The Struggle for Empire/Chapter 14
Chapter XIV
Science to the Rescue
On the second night after the bombardment of London, James Tarrant, the unknown scientist, was talking earnestly with several admirals, politicians, and cabinet ministers, who crowded round him in the temporary quarters of the Bureau of War. The room they were in was a cave dug underground in the solid rock and lighted by the Menling light, that sparkled from gold lace, cocked hats, and epaulets. Far down as they were in the depths of the earth, the booming of the cannon from a neighbouring fort made the walls of the cavern shake; for the war was still raging all over the face of the earth. Piled up on a number of tables were several strange-looking instruments. These were composed of an intricate mass of wheels and wires, and a long cone-shaped reflector projected from the middle of each. The admirals were carefully examining these instruments, while the Admiral-in-Chief, clad in full uniform, was talking to James Tarrant.
'The trial has been quite satisfactory, Dr. Tarrant,' said the former. 'You have proved that the Electro-Ednogen machine you have invented is capable of doing what you claim for it; that is to say, it will throw out waves of force that will stop the working of the antigravitation apparatus and cause the war-ship on to which it is directed to fall to the ground. Now, how many of these machines did you say you have ready for use?'
'There are thirty here,' replied Tarrant, 'and there are twenty more in my laboratory. That makes fifty altogether. We might manage to get another fifty constructed in a few days.'
'Now, about the size of the ships which are to carry these,' continued the Admiral-in-Chief, while the other officers came crowding round. 'Does it matter how large they are?'
'The smaller they are, the better,' replied the scientist; 'for then they would be less easily noticed by the enemy, and could move about much quicker. Torpedo-boats would be just the thing. If you gave me fifty, I would undertake to destroy or render useless every one of the Sirian ships by the end of a week.'
A murmur of approval ran through the circle of officers when they heard these words.
'One instrument on each torpedo-boat, to be worked by the captain, and a good supply of Ednogen, are all that is necessary,' continued Tarrant. 'I should experiment with one of the torpedo-boats first myself, to see that everything worked properly, and then I should send out the others to work independently.'
'Very well,' said the Admiral. 'There are fifty torpedo-boats in the dockyard in the Kentucky cavern ready for action. These shall be placed at your disposal, and two officers shall go with you to help you in the navigation. There is a small air-ship that I will order to be in readiness to convey you and the fifty instruments to Kentucky.'
The Admiral-in-Chief went to a telephone and transmitted a few orders, while James Tarrant's eyes gleamed with a strange bright light.
'Now about the reward,' continued the Admiral. 'In the name of our Empire, I promise that what you ask for will be granted. That is———'
'That in case of success I have the title of Prince of Kairet, and have the supreme government of one of their planets if we conquer them, together with the absolute disposal of its revenues.'
'We agree,' said the Admiral, and the other officers bowed their assent.
A moment later a file of men entered the cave and took up the instruments that were lying on the table and carried them up a sloping passage to a ship that was waiting outside. It was now midnight, but the sky was lighted up by the flashes of the cannon, and the air shook with the continual explosions. Then James Tarrant and the officers went on board, and the captain held his hand on the lever ready to start.
'Mind you come back as Prince of Kairet,' said the Admiral-in-Chief, as he waved his cocked hat. 'The safety of the Anglo-Saxon Empire rests with you.'
The other officers waved their hats and cheered, and the captain pulled the starting-lever. The ship dashed forward into the air, its bows pointing to the West. A moment later it was rushing along like the wind, taking care, however, not to run foul of any of the enemy's ships. But the latter were engaged in trying to batter to pieces a rocky fort, so they did not pay much attention to the long dark object that dashed along beneath them. One gunner aimed his gun at it, but the shot plunged into the ground some distance behind. The enemy little guessed what that insignificant-looking boat contained, or they would have sent every vessel they possessed in pursuit of it.
Half an hour later James Tarrant was in his laboratory directing the shipment of the rest of the instruments. Then they all got on board again, and dashed into the air once more, for there was not a moment to be lost. They ascended right up to the limits of the atmosphere to avoid the enemy's ships as much as possible, and to lessen the resistance offered by the air. The ship dashed along at a terrific pace, the air shrieking as it rushed through the wire apparatus outside. The hatches were fastened down, and everybody went inside to avoid being swept away by the wind, which blew fiercer than a hurricane. They were soon careering over the Atlantic Ocean, which gleamed indistinctly thousands of feet beneath. Every now and then the searchlights of a war-ship could be seen flashing below, but they were soon left far behind.
James Tarrant stood at one of the windows, and gazed at the Ocean with glittering eyes, while his pale face glowed with excitement.
'My wildest schemes are realized at last!' he murmured. 'I am the foremost scientist, I am the conqueror of the power of the Sirian system, I am Prince of Kairet, and I am husband of—of———'
The name stuck in his throat, for he suddenly remembered that he had yet the most dangerous part of his business to perform, and must lead his fifty torpedo-boats to victory before he could return and claim his promised reward. He remained at the window for a long time, resting his head on his hand, and thinking over the best way of disposing his fleet so as to destroy the Sirian ships without any unnecessary loss.
Meanwhile the ship sped rapidly on, and daylight returned. A few hours after sunrise the Atlantic was crossed, and then the captain let the ship down on to a small uninhabited island off the coast of America, so that it might lie hid during the daytime, for the scouts had brought news that hostile ships infested these parts. Many a mind cursed the tedious hours of the day, and many an anxious eye watched the passage of the sun through the heavens. At last night came, and the ship sped forward again, taking care, however, not to run into the enemy. An hour after dawn it was let slowly down on to the ground at the entrance to the Kentucky cavern.
Tarrant showed his commission to the commanding officer, and immediate preparations were made to get the fleet of torpedo-boats ready for action. An Electro-Ednogen instrument was fitted on to each boat, and an abundant supply of Ednogen stored away in the reservoirs. The outside of the hulls was painted white, so that they would be almost invisible when high up in the air.
Meanwhile, James Tarrant took possession of a torpedo-boat named the Scorpion, and, accompanied by two others, set out to test the efficacy of his invention on the Sirian ships. They went very slowly and carefully, so as to avoid getting too close to their antagonists, the inventor standing on the outer deck by the great cone-shaped tube, with his hand on the wheel that turned on the force. After some time they saw a great battleship drifting along some thousands of feet below them, with the Sirian flag dangling at its stern.
'Now we shall see if the Scorpion can sting,' said Tarrant, as he aimed the tube at the ship and turned the wheel round.
Nothing occurred; there was no smoke, no explosion. The eager looks of the crew died away, for they did not understand the working of this new implement of war; but a moment afterwards they were undeceived. The great battleship began to descend rapidly towards the earth; then it fell faster and faster, and crashed against the ground with terrific force, making a noise like an explosion, and lay inert on the ground.
'There!' exclaimed Tarrant, as he looked round at the group of astonished officers and men. 'What do you think of that? The Scorpion can sting from some distance. There is not a person left alive on that ship now.'
There was a tremendous burst of cheering as a reply; then the captain moved the starting-lever, and the torpedo-boat started again on its errand of destruction. Another Sirian ship was soon found and destroyed in the same manner, and another after that, until the Scorpion had hurled altogether twelve to the earth. Some fell down and were simply crushed, others blew up from the concussion, and their fragments were hurled far and wide. The other two torpedo-boats also committed terrible havoc among the enemy's ships, and then all three returned to the Kentucky cavern, where Tarrant was hailed with deafening cheers, and saluted as the saviour of the Anglo-Saxon Empire.
Tarrant explained the method of using the Electro-Ednogen apparatus to the captains, and then the fleet of fifty torpedo-boats was scattered over the four quarters of the globe to destroy every hostile ship they could meet with. The result was that in a few hours the destruction was appalling. High up in the air, and almost invisible, the terrible little torpedo-boats darted hither and thither, sending down their invisible waves wherever they could find a target. Calm and immovable, the captains stood by the shining cone-shaped tubes, aimed them at their prey, turned the wheel, and saw the stricken ship fall like a log to the earth. Then the propellers revolved, and they rushed on to find and destroy another ship. They demolished thus in a few minutes whole fleets that were bombarding cities, hurling them down on to the ruins they had made. For a long time the Sirians could not understand what made their ships sink to the earth one after another. At last they obtained an inkling of the truth, but they could do nothing to avert the evil, for they did not know the nature of the secret. Their victorious fleets gradually melted away by tens and by hundreds, until there was not a tenth of their number left. In the pride of their victory they were gradually being consumed by a new implement of destruction that the conquered had devised. Their splendid fleets soon vanished, and nothing was left of them but a few wandering war-ships, that tried to hide away among the smoking ruins of the cities and towns they had wrecked. The great transports, that had been waiting for the battleships to clear the ground before they landed the soldiers, were chased among the clouds from hemisphere to hemisphere until they were run down and, with their living freight, hurled to the ground.
James Tarrant had established his headquarters at the Kentucky cavern, and all the torpedo-boats occasionally came there to report progress. The news of the success of his invention was flashed across to England, and roused the slumbering energies of resistance and the thirst for vengeance. Hundreds of new Electro-Ednogen instruments were constructed and fitted on to the battleships, cruisers, and torpedo-boats that were just finished at the dockyards. The former cruised over every square mile of land and sea, and searched out and beat to death every enemy's ship they could find. Cordons of torpedo-boats hung in space outside the earth's atmosphere ready to destroy every ship that attempted to escape, and there were several exciting chases that lasted as far as the moon, but hardly a ship got away. The blood of the Anglo-Saxons was up, and they destroyed their enemies without remorse. Soon the earth was literally strewn with wrecks and many vessels that were unable to make any way against the terrible vessels that destroyed them. The few Sirians who survived the fall of their vessels and managed to escape from them were soon made prisoners. The victory of the Anglo-Saxons was complete. They had totally destroyed their enemy's enormous fleets, and at the cost of not more than fifteen torpedo-boats and a few battleships.