ships--four hundred men.

"Yes--but so is the Arctic camp, and the Antarctic camp, as well,"
replied Wade.

"What next, Arcot. Shall we go out to intergalactic space at once?"
asked Morey, coming up from the power room.

"No, we'll go back to Vermont, and have the time-field stuff I ordered
installed, then go to Sirius, and see what they have. They moved their
planets from the gravitation field of Negra, their dead, black star, to
the field of Sirius--and I'd like to know how they did it.[2]
Then--Intergalactia." He started the ship toward Vermont, while Morey
got into communication with the field, and gave them a brief report.

[Footnote 2: "The Black Star Passes."]

Chapter XII

SIRIUS

They landed about half an hour later, and Arcot simply went into the
cottage, and slept--with the aid of a light soporific. Morey and Wade
directed the disposition of the machines, but Dr. Arcot senior really
finished the job. The machines would be installed in less than ten
hours, for the complete plans Arcot and Morey had made, with the modern
machines for translating plans to metal and lux had made the actual
construction quick, while the large crew of men employed required but
little time.

When Arcot and his friends awoke, the machines were ready.

"Well, Dad, you have the plans for all the machines we have. I expect to
be back in two weeks. In the meantime you might set up a number of ships
with very heavy relux walls, walls that will stand rays for a while, and
equip them with the rudimentary artificial matter machines you have, and
go ahead with the work on the calculations. Thett will land other
machines here--or on the moon. Probably they will attempt to ray the
whole Earth. They won't have concentration of ray enough to move the
planet, or to seriously chill it. But life is a different matter--it's
sensitive. It is quite apt to let go even under a mild ray. I think that
a few exceedingly powerful ray screen stations might be set up, and the
Heavyside Layer used to transmit the vibrations entirely around the
Earth. You can see the idea easily enough. If you think it
worthwhile--or better, if you can convince the thickheaded politicians
of the Interplanatary Defense Commission that it is--

"Beyond that, I'll see you in about two weeks," Arcot turned, and
entered the ship.

"I'll line up for Sirius and let go." Arcot turned the ship now, for
Earth was well behind, and lined it on Sirius, bright in the ut