“Which, as I understand it,” Gant said, “created a scattering of the electromagnetic vibrations along the periphery of the target area, setting off unexpected waves and whirlpools like the ones that sank our transmitter ship and the Southern Belle.”

“Right. We solved that problem by using the single transmitter you see here, with an increase in the power level. It also meant that we didn't have to build a new ship to replace the one destroyed in the initial experiments. We simply moved dynamos from the other three ships and added one.”

“Are you satisfied with the crew I got you?”

“They look like a bunch of cutthroats, but they know their way around a ship.”

“They should. They've cut their share of throats. I used my old business contacts to recruit them. They're all former pirates who went to work for an ocean-protection arm of our security company.”

The two men left the transmitter hold and strolled along the polished wooden floor of the promenade deck until they came to the observation deck below the bridge. Windows that wrapped around the outside of the comfortably furnished platform offered a view of the sharp bow cutting its way through the ocean.

“This is where the passengers would normally observe wildlife,” Margrave said. “We'll be watching the reversal with our electronic eyes.”

He pressed a wall button and a screen dropped down showing a diagram of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. “I've always liked home movies,” Gant said.

“You'll especially like these,” Margrave said with a chuckle. “We'll have the entire target area under surveillance with our lead-shielded satellites. We'll be able to see the giant waves and whirlpools developing on the periphery of our target area. Should be quite spectacular!”

“Not too spectacular, I hope.”

“Don't tell me you believe those phony warnings from Austin and his friends.”

“I'm a political person, not a scientific one. But I do know that Austin was trying to torpedo this project with scare tactics.” He smiled. “Maybe I'd do the same thing if I were in his place helplessly watching something that I couldn't stop.”

“We didn't take the Kovacs Theorems at face value. We've run the computer models dozens of times. The waves and vortexes along the edge of the target will spin outward. We don't think there is much shipping in the area, but collateral damage is sometimes unavoidable in any great enterprise.”

“Our compasses will change immediately?”

“That's our estimate. Our navigation equipment will be recalibrated just before we start the reversal and will work off our shielded satellites.” He offered his most satanic grin. “We'll be the only ship in the world able to navigate. Should be quite the mess out there.”

“Tell me more about the target area,” Gant said.