"What special instructions do we need to run it, if any?" Seaton asked of the First of Mechanism, who had lifted himself up into the projector.
"Very little. This motor governs the hour motion, that one the right ascension. The potentiometers regulate the degree of vernier action--any ratio is possible, from direct drive up to more than a hundred million complete revolutions of that graduated dial to give you one second of arc."
"Plenty fine, I'd say. Thanks a lot, ace. Whither away, Rovol--any choice?"
"Anywhere you please, son, since this is merely a try-out."
"O. K. We'll hop over and tell Dunark hello."
The tube swung around into line with that distant planet and Seaton stepped down hard, upon a pedal. Instantly they seemed infinite myriads of miles out in space, the green system barely visible as a faint green star behind them.
"Wow, that ray's fast!" exclaimed the pilot, ruefully. "I overshot about a thousand light years. We'll try again, with considerably less power," and he rearranged and reset the dials and meters before him. Adjustment after adjustment and many reductions in power had to be made before the projection ceased leaping millions of miles at a touch, but finally the operators became familiar with the new technique and the ray became manageable. Soon they were hovering above what had been Mardonal, and saw that all signs of warfare had disappeared. Slowly turning the controls, Seaton flashed the projection over the girdling Osnomian sea and guided it through the impregnable metal walls of the palace into the throne room of Roban, where they saw the Emperor, Tarnan the Karbix, and Dunark in close conference.
"Well, here we are," remarked Seaton. "Now we'll put on a little visibility and give the natives a treat."
"Sh-sh," whispered Dorothy, "they'll hear you, Dick--we're intruding shamefully."
"No, they won't hear us, because I haven't heterodyned the audio in on the wave yet. And as for intruding, that's exactly what we came over here for."
He imposed the audio system upon the inconceivably high frequency of their carrier wave and spoke in the Osnomian tongue.
"Greetings, Roban, Dunark, and Tarnan, from Seaton." All three jumped to their feet, amazed, staring about the empty room as Seaton went on, "I am not here in person. I am simply sending you my projection. Just a moment and I will put on a little visibility."