The Project Gutenberg eBook of The wellsprings of space 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 will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: The wellsprings of space Author: Albert Teichner Illustrator: Dan Adkins Release date: March 21, 2024 [eBook #73226] Language: English Original publication: New York, NY: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WELLSPRINGS OF SPACE *** Like oases in the desert, they were spaced through the universe to replenish the electron-thirst of the giant ships. But Old Huddleston had seen the problem: What kind of currency serves to buy matter from ... The WELLSPRINGS OF SPACE By ALBERT TEICHNER Illustrated by ADKINS [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Amazing Stories October 1961. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] The three top scientists had come to describe their greatest triumph to the revered Huddleston; after centuries of bitter disagreement the world's cosmologists were now unanimous in accepting the newly-proposed Lowen-Crane-and-Fitzhugh Hypothesis. At three hundred Huddleston was doddering toward death but the great man certainly deserved to know in his more lucid moments that the problems he had outlined long ago were finally solved. He had been the first to prophesy that all parsec journeys to the stars must fail because each spaceship would steadily lose electrons to the weak magnetic field of the galaxy. The few weakened shells that had managed to limp back into the solar system had proven his point. He was having one of his brighter periods when they came in. Not only were his eyes and wrinkled flesh glowing with pink health (the illusory super-health of the very aged) but he knew instantly who they were. "My best pupils!" he chuckled, curling his plasti-patched lips. "May your lives be as long and as happy as mine has been." Lowen, four-square solid and close to seven feet in height, almost automatically became the spokesman for the trio. "We have the best news of all for your final phase," he said with bluff kindliness. "The electron leakage problem has been solved." The old man's eyes widened and a network of hairfine lines proliferated around them. "It can't be done," he said, wistfully gazing out his window at the night sky, then at the shelves of antique bottles that ringed the room. "We're the eternal prisoners of the solar system. You shouldn't tease an old man." They exchanged knowingly sympathetic glances. None of them could ever be the great pioneer that he had been but even a midget standing on a giant's shoulder could see further than the giant himself. "We now _know_ there is continuous creation of matter out in space." Lowen paused dramatically for the point to sink in but the ancient only continued to look incredulous. He hurried on. "It was simply a matter of incorrect methodology, Learned Master. We have always assigned too many of the decision-functions in this area to computers when it was too purely a creative problem for anything but human minds." * * * * * Huddleston had suddenly become serious. "That _could_ make a difference. Well, I haven't given a moment's thought to the whole matter for fifty years--much too exhausting when you're having so many prosthetic operations, much nicer to putter around with hobbies like old maps and bottles--but, gentlemen, just before I gave up, oh now it's clear as if it were yesterday! I remember thinking what you've just said: This problem's too basic for automated analysis. If I'd only been less tired; but, by then--." "You'd already done more than your share," Fitzhugh consoled him. "And we have more precise instruments now. The big breakthrough came on the data from the newest Jupiter observatory. Every once in a while it would pick up unaccountable Doppler shifts from the direction of Arcturus but the disturbing area was too small for an accurate fix at such a distance. That was the beginning--Crane and I worked out the rest. But Lowen made the great practical achievement. Together we achieved a hypothesis that proves beyond any question that the universe has no beginning, will have no end and is constantly receiving new matter as it expands, matter from other dimensions--in a word, continuous creation." "You can imagine the uproar at first," Lowen grinned, "especially since the big-bang theory has held the field for two centuries. That's why we had to tell you quickly--you never surrendered your mind to any dogma, always kept it open." Huddleston spryly took the sheaf of reports that Lowen had been holding and started to glance rapidly through them. "Brilliant, brilliant! What I'd give to be young again." "You'll tire yourself," Fitzhugh said. "We didn't expect you to do an analysis." "Nonsense," the old man snapped waspishly. "This gives me new life, just seeing what you youngsters are up to. Of course, though, continuous creation can't make any difference as far as parsec travel is concerned." "But it does!" they all shouted. Huddleston laughed. "Now, now, gentlemen. Just because hydrogen atoms are springing into being from nothingness throughout space doesn't mean--." "That's not how it is," Crane said, speaking down to Huddleston as if he were the tallest man in the room, not the shortest. "Lowen has shown that continuous creation does not take place everywhere. That's his great practical discovery and--" "It happens at specific, restricted points," Lowen broke in. "Great streams of hydrogen and free electrons welling into our universe the way water does out of dry ground." Huddleston let the report slip from his hands onto a table and stared at them. He was very pale now. "My God, I think I see what you're getting at." They considered each other, bewildered by his reaction to such good news. "You must be missing the real point, Learned Master," said Lowen. "The wellsprings are spaced at approximately one million parsecs apart. I've already pinpointed hundreds of them. We established the first one from the Jupiter readings and the rest practically mapped themselves out. It has checked out a dozen different ways. That was one place where the computers could handle the job--on the checkout." He tapped the report with his thumb. "Nodes of lifesaving electrons across the deepest reaches of space--." "--where each spaceship can bathe its weakened structure," suggested Huddleston, "refill every lattice gap where electrons have dropped out." "Exactly. You still can always see to the heart of the matter, Learned Master." Huddleston sank into a chair, shaking his head as if dazed. "It won't work." "Why not?" they demanded, astounded. "I don't know. I just know that it can't work. You never get something for nothing. What would you _lose_ at each wellspring?" "Nothing!" Lowen insisted. "You see, the ship's structure would be strengthened as the empty electron positions were refilled. Then we would shift back into hyperdrive and move on to the next wellspring. The ancient systems of caravan waterholes but on a cosmic scale." * * * * * The old man pounded the table energetically. "No, no! Oh, I'm willing to accept your calculations as far as they go. You were all excellent students and have had distinguished careers and you're in your eighties at the first peak of vigor. But nothing can be this convenient. I sense that the problem lies--." He was chalk-white now, his hands shaking. "Lies in those maps of ancient Manhattan. Did Broadway go into Grand Central or stop at North Michigan Avenue? Annie, Annie," he shouted, "where are the subway maps?" His niece came running into the room, carrying some rare antique maps, and gasped as she saw him. "You'll all have to go," she whispered. "I've never seen him this bad before." "Here, uncle, here are your favorite maps." He took them from her with quivering fingers, mumbling something about it being time. "One more question," Lowen persisted. She whirled on him, anger making her look much younger than her nearly two centuries. "Get out of here, the whole bunch of you--distinguished men! Haven't you the sense to see how he is? All he wants now is his little hobby." "But we have to get an explanation from him," Crane protested. "It's very import--." Fitzhugh tugged at his elbow. "Forget it, Crane. His mind's far away now." They retreated to the door. Eunice Huddleston gave them one sharp glance, then turned back to her uncle who was slipping into sleep, his face still deathly pale. They stopped in the garden outside the great man's house and Crane shook his head, worried. "I'd give a lot to know what he was thinking about." Lowen thumped his back encouragingly. "He _was_ a very great man but, well, after three hundred years, he's entitled to the special pleasures of senility." "He seemed so lucid for a while," Fitzhugh said, "I mean when he saw the point of moving through the wellspring nodes to overcome materials fatigue." He shrugged. "No, you're right, Lowen. We'll have to go to the President without Huddleston's backing." "I was thinking about his prestige. But his support really wouldn't have proven anything." Lowen shook his head. "I had no idea he had gone downhill that much in the last twenty years." They joined in a sympathetic sigh for past greatness, then hurried on to the business of the future. * * * * * President Collins was pleased to see them. He was even happier when he was shown how the recent, highly-publicized discovery of the space nodes of continuous creation could be put to practical use. "There's a serious sociological problem that this can solve for us, gentlemen. You probably haven't given it much attention since your interests lie in other directions." "We leave that to our political leaders," Lowen nodded. "They're thoroughly competent to do so." "Thank you, Professor,--." "No, President Collins, you're right--I don't have time to bother with imprecise life studies." Lowen tried to keep contempt out of his grin. "A little entertainment, somewhat more theory and lots of practical technical applications--that's my personal prescription for staying fully alive." "Anyway your work fits the present social bill to a _T_," President Collins went on, choosing to disregard the unpleasant aspects of his visitor's one-sided nature for the pleasant fruits they had borne. "For close to two centuries now we have known we were trapped in the general area of the solar system and society has learned to live with the limitation. But lately an indefinable restlessness has been growing--nothing in the least serious but it's there and continuous entertainment, study and sports just aren't enough to eliminate it. This renewed outward movement can, though. I'm backing your request for a new Stellar Reaches Expedition to the limit of my strength." He rubbed his chin, smiling sadly. "You know who we ought to get in touch with? Old Huddleston. He deserves to know. Come to think of it, his opinion would still carry plenty of weight with many people." "We've told him," Lowen announced. "He was enormously impressed with the solution." "Good, good. Now, there's an ultimate Master, if I ever heard of one, knowledge in every area, the humanities, mathematics, logic, poetry, physics--. What did he think about fatigued metal revival at the wellsprings?" Lowen squinted. "Sad thing, Mister President, we couldn't get much of an opinion there. He's so worn-out." Lowen disregarded Fitzhugh's conscience-stricken look. "But he did grasp what we told him before he relapsed." "It _is_ a sad thing, isn't it? Well, the years get us all one way or the other, don't they?" "I guess so," said Lowen, "but, Mr. Pres--." Collins perked up. "Tell you what, though--he's liable to get a clear period any time and we really should have his thinking on this. I'll have that niece of his notify my office as soon as it happens and we'll go right over." "He's in very bad shape," Lowen hastened to say. "It would just wear him down more." "That bad, heh? Then I'd better make certain we get to see him very soon." Lowen glared at the floor, ready to kick himself for aggravating an already touchy situation. The intervideo snapped on. "Could you come out for a moment?" his secretary whispered on screen. She looked very upset. "Certainly, Helen, I'll be right there." President Collins turned to them. "I hope you gentlemen will excuse me." "Of course, Mister President." They all rose and bowed slightly in his direction. "Maps," President Collins smiled just before he went out. "That's his big hobby now, isn't it? Wonder what I'll go in for when I reach the intermittent senile phase?" He grinned. "Oh well, I still have a century before that." As soon as the door shut, Lowen whirled on his associates. "What the hell's the matter with you two? You looked as if you were going to spill the whole beans about the old man. We have to watch our step." "But the implication about his reaction was somewhat distorted," Fitzhugh protested. "_Somewhat distorted!_ Well, what of it? The most innocent little distortion I ever heard! We don't even know what Huddleston really means, do we?" "That's what I mean by distorted, Lowen. You didn't convey that impression--." Lowen exploded. "You're making me sick! You too, Crane, you looked qualmish." He leaned forward, spitting his words through clenched teeth. "The hypocrisy of it--you'd lie to your own soul if anything got in the way of this project. But now you can make nice prissy postures because I'm doing the so-called dirty work for you." Fitzhugh waved for calm. "Agreed, agreed, Lowen, it is much more important than a squeamish little point." "Much more important," seconded Crane. * * * * * Collins made a grim-faced return. "I have news from Huddleston's niece." The three men tensed. "What--," asked Lowen. "Gentlemen, you were right about the seriousness of his condition. He's dead. She said he became so excited about something you had told him that he had a serious relapse. He started to babble incoherently and never returned to articulate speech." They leaned back, more relaxed. "A terrible blow," said Crane. "The least we can do is carry forward his work." "You're absolutely right." Tired, he rubbed his silver eye-brows for a moment. "Gentlemen, I'll see to it that the Expedition gets every bit of support it needs." * * * * * The next month was one of unaccustomed excitement for the tranquilly routine existence of human society. First the death of the one survivor of the earliest generation of Learned Masters and then the announcement about the renewed thrust to the stars that was to be enacted by the three men who had made it possible. There was talk for a time of constructing a larger ship that could carry a full crew complement but Lowen's arguments had quickly overcome such objections. For one thing, design and execution of the project would take many years. For another, it would require vast expenditures even in the preliminary stages. "Of course, the effort is worth any amount eventually," Lowen had been the first to emphasize, "but why not wait until we see what the results are from the smaller design first?" "Very reasonable," President Collins had agreed. "You three have sacrificed your own interests far beyond the call of duty." This devotion reinforced his decision to have the three men named Learned Masters _before_ their theory was put to the ultimate test, a move that had been hopefully anticipated in their calculations. Here, though, some public opposition did develop. "No one has ever been named a Learned Master under the age of one hundred and fifty," a few people pointed out. "Now, suddenly, we are told _three_ men, none of them more than eighty-five, should be so honored! Even the great Huddleston never had that." But President Collins expressed the feelings of the overwhelming majority of citizens when he said, "The successful accomplishment of the task these men have set themselves will be an even greater achievement than that of their first teacher." His viewpoint prevailed and, after much grumbling, the Solar Institute of Learning unanimously confirmed their nomination for supreme honors. The ceremony took place four months after construction on the _New Cosmos_ had begun and was celebrated in the great hall of the Institute. The world's most important figure in each major field of thought, usually a doddering oldster, gave a confirming speech; and the accompanying three-D explanations enthralled billions who suddenly discovered how bored they had been for the past century. The only flaw in an otherwise glorious day of festivities was the refusal of Eunice Huddleston to participate. She issued no public statement but they knew well enough that she still insisted they had somehow upset her uncle and that, if his death could not have been avoided, his final moments could have at least been happier ones without their intrusion. Her abstention almost upset Fitzhugh. "Still," he managed to console himself, "she'll see the matter in a different light once we get back." Lowen, though, remained altogether undisturbed by the development. "I feel like a distinguished oldster and like a vigorous youngster both at the same time. Learned Master--oh, my colleagues, how we've managed to speed things up!" "Which just goes to prove," Crane laughed, "that you really can have your cake and eat it." Planning the flight was much simpler than it seemed to the non-specialist public. Very little of a new nature had to be added to the ship's design beyond what had been known for a long time. And there was no doubt that hyperdrive speeds far beyond those of light were possible if the proper carrier components were selected from those that averaged out to the normal 186,000-mile limit. That had been mastered a long time ago. The only doubt had been about the ability to return. Now that was dispelled and they could safely plan to reach a point close to the galactic center and return within seven weeks. No calculations had been left to chance; the survey of all known factors showed that it was no more dangerous than a journey within the solar system--and that certainly was routine by now. If anything, popular enthusiasm increased the longer the project lasted. Thousands of men threw themselves into the round-the-clock effort and nine months after construction had commenced the great sleek ship was ready. * * * * * The _New Cosmos_ took off on a morning of bright spring sunlight but, instead of immediately moving onto special carrier components, stuck to solar velocities so that they first could make a triumphal tour of the system. Approaching Mars, they were met by a great fleet of commuting liners, rising to greet them with an enormous display of atomic fireworks, and in their circuit of Saturn they were treated to a special auroral display. Then, two days later, the last planet behind them, they moved into hyperdrive, heading for the first node of continuous creation. Crane made his hundredth re-check and said, "We'll be there in forty minutes." Outside the nearer stars had become tiny beeps of light, visible only for miniseconds, and only those of the farther reaches accompanied them fixedly on their way. Lowen gave regular two-minute interval readings of structural fatigue. "The electron loss is within one part in a million of estimate--and the error is in our favor. We can proceed five hours without danger." Fitzhugh beamed his contentment. "So much margin of safety--it's a beautiful universe!" They established voice contact with Earth on the carrier components and spoke all at once into the receiver as the "Are you all right?" query came: "Never better!" they shouted. Lowen was the first to pull himself out of their attack of space ecstasy. "We will start sending data following the first node," he intoned. "Twenty minutes to first report." Then, suddenly, they were entering the area of continuous creation and looked out with awe on the one mystery in the universe that was even greater than that of life itself. The electron loss started to ease off at an accelerating rate, reached balance and finally moved into active acquisition. All around them the latticework of matter that was the _New Cosmos_ was filling up again. They hurried to their assigned stations and intently studied the readings until the ship, as good as new, had passed beyond the initial wellspring. Crane was the first to notice. After staring, hypnotized, at the master dial before him he suddenly became aware of his hand resting on the console below it. "My God!" he croaked. They turned to look at each other in horror. "Turn back!" Lowen shrieked. "We can't," Fitzhugh moaned, "it's set for the next node." He struggled desperately with his console and shouted into the sender, "Top Secret Scramble to President Collins, Top--." He fought to get the words out. "We're reversing back as soon as possible. It's all wrong. This way won't work. I can't talk much longer," he wheezed. "I've set for automatic return after the next wellspring. My God, it was so beautiful and it is so horrible. We're heading straight into the next wellspring now. It--." Then the contact went dead. * * * * * Five hours later the great ship, undamaged, made a perfect automatic landing at the precise point from which it had left. Collins and a staff from the Institute were already waiting there, nervously wondering whether they would really have to start looking for a new approach to the star travel problem. "They have to be all right," he said, as the ship came down. "It's in perfect shape. Probably some space hallucination." As they moved toward the craft, the exit hatch opened and three wizened men came creeping out, leaning forward as if they were resting on canes. Their individual differences were barely distinguishable beneath the levelling networks of wrinkles but they were giggling hysterically. "Old bottles!" Lowen kept cackling and each time he said it Crane and Fitzhugh joined him in wild laughter. Collins stared, wide-eyed. "What was it?" he said. Lowen squinted at him and there was the slightest glint of recognition as he became briefly lucid. "Ah yes! We didn't get it for nothing. We had to pay with--." The glint disappeared and he laughed. "Old bottles! I'm going to have the biggest collection in the world." "What happened?" Collins pleaded, knowing even then that he would never get another rational word from any of them. "Me too! Old bottles!" "Collect them! Maybe maps too!" "They've gone insane and they've become diseased," said a man from the Institute, shrinking back in disgust. "No, not that, not really that. It's something else--They're only very old." And in the split second of his saying that last word Collins knew what it was, what they had paid with. It was the only thing with which you could buy matter--Time. THE END *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WELLSPRINGS OF SPACE *** 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. START: FULL LICENSE THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license. Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works 1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others. 1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States. 1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: 1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: 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 will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. 1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. 1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License. 1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. 1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that: • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.” • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works. • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work. • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. 1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. 1.F. 1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. 1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. 1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. 1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. 1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause. Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life. Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate. While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate. International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate. Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org. This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.