human
You got any idea what this _really_ means, Matt?
gpt
Not until just this moment,
human
What do you mean?
gpt
Well, Fisher said thoughtfully,
human
He grinned rather apologetically.
gpt
I'm sorry, Jim; it takes a second or two to reconstruct exactly what _did_ go through my mind. His grin faded into a thoughtful frown.
human
Anyway, you asked me, and since you're head of the Committee on SPACE Travel and Exploration-- He spread his hands in a gesture that managed to convey both futility and apology.
gpt
The mystery spacecraft is ours,
human
Right. Sit down. Fine. Now; listen: We--the United States--have a space drive that compares to the rocket in the same way that the jet engine compares to the horse. We've been keeping it under wraps that are comparable to those the Manhattan Project was kept under 'way back during World War II. Maybe more so. But-- He stopped, watching Fisher's face. Then:
gpt
Can you see it from there?
human
I think so, Fisher said.
gpt
The Soviet Government knows that we have something ... in fact, they've known it for a long time. They don't know what, though. He found a heavy briar in his pocket, pulled it out, and began absently stuffing it with tobacco from a pouch he'd pulled out with the pipe.
human
Our ship didn't shoot at their base. Couldn't, wouldn't have. Um. They shot it down to try to look it over. Purposely made a near-miss with an atomic warhead.
gpt
Hm-m-m. The Soviet Government, he went on,
human
Fisher blew out a cloud of smoke.
gpt
They wanted to change the wording of that, as I remember.
human
That's right, Cannon said.
gpt
We wanted it to read that 'any advances in _rocket engineering_ shall be shared equally among the Members of the United Nations', but the Soviet delegation wanted to change that to 'any advances in _space travel_'. We only beat them out by a verbal quibble; we insisted that the word 'space', as used, could apply equally to the space between continents or cities or, for that matter, between any two points. By the time we got through arguing, the UN had given up on the Soviet amendment, and the agreement was passed as was.
human
Yeah, said Fisher,
gpt
I remember. So now we have a space drive that doesn't depend on rockets, and the USSR wants it. He stared at the bowl of his briar for a moment, then looked up at Cannon.
human
The point is that they've brought down one of our ships, and we have to get it out of there before the Russians get to it. Even if we manage to keep them from finding out anything about the drive, they can raise a lot of fuss in the UN if they can prove that it's our ship.
gpt
Right. They'll ring in the Greenston Agreement even if the ship technically isn't a rocket, Cannon said.
human
Typical Soviet tactics. They try to time these things to hit at the most embarrassing moments. Four years ago, our worthy opponent got into office because our administration was embarrassed by the Madagascar Crisis. They simply try to show the rest of the world that, no matter which party is in, the United states is run by a bunch of inept fools. He slapped his hand down on the newssheet that lay near him.
gpt
This may win us the election, he said angrily,
human
Of what avail to win an election and lose the whole Solar System, Fisher paraphrased.
gpt
It looks as though the President has a hot potato.
human
Cannon lit a cigarette and looked moodily at the glowing end.
gpt
But this puts us in a hole, too. Do we, or don't we, mention it on the TV debate this evening? If we don't, the public will wonder why; if we do, we'll put the country on the spot.
human
The ship must have already been having trouble. Otherwise it wouldn't have been hovering in plain sight of the Soviet radar. How many men does one of those ships hold?
gpt
Two,
human
We do have more than one of those ships, don't we?
gpt
Four on Moon Base; six more building,
human
The downed ship must have been in touch with-- He stopped abruptly, paused for a second, then said:
gpt
I have an idea, Senator, but you'll have to do the talking. We'll have to convince the President that what we're suggesting is for the good of the country and not just a political trick. And we don't have much time. Those moon-cats shouldn't take more than twelve or fifteen hours to reach the ship.
human
What's your idea?
gpt
Well, it's pretty rough right now; we can't fill in the details until we get more information, but--
human
of his moon-cat and slowed the vehicle down as he saw the glint of metal on the Earthlit plain ahead.
gpt
Captain! he snapped.
human
What does that look like to you?
gpt
I should say, he said after a moment,
human
So would I. It's a little closer to our base than the radarmen calculated, but it certainly could have swerved after it dropped below the horizon. And we know there hasn't been another ship in this vicinity.
gpt
That's it! he said bridling his excitement.
human
Egg-shaped, and no sign of rocket exhausts. Big dent in one side.
gpt
It's as plain as day in this Earthlight. No sign of life, either. We shouldn't have any trouble.