Corbow's Theory
BY LEE WALLOT
It was a terrific theory and it would send
Man to the stars. But the two men involved had
to buck more than physical laws; and so the
project was finished, over, done with. Unless....
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, October 1956.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
"All right! So we've got it. The same problem rocket designers havebeen struggling with for five years. Nobody's found the answer—andthey never will!"
Bronsen Corbow glared at the older man, his lips pressed tightlytogether to keep from giving voice to the anger mounting inside of him.Mars Kenton was an argumentative old fool, but the company had made himhis assistant and nothing could be done about it.
"They've known ever since they discovered that interstellar drive,"Mars continued, "that they can only make enough Carbolium to send fourships a year to the end of our galaxy and back again. Is it our faultthey have to make the blasted stuff instead of mining it out of theground?"
The words ringing in the quiet of the laboratory seemed to pound inBronsen's ears and he found he could hold his tongue no longer. Heleaned toward the older physicist and slammed his hand down on thetable.
"That's enough, Mars. I happen to be the one in charge here, notyou." His quiet voice made clear the anger he felt. "Reed turnedthe problem over to us. I say we can lick it. Just because my chiefassistant is still thinking in terms of ancient history, it's no reasonto send back a report from this laboratory saying we can't handle theproblem." He ran a trembling hand through his close-cropped hair andswore at himself when he saw Mars noticed the trembling. Why did hehave to start shaking every time he got mad? The person he was mad atinvariably took the shaking to be fear, and he would always be forcedto drive his point home all the harder in order to get the respect hedemanded.
Mars Kenton sneered. "Mind telling me just how you are going toeliminate interstellar drive from our rocket ships? Or have you cookedup another of your bright ideas to try out at the company's expense?"
"I'm fed up with you, Mars!" All control over his temper was gone nowand the younger man gave full vent to his anger. His powerful bodyfairly bristled in his rage and in spite of himself Mars was forcedto cringe beneath the assailing roars that followed. "You may betwenty years older than I am; you may have been one of the pioneersin space travel; you may still be a good man if you could forget thatthe whole world didn't plot that accident that left you with a badleg—but you're still taking orders from me. We have some good men inthis department, and you can either keep your mouth shut and work withus or you can get out. Interstellar drive isn't the only solution tospace travel and the answer to the problem is going to come from thislaboratory. Now take your choice!"
Mars glared at Bronsen and seethed inwardly but swung back to hiswork table. His right leg twitched convulsively, forcing him into astumbling limp and he silently cursed the fate that had brought him tosuch a lowly existance. Him! Joc Kenton! Member of the first expeditionto land on Mars and successfully return to Earth. And what was henow? Just a second rate design consultant working in a laboratory onthe moon. His water blue eyes clouded in his flood of self pity. Howbeautiful it had been out there ... all blackness, a