by Perry Rhodan
"I beg your pardon, sir," Tanner said hastily. "I wanted to ask for your advice."
"Yes."
The angle of sight turned quickly. Lieutenant Tanner's face disappeared and Rhodan saw instead one of the small storage rooms up on Deck F just below the northern pole of the ship's sphere.
"Can you see it, sir?" Tanner asked.
Rhodan saw it. A few portable telecom sets were stored in the room for the use of task forces leaving the ship on reconnaissance. The sets were no bigger than a handy transistor radio. They were meticulously stored on shelves.
But one of them had come loose and was hovering in the middle of the room about three feet above the ground.
It was an incredible and unnerving sight. Rhodan covered his eyes with his hand and looked a second time before he trusted his sight.
"Can you explain it, sir?" Tanner asked in a disturbed tone after Rhodan had remained quiet a long time.
"No!" Rhodan replied harshly. "Wait for me! I'll come up!"
Inside the Stardust prevailed an artificially created gravity which was adjusted to normal gravity common to both Arkon and Earth. Rhodan cursed the generators and everything else that was in his way as he was storming along the moving belts in the gangways.
Tanner was standing at the hatch, staring perplexedly at the dented set on the floor in the middle of the room.
"Did it fall down?"
Tanner nodded.
"Yes, sir. Suddenly there was a crash and it was lying there."
Tanner had big frightened eyes.
"It could have been one of the mutants," murmured Rhodan, "but I don't believe it."
Half an hour later he knew for sure. There were three mutants on board with telekinetic powers: Anne Sloane, the nine-year-old Betty Toufry and the Japanese Tama Yokida. Betty and Anne had spent the past half hour reading and Tama Yokida had been busy looking among the accessible records of the Stardust for astronomical catalogues which he could understand with his limited knowledge of Arkonide writing. Tama Yokida was an astronomer.
None of them had demonstrated a flying mini-telecom for Tanner as a practical joke.
Tanner had come on one of his routine inspections to Deck F. Rhodan reflected that Tanner could just as well have arrived at the storage room a few minutes later. Then the incident would either not have been noticed or it would have caused far less commotion.
This realization was not very reassuring. It led to the conclusion that, possibly, similar incidents occurred at other locations in the ship and that they would only be detected if somebody was accidentally at the right spot and used his eyes at the right time.
Rhodan immediately ordered a thorough general inspection of the vessel, which was mainly carried out by robots because they were better equipped than humans to find the slightest irregularities.
The result was:
Two overturned fixtures in the storage room for replacement parts for measuring instruments on upper Deck E, fifteen lamps which had been switched on in various rooms, and a big refrigeration machine, busily producing carbon dioxide nobody needed.
From this last example Rhodan realized that the incidents, which at first seemed only astonishing or perhaps even amusing, could turn into something more dangerous. Whoever tampered with the ship's installations had the means of causing an improvised start of the Stardust or making the generators burnout by overloading them.
Rhodan prepared his countermeasures. The precedent of the pocket telecom seemed to show that the mysterious intruder had telekinetic or hypnotic powers by which he made himself invisible. Rhodan switched on the Stardust's automatic emergency alert and ordered the entire crew to assemble in the mess hall.
Then he sent the mutant Fellmer Lloyd through the empty ship.
Fellmer Lloyd had a unique talent. He was able to recognize the patterns of alien brainwaves. At first one got the impression that Lloyd was a telepath like John Marshall, who could read other people's thoughts. But Lloyd's gift was more of an exact, analytical nature. He could write down from memory what he 'saw'. They were wave patterns which—according to Lloyd's claims—were radiated by the observed brain. Only from the received pattern could he draw his conclusions about the contents of thoughts. He knew the code for deciphering the patterns but could not tell how he acquired it.
Rhodan had called him the 'locator', because he was able to detect alien brains over much greater distances than a telepath.
So the 'locator' marched slowly and with concentrated attention through the ship.
The Stardust was a tremendous vessel. It was divided into six vertical stacked-up decks, four of which were subdivided into upper, middle and lower decks.
There were more than two thousand corridors, not counting small gangways, and a multitude of large, medium and small rooms. Anyone who wanted to peer into each room once would have been kept busy for two months, eight hours every day.
Fellmer Lloyd, however, relied on his capability of detecting brainwave patterns over long distances.
Therefore, Lloyd required no longer than two hours for his inspection. Then he reported to Rhodan that he had found nothing foreign on the vessel and Rhodan concluded that there were, indeed, no extraneous subjects on board.
Rhodan assembled a convoy of three aero-cars. Each vehicle was occupied by five men. The crew was well-armed and had packed provisions for many days. They had to wear protective suits as the atmosphere on Vagabond was too thin for human lungs and the temperatures were too low. The aero-cars were completely enclosed with tiny one-man airlocks.
Rhodan himself took over the command of the small expedition. Major Deringhouse drove the second car and Lieutenant Tanner the third.
Thora did not fail to express her objections to the expedition.
"What do you expect to find?" she needled Rhodan. "Do you believe that invisible enemies have crawled into the desert sand and are waiting for you to dig them out?"
"What do you hope to gain by waiting?" Rhodan countered.
"What do you know! Weren't you the one who, until now, was content to wait more than any of us?"
"That was a little while ago. Now the situation has changed."
"Do you have your secret reasons again?"
Rhodan shook his head.
"No, not this time. Only the feeling that I can find out there what I'm looking for better than in the ship."
Rhodan had already prepared for the expedition by having the vicinity scouted by Deringhouse and two fighter pilots, who had repeatedly flown over the surroundings. They were already familiar with the terrain and had not gained any additional knowledge on their reconnaissance flights. There were a few hills in the northeast, about fifty miles from the vessel, and nothing else but deserts for five hundred miles in every direction.
They had one accident. The thrust of one of the pursuit ships had been shifted— apparently spontaneously—to full power shortly after leaving the northern airlock of the Stardust and the machine had been driven high up beyond the atmosphere. The pilot had attempted to control the engine that had run wild but did not succeed. When he had given up hope, the power regulator returned, just as spontaneously, to normal and permitted the pilot, who was frightened to death, to set a new course.
Otherwise nothing had happened, but this accident worried Rhodan greatly.
Fellmer Lloyd also took part in the expedition. It had been arranged, however, that he could be brought back as quickly as possible to the Stardust if his presence was needed there. The command of the vessel had been taken over by Reginald Bell.
Except for the temperature, which the outside thermometer registered as 5° F., the day on this planet had nothing in common with a day on Earth. The three aero-cars were flying low over the red desert sand and covered the distance of fifty miles to the hills in about half an hour.
The hills stretched across an area of about 100,000 miles. To search such an area would require a week or two. Rhodan questioned whether it was worthwhile to. go through with this task. F
or some reason of which he was not conscious he felt that the solution to this planet's mysteries would be found in these hills.
The day on Vagabond was only twenty-one hours long. The hills were situated on the northern hemisphere between 30° and 40° latitude and, judging from the position of the planet's axis, it was now late summer.
The first investigation of the surface in the foothills did not bring forth anything other than the strange incidents to which the men had gradually become accustomed. The steering of one of the aero-cars suddenly failed to function. The vehicle performed a few capricious gyrations before the man in control recovered from his shock and switched off the engine. The steering remained blocked for another ten minutes, but then could be operated again without trouble.
Rhodan's vehicle was suddenly hit by a rock the size of a football at a spot where his view was obstructed. He was unable to dodge it in time. There was a dull thump as the stone collided with the vehicle's body, but it was built for heavy duty and could not be damaged by a big rock.
They were lucky in the third accident. In the aero-car where Major Deringhouse was in charge, a small but heavy measuring instrument was dislodged from the boxes and struck a man so violently on the head that he was knocked unconscious. Fortunately, Deringhouse reacted instantly so that a crash of the aero-car, which was moving at the moment with a velocity of ninety miles per hour through the air, could be prevented in the nick of time.
Fellmer Lloyd, who carefully tuned in on the surroundings at all times, was unable to notice anything unusual.
At sundown Rhodan set up camp in a flat hollow between three hills, none of which were higher than a hundred feet. The aero-cars were secured and tents were pitched in the hollow. Rhodan assigned watches with great care and impressed on the guards that there was no excuse for not keeping eyes and ears constantly open in this neighborhood and to watch out for the slightest, most insignificant changes.
He consulted with Deringhouse and Lieutenant Tanner about the events of the day after he had made a short but comprehensive report to the Stardust.
Deringhouse declared with emphasis: "In my opinion we have somebody at work here who, firstly, possesses very strong telekinetic powers and, secondly, doesn't welcome us here. He's attempting with a sort of war of nerves to spoil our visit here and to chase us away."
They were sitting in Rhodan's tent. The tent was a product of Arkonide fabrication. It resembled neither in appearance nor in quality any similar tents of Terrestrial origin. It was specially designed for use on worlds with life-forbidding atmospheres. It was airtight and equipped with air generators and purifiers. It also had a small airlock. The walls of the tent consisted of a plastic metal foil made of condensed molecules, which was amazingly thin but could withstand pressures up to a hundred atmospheres.
Rhodan had expected such an interpretation of the incidents.
"I don't fully share your opinion," he replied. "I'd prefer if I could agree with you, because my own conclusions give the whole affair much weirder aspects."
"But put yourself in our adversary's place. He has amazing telekinetic powers—probably more pronounced than our mutants. If he really resents our presence here he could cause us much more trouble than has happened so far.
"What strikes me is the fact that these incidents occur definitely in a statistical manner with reference to the time intervals, seriousness and type of objects. Do you know what I mean? There's no system to it!"
Deringhouse took his time to answer but, after deliberating his reply, did not get chance to say anything, because the entry signal of the little airlock lit up.
Rhodan opened the door.
One of the guards entered. He did not take the time to remove the helmet of his
protective suit. His voice sounded muffled through the vibrating faceplate, although he had to shout to be heard.
"I've observed some movements between the neighboring hills, sir! Some animals apparently."
He now released the lock of his helmet, letting it flip open.
"How many?" Rhodan asked.
"A flock of them, sir. About thirty."
"Okay. We'll be out."
The guard fastened his helmet again and left. Rhodan and the two officers followed him after they had made their protective suits safe for outside.
The guard was posted on the summit of the highest knoll. Of all watches Rhodan had posted, this one had the farthest view. A small plain bordered the foot of the knoll in a northerly direction. The plain reached a few miles to the north and less than a mile to the east.
Before they had set up their camp they had noticed some vegetation on this plain—the first of the flora they had seen since they had landed on Vagabond. Rhodan had to postpone looking at the plants. They wanted to examine them in the morning when they proceeded farther north.
When he reached the top of the hill and the small pit the guard had dug out, he could see with the naked eye and without the aid of infrared binoculars that something moved on the star-lit heath. Deringhouse could make them out better.
He said: "these are...!"
Then he went down on one knee and looked through the binoculars.
"...beavers!" he added. "A horde of overgrown beavers!"
Rhodan watched them through his field glasses. About thirty animals, as the guard had said, sat on their hindfeet, ripped the herbs with their front paws and ate what they had torn off.
Rhodan did not quite agree with Deringhouse's comparison. The thick lower body and the spoon-like tail resembled beavers. But the big round ears and the pointed jaw reminded him more of an oversize mouse. Oversize, because the animal's bodies were three feet long.
They looked harmless but nevertheless...
"Lieutenant Tanner?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Get Lloyd up here!"
Tanner disappeared and returned barely three minutes later with Lloyd in tow.
"Lloyd, take a look at that," Rhodan told him. "see if you can hear anything."
Lloyd lay down on the sand next to Rhodan. Rhodan saw how he focused on the dark mass of the herd of animals for a few seconds. Then he closed his eyes and lowered his head.
It took quite a while till he was certain.
"No, sir," he said finally. "Only confused and senseless patterns as usual with animals. These aren't the beings you're looking for."
Rhodan nodded.
"Thank you, Lloyd. Go back to sleep!"
Together with Deringhouse, Tanner and the guard, he remained for a while on the knoll.
Around midnight—as measured in Vagabond time—Rhodan returned to his tent.
He was in deep thought. The existence of higher forms of life in a world with nothing to offer except aridity, cold and iron oxide, irritated him and made him nervous without admitting it to himself. Moving mechanically he pushed the buttons of the airlock and took off his helmet after the inner door of the airlock had closed behind him.
He thought about asking Khrest's opinion. But what could Khrest know better than he himself. Since the intensive hypno-training he possessed the same knowledge as Khrest and he had more lucidity and better command because he had acquired it in an artificially compressed fashion whereas Khrest's erudition had gradually and organically grown while amassing it in the course of his development.
No, Khrest could not help him. He had to find the answer himself.
He took the case with his infrared binoculars and put it in a small cabinet which was part of the tent's interior installations.
Something disturbed him when he put it there but he did not know what. His thoughts turned again to the matters which preoccupied him and he sat down on the edge of the cot which served as his bed.
He glanced again at the cabinet.
All of a sudden he knew what was wrong.
Before he went outside with Deringhouse and Tanner, he had put the portable telecom at the same place where his binocular case was lying now.
However, it was not there anymore. He jum
ped up and searched the shelves. The cabinet was only two feet high, containing two shelves. But the telecom was on neither one. He searched the pockets of his protective suit, under the bed and in the airlock, but the little set had vanished.
Without taking into account that this might have been another trick of the unknown foe, he ran out to alert the guards. At the moment he was still firmly convinced that somebody had been in his tent and taken the telecom.
He stepped out of the airlock and looked around. It was still quiet in the five tents. A shadow moved at the side of the hill in the south.
"Hey, guard!" Rhodan shouted into the microphone of his helmet.
Just then he received a strong shove in the back.
He tumbled forward and a blue-white flash blinded his surprised eyes. The outside microphone of the helmet picked up the roaring thunder bursting out simultaneously.
He got up rather shakily. He was blinded by the flash and all he could see were colorful dancing rings.
He called for the guards. He had seen one of the sentries on the slope of the southern hill shortly before the explosion. It was only a few yards away. The man should have been here long ago.
When his eyes returned to normal, he saw a crater in the sandy ground, an ugly circular hole about thirty feet in diameter. It was located where his tent had stood a minute ago. Nothing could be seen of the tent anymore.
The two adjacent tents had been hit by strong repercussions. Obviously they had remained tight, since the men now stumbling out in a daze and cursing loudly could not have survived the shock of an implosive decompression.
Presently, chaos and confusion reigned around him. Everybody shouted questions and it required his repeated orders until Rhodan could make himself heard.
"Everybody stay away from the crater!" Rhodan commanded. "there might be some tracks. We'll spend the rest of the night out in the open. Deringhouse, find a suitable spot! It must be at least three hundred feet away from the camp. Guard! Where are the guards?"