Subspace Survivors

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+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Notes and Errata | | | | This e-text was produced from Astounding Science Fact and | | Fiction, July 1960. Extensive research did not uncover any | | evidence that the U. S. copyright on this publication was | | renewed. | | | | A few typographical errors have been marked in the text with | | a nearby footnote. | | | | There was one instance each of 'hyperspace' and | | 'hyper-space'. There was one instance of 'hook-up' and one | | of 'hookups'. These hyphenations were not changed. | +--------------------------------------------------------------+

SUBSPACE SURVIVORS

by

EDWARD E. SMITH, Ph. D.

Illustrated by van Dongen

+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert! When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+

I.

"All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?" All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship Procyon spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer. "This is the fourth and last cautionary announcement. Any who are not seated will seat themselves at once. Prepare for take-off acceleration of one and one-half gravities; that is, everyone will weigh one-half again as much as his normal Earth weight for about fifteen minutes. We lift in twenty seconds; I will count down the final five seconds.... Five ... Four ... Three ... Two ... One ... Lift!"

[1] Transcriber's Note: The original read "will pay attention, please?"

[Illustration]

The immense vessel rose from her berth; slowly at first, but with ever-increasing velocity; and in the main lounge, where many of the passengers had gathered to watch the dwindling Earth, no one moved for the first five minutes. Then a girl stood up.

She was not a startlingly beautiful girl; no more so than can be seen fairly often, of a summer afternoon, on Seaside Beach. Her hair was an artificial yellow. Her eyes were a deep, cool blue. Her skin, what could be seen of it--she was wearing breeches and a long-sleeved shirt--was lightly tanned. She was only about five-feet-three, and her build was not spectacular. However, every ounce of her one hundred fifteen pounds was exactly where it should have been.

First she stood tentatively, flexing her knees and testing her weight. Then, stepping boldly out into a clear space, she began to do a high-kicking acrobatic dance; and went on doing it as effortlessly and as rhythmically as though she were on an Earthly stage.

"You mustn't do that, Miss!" A stewardess came bustling up. Or, rather, not exactly bustling. Very few people, and almost no stewardesses, either actually bustle in or really enjoy one point five gees. "You really must resume your seat, Miss. I must insist.... Oh, you're Miss Warner...."

She paused.

"That's right, Barbara Warner. Cabin two eight one."

"But really, Miss Warner, it's regulations, and if you should fall...."

"Foosh to regulations, and pfui on 'em. I won't fall. I've been wondering, every time out, if I could do a thing, and now I'm going to find out."

Jackknifing double, she put both forearms flat on the carpet and lifted both legs into the vertical. Then, silver slippers pointing motionlessly ceilingward, she got up onto her hands and walked twice around a vacant chair. She then performed a series of flips that would have done credit to a professional acrobat; the finale of which left her sitting calmly in the previously empty seat.