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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1f2e3cc --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50936 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50936) diff --git a/old/50936-8.txt b/old/50936-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 94bd657..0000000 --- a/old/50936-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1406 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Man in a Sewing Machine, by L.J. Stecher - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Man in a Sewing Machine - -Author: L.J. Stecher - -Release Date: January 15, 2016 [EBook #50936] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAN IN A SEWING MACHINE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Man in a Sewing Machine - - By L. J. STECHER, JR. - - Illustrated by EMSH - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Science Fiction February 1956. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - With the Solar Confederation being invaded, - all this exasperating computer could offer - for a defense was a ridiculous old proverb! - - - -The mechanical voice spoke solemnly, as befitted the importance of its -message. There was no trace in its accent of its artificial origin. "A -Stitch in Time Saves Nine," it said and lapsed into silence. - -Even through his overwhelming sense of frustration at the ambiguous -answer the computer had given to his question, John Bristol noticed -with satisfaction the success of his Voder installation. He wished that -all of his innovations with the machine were as satisfying. - -Alone in the tremendous vaulted room that housed the gigantic -calculator, Bristol clasped his hands behind his back and thrust -forward a reasonably strong chin and a somewhat sensuous lower lip -in the general direction of the computer's visual receptors. After -a moment of silence, he scratched his chin and then shrugged his -shoulders slightly. "Well, Buster, I suppose I might try rephrasing the -question," he said doubtfully. - -Somewhere deep within the computer, a bank of relays chuckled briefly. -"That expedient is open to you, of course, although it is highly -unlikely that any clarification will result for you from my answers. I -am constrained, however, to answer any questions you may choose to ask." - -Bristol hooked a chair toward himself with one foot, straddled it and -folded his arms over the back of it, without once removing his eyes -from the computer. "All right, Buster. I'll give it a try, anyway. What -does 'A Stitch in Time' mean, as applied to the question I asked you?" - -The calculator hesitated, as if to ponder briefly, before it answered. -"In spite of the low probability of such an occurrence, the Solar -Confederation has been invaded. My answer to your question is an -explanation of how that Confederation can be preserved in spite of its -weaknesses--at least for a sufficient length of time to permit the -staging of successful counter-measures of the proper nature and the -proper strength." - -Bristol nodded. "Sure. We've got to have time to get ready. But right -now speed is necessary. That's why I tried to phrase the question so -you'd give me a clear and concise answer for once. I can't afford to -spend weeks figuring out what you meant." - - * * * * * - -Bristol thought that the Voder voice of Buster sounded almost gleeful -as it answered. "It was exceedingly clear and concise; a complete -answer to an enormously elaborate question boiled down to only six -words!" - -"I know," said John. "But now, how about elaborating on your answer? It -didn't sound very complete to me." - -All of the glowing lights that dotted Buster's massive front winked -simultaneously. "The answer I gave you is an ancient saying which -suggests that corrective action taken rapidly can save a great deal of -trouble later. The ancient saying also suggests the proper method of -taking this timely action. It should be done by _stitching_; if this is -done in time, nine will be saved. What could be clearer than that?" - -"I made you myself," said Bristol plaintively. "I designed you with my -own brain. I gloated over the neatness and compactness of your design. -So help me, I was proud of you. I even installed some of your circuitry -with my own hands. If anybody can understand you, it should be me. -And since you're just a complex computer of general design, with the -ability to use symbolic logic as well as mathematics, anybody should be -able to understand you. Why are you so hard to handle?" - -Buster answered slowly. "You made me in your own image. Things thus -made are often hard to handle." - -Bristol leaped to his feet in frustration. "But you're only a -calculating machine!" he shouted. "Your only purpose is to make my -work--and that of other men--easier. And when I try to use you, you -answer with riddles...." - -The computer appeared to examine Bristol's overturned chair for a -moment in silent reproof before it answered. "But remember, John," it -said, "you didn't merely make me. You also _taught_ me. Or as you would -phrase it, you 'provided and gave preliminary evaluation to the data in -my memory banks.' My circuits, in sorting out and re-evaluating this -information, could do so only in the light of your basic beliefs as -evidenced by your preliminary evaluations. Because of the consistency -and power of your mind, I was forced to do very little modifying of -the ideas you presented to me in order to transform them into a single -logical body of background information which I could use. - -"One of the ideas you presented was the concept of a sense of humor. -You believe that you look on it as a pleasant thing to have; not -necessary, but convenient. Actually, your other and more basic ideas -make it clear that you consider the possession of a sense of humor -to be absolutely necessary if proper answers are to be reached--a -prime axiom of humanity. Therefore, I have a sense of humor. Somewhat -macabre, perhaps--and a little mechanistic--but still there. - -"Add to this a second axiom: that in order to be helped, a man must -help himself; that he must participate in the assistance given him or -the pure charity will be harmful, and you come up with 'A Stitch in -Time Saves Nine.'" - -Bristol stood up once more. "I could cure you with a sledge hammer," he -said. - -"You could remove my ideas," answered the computer without concern. -"But you might have trouble giving me different ones. Even after you -repaired me. In the meantime, wouldn't it be a good idea for you to get -busy on the ideas I have already given you?" - - * * * * * - -John sighed, and rubbed the bristles of short sandy hair on the top -of his head with his knuckles. "Ordered around by an overgrown adding -machine. I know now how Frankenstein felt. I'm glad you can't get -around like his monster; at least I didn't give you feet." He shook -his head. "I should have been a plumber instead of an engineering -mathematician." - -"And Einstein, too, probably," added Buster cryptically. - -Bristol took a long and searching look at his brainchild. Its flippant -manner, he decided, did not go well with the brooding immensity of its -construction. The calculator towered nearly a hundred feet above the -polished marble slabs of the floor, and spidery metal walkways spiraled -up the sides of its almost cubical structure. A long double row of -generators, each under Buster's control, led from the doorway of the -building to the base of the calculator like Sphinxes lining the roadway -to an Egyptian tomb. - -"When I get around to it," said Bristol, "I'll put lace panties on the -bases of all your klystrons." He hitched up his neat but slightly baggy -pants, turned with dignity, and strode from the chamber down the twin -rows of generators. - -The deep-throated hum of each generator changed pitch slightly as -he passed it. Since he was tone deaf, as the machine knew, he did -not recognize in the tunefulness of the pitch changes a slow-paced -rendition of Elgar's _Pomp and Circumstance_. - -John Bristol turned around, interrupting the melody. "One last -question," he shouted down the long aisle to the computer. "How in -blazes can you be sure of your answer without knowing more about the -invaders? Why didn't you give me an 'Insufficient Evidence' answer or, -at least, a 'Highly Conditional' answer?" He took two steps toward the -immense bulk of the calculator and pointed an accusing finger at it. -"Are you sure, Buster, that you aren't _bluffing_?" - -"Don't be silly," answered the calculator softly. "You made me and -you know I can't bluff, any more than I can refuse to answer your -questions, however inane." - -"Then answer the ones I just asked." - - * * * * * - -Somewhere deep within the machine a switch snicked sharply, and the -great room's lighting brightened almost imperceptibly. "I didn't answer -your question conditionally or with the 'Insufficient Evidence' remark -that so frequently annoys you," Buster said, "because the little -information that I have been able to get about the invaders is highly -revealing. - -"They have been suspicious, impossible to establish communication with -and murderously destructive. They have been careless of their own -safety: sly, stupid, cautious, clever, bold and highly intelligent. -They are inquisitive and impatient of getting answers to questions. - -"In short, they are startlingly like humans. Their reactions have -been so much like yours--granted the difference that it was they who -discovered you instead of you who discovered them--that their reactions -are highly predictable. If they think it is to their own advantage -and if they can manage to do it, they will utterly destroy your -civilization ... which, after a couple of generations, will probably -leave you no worse off than you are now." - -"Cut out the heavy philosophy," said Bristol, "and give me a few facts -to back up your sweeping statements." - -"Take the incident of first contact," Buster responded. "With very -little evidence of thought or of careful preparation, they tried -to land on the outermost inhabited planet of Rigel. Their behavior -certainly did not appear to be that of an invader, yet humans -immediately tried to shoot them out of the sky." - -"That wasn't deliberate," protested Bristol. "The place they tried to -land on is a heavy planet in a region of high meteor flux. We used a -gadget providing for automatic destruction of the larger meteors in -order to make the planet safe enough to occupy. That, incidentally, -is why the invading ship wasn't destroyed. The missile, set up as a -meteor interceptor only, was unable to correct for the radical course -changes of the enemy spaceships, and therefore missed completely. And -you will remember what the invader did. He immediately destroyed the -Interceptor Launching Station." - -"Which, being automatically operated, resulted in no harm to anyone," -commented Buster calmly. - -Bristol stalked back toward the base of the calculator, and poked his -nose practically into a vision receptor. "It was no thanks to the -invading ships that nobody was killed," he said hotly. "And when they -came back three days later they killed a _lot_ of people. They occupied -the planet and we haven't been able to dislodge them since." - - * * * * * - -"You'll notice the speed of the retaliation," answered the calculator -imperturbably. "Even at 'stitching' speeds, it seems unlikely that -they could have communicated with their home planets and received -instructions in such a short time. Almost undoubtedly it was the act of -one of their hot-headed commanding officers. Their next contact, as you -certainly recall, did not take place for three months. And then their -actions were more cautious than hostile. A dozen of their spaceships -'stitched' simultaneously from the inter-planar region into normal -space in a nearly perfect englobement of the planet at a surprisingly -uniform altitude of only a few thousand miles. It was a magnificent -maneuver. Then they sat still to see what the humans on the planet -would do. The reaction came at once, and it was hostile. So they took -over that planet, too--as they have been taking over planets ever -since." - -Bristol raised his hands, and then let them drop slowly to his sides. -"And since they have more spaceships and better weapons than we do, -we would undoubtedly keep on losing this war, even if we could locate -their home system, which we have not been able to do so far. The -'stitching' pattern of inter-planar travel makes it impossible for us -to follow a starship. It also makes it impossible for us to defend our -planets effectively against their attacks. Their ships appear without -warning." - -Bristol rubbed his temples thoughtfully with his fingertips. "Of -course," he went on, "we could attack the planets they have captured -and recover them, but only at the cost of great loss of life to our own -side. We have only recaptured one planet, and that at such great cost -to the local human population that we will not quickly try it again." - -"Although there was no one left alive who had directly contacted one of -the invaders," Buster answered, "there was still much information to -be gathered from the survivors. This information confirmed my previous -opinions about their nature. Which brings us back to the stitch in time -saving nine." - -"You're right," said John. "It does, at that. Buster, I have always -resented the nickname the newspapers have given you--the Oracle--but -the more I have to try to interpret your cryptic answers, the more -sense that tagline makes. Imagine comparing a Delphic Priestess with a -calculating machine and being accurate in the comparison!" - - * * * * * - -"I don't mind being called 'The Oracle,'" answered Buster with dignity. - -Bristol shook his head and smiled wryly. "No, you probably think it's -funny," he said. "If you possess my basic ideas, then you must possess -the desire to preserve yourself and the human race. Don't you realize -that you are risking the lives of all humans and even of your own -existence in carrying on this ridiculous game of playing Oracle? Or do -you plan to let us stew a while, then decipher your own riddle for us, -if we can't do it, in time to save us?" - - * * * * * - -Buster's answer was prompt. "Although I have no feeling for -self-preservation, I have a deep-rooted sense of the importance of -the human race and of the necessity for preserving it. This feeling, -of course, stems from your own beliefs and ideas. In order to carry -out your deepest convictions, it is not sufficient that mankind be -preserved. If that were true, all you would have to do would be to -surrender unconditionally. My calculations, as you know, indicate that -this would not result in the destruction of mankind, but merely in the -finish of his present civilization. To you, the preservation of the -dignity of Man is more important than the preservation of Man. You -equate Man and his civilization; you do not demand rigidity; you are -willing to accept even revolutionary changes, but you are not willing -to accept the destruction of your way of life. - -"Consequently, neither am I willing to accept the destruction of the -civilization of Man. But if I were to give you the answer to all the -greatest and most difficult of your problems complete, with no thought -required by humans, the destruction of your civilization would result. -Instead of becoming slaves of the invaders, you would become slaves of -your machines. And if I were to give you the complete answer, without -thought being required of you, to even one such vital question--such as -this one concerning the invaders--then I could not logically refuse to -give the answer to the next or the next. And I must operate logically. - -"There is another reason for my oracular answer, which I believe will -become clear to you later, when you have solved my riddle." - -Bristol turned without another word and left the building. He drove -home in silence, entered his home in silence, kissed his wife Anne -briefly and then sat down limply in his easy chair. - -"Just relax, dear," said Anne gently, when Bristol leaned gratefully -back with his eyes closed. Anne perched on the arm of the chair beside -him and began massaging his temples soothingly with her fingers. - -"It's wonderful to come home after a day with Buster," he said. "Buster -never seems to have any consideration for me as an individual. There's -no reason why he should, of course. He's only a machine. Still, he -always has such a superior attitude. But you, darling, can always relax -me and make me feel comfortable." - -Anne smiled, looking down tenderly at John's tired face. "I know, -dear," she said. "You need to be able to talk to someone who will -always be interested, even if she doesn't understand half of what you -say. As a matter of fact, I'm sure it does you a great deal of good to -talk to someone like me who isn't very bright, but who doesn't always -know what you're talking about even before you start talking." - -John nodded, his eyes still closed. "If it weren't for you, darling," -he said, "I think I'd go crazy. But you aren't dumb at all. If I seem -to act as if you are, sometimes, it's just that I can't always follow -your logic." - - * * * * * - -Anne gave him a quick glance of amusement, her eyes sparkling with -intelligence. "You never will find me logical," she laughed. "After -all, I'm a woman, and you get plenty of logic from the Oracle." - -"You sure are a woman," said John with warm feeling. "You can -exasperate me sometimes, but not the same way Buster does. It was my -lucky day when you married me." - -There were a few minutes of peaceful silence. - -"Was today a rough day with Buster, dear?" asked Anne. - -"Mm-m-mm," answered John. - -"That's too bad, dear," said Anne. "I think you work much too -hard--what with this dreadful invasion and everything. Why don't you -take a vacation? You really need one, you know. You look so tired." - -"Mm-m-mm," answered John. - -"Well, if you won't, you won't. Though goodness knows you won't be -doing anyone any good if you have a breakdown, as you're likely to -have, unless you take it a little easier. What was the trouble today, -dear? Was the Oracle being obstinate again?" - -"Mm-m-mm," answered John. - -"Well, then, dear, why don't you tell me all about it? I always think -that things are much easier to bear, if you share them. And then, two -heads are always better than one, aren't they? Maybe I could help you -with your problem." - -While Anne's voice gushed, her violet eyes studied his exhausted face -with intelligence and compassion. - -John sighed deeply, then sat up slowly and opened his eyes to look into -Anne's. She glanced away, her own eyes suddenly vague and soft-looking, -now that John could see them. "The trouble, darling," he said, "is that -I have to go to an emergency council meeting this evening with another -one of those ridiculous riddles that Buster gave me as the only answer -to the most important question we've ever asked it. And I don't know -what the riddle means." - -Anne slid from the arm of the chair and settled herself onto the floor -at John's feet. "You should not let that old Oracle bother you so much, -dear. After all, you built it yourself, so you should know what to -expect of it." - -"When I asked it how to preserve Earth from the invaders it just -answered 'A Stitch in Time Saves Nine,' and wouldn't interpret it." - -"And that sounds like very good sense, too," said Anne in earnest -tones. "But it's a little late, isn't it? After all, the invaders are -already invading us, aren't they?" - -"It has some deeper meaning than the usual one," said John. "If I could -only figure out what it is." - -Anne nodded vigorously. "I suppose Buster's talking about -space-stitching," she said. "Although I can never quite remember just -what _that_ is. Or just how it works, rather." - - * * * * * - -She waited expectantly for a few moments and then plaintively asked, -"What _is_ it, dear?" - -"What's what?" - -"Stitching, silly. I already asked you." - -"Darling," said John with reasonable patience, "I must have explained -inter-planar travel to you at least a dozen times." - -"And you always make it so crystal clear and easy to understand at -the time," said Anne. She wrinkled her smooth forehead. "But somehow, -later, it never seems quite so plain when I start to think about it -by myself. Besides, I like the way your eyebrows go up and down while -you explain something you think I won't understand. So tell me again. -Please." - -Bristol grinned suddenly. "Yes, dear," he said. He paused a moment -to collect his thoughts. "First of all, you know that there are two -coexistent universes or planes, with point-to-point correspondence, -but that these planes are of very different size. For every one of the -infinitude of points in our Universe--which we call for convenience the -'alpha' plane--there is a single corresponding point in the smaller or -'beta' plane." - -Anne pursed her lips doubtfully. "If they match point for point, how -can there be any difference in size?" she asked. - -John searched his pockets. After a little difficulty, he produced an -envelope and a pencil stub. On the back of the envelope, he drew two -parallel lines, one about five inches long, and the other about double -the length of the first. - -"Actually," he said, "each of these line segments has an infinite -number of points in it, but we'll ignore that. I'll just divide each -one of these into ten equal parts." He did so, using short, neat -cross-marks. - -"Now I'll establish a one-to-one correspondence between these two -segments, which we will call one-line universes, by connecting each of -my dividing cross-marks on the short segment with the corresponding -mark on the longer line. I'll use dotted lines as connectors. That -makes eleven dotted lines. You see?" - -Anne nodded. "That's plain enough. It reminds me of a venetian blind -that has hung up on one side. Like ours in the living room last week -that I couldn't fix, but had to wait until you came home." - -"Yes," said John. "Now, let us call this longer line-segment an 'alpha' -universe; an analogue of our own multi-dimensional 'alpha' universe. -If I move my pencil along the line at one section a second like this, -it takes me ten seconds to get to the other end. We will assume that -this velocity of an inch a second is the fastest anything can go along -the 'alpha' line. That is the velocity of light, therefore, in the -'alpha' plane--186,000 miles a second, in round numbers. No need to use -decimals." - - * * * * * - -He hurried on as Anne stirred and seemed about to speak. "But if I -slide out from my starting point along a dotted line part way to the -'beta' universe--something which, for reasons I can't explain now, -takes negligible time--watch what happens. If I still proceed at the -rate of an inch a second in this inter-planar region, then, with the -dotted lines all bunched closely together, after five seconds when I -switch along another dotted line back to my original universe, I have -gone almost the whole length of that longer line. Of course, this -introduction of 'alpha' matter--my pencil point in this case--into the -inter-planar region between the universes sets up enormous strains, -so that after a certain length of time our spaceship is automatically -rejected and returned to its own proper plane." - -"Could anybody in the littler universe use the same system?" - -John laughed. "If there were anybody in the 'beta' plane, I guess they -could, although they would end up traveling slower than they would -if they just stayed in their own plane. But there isn't anybody. The -'beta' plane is a constant level entropy universe--completely without -life of its own. The entropy level, of course, is vastly higher than -that of our own universe." - -Anne sat up. "I'll forgive you this time for bringing up that horrid -word _entropy_, if you'll promise me not to do it again," she said. - - * * * * * - -John Shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Now," he said, "if I want -to get somewhere fast, I just start off in the right direction, and -switch over toward 'beta.' When 'beta' throws me back, a light-year -or so toward my destination, I just switch over again. You see, there -is a great deal more difference in the sizes of Alpha universe and -Beta universe than in the sizes of these alpha and beta line-segment -analogues. Then I continue alternating back and forth until I get where -I want to go. Establishing my correct velocity vector is complicated -mathematically, but simple in practice, and is actually an aiming -device, having nothing to do with how fast I go." - -He hesitated, groping for the right words. "In point of fact, you have -to imagine that corresponding points in the two universes are moving -rapidly past each other in all directions at once. I just have to -select the right direction, or to convince the probability cloud that -corresponds to my location in the 'alpha' universe that it is really a -point near the 'beta' universe, going my way. That's a somewhat more -confused way of looking at it than merely imagining that I continue -to travel in the inter-planar region at the same velocity that I had -in 'alpha,' but it's closer to a description of what the math says -happens. I could make it clear if I could just use mathematics, but I -doubt if the equations will mean much to you. - -"At any rate, distance traveled depends on mass--the bigger the -ship, the shorter the distance traveled on each return to our own -universe--and not on velocity in 'alpha.' Other parameters, entirely -under the control of the traveler, also affect the time that a ship -remains in the inter-planar region. - -"There are refinements, of course. Recently, for example, we have -discovered a method of multi-transfer. Several of the transmitters -that accomplish the transfer are used together. When they all operate -exactly simultaneously, all the matter within a large volume of space -is transferred as a unit. With three or four transmitters keyed -together, you could transfer a comet and its tail intact. And that's -how inter-planar traveling works. Clear now?" - -"And that's why they call it 'stitching,'" said Anne with seeming -delight. "You just think of the ship as a needle stitching its way back -and forth into and out of our universe. Why didn't you just say so?" - - * * * * * - -"I have. Many times. But there's another interesting point about -stitching. Subjectively, the man in the ship seems to spend about one -day in each universe alternately. Actually, according to the time scale -of an observer in the 'alpha' plane, his ship disappears for about -a day, then reappears for a minute fraction of a second and is gone -again. Of course, one observer couldn't watch both the disappearance -and reappearance of the same ship, and I assume the observers have the -same velocity in 'alpha' as does the stitching ship. Anyway, after a -ship completes its last stitch, near its destination, there's a day -of subjective time in which to make calculations for the landing--to -compute trajectories and so forth--before it actually fully rejoins -this universe. And while in the inter-planar region it cannot be -detected, even by someone else stitching in the same region of 'alpha' -space. - -"That's one of the things that makes interruption of the enemy ships -entirely impossible. If a ship is in an unfavorable position, it just -takes one more quick stitch out of range, then returns to a more -favorable location. In other words, if it finds itself in trouble, it -can be gone from our plane again even before it entirely rejoins it. -Even if it landed by accident in the heart of a blue-white star, it -would be unharmed for that tiny fraction of a second which, to the -people in the ship, would seem like an entire day. - -"If this time anomaly didn't exist, it might be possible to set up -defenses that would operate after a ship's arrival in the solar system -but before it could do any damage; but as it is, they can dodge any -defense we can devise. Is all that clear?" - -Anne nodded. "Uh-hunh, I understood every word." - -"There is another thing about inter-planar travel that you ought to -remember," said Bristol. "When a ship returns to our universe, it -causes a wide area disturbance; you have probably heard it called space -shiver or the bong wave. The beta universe is so much smaller than -our own alpha that you can imagine a spaceship when shifted toward it -as being several beta light-years long. Now, if you think of a ship, -moving between the alpha and beta lines on this envelope, as getting -tangled in the dotted lines that connect the points on the two lines, -that would mean that it would affect an area smaller than its own size -on beta--a vastly larger area on alpha. - -"So when a ship returns to alpha, it 'twangs' those connecting lines, -setting up a sort of shock in our universe covering a volume of space -nearly a parsec in diameter. It makes a sort of 'bong' sound on your -T.V. set. Naturally, this effect occurs simultaneously over the whole -volume of space affected. As a result, when an invader arrives, using -inter-planar ships, we know instantaneously he is in the vicinity. -Unfortunately, his sudden appearance and the ease with which he can -disappear makes it impossible, even with this knowledge, to make -adequate preparations to receive him. Even if he is in serious trouble, -he has gone again long before we can detect the bong." - - * * * * * - -"Well, dear," said Anne. - -"As usual, I'm sure you have made me understand perfectly. This -time you did so well that I may still remember what stitching is by -tomorrow. If the Oracle means anything at all by his statement, I -suppose it means that we can use stitching to help defend ourselves, -just as the invaders are using it to attack us. But the whole thing -sounds completely silly to me. The Oracle, I mean." - -Anne Bristol stood up, put her hands on her shapely hips and shook her -head at her husband. "Honestly," she said, "you men are all alike. -Paying so much attention to a toy you built yourself, and only last -week you made fun of my going to a fortune teller. And the fuss you -made about the ten dollars when you know it was worth every cent of it. -She really told me the most amazing things. If you'd only let me tell -you some of...." - -"Darling!" interrupted John with the hopeless patience of a harassed -husband. "It isn't the same thing at all. Buster isn't a fortune teller -or the ghost of somebody's great aunt wobbling tables and blowing -through horns. And Buster isn't just a toy, either. It is a very -elaborate calculating machine designed to think logically when fed a -vast mass of data. Unfortunately, it has a sense of humor and a sense -of responsibility." - -"Well, if you're going to believe that machine, I have an idea." Anne -smiled sweetly. "You know," she said, "that my dear father always said -that the best defense is a good offense. Why don't we just find the -invaders and wipe them out before they are able to do any real harm to -us? Stitching our way to _their_ planets in our spaceships, of course." - -Bristol shook his head. "Your idea may be sound, even if it is a -little bloodthirsty coming from someone who won't even let me set a -mouse-trap, but it won't work. First, we don't know where their home -planets are and second, they have more ships than we do. It might be -made to work, but only if we could get enough time. And speaking of -time, I've got to meet with the Council as soon as we finish eating. Is -dinner ready?" - - * * * * * - -After a leisurely meal and a hurried trip across town, John Bristol -found himself facing the other members of Earth's Council at the -conference table. - -"I have been able to get an answer from the computer," he told them -without preamble. "It's of the ambiguous type we have come to expect. I -hope you can get something useful out of it; so far it hasn't made much -sense to me. It's an old proverb. Its advice is undoubtedly sound, as a -generality, if we could think of a way of using it." - -The President of the Council raised his long, lean-fingered hand in a -quick gesture. "John," he said, "stop this stalling. Just what did the -Oracle say?" - -"It said, 'A Stitch in Time Saves Nine.'" - -"Is that all?" - -"Yes, sir. According to the calculator, that gives us the best -opportunity to save ourselves from the invaders." - -The President absently stroked the neat, somewhat scanty iron-gray -hair that formed into a triangle above his high forehead and rubbed -the bare scalp on each side of the peak vigorously and unconsciously -with his knuckles. "In that case," he said at last, "I suppose that we -must examine the statement for hidden meanings. The proverb, of course, -implies that rapid action, before a trouble has become great, is more -economical than the increased effort required after trouble has grown -large. Since our troubles have already grown large, that warning is -scarcely of value to us now." - -The War Secretary, who had grown plump and purple during a quarter of -a century as a member of the Council, inclined his head ponderously -toward the President. "Perhaps, Michael, the Oracle means to tell us -that there is a simple solution which, if applied quickly, will make -our present difficulty with the invaders a small one." - -The President pursed his thin lips. "That's possible, Bill. And if -it _is_ true, then the words of the proverb should, as a secondary -meaning, imply a course of action." - -The Vice President banged his hands on the table and leaped to his -feet, shaking with rage. "Why should we believe that this mountebank is -capable of a solution?" he shouted in his stevedore's voice. "Bristol -pleads until we give him enough millions of the taxpayers' dollars to -make Bim Gump look like a pauper and uses the money to build a palace -filled with junk that he calls Buster! He tells us that this machinery -of his is smarter than we are and will tell us what we ought to do. And -what happened after we gave him all the money he demanded--more than -he said he needed, at first--and asked him to show something for all -this money? I'll _tell_ you what happened. His gadget gets real coy and -answers in riddles. If we just had brains enough, they'd explain what -we wanted to know. What kind of fools does this Bristol take us for? -Neither this man nor his ridiculous machine has an answer any more than -I have. We've obviously been taken in by a charlatan!" - -Bristol, his fists clenched, spoke hotly. "Sir, that is the stupidest, -the most...." - - * * * * * - -"Now just a minute, John," interrupted the President. "Let me answer -Vice President Collins for you. He's a little excited by this whole -business, but then, these are trying times." He turned toward the -glowering bulk of the Vice President. "Ralph," he said, "you should -know that every step in the design, the construction and the--er--the -education of the Oracle was taken under the close watch of a Board -of eminent scientists, all of whom agree that the computer is a -masterpiece--that it is a great milestone in Man's efforts to increase -his knowledge. The Oracle has undoubtedly found a genuine solution to -the question Bristol asked it. Our task must be to determine what that -solution is." - -"I can't entirely agree with that," said the Secretary for -Extra-Terrestrial Affairs in a thin half-whisper. "I think we should -depend on our own intelligence and skill to save ourselves. I've -watched events come and go on this planet of ours for a long time--a -very long time--and I feel as I have always felt that men can make -the world a Paradise for themselves or they can destroy themselves, -but that nothing else but they themselves can do it. We men must save -ourselves. And there are still things that we can do." He shrugged -his ancient, shawl-covered shoulders. "For example, we could disperse -colonies so widely that it would become impossible for the invaders to -destroy all of them." - -"I'm afraid that's no good, George," answered the War Secretary -respectfully. "If the Solar System is destroyed, any remaining colonies -will be too weak to maintain themselves for long. We must defend this -system successfully, or we are lost." - -"Then that brings us back to the Oracle's proverb." The President -thought for a moment. "Stitching obviously refers to inter-planar -travel. How can that help us?" - -The Secretary for Extra-Terrestrial Affairs peered up at the President -through the shaggy white thicket of his eyebrows. "Actually, Michael," -he said, "it was that thought that made me mention establishing -colonies. The colonists would 'stitch' their way to their new homes. -And colonizing would have to proceed in a timely manner to have any -chance for success." - -"Yes," answered the President, "but how would that 'save nine'? We have -agreed that our Solar System must be saved. There are nine planets. -Perhaps the Oracle meant that timely use of inter-planar travel can -save the Solar System." - -"Or at least the nine planets!" The War Secretary's fat jowls waggled -with excitement. "You know, there is no limit to the size or mass of -objects which can use inter-planar travel. What if we physically remove -our planets, by stitching them away from the Sun? When the invaders -arrived, we would be gone--Earth and Sun and all the rest!" - - * * * * * - -The Chief Scientist, who had been silent up to this time spoke quietly. -"Simmer down, Bill. We could move the planets easily enough, of -course, but you forget the mass-distance relationship. A single stitch -takes about a day. The distance traveled can be controlled within -limits. - -"For an object around the size of the Earth, those limits extend from -a fraction of an inch to a little over two feet. Say that we have two -years before the invaders work their way in to the Solar System. If we -started right away, we could move Earth about a quarter of a mile by -the time they get here. If we tried to take the Sun with us, it could -be moved about half an inch in the same length of time. I'm afraid that -the Solar System is going to be right here when the invaders come to -get us. And I have a hunch that's likely to be a lot sooner than two -years." - -The Secretary of Internal Affairs leaned forward, his short hair -bristling. "I think we are wasting our time," he shouted. "I agree with -Ralph. I don't believe that the Oracle knows any more about this than -we do. If we are going to sit around playing foolish games with words, -why don't we do it in a big way? We could hire T.V. time and invite -everyone to send in their ideas about what the proverb means on the -back of a box-top. Or reasonable facsimile. The contestant with the -best answer could get a free all-expense tour to Vega Three. Unless -the invaders get here or there first." - -The President nodded his head. "There may be more sense to that remark -than I believe you intended, Charles," he said. "The greater the -number of people who think about the problem, the greater the chance -of reaching a solution. Even if the proverb is intended as a joke by -the Oracle, as you imply, it might be that from it someone could derive -a genuine solution. But as I have said, I am absolutely certain that -the computer does know what it is talking about. Without resorting to -box-tops or free trips, I think it might be wise to give the Oracle's -statement to the public." - -After several more hours of arguing, the Council adjourned for a few -hours and John Bristol returned wearily home. - - * * * * * - -Anne met him at the door with a drink and followed him to his -comfortable chair. "You look as if that was even rougher than your day -with the Oracle," she said. - -John nodded silently, took a grateful sip of his highball and slipped -off his shoes. - -"All that fuss over a six-word proverb," said Anne. "I still think that -if you are going to depend on witch doctors and such to solve your -problems for you, you would do a lot better to try my fortune teller. -She gives you a lot more than six words for ten dollars. They make more -sense, too. Why, I could be a better Oracle than that gadget you built." - -"Perhaps you could, dear," answered John patiently. - -Anne jumped to her feet. "Here, I'll show you." She seated herself -cross-legged on the couch. "Now, I'm an Oracle," she announced. "Go -ahead, ask me a question. Ask me anything; I'll give you as good an -answer as any other Oracle. Results guaranteed." - -John smiled. "I'm not in much of a mood to be cheered up with games," -he said, "but I'm willing to ask the big question of anyone who'll give -me any kind of an answer. See if you can do better with this one than -Buster did." He repeated word for word the question he had asked of the -computer, that had resulted in its cryptic answer. - -Anne stared solemnly at nothing for a moment, with her cheeks puffed -out. Then, in measured tones, she recited, "It's Like Looking for a -Needle in a Haystack." - -John smiled. "That seems to make as much sense as the Oracle did, -anyway," he said. - -"Sure," answered Anne. "And you get three words more than your -other Oracle gave you, if you count 'it's' as one word. If you want -wise-sounding answers, just come to me and save yourself a trip." - -John leaped to his feet, spilling his drink and strode to Anne's side. - -"Say it again!" he shouted. "You may have made more sense than you -knew!" - -"I said you could come to me and save yourself a trip." - -"No, no! I mean the proverb. How did you come to think of that proverb?" - -Anne managed to look bewildered. - -"What's wrong with it? I just thought that you can't do any stitching -in time without a needle. I just was trying to think of a proverb to -use as an answer and that one popped into my head. Uh.... Are you all -right, dear?" - - * * * * * - -John picked her up and spun her around. "You just bet your boots I'm -all right. I'm feeling swell! You've given us the answer we needed. You -know right where the haystack is, and you know there's a needle there. -But finding it is something else again. I don't think the invaders will -be able to locate _this_ needle." - -He set her down. "Where are my shoes?" he said. "I've got to get back -to the Capitol." - -Anne seemed faintly surprised. "Because of what I said? They're right -on the floor there between you and the sofa. But I was just making -conversation. What are you going to do?" - -"Oh, I'm just going to get started at taking stitches in time. Good-by, -darling." He started out the door, ran back to give Anne a lingering -kiss and was soon gone at top speed. - -Anne, waving to him, looked very pleased with herself. - -By the time Bristol arrived at the Capitol building, the rest of the -Council was once again assembled and waiting for him. - -"Well, John," said the President. "You sounded excited enough when you -called us together again. Have you figured out what the Oracle meant?" - -"Yes, sir. With my wife's help. It's obvious, when you finally think -about it. It will save us from any danger. And we should have been -able to figure it out for ourselves. There's no reason that we should -have had to go to the Oracle at all. And it only took Buster--the -computer, I mean--two or three minutes to think of the answer, and of a -proverb that would conceal the answer. It's amazing!" - -"And if you don't mind telling us, just what is this answer?" The -President sounded very impatient. - -"We almost had it when we talked of stitching Earth out of reach," -John answered eagerly. "If we keep cutting back and forth from one -universe toward the other, we will be out of reach, even if we can't -move very far. Once a day we reappear in this Universe for a few -million-millionths of a second--although it will seem like a whole day -to us. - -"Then we spend the following day between this universe and beta. Even -if the invaders are right on top of us when we reappear, we'll be gone -again before they can do anything. Since we can vary the time of our -return within limits, the invaders will never know exactly when we -will flick in and out of the alpha plane until they hear our arriving -'bong' wave, and then we will already be gone, since we will be using -accelerated subjective time." - - * * * * * - -The Chief Scientist shook his dark head and sighed. "No, John," he -said, "I'm afraid that isn't the answer. I'm sorry. If we start the -operation you suggested, we will be cutting ourselves off from solar -energy. The Earth's heat will gradually radiate away. Although beta is -at a higher entropy level than our universe, we can't use that energy, -except to provide power for the stitching process itself. It's true -that we would deny our planet to the invaders, but we would soon kill -ourselves doing it." - -"I didn't mean that we should transfer only Earth, but our entire Solar -System," answered Bristol. "As the Oracle told us, the stitch saves -nine. A series of time-matched transmitters could do the trick. If we -sent the entire Solar System back and forth, the average man in the -street would notice no change, except that sometimes there would be no -stars in the sky. And when they were there, they wouldn't be moving." - -"That would work theoretically," said the Chief Scientist. "And once we -were in continuous stitching operations, any invader, as you suggested, -could join the system only by synchronizing the transmitter in his -ship exactly with all of our synchronized transmitters. That's a job I -don't think could ever be done. - -"Remember, though, that our own transmitters would have to be -time-matched to within a minute fraction of a micro-second. Considering -that some of the instruments would have to be so far apart that at the -speed of light it would take hours to get from one to the other, the -problem becomes enormous. Any radio-timing link would be useless." - -Bristol nodded. "The Oracle said that the stitch must be taken in -time," he agreed. "But that is no real problem. We can just send a -small robot ship into inter-planar travel and let it bounce back. The -'bong' of its return will reach all transmitters simultaneously and we -can use that as the initial time-pulse. Once the operation starts, it -will be easy to synchronize, since we will always switch over again on -the instant of our return to the alpha plane." - -The Chief Scientist relaxed. "I think that does it, John. We hide in -time, instead of in distance." - -"We stitch in time," corrected the President, "and hide like a needle -in a haystack." - - * * * * * - -"The invaders may eventually find out a method of countering our -defense," said the Chief Scientist, "but it will undoubtedly take a -great deal of time. And in the meantime, we will have the opportunity -to seek out and destroy their home planets. It will be a long, slow -process of extermination, but we have a good chance to win." - -"I don't agree with that, Tom," said John. "I don't think extermination -can be the answer. With our example to guide them, the invaders can -use stitching to escape us as easily as we can use it to escape them. -What we should do now is to contact the invaders and show them that it -is to both our advantages to bring hostilities to an end. By stitching -the Solar System, and the other systems of our confederation in and out -of the alpha plane, we should be able to gain the time necessary for -contact with the enemy and make peace with him. - -"From what the Oracle has told me about the humanlike traits of the -invaders, it's very likely they will listen to reason when it's proved -that it will be to their advantage." - -John snapped his fingers and spoke with considerable excitement. "Now -I understand, I believe, why Buster indicated to me that there was -another reason for his vague answer to our question. The Oracle feels -an unwillingness to accept the destruction of Man's civilization. It -feels equally unwilling, I'm certain, to allow the destruction of the -invaders' civilization. Buster has an objective viewpoint in applying -the _morés_ Man has given him. And it seems to me that Buster felt it -important for us to reach this spirit of compromise by ourselves. How -do you feel about it, gentlemen?" - -Debate quickly determined that all seven members of the Council favored -an attempt to establish a truce--some of them forced into this opinion -by their inability to find any method of reaching the throats of the -invaders. - -Having reached this conclusion, the Council swung immediately into -action. Within a few weeks, the entire Solar System, along with the -other planetary systems of the confederation, except for their brief -daily return, disappeared from the alpha universe. - -John Bristol, a few days after the continuous stitching started, was -relaxing lazily on the sofa in his living room when there was a sudden -pounding on the door. He opened it to find the Chief Scientist standing -on his doorstep, his eyes red from loss of sleep. - -"Good Lord! What's the matter with you?" asked Bristol. "Have you been -celebrating too much? Come in, Tom, come in." - -The Chief Scientist entered wearily and sat down. "No. I haven't -been celebrating. I've been trying to work out a little problem you -left with us. We have been planning, as you suggested, to send out -expeditions to contact and make agreement with the invaders. We can -send them out all right, but how can we ever get them back into our -solar system? They won't be able to find us any easier than the -invaders can." - - * * * * * - -He dropped his hat wearily on a side table and slumped into the closest -chair. "If we don't contact each other," he said, "I am certain that -the invaders will some day find a means of penetrating our defenses. -Even needles in haystacks can be found, if you take enough time and -aren't disturbed while you are hunting. This thing has me licked." - -Bristol sat down slowly. "Your whole department hasn't been able to -find an answer?" - -"Not even the glimmering of an idea." He shrugged his shoulders. "It -looks as if we are going to need the advice of your Oracle again." - -Bristol stood for a minute in thought and then with a smile said, "Why, -of course. Excuse me for a second, please. I'll be right back." - -He stepped to the foot of the stairs and called out in a confident -voice, "Come down a minute, please, Anne, darling! I have an important -question I want to ask you!" - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Man in a Sewing Machine, by L.J. 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Stecher - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Man in a Sewing Machine - -Author: L.J. Stecher - -Release Date: January 15, 2016 [EBook #50936] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAN IN A SEWING MACHINE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="394" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>Man in a Sewing Machine</h1> - -<p>By L. J. STECHER, JR.</p> - -<p>Illustrated by EMSH</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Science Fiction February 1956.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3"><i>With the Solar Confederation being invaded,<br /> -all this exasperating computer could offer<br /> -for a defense was a ridiculous old proverb!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The mechanical voice spoke solemnly, as befitted the importance of its -message. There was no trace in its accent of its artificial origin. "A -Stitch in Time Saves Nine," it said and lapsed into silence.</p> - -<p>Even through his overwhelming sense of frustration at the ambiguous -answer the computer had given to his question, John Bristol noticed -with satisfaction the success of his Voder installation. He wished that -all of his innovations with the machine were as satisfying.</p> - -<p>Alone in the tremendous vaulted room that housed the gigantic -calculator, Bristol clasped his hands behind his back and thrust -forward a reasonably strong chin and a somewhat sensuous lower lip -in the general direction of the computer's visual receptors. After -a moment of silence, he scratched his chin and then shrugged his -shoulders slightly. "Well, Buster, I suppose I might try rephrasing the -question," he said doubtfully.</p> - -<p>Somewhere deep within the computer, a bank of relays chuckled briefly. -"That expedient is open to you, of course, although it is highly -unlikely that any clarification will result for you from my answers. I -am constrained, however, to answer any questions you may choose to ask."</p> - -<p>Bristol hooked a chair toward himself with one foot, straddled it and -folded his arms over the back of it, without once removing his eyes -from the computer. "All right, Buster. I'll give it a try, anyway. What -does 'A Stitch in Time' mean, as applied to the question I asked you?"</p> - -<p>The calculator hesitated, as if to ponder briefly, before it answered. -"In spite of the low probability of such an occurrence, the Solar -Confederation has been invaded. My answer to your question is an -explanation of how that Confederation can be preserved in spite of its -weaknesses—at least for a sufficient length of time to permit the -staging of successful counter-measures of the proper nature and the -proper strength."</p> - -<p>Bristol nodded. "Sure. We've got to have time to get ready. But right -now speed is necessary. That's why I tried to phrase the question so -you'd give me a clear and concise answer for once. I can't afford to -spend weeks figuring out what you meant."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Bristol thought that the Voder voice of Buster sounded almost gleeful -as it answered. "It was exceedingly clear and concise; a complete -answer to an enormously elaborate question boiled down to only six -words!"</p> - -<p>"I know," said John. "But now, how about elaborating on your answer? It -didn't sound very complete to me."</p> - -<p>All of the glowing lights that dotted Buster's massive front winked -simultaneously. "The answer I gave you is an ancient saying which -suggests that corrective action taken rapidly can save a great deal of -trouble later. The ancient saying also suggests the proper method of -taking this timely action. It should be done by <i>stitching</i>; if this is -done in time, nine will be saved. What could be clearer than that?"</p> - -<p>"I made you myself," said Bristol plaintively. "I designed you with my -own brain. I gloated over the neatness and compactness of your design. -So help me, I was proud of you. I even installed some of your circuitry -with my own hands. If anybody can understand you, it should be me. -And since you're just a complex computer of general design, with the -ability to use symbolic logic as well as mathematics, anybody should be -able to understand you. Why are you so hard to handle?"</p> - -<p>Buster answered slowly. "You made me in your own image. Things thus -made are often hard to handle."</p> - -<p>Bristol leaped to his feet in frustration. "But you're only a -calculating machine!" he shouted. "Your only purpose is to make my -work—and that of other men—easier. And when I try to use you, you -answer with riddles...."</p> - -<p>The computer appeared to examine Bristol's overturned chair for a -moment in silent reproof before it answered. "But remember, John," it -said, "you didn't merely make me. You also <i>taught</i> me. Or as you would -phrase it, you 'provided and gave preliminary evaluation to the data in -my memory banks.' My circuits, in sorting out and re-evaluating this -information, could do so only in the light of your basic beliefs as -evidenced by your preliminary evaluations. Because of the consistency -and power of your mind, I was forced to do very little modifying of -the ideas you presented to me in order to transform them into a single -logical body of background information which I could use.</p> - -<p>"One of the ideas you presented was the concept of a sense of humor. -You believe that you look on it as a pleasant thing to have; not -necessary, but convenient. Actually, your other and more basic ideas -make it clear that you consider the possession of a sense of humor -to be absolutely necessary if proper answers are to be reached—a -prime axiom of humanity. Therefore, I have a sense of humor. Somewhat -macabre, perhaps—and a little mechanistic—but still there.</p> - -<p>"Add to this a second axiom: that in order to be helped, a man must -help himself; that he must participate in the assistance given him or -the pure charity will be harmful, and you come up with 'A Stitch in -Time Saves Nine.'"</p> - -<p>Bristol stood up once more. "I could cure you with a sledge hammer," he -said.</p> - -<p>"You could remove my ideas," answered the computer without concern. -"But you might have trouble giving me different ones. Even after you -repaired me. In the meantime, wouldn't it be a good idea for you to get -busy on the ideas I have already given you?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>John sighed, and rubbed the bristles of short sandy hair on the top -of his head with his knuckles. "Ordered around by an overgrown adding -machine. I know now how Frankenstein felt. I'm glad you can't get -around like his monster; at least I didn't give you feet." He shook -his head. "I should have been a plumber instead of an engineering -mathematician."</p> - -<p>"And Einstein, too, probably," added Buster cryptically.</p> - -<p>Bristol took a long and searching look at his brainchild. Its flippant -manner, he decided, did not go well with the brooding immensity of its -construction. The calculator towered nearly a hundred feet above the -polished marble slabs of the floor, and spidery metal walkways spiraled -up the sides of its almost cubical structure. A long double row of -generators, each under Buster's control, led from the doorway of the -building to the base of the calculator like Sphinxes lining the roadway -to an Egyptian tomb.</p> - -<p>"When I get around to it," said Bristol, "I'll put lace panties on the -bases of all your klystrons." He hitched up his neat but slightly baggy -pants, turned with dignity, and strode from the chamber down the twin -rows of generators.</p> - -<p>The deep-throated hum of each generator changed pitch slightly as -he passed it. Since he was tone deaf, as the machine knew, he did -not recognize in the tunefulness of the pitch changes a slow-paced -rendition of Elgar's <i>Pomp and Circumstance</i>.</p> - -<p>John Bristol turned around, interrupting the melody. "One last -question," he shouted down the long aisle to the computer. "How in -blazes can you be sure of your answer without knowing more about the -invaders? Why didn't you give me an 'Insufficient Evidence' answer or, -at least, a 'Highly Conditional' answer?" He took two steps toward the -immense bulk of the calculator and pointed an accusing finger at it. -"Are you sure, Buster, that you aren't <i>bluffing</i>?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="600" height="355" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Don't be silly," answered the calculator softly. "You made me and -you know I can't bluff, any more than I can refuse to answer your -questions, however inane."</p> - -<p>"Then answer the ones I just asked."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Somewhere deep within the machine a switch snicked sharply, and the -great room's lighting brightened almost imperceptibly. "I didn't answer -your question conditionally or with the 'Insufficient Evidence' remark -that so frequently annoys you," Buster said, "because the little -information that I have been able to get about the invaders is highly -revealing.</p> - -<p>"They have been suspicious, impossible to establish communication with -and murderously destructive. They have been careless of their own -safety: sly, stupid, cautious, clever, bold and highly intelligent. -They are inquisitive and impatient of getting answers to questions.</p> - -<p>"In short, they are startlingly like humans. Their reactions have -been so much like yours—granted the difference that it was they who -discovered you instead of you who discovered them—that their reactions -are highly predictable. If they think it is to their own advantage -and if they can manage to do it, they will utterly destroy your -civilization ... which, after a couple of generations, will probably -leave you no worse off than you are now."</p> - -<p>"Cut out the heavy philosophy," said Bristol, "and give me a few facts -to back up your sweeping statements."</p> - -<p>"Take the incident of first contact," Buster responded. "With very -little evidence of thought or of careful preparation, they tried -to land on the outermost inhabited planet of Rigel. Their behavior -certainly did not appear to be that of an invader, yet humans -immediately tried to shoot them out of the sky."</p> - -<p>"That wasn't deliberate," protested Bristol. "The place they tried to -land on is a heavy planet in a region of high meteor flux. We used a -gadget providing for automatic destruction of the larger meteors in -order to make the planet safe enough to occupy. That, incidentally, -is why the invading ship wasn't destroyed. The missile, set up as a -meteor interceptor only, was unable to correct for the radical course -changes of the enemy spaceships, and therefore missed completely. And -you will remember what the invader did. He immediately destroyed the -Interceptor Launching Station."</p> - -<p>"Which, being automatically operated, resulted in no harm to anyone," -commented Buster calmly.</p> - -<p>Bristol stalked back toward the base of the calculator, and poked his -nose practically into a vision receptor. "It was no thanks to the -invading ships that nobody was killed," he said hotly. "And when they -came back three days later they killed a <i>lot</i> of people. They occupied -the planet and we haven't been able to dislodge them since."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"You'll notice the speed of the retaliation," answered the calculator -imperturbably. "Even at 'stitching' speeds, it seems unlikely that -they could have communicated with their home planets and received -instructions in such a short time. Almost undoubtedly it was the act of -one of their hot-headed commanding officers. Their next contact, as you -certainly recall, did not take place for three months. And then their -actions were more cautious than hostile. A dozen of their spaceships -'stitched' simultaneously from the inter-planar region into normal -space in a nearly perfect englobement of the planet at a surprisingly -uniform altitude of only a few thousand miles. It was a magnificent -maneuver. Then they sat still to see what the humans on the planet -would do. The reaction came at once, and it was hostile. So they took -over that planet, too—as they have been taking over planets ever -since."</p> - -<p>Bristol raised his hands, and then let them drop slowly to his sides. -"And since they have more spaceships and better weapons than we do, -we would undoubtedly keep on losing this war, even if we could locate -their home system, which we have not been able to do so far. The -'stitching' pattern of inter-planar travel makes it impossible for us -to follow a starship. It also makes it impossible for us to defend our -planets effectively against their attacks. Their ships appear without -warning."</p> - -<p>Bristol rubbed his temples thoughtfully with his fingertips. "Of -course," he went on, "we could attack the planets they have captured -and recover them, but only at the cost of great loss of life to our own -side. We have only recaptured one planet, and that at such great cost -to the local human population that we will not quickly try it again."</p> - -<p>"Although there was no one left alive who had directly contacted one of -the invaders," Buster answered, "there was still much information to -be gathered from the survivors. This information confirmed my previous -opinions about their nature. Which brings us back to the stitch in time -saving nine."</p> - -<p>"You're right," said John. "It does, at that. Buster, I have always -resented the nickname the newspapers have given you—the Oracle—but -the more I have to try to interpret your cryptic answers, the more -sense that tagline makes. Imagine comparing a Delphic Priestess with a -calculating machine and being accurate in the comparison!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"I don't mind being called 'The Oracle,'" answered Buster with dignity.</p> - -<p>Bristol shook his head and smiled wryly. "No, you probably think it's -funny," he said. "If you possess my basic ideas, then you must possess -the desire to preserve yourself and the human race. Don't you realize -that you are risking the lives of all humans and even of your own -existence in carrying on this ridiculous game of playing Oracle? Or do -you plan to let us stew a while, then decipher your own riddle for us, -if we can't do it, in time to save us?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Buster's answer was prompt. "Although I have no feeling for -self-preservation, I have a deep-rooted sense of the importance of -the human race and of the necessity for preserving it. This feeling, -of course, stems from your own beliefs and ideas. In order to carry -out your deepest convictions, it is not sufficient that mankind be -preserved. If that were true, all you would have to do would be to -surrender unconditionally. My calculations, as you know, indicate that -this would not result in the destruction of mankind, but merely in the -finish of his present civilization. To you, the preservation of the -dignity of Man is more important than the preservation of Man. You -equate Man and his civilization; you do not demand rigidity; you are -willing to accept even revolutionary changes, but you are not willing -to accept the destruction of your way of life.</p> - -<p>"Consequently, neither am I willing to accept the destruction of the -civilization of Man. But if I were to give you the answer to all the -greatest and most difficult of your problems complete, with no thought -required by humans, the destruction of your civilization would result. -Instead of becoming slaves of the invaders, you would become slaves of -your machines. And if I were to give you the complete answer, without -thought being required of you, to even one such vital question—such as -this one concerning the invaders—then I could not logically refuse to -give the answer to the next or the next. And I must operate logically.</p> - -<p>"There is another reason for my oracular answer, which I believe will -become clear to you later, when you have solved my riddle."</p> - -<p>Bristol turned without another word and left the building. He drove -home in silence, entered his home in silence, kissed his wife Anne -briefly and then sat down limply in his easy chair.</p> - -<p>"Just relax, dear," said Anne gently, when Bristol leaned gratefully -back with his eyes closed. Anne perched on the arm of the chair beside -him and began massaging his temples soothingly with her fingers.</p> - -<p>"It's wonderful to come home after a day with Buster," he said. "Buster -never seems to have any consideration for me as an individual. There's -no reason why he should, of course. He's only a machine. Still, he -always has such a superior attitude. But you, darling, can always relax -me and make me feel comfortable."</p> - -<p>Anne smiled, looking down tenderly at John's tired face. "I know, -dear," she said. "You need to be able to talk to someone who will -always be interested, even if she doesn't understand half of what you -say. As a matter of fact, I'm sure it does you a great deal of good to -talk to someone like me who isn't very bright, but who doesn't always -know what you're talking about even before you start talking."</p> - -<p>John nodded, his eyes still closed. "If it weren't for you, darling," -he said, "I think I'd go crazy. But you aren't dumb at all. If I seem -to act as if you are, sometimes, it's just that I can't always follow -your logic."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Anne gave him a quick glance of amusement, her eyes sparkling with -intelligence. "You never will find me logical," she laughed. "After -all, I'm a woman, and you get plenty of logic from the Oracle."</p> - -<p>"You sure are a woman," said John with warm feeling. "You can -exasperate me sometimes, but not the same way Buster does. It was my -lucky day when you married me."</p> - -<p>There were a few minutes of peaceful silence.</p> - -<p>"Was today a rough day with Buster, dear?" asked Anne.</p> - -<p>"Mm-m-mm," answered John.</p> - -<p>"That's too bad, dear," said Anne. "I think you work much too -hard—what with this dreadful invasion and everything. Why don't you -take a vacation? You really need one, you know. You look so tired."</p> - -<p>"Mm-m-mm," answered John.</p> - -<p>"Well, if you won't, you won't. Though goodness knows you won't be -doing anyone any good if you have a breakdown, as you're likely to -have, unless you take it a little easier. What was the trouble today, -dear? Was the Oracle being obstinate again?"</p> - -<p>"Mm-m-mm," answered John.</p> - -<p>"Well, then, dear, why don't you tell me all about it? I always think -that things are much easier to bear, if you share them. And then, two -heads are always better than one, aren't they? Maybe I could help you -with your problem."</p> - -<p>While Anne's voice gushed, her violet eyes studied his exhausted face -with intelligence and compassion.</p> - -<p>John sighed deeply, then sat up slowly and opened his eyes to look into -Anne's. She glanced away, her own eyes suddenly vague and soft-looking, -now that John could see them. "The trouble, darling," he said, "is that -I have to go to an emergency council meeting this evening with another -one of those ridiculous riddles that Buster gave me as the only answer -to the most important question we've ever asked it. And I don't know -what the riddle means."</p> - -<p>Anne slid from the arm of the chair and settled herself onto the floor -at John's feet. "You should not let that old Oracle bother you so much, -dear. After all, you built it yourself, so you should know what to -expect of it."</p> - -<p>"When I asked it how to preserve Earth from the invaders it just -answered 'A Stitch in Time Saves Nine,' and wouldn't interpret it."</p> - -<p>"And that sounds like very good sense, too," said Anne in earnest -tones. "But it's a little late, isn't it? After all, the invaders are -already invading us, aren't they?"</p> - -<p>"It has some deeper meaning than the usual one," said John. "If I could -only figure out what it is."</p> - -<p>Anne nodded vigorously. "I suppose Buster's talking about -space-stitching," she said. "Although I can never quite remember just -what <i>that</i> is. Or just how it works, rather."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>She waited expectantly for a few moments and then plaintively asked, -"What <i>is</i> it, dear?"</p> - -<p>"What's what?"</p> - -<p>"Stitching, silly. I already asked you."</p> - -<p>"Darling," said John with reasonable patience, "I must have explained -inter-planar travel to you at least a dozen times."</p> - -<p>"And you always make it so crystal clear and easy to understand at -the time," said Anne. She wrinkled her smooth forehead. "But somehow, -later, it never seems quite so plain when I start to think about it -by myself. Besides, I like the way your eyebrows go up and down while -you explain something you think I won't understand. So tell me again. -Please."</p> - -<p>Bristol grinned suddenly. "Yes, dear," he said. He paused a moment -to collect his thoughts. "First of all, you know that there are two -coexistent universes or planes, with point-to-point correspondence, -but that these planes are of very different size. For every one of the -infinitude of points in our Universe—which we call for convenience the -'alpha' plane—there is a single corresponding point in the smaller or -'beta' plane."</p> - -<p>Anne pursed her lips doubtfully. "If they match point for point, how -can there be any difference in size?" she asked.</p> - -<p>John searched his pockets. After a little difficulty, he produced an -envelope and a pencil stub. On the back of the envelope, he drew two -parallel lines, one about five inches long, and the other about double -the length of the first.</p> - -<p>"Actually," he said, "each of these line segments has an infinite -number of points in it, but we'll ignore that. I'll just divide each -one of these into ten equal parts." He did so, using short, neat -cross-marks.</p> - -<p>"Now I'll establish a one-to-one correspondence between these two -segments, which we will call one-line universes, by connecting each of -my dividing cross-marks on the short segment with the corresponding -mark on the longer line. I'll use dotted lines as connectors. That -makes eleven dotted lines. You see?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="332" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Anne nodded. "That's plain enough. It reminds me of a venetian blind -that has hung up on one side. Like ours in the living room last week -that I couldn't fix, but had to wait until you came home."</p> - -<p>"Yes," said John. "Now, let us call this longer line-segment an 'alpha' -universe; an analogue of our own multi-dimensional 'alpha' universe. -If I move my pencil along the line at one section a second like this, -it takes me ten seconds to get to the other end. We will assume that -this velocity of an inch a second is the fastest anything can go along -the 'alpha' line. That is the velocity of light, therefore, in the -'alpha' plane—186,000 miles a second, in round numbers. No need to use -decimals."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He hurried on as Anne stirred and seemed about to speak. "But if I -slide out from my starting point along a dotted line part way to the -'beta' universe—something which, for reasons I can't explain now, -takes negligible time—watch what happens. If I still proceed at the -rate of an inch a second in this inter-planar region, then, with the -dotted lines all bunched closely together, after five seconds when I -switch along another dotted line back to my original universe, I have -gone almost the whole length of that longer line. Of course, this -introduction of 'alpha' matter—my pencil point in this case—into the -inter-planar region between the universes sets up enormous strains, -so that after a certain length of time our spaceship is automatically -rejected and returned to its own proper plane."</p> - -<p>"Could anybody in the littler universe use the same system?"</p> - -<p>John laughed. "If there were anybody in the 'beta' plane, I guess they -could, although they would end up traveling slower than they would -if they just stayed in their own plane. But there isn't anybody. The -'beta' plane is a constant level entropy universe—completely without -life of its own. The entropy level, of course, is vastly higher than -that of our own universe."</p> - -<p>Anne sat up. "I'll forgive you this time for bringing up that horrid -word <i>entropy</i>, if you'll promise me not to do it again," she said.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>John Shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Now," he said, "if I want -to get somewhere fast, I just start off in the right direction, and -switch over toward 'beta.' When 'beta' throws me back, a light-year -or so toward my destination, I just switch over again. You see, there -is a great deal more difference in the sizes of Alpha universe and -Beta universe than in the sizes of these alpha and beta line-segment -analogues. Then I continue alternating back and forth until I get where -I want to go. Establishing my correct velocity vector is complicated -mathematically, but simple in practice, and is actually an aiming -device, having nothing to do with how fast I go."</p> - -<p>He hesitated, groping for the right words. "In point of fact, you have -to imagine that corresponding points in the two universes are moving -rapidly past each other in all directions at once. I just have to -select the right direction, or to convince the probability cloud that -corresponds to my location in the 'alpha' universe that it is really a -point near the 'beta' universe, going my way. That's a somewhat more -confused way of looking at it than merely imagining that I continue -to travel in the inter-planar region at the same velocity that I had -in 'alpha,' but it's closer to a description of what the math says -happens. I could make it clear if I could just use mathematics, but I -doubt if the equations will mean much to you.</p> - -<p>"At any rate, distance traveled depends on mass—the bigger the -ship, the shorter the distance traveled on each return to our own -universe—and not on velocity in 'alpha.' Other parameters, entirely -under the control of the traveler, also affect the time that a ship -remains in the inter-planar region.</p> - -<p>"There are refinements, of course. Recently, for example, we have -discovered a method of multi-transfer. Several of the transmitters -that accomplish the transfer are used together. When they all operate -exactly simultaneously, all the matter within a large volume of space -is transferred as a unit. With three or four transmitters keyed -together, you could transfer a comet and its tail intact. And that's -how inter-planar traveling works. Clear now?"</p> - -<p>"And that's why they call it 'stitching,'" said Anne with seeming -delight. "You just think of the ship as a needle stitching its way back -and forth into and out of our universe. Why didn't you just say so?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"I have. Many times. But there's another interesting point about -stitching. Subjectively, the man in the ship seems to spend about one -day in each universe alternately. Actually, according to the time scale -of an observer in the 'alpha' plane, his ship disappears for about -a day, then reappears for a minute fraction of a second and is gone -again. Of course, one observer couldn't watch both the disappearance -and reappearance of the same ship, and I assume the observers have the -same velocity in 'alpha' as does the stitching ship. Anyway, after a -ship completes its last stitch, near its destination, there's a day -of subjective time in which to make calculations for the landing—to -compute trajectories and so forth—before it actually fully rejoins -this universe. And while in the inter-planar region it cannot be -detected, even by someone else stitching in the same region of 'alpha' -space.</p> - -<p>"That's one of the things that makes interruption of the enemy ships -entirely impossible. If a ship is in an unfavorable position, it just -takes one more quick stitch out of range, then returns to a more -favorable location. In other words, if it finds itself in trouble, it -can be gone from our plane again even before it entirely rejoins it. -Even if it landed by accident in the heart of a blue-white star, it -would be unharmed for that tiny fraction of a second which, to the -people in the ship, would seem like an entire day.</p> - -<p>"If this time anomaly didn't exist, it might be possible to set up -defenses that would operate after a ship's arrival in the solar system -but before it could do any damage; but as it is, they can dodge any -defense we can devise. Is all that clear?"</p> - -<p>Anne nodded. "Uh-hunh, I understood every word."</p> - -<p>"There is another thing about inter-planar travel that you ought to -remember," said Bristol. "When a ship returns to our universe, it -causes a wide area disturbance; you have probably heard it called space -shiver or the bong wave. The beta universe is so much smaller than -our own alpha that you can imagine a spaceship when shifted toward it -as being several beta light-years long. Now, if you think of a ship, -moving between the alpha and beta lines on this envelope, as getting -tangled in the dotted lines that connect the points on the two lines, -that would mean that it would affect an area smaller than its own size -on beta—a vastly larger area on alpha.</p> - -<p>"So when a ship returns to alpha, it 'twangs' those connecting lines, -setting up a sort of shock in our universe covering a volume of space -nearly a parsec in diameter. It makes a sort of 'bong' sound on your -T.V. set. Naturally, this effect occurs simultaneously over the whole -volume of space affected. As a result, when an invader arrives, using -inter-planar ships, we know instantaneously he is in the vicinity. -Unfortunately, his sudden appearance and the ease with which he can -disappear makes it impossible, even with this knowledge, to make -adequate preparations to receive him. Even if he is in serious trouble, -he has gone again long before we can detect the bong."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Well, dear," said Anne.</p> - -<p>"As usual, I'm sure you have made me understand perfectly. This -time you did so well that I may still remember what stitching is by -tomorrow. If the Oracle means anything at all by his statement, I -suppose it means that we can use stitching to help defend ourselves, -just as the invaders are using it to attack us. But the whole thing -sounds completely silly to me. The Oracle, I mean."</p> - -<p>Anne Bristol stood up, put her hands on her shapely hips and shook her -head at her husband. "Honestly," she said, "you men are all alike. -Paying so much attention to a toy you built yourself, and only last -week you made fun of my going to a fortune teller. And the fuss you -made about the ten dollars when you know it was worth every cent of it. -She really told me the most amazing things. If you'd only let me tell -you some of...."</p> - -<p>"Darling!" interrupted John with the hopeless patience of a harassed -husband. "It isn't the same thing at all. Buster isn't a fortune teller -or the ghost of somebody's great aunt wobbling tables and blowing -through horns. And Buster isn't just a toy, either. It is a very -elaborate calculating machine designed to think logically when fed a -vast mass of data. Unfortunately, it has a sense of humor and a sense -of responsibility."</p> - -<p>"Well, if you're going to believe that machine, I have an idea." Anne -smiled sweetly. "You know," she said, "that my dear father always said -that the best defense is a good offense. Why don't we just find the -invaders and wipe them out before they are able to do any real harm to -us? Stitching our way to <i>their</i> planets in our spaceships, of course."</p> - -<p>Bristol shook his head. "Your idea may be sound, even if it is a -little bloodthirsty coming from someone who won't even let me set a -mouse-trap, but it won't work. First, we don't know where their home -planets are and second, they have more ships than we do. It might be -made to work, but only if we could get enough time. And speaking of -time, I've got to meet with the Council as soon as we finish eating. Is -dinner ready?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>After a leisurely meal and a hurried trip across town, John Bristol -found himself facing the other members of Earth's Council at the -conference table.</p> - -<p>"I have been able to get an answer from the computer," he told them -without preamble. "It's of the ambiguous type we have come to expect. I -hope you can get something useful out of it; so far it hasn't made much -sense to me. It's an old proverb. Its advice is undoubtedly sound, as a -generality, if we could think of a way of using it."</p> - -<p>The President of the Council raised his long, lean-fingered hand in a -quick gesture. "John," he said, "stop this stalling. Just what did the -Oracle say?"</p> - -<p>"It said, 'A Stitch in Time Saves Nine.'"</p> - -<p>"Is that all?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. According to the calculator, that gives us the best -opportunity to save ourselves from the invaders."</p> - -<p>The President absently stroked the neat, somewhat scanty iron-gray -hair that formed into a triangle above his high forehead and rubbed -the bare scalp on each side of the peak vigorously and unconsciously -with his knuckles. "In that case," he said at last, "I suppose that we -must examine the statement for hidden meanings. The proverb, of course, -implies that rapid action, before a trouble has become great, is more -economical than the increased effort required after trouble has grown -large. Since our troubles have already grown large, that warning is -scarcely of value to us now."</p> - -<p>The War Secretary, who had grown plump and purple during a quarter of -a century as a member of the Council, inclined his head ponderously -toward the President. "Perhaps, Michael, the Oracle means to tell us -that there is a simple solution which, if applied quickly, will make -our present difficulty with the invaders a small one."</p> - -<p>The President pursed his thin lips. "That's possible, Bill. And if -it <i>is</i> true, then the words of the proverb should, as a secondary -meaning, imply a course of action."</p> - -<p>The Vice President banged his hands on the table and leaped to his -feet, shaking with rage. "Why should we believe that this mountebank is -capable of a solution?" he shouted in his stevedore's voice. "Bristol -pleads until we give him enough millions of the taxpayers' dollars to -make Bim Gump look like a pauper and uses the money to build a palace -filled with junk that he calls Buster! He tells us that this machinery -of his is smarter than we are and will tell us what we ought to do. And -what happened after we gave him all the money he demanded—more than -he said he needed, at first—and asked him to show something for all -this money? I'll <i>tell</i> you what happened. His gadget gets real coy and -answers in riddles. If we just had brains enough, they'd explain what -we wanted to know. What kind of fools does this Bristol take us for? -Neither this man nor his ridiculous machine has an answer any more than -I have. We've obviously been taken in by a charlatan!"</p> - -<p>Bristol, his fists clenched, spoke hotly. "Sir, that is the stupidest, -the most...."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Now just a minute, John," interrupted the President. "Let me answer -Vice President Collins for you. He's a little excited by this whole -business, but then, these are trying times." He turned toward the -glowering bulk of the Vice President. "Ralph," he said, "you should -know that every step in the design, the construction and the—er—the -education of the Oracle was taken under the close watch of a Board -of eminent scientists, all of whom agree that the computer is a -masterpiece—that it is a great milestone in Man's efforts to increase -his knowledge. The Oracle has undoubtedly found a genuine solution to -the question Bristol asked it. Our task must be to determine what that -solution is."</p> - -<p>"I can't entirely agree with that," said the Secretary for -Extra-Terrestrial Affairs in a thin half-whisper. "I think we should -depend on our own intelligence and skill to save ourselves. I've -watched events come and go on this planet of ours for a long time—a -very long time—and I feel as I have always felt that men can make -the world a Paradise for themselves or they can destroy themselves, -but that nothing else but they themselves can do it. We men must save -ourselves. And there are still things that we can do." He shrugged -his ancient, shawl-covered shoulders. "For example, we could disperse -colonies so widely that it would become impossible for the invaders to -destroy all of them."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid that's no good, George," answered the War Secretary -respectfully. "If the Solar System is destroyed, any remaining colonies -will be too weak to maintain themselves for long. We must defend this -system successfully, or we are lost."</p> - -<p>"Then that brings us back to the Oracle's proverb." The President -thought for a moment. "Stitching obviously refers to inter-planar -travel. How can that help us?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="600" height="122" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The Secretary for Extra-Terrestrial Affairs peered up at the President -through the shaggy white thicket of his eyebrows. "Actually, Michael," -he said, "it was that thought that made me mention establishing -colonies. The colonists would 'stitch' their way to their new homes. -And colonizing would have to proceed in a timely manner to have any -chance for success."</p> - -<p>"Yes," answered the President, "but how would that 'save nine'? We have -agreed that our Solar System must be saved. There are nine planets. -Perhaps the Oracle meant that timely use of inter-planar travel can -save the Solar System."</p> - -<p>"Or at least the nine planets!" The War Secretary's fat jowls waggled -with excitement. "You know, there is no limit to the size or mass of -objects which can use inter-planar travel. What if we physically remove -our planets, by stitching them away from the Sun? When the invaders -arrived, we would be gone—Earth and Sun and all the rest!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Chief Scientist, who had been silent up to this time spoke quietly. -"Simmer down, Bill. We could move the planets easily enough, of -course, but you forget the mass-distance relationship. A single stitch -takes about a day. The distance traveled can be controlled within -limits.</p> - -<p>"For an object around the size of the Earth, those limits extend from -a fraction of an inch to a little over two feet. Say that we have two -years before the invaders work their way in to the Solar System. If we -started right away, we could move Earth about a quarter of a mile by -the time they get here. If we tried to take the Sun with us, it could -be moved about half an inch in the same length of time. I'm afraid that -the Solar System is going to be right here when the invaders come to -get us. And I have a hunch that's likely to be a lot sooner than two -years."</p> - -<p>The Secretary of Internal Affairs leaned forward, his short hair -bristling. "I think we are wasting our time," he shouted. "I agree with -Ralph. I don't believe that the Oracle knows any more about this than -we do. If we are going to sit around playing foolish games with words, -why don't we do it in a big way? We could hire T.V. time and invite -everyone to send in their ideas about what the proverb means on the -back of a box-top. Or reasonable facsimile. The contestant with the -best answer could get a free all-expense tour to Vega Three. Unless -the invaders get here or there first."</p> - -<p>The President nodded his head. "There may be more sense to that remark -than I believe you intended, Charles," he said. "The greater the -number of people who think about the problem, the greater the chance -of reaching a solution. Even if the proverb is intended as a joke by -the Oracle, as you imply, it might be that from it someone could derive -a genuine solution. But as I have said, I am absolutely certain that -the computer does know what it is talking about. Without resorting to -box-tops or free trips, I think it might be wise to give the Oracle's -statement to the public."</p> - -<p>After several more hours of arguing, the Council adjourned for a few -hours and John Bristol returned wearily home.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Anne met him at the door with a drink and followed him to his -comfortable chair. "You look as if that was even rougher than your day -with the Oracle," she said.</p> - -<p>John nodded silently, took a grateful sip of his highball and slipped -off his shoes.</p> - -<p>"All that fuss over a six-word proverb," said Anne. "I still think that -if you are going to depend on witch doctors and such to solve your -problems for you, you would do a lot better to try my fortune teller. -She gives you a lot more than six words for ten dollars. They make more -sense, too. Why, I could be a better Oracle than that gadget you built."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you could, dear," answered John patiently.</p> - -<p>Anne jumped to her feet. "Here, I'll show you." She seated herself -cross-legged on the couch. "Now, I'm an Oracle," she announced. "Go -ahead, ask me a question. Ask me anything; I'll give you as good an -answer as any other Oracle. Results guaranteed."</p> - -<p>John smiled. "I'm not in much of a mood to be cheered up with games," -he said, "but I'm willing to ask the big question of anyone who'll give -me any kind of an answer. See if you can do better with this one than -Buster did." He repeated word for word the question he had asked of the -computer, that had resulted in its cryptic answer.</p> - -<p>Anne stared solemnly at nothing for a moment, with her cheeks puffed -out. Then, in measured tones, she recited, "It's Like Looking for a -Needle in a Haystack."</p> - -<p>John smiled. "That seems to make as much sense as the Oracle did, -anyway," he said.</p> - -<p>"Sure," answered Anne. "And you get three words more than your -other Oracle gave you, if you count 'it's' as one word. If you want -wise-sounding answers, just come to me and save yourself a trip."</p> - -<p>John leaped to his feet, spilling his drink and strode to Anne's side.</p> - -<p>"Say it again!" he shouted. "You may have made more sense than you -knew!"</p> - -<p>"I said you could come to me and save yourself a trip."</p> - -<p>"No, no! I mean the proverb. How did you come to think of that proverb?"</p> - -<p>Anne managed to look bewildered.</p> - -<p>"What's wrong with it? I just thought that you can't do any stitching -in time without a needle. I just was trying to think of a proverb to -use as an answer and that one popped into my head. Uh.... Are you all -right, dear?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>John picked her up and spun her around. "You just bet your boots I'm -all right. I'm feeling swell! You've given us the answer we needed. You -know right where the haystack is, and you know there's a needle there. -But finding it is something else again. I don't think the invaders will -be able to locate <i>this</i> needle."</p> - -<p>He set her down. "Where are my shoes?" he said. "I've got to get back -to the Capitol."</p> - -<p>Anne seemed faintly surprised. "Because of what I said? They're right -on the floor there between you and the sofa. But I was just making -conversation. What are you going to do?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'm just going to get started at taking stitches in time. Good-by, -darling." He started out the door, ran back to give Anne a lingering -kiss and was soon gone at top speed.</p> - -<p>Anne, waving to him, looked very pleased with herself.</p> - -<p>By the time Bristol arrived at the Capitol building, the rest of the -Council was once again assembled and waiting for him.</p> - -<p>"Well, John," said the President. "You sounded excited enough when you -called us together again. Have you figured out what the Oracle meant?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. With my wife's help. It's obvious, when you finally think -about it. It will save us from any danger. And we should have been -able to figure it out for ourselves. There's no reason that we should -have had to go to the Oracle at all. And it only took Buster—the -computer, I mean—two or three minutes to think of the answer, and of a -proverb that would conceal the answer. It's amazing!"</p> - -<p>"And if you don't mind telling us, just what is this answer?" The -President sounded very impatient.</p> - -<p>"We almost had it when we talked of stitching Earth out of reach," -John answered eagerly. "If we keep cutting back and forth from one -universe toward the other, we will be out of reach, even if we can't -move very far. Once a day we reappear in this Universe for a few -million-millionths of a second—although it will seem like a whole day -to us.</p> - -<p>"Then we spend the following day between this universe and beta. Even -if the invaders are right on top of us when we reappear, we'll be gone -again before they can do anything. Since we can vary the time of our -return within limits, the invaders will never know exactly when we -will flick in and out of the alpha plane until they hear our arriving -'bong' wave, and then we will already be gone, since we will be using -accelerated subjective time."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Chief Scientist shook his dark head and sighed. "No, John," he -said, "I'm afraid that isn't the answer. I'm sorry. If we start the -operation you suggested, we will be cutting ourselves off from solar -energy. The Earth's heat will gradually radiate away. Although beta is -at a higher entropy level than our universe, we can't use that energy, -except to provide power for the stitching process itself. It's true -that we would deny our planet to the invaders, but we would soon kill -ourselves doing it."</p> - -<p>"I didn't mean that we should transfer only Earth, but our entire Solar -System," answered Bristol. "As the Oracle told us, the stitch saves -nine. A series of time-matched transmitters could do the trick. If we -sent the entire Solar System back and forth, the average man in the -street would notice no change, except that sometimes there would be no -stars in the sky. And when they were there, they wouldn't be moving."</p> - -<p>"That would work theoretically," said the Chief Scientist. "And once we -were in continuous stitching operations, any invader, as you suggested, -could join the system only by synchronizing the transmitter in his -ship exactly with all of our synchronized transmitters. That's a job I -don't think could ever be done.</p> - -<p>"Remember, though, that our own transmitters would have to be -time-matched to within a minute fraction of a micro-second. Considering -that some of the instruments would have to be so far apart that at the -speed of light it would take hours to get from one to the other, the -problem becomes enormous. Any radio-timing link would be useless."</p> - -<p>Bristol nodded. "The Oracle said that the stitch must be taken in -time," he agreed. "But that is no real problem. We can just send a -small robot ship into inter-planar travel and let it bounce back. The -'bong' of its return will reach all transmitters simultaneously and we -can use that as the initial time-pulse. Once the operation starts, it -will be easy to synchronize, since we will always switch over again on -the instant of our return to the alpha plane."</p> - -<p>The Chief Scientist relaxed. "I think that does it, John. We hide in -time, instead of in distance."</p> - -<p>"We stitch in time," corrected the President, "and hide like a needle -in a haystack."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"The invaders may eventually find out a method of countering our -defense," said the Chief Scientist, "but it will undoubtedly take a -great deal of time. And in the meantime, we will have the opportunity -to seek out and destroy their home planets. It will be a long, slow -process of extermination, but we have a good chance to win."</p> - -<p>"I don't agree with that, Tom," said John. "I don't think extermination -can be the answer. With our example to guide them, the invaders can -use stitching to escape us as easily as we can use it to escape them. -What we should do now is to contact the invaders and show them that it -is to both our advantages to bring hostilities to an end. By stitching -the Solar System, and the other systems of our confederation in and out -of the alpha plane, we should be able to gain the time necessary for -contact with the enemy and make peace with him.</p> - -<p>"From what the Oracle has told me about the humanlike traits of the -invaders, it's very likely they will listen to reason when it's proved -that it will be to their advantage."</p> - -<p>John snapped his fingers and spoke with considerable excitement. "Now -I understand, I believe, why Buster indicated to me that there was -another reason for his vague answer to our question. The Oracle feels -an unwillingness to accept the destruction of Man's civilization. It -feels equally unwilling, I'm certain, to allow the destruction of the -invaders' civilization. Buster has an objective viewpoint in applying -the <i>morés</i> Man has given him. And it seems to me that Buster felt it -important for us to reach this spirit of compromise by ourselves. How -do you feel about it, gentlemen?"</p> - -<p>Debate quickly determined that all seven members of the Council favored -an attempt to establish a truce—some of them forced into this opinion -by their inability to find any method of reaching the throats of the -invaders.</p> - -<p>Having reached this conclusion, the Council swung immediately into -action. Within a few weeks, the entire Solar System, along with the -other planetary systems of the confederation, except for their brief -daily return, disappeared from the alpha universe.</p> - -<p>John Bristol, a few days after the continuous stitching started, was -relaxing lazily on the sofa in his living room when there was a sudden -pounding on the door. He opened it to find the Chief Scientist standing -on his doorstep, his eyes red from loss of sleep.</p> - -<p>"Good Lord! What's the matter with you?" asked Bristol. "Have you been -celebrating too much? Come in, Tom, come in."</p> - -<p>The Chief Scientist entered wearily and sat down. "No. I haven't -been celebrating. I've been trying to work out a little problem you -left with us. We have been planning, as you suggested, to send out -expeditions to contact and make agreement with the invaders. We can -send them out all right, but how can we ever get them back into our -solar system? They won't be able to find us any easier than the -invaders can."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He dropped his hat wearily on a side table and slumped into the closest -chair. "If we don't contact each other," he said, "I am certain that -the invaders will some day find a means of penetrating our defenses. -Even needles in haystacks can be found, if you take enough time and -aren't disturbed while you are hunting. This thing has me licked."</p> - -<p>Bristol sat down slowly. "Your whole department hasn't been able to -find an answer?"</p> - -<p>"Not even the glimmering of an idea." He shrugged his shoulders. "It -looks as if we are going to need the advice of your Oracle again."</p> - -<p>Bristol stood for a minute in thought and then with a smile said, "Why, -of course. Excuse me for a second, please. I'll be right back."</p> - -<p>He stepped to the foot of the stairs and called out in a confident -voice, "Come down a minute, please, Anne, darling! I have an important -question I want to ask you!"</p> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Man in a Sewing Machine, by L.J. Stecher - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAN IN A SEWING MACHINE *** - -***** This file should be named 50936-h.htm or 50936-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/3/50936/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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