why orhow. How does that particle once started gain the knowledge tocontinue without some direct control over its spatial framework? Thatit will continue, we know. That in the presence of a gravitic field ora magnetic field or other attractive force at right angles to itsmotion, we can create an acceleration which will maintain it in anexactly circular path called an orbit. But how does it remember, assoon as that field ceases to exist, where it was going before it waslast influenced? That it will continue in a straight lineindefinitely, without such an influence, we know. That it can beinfluenced over a distance by various field effects, we also know.But what is the mechanism of influence whereby it influences itself tocontinue in a straight line? And what handle did we get hold of toconvert that influence of self to our own advantage in moving thisship?"
* * * * *
Mike stared at Ishie with vast respect.
"I thought you physics boys did it all with math," he said softly,"and here you've outlined the facts of space that an Indian can feelin his bones--and you've done it in good, solid English that makessome sense.
"In other words," Mike was almost talking to himself as he tried toreword Ishie's theorizing into his own type of thinking, "the particlein motion creates a strain in the fabric--the field--of space; andthat fabric must attempt to relieve itself of the strain. A particlein motion makes it possible for the fabric of space to smooth itselfout behind the particle; and the fabric attempts to smooth itself onthrough the area occupied by the particle while it is moving, and sothe fabric of space smoothing itself is a constant thrust behind theparticle's motion, continuing that motion and making the particle scatto where he wasn't going.
"When that same particle is stopped," Mike was visualizing the processto himself, "the force of the attempt to smooth itself out by thefabric of space exists equally around the particle on all sides; sothat the particle will be held stopped by the attempt of the fabric tosmooth itself until set into motion again by a force greater than thatof inertia--for inertia, then, is the attempt of the fabric of spaceto smooth itself.
"Quite possibly," Mike was speaking very slowly now as he mocked upand watched the forces of this inertia, "matter itself is created outof the fabric of space, and in its creation, in the stasis conditionthat keeps it existing as a particle rather than dissolving back intothe original fabric, it creates the strain in the fabric--inspace--that will then seek to smooth itself so long as the particleshall exist.
"Thus this, then, is inertia--the attempt of the fabric of space tosmooth itself; to get rid of the strain of the particle that has beencreated from itself."
Ishie shook his head. "Not quite," he said, "but you're gettingclose."
Mike shook himself like a dog coming out of water.
"Oh, well," he said. "Anyway, we've got a space drive--flea sized. Nowthe question before the board becomes, just what are we going to dowith it? Turn it over to the captain?"
"Confusion say," said Ishie, "he who has very little is often mostgenerous. But he who has huge fortune is very cautious aboutdispersing it. Let's first be sure what we've got," he grinned slylyat Mike, "before we become overgenerous with information."
Mike heaved a huge sigh of relief. He had been afraid he would have toargue Ishie into this point of view.
"Speaking of math, Mike, you're no slouch at it yourself, if youfigured out all those orbit co-ordinates in your head, and arrived atan exact figure on the amount of thrust. It would be very nice for ourfuture investigations if we had some method of putting the Cow to workon this." The little physicist sat back, grinned knowingly, andcontinued: "Where's your secret panel, Mike? We've got to keep thisinformation from going to anybody else."
"Oh, I already--" Mike stopped. "I mean," he floundered, "uh ... howdid you know?" A foolish grin spread over his face. "It's right behindyou," he said. "And I've got it by voice," he said. "Just push theswitch in the corner and talk to it."
* * * * *
Ishie turned, glanced at the panel, and went over to the switch,pushing it. "I wondered how you were concealing the teletype," hesaid. "You mean you really talk to it?"
The Sacred Cow's voice came back. "Reference not understoo-od.Ple-ease explai-ain."
"Oy!" said Ishie. "It even sounds like a cow!"
"Ye-es, si-ir," said the Cow. "A cow is an he-erbivorous ma-ammal,usua-ally do-omesticated, and fou-ound in mo-ost of the cou-ountriesof Ea-arth. Wha-at specific da-ata did you-u wi-ish? The mi-ilksu-upply--"
"Hold it," Mike said, forestalling a long dissertation on the dairyindustry.
Catching on quickly to the literal-mindedness of the placid computer,Ishie fired a direct question.
"What is our current position in relation to the equatorial orbit thatwe should be following?" he asked.
There was a sput from the speaker, very much as though someone hadbeen caught off guard and almost said something, and then the placidreply came back.
"That information is top secret. Please identify yourself as Mike andI will answer you."
Ishie groaned, depressed the cutoff switch and turned to Mike.
"You fixed it," he said. "If a simple question like that gets ananswer like that, how long do you think it will take the captain tofind out something's wrong with the Cow?"
Mike lunged for the switch, but Ishie held him back.
"Hold it, Boy. You've made enough electronic mistakes for one day.This takes some thinking over."
"We better think fast," said Mike. "The captain'll ask that questionany second now, or a question like it."
"All right," said Ishie. "First we've got to withdraw your originalorder--and you'd better not trust your own memory as to what it was.You ask the Cow to tell you what order you gave her making certaininformation top secret. Then when she tells you exactly what you said,you tell her to cancel _that_ order."
Mike did as he was told.
"Why," said Ishie, "did you give such an order in the first place?Never mind answering that question," he added, "but it's lucky shehasn't been refusing to give people the time of day, and referringthem to you. As a matter of fact"--glancing up at the clock on thewall--"it looks like she has. That clock hasn't moved since I gothere."
Even as he spoke, the clock whirred, jumped forty-five minutes, andsettled down to its steady, second-by-second spin.
"Ishie," said Mike, "we figured out a space drive, and that was great.But if we can figure out how to communicate an idea to a computer,we're _real_ geniuses."
Ishie turned on the vocoder. "Please supply us," he told the Cow,"with a complete recording of your latest conversation with Mike."
And as the computer started back over the dialogue that has justoccurred between herself and Mike, Ishie interrupted. "Not that," hesaid, "I mean the last previous conversation."
Then he sat back as the Cow unreeled a fifteen minute monologue whichrepeated both sides of the conversation including the order to makeeverything top secret.
Having listened through this, Ishie said: "At the point where Mikeasks you about acceleration, you will now erase the rest of theconversation and substitute this comment from yourself: 'The lab isbeing accelerated by an external magneto-ionic effect.' This will beyour only explanation of acceleration applied to the ship. Now pleaserepeat your conversation with Mike."
Then he sat back to listen through the recording again.
This time when it came to the part about acceleration, withouthesitation, the Cow referred blithely to the external magneto-ioniceffect that was causing acceleration.
When Ishie asked the computer: "How could this effect be canceled?"and listened to a long syllogistic outline which, if condensed to asingle, understandable sentence meant simply "by reversing the fieldin respect to the lab with a magnet on board the lab."
Ishie heaved a great sigh of relief, and said, "Now, Mike, we can goto work. For of course," he added, "we must have authority to installour magnetic coils, and what better authority is there than the Cow?
; "Confusion say it is better to have the voice of authority speak withyour words than to be the voice of authority.
"Now," he said, "let us see what we have really got here."
* * * * *
As they worked, time progressed. The empty racks around the Confusorslowly filled with more test instruments both borrowed and devised;and the formerly unoccupied corner of the section of panels took onmore and more the look of a complete installation, in the center ofwhich the Confusor still