
A slight crackle.
##
"I agree."
"Your recommendations?"
##
"Well?"
"Sir?"
"Explain."
"Repercussions?"
##
"Ram's here."
"In Coldfield?"
"What's up?"
"Damn right."
Chapter TWENTY-NINE
"Xindral?" He wheezed.
"Drummer."
The odds were not with him but timing and surprise
might even them a bit. Lifting the cover slowly, he
felt the texture of the surface and slipped into the
dimness beyond. He crouched in the rubble, the faint
sounds giving him direction.
"Yeah. Let's get this over with and head for the
Blind Pig. I'm thirsty as hell."
"What do we do now?"
"Search me."
Chapter THIRTY
##
##
##
"Once we get into the air lock I'll look for the
biggest suit on the rack. Then I'll just have to
push, pull and squeeze. Won't be the first time."
"Yep."
"Comments?"
"Go," he said.
##
##
Chapter THIRTY-TWO
"Well?"
Scarf stiffened.
Brad nodded.
"It was."
Chapter THIRTY-THREE
Narval sat hunched over as Drummer and Brad
entered. He did not wait for them to approach.
"Ah hah!"
"I have already told you how you fit into my plans
for the future." Turning to Brad, "You have proven
yourself a reliable and resourceful leader, Brad.
When I have attained my goals, you, along with
Drummer, will be amply rewarded with material
wealth and positions of honor. I tell you this
now because in my world loyalty has a price, and
you are entitled to know I will pay it. How do you
stand?"
"Good."
"Yes."
Chapter THIRTY-FOUR
The air was stale in the alcove adjoining Brad's
office. Hodak and Kumiko hovered over a console,
entering and manipulating data. They compared
computations against hard print charts, entered
notes in manuals and drawings spread across a
worktable, and mumbled at each other solemnly
across the space separating them. Adari studied
a large-scale celestial navigational chart tacked
to the wall, Zolan tapped at a remote keyboard,
and Myra scrutinized a spreadsheet. All were
engrossed in their own piece of the action.
"Adari, got a big one for you. The other INOR ships
will still rendezvous with the Plutonian fleet at
Point Icarus, halfway between the depot and the
Slingshot work site. Work out the nav for our fleet
to the rendezvous; design formations, convergence
and other vectors that'll keep the ships out of
each other's way. Employ Order of Battle options to
lay out the nav for each ship of the combined fleet
from Point Icarus to target. Kumiko and I will be
working on tac-options and we'll get them to you as
soon as they're ready.
"Clear. When?"
##
"In."
"Yes, sir."
Chapter THIRTY-FIVE
"How'd it go?"
##
Chapter THIRTY-SIX
They waited.
Chapter THIRTY-SEVEN
"Affirmative."
"Destructively?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"My life."
"Committed."
##
Chapter THIRTY-EIGHT
"Allies?"
"Who is it?"
"None, Admiral."
##
Chapter THIRTY-NINE
"So be it."
Chapter FORTY
"Yes, sir."
Time.
##
"I don't like it. Get nav on this right now and
pass the word to our ships' Commanders. Assume
a waiting formation ten thousand kay from the
rendezvous. Get the Commanders of the Saturnian
and Neptune-Uranus teams into a closed conference
call with me. I'm going to suggest they do the same
until we find out what this is all about."
##
He turned to Myra.
"Got it."
"Yes."
##
Chapter FORTY-ONE
"Go, Brad."
"Adari-Kumiko?"
"Right."
He was.
A momentary silence.
Chapter FORTY-THREE
"Yes?"
Silence.
Silence.
##
##
Brad switched to standard communications channels
and keyed in his identity. In a moment they were
switched to a channel closed to outsiders.
"Selvin here."
"Closer, Myra."
Chapter FORTY-FOUR
##
Silence.
Chapter FORTY-FIVE
##
Chapter FORTY-SIX
Epilogue
##
Afterwords
##
##
Stages
##
##
##
##
Appendix
ARTICLE II
End quote.
##
Preamble
In order to:
ARTICLE ONE
ARTICLE THREE
ARTICLE FOUR
EXCLUSION
ARTICLE FIVE
ARTICLE SIX
b. traffic control;
ARTICLE SEVEN
ARTICLE EIGHT
ARTICLE NINE
The References
communique
melange
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