[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

space and if all they have is that much, then other particles can't squeeze in. If particles are forced in,
there is pain. That's why the Hard Ones don't like to be touched 1?y us. We Soft Ones havemore space
between the particles than are actually needed, so other particles can fit in."
Dua didn't look at all certain about that. Odeen hastened onward. "In the other Universe, the rules are
different. The nuclear-force isn't as strong as in ours. That means the particles need more room."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Why?"
Odeen shook his head, "Because because the particles spread out their wave-forms more. I can't
explain better than that. With a weaker nuclear-force, the particles need more room and two pieces of
matter can't melt together as easily as they can in our Universe."
"Can we see the other Universe?"
"Oh, no. That isn't possible. We can deduce its nature from its basic laws. The Hard Ones can do a
great many things, though. We can send material across, and get material from them. We can study their
material, you see. And we can set up the Positron Pump. You know about that, don't you?"
"Well, you've told me we get energy out of it. I didn't know there was a different Universe involved. . . .
What is' the other Universe like? Do they have stars and worlds the way we do?"
"That's an excellent question, Dua." Odeen was enjoying his role as teacher more intensely than usual
now that he had official encouragement to speak. (Earlier he always had the feeling that there was a kind
of sneaking perversion in trying to explain things to an Emotional.)
He said, "We can't see the other Universe, but we can calculate what it must be like from its laws. You
see, what makes the stars, shine is the gradual combination of simple particle-combinations into more
complicated ones. We call it nuclear fusion."
"Do they have that in the other Universe?"
"Yes, but because the nuclear-force is weaker, fusion ismuch slower. This means that the stars must be
much, much bigger in the other Universe otherwise not enough fusion would take place to make them
shine. Stars of the other Universe that were no bigger than our Sun would be cold and dead. On the
other hand, if stars in our Universe were bigger than they are, the amount of fusion would be so great it
would blow them up. That means that in our Universe there must be thousands of times as many small
stars as there are larger stars in theirs "
"We only have seven " began Dua. Then she said, "I forgot."
Odeen smiled indulgently. It was so easy to forget the uncounted stars that could not be seen except by
special instruments. "That's all right. You don't mind my boring you with all this."
"You're not boring me," said Dua. "Ilove it. It even makes food taste so good." And she wavered
between the electrodes with a kind of luxurious tremor.
Odeen, who had never before heard Dua say anything complimentary about food, was greatly
heartened. He said, "Of course, our Universe doesn't last as long as theirs. Fusion goes so fast that all the
particles are combined after a million lifetimes."
"But there are so many other stars."
"Ah, but you see they're all going at once. The whole Universe is dying down. In the other Universe, with
so many fewer and larger stars, the fusion goes so slowly that the stars last thousands and millions of
times as long as ours. It's hard to compare because it may be that time goes at different rates in the two
Universes." He added, with some reluctance, "I don't understand that part myself. That's part of the
Estwald Theory and I haven't got to that very much so far."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Did Estwald work out all of this?"
"A great deal of it."
Dua said, "It's wonderful that we're getting the food from the other Universe then. I mean, it doesn't
matter if our Sun dies out, then. We can get all the food we want from the other Universe."
"That's right."
,"But does nothing bad happen? I have the the feeling that something bad happens."
"Well," said Odeen. "We transfer matter back and forth to make the Positron Pump and that means the
Universes mix together a little. Our nuclear-force gets a tiny bit weaker, so fusion in our Sun slows up a
little and the Sun cools down a little faster.... But just a little, and we don't need it any more anyway."
"That's not the something-bad feeling I have. If the nuclear-force gets a tiny bit weaker, then the atoms
take up more room is that right? and then what happens to melting?"
"That gets a tiny bit harder but it would take many millions of lifetimes before it would get noticeably
harder to melt. Even if someday melting became impossible and Soft Ones died out, that would happen
long, long after we would all have died out for lack of food if we weren't using the other Universe."
"That's still not the something-bad feeling " Dua's words were beginning to slur. She wriggled
between her electrodes and to Odeen's gratified eyes she seemed noticeably larger and compacter. It
was as though his words, as well as the food, were nourishing her.
Losten was right! Education made her more nearly satisfied with life; Odeen could sense a kind of
sensual joy in Dua that he had scarcely ever felt before.
She said, "It is so kind of you to explain, Odeen. You are a good left-ling."
"Do you want me to go on?" asked Odeen, flattered and more pleased than he could easily say. "Is there
anything else you want to ask?"
"A great deal, Odeen, but but not now. Not now, Odeen. Oh, Odeen, do you know what I want to
do?"
Odeen guessed at once, but was too cautious to say it openly. Dua's moments of erotic advance were
too few to treat with anything but care. He hoped desperately that Tritt had not involved himself with the
children to the point where they could not take advantage of this.
But Tritt was in the chamber already. Had he been outside the door, waiting? He did not care. There
was no time to think.
Dua had flowed out from between the electrodes and Odeen's senses were filled with her beauty. She
was between them, now, and through her Tritt shimmered, with his outlines flaming in incredible color.
It had never been like this. Never.
Odeen held himself back desperately, letting his own substance flow through Dua and into Tritt an atom [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]