by Perry Rhodan
Double-O had to admit that the system was as effective as it was simple. Each of the controllers had a certain plug-in station at the central energy bank. The latter was in contact with the highest levels of the ship, which meant that those above would — notice it immediately if one of the controllers should fail to appear for a recharge.
In Double-O's case nobody had to fear that he would voluntarily absent himself from the energy bank at a recharge period. He hadn't the slightest desire to stand in a corner like a dead unit until a controller found him and took him to the energy center. This is why he always showed up promptly and submitted to a recharge.
Double-O didn't know when he had begun to exist but in his estimate he was older than any other unit of the ship. This, and the recent changes made in him, was the reason why he was on board. He knew more about true and untrue life forms than the commander of the upper echelon. Double-O functioned here as a consultant-adviser but so far he hadn't been given the opportunity to prove himself.
However, shortly before his latest scheduled recharge, something had happened which gave him hopes of being able to help with his knowledge. The lower echelon commander had notified the ship that three alien space vessels had been detected and located. Immediately the commander of the top echelon had cut in and given orders to proceed with a precise investigation.
The results were of an extremely vexatious and repugnant nature. Two of the ships were manned by organics, a life form that still dominated a large part of this galaxy. Although the mere presence of organic substance was bad enough, the incredible fact was revealed that the two ships were fighting each other for possession of the third ship, whose crew was non-organic.
Double-O shared the reaction of everyone else on board. It was for him inconceivable that members of any particular life form should fight against each other. In any case the top-echelon commander had acted as expected. Without hesitation he had issued orders to make all necessary calculations for bringing aid to the non-organic vessel as quickly as possible. It was just at this point in time that Double-O's next recharge came due.
Now he was hurrying to the nearest magnetic lift shaft so that he could get to the closest information station of the lower echelon. En route he encountered one of the controllers.
"Scheduled recharge completed," announced Double-O cautiously, in order not to be delayed by an unnecessary inspection.
The controller slowed his pace but did not stop. Double-O continued onward and arrived at the magnetic lift. He switched into the field and crossed the threshold. When he came out on a lower level, 13 gunners of the lower echelon group hurried past him, their bright blue bodies reflecting the zoning lights.
He nodded with satisfaction. The commander was getting the weapons ready. It was a good sign. He switched on his minus shield to avoid collision with the hurried gunners. The information station was only 20 meters beyond the left exit. Five dark-red phase watchers were loitering about, engaged in a discussion. For Double-O these types were completely superfluous. He had never heard of a case where a phase-transition had not functioned correctly.
In his excitement he forgot to turn off his minus shield when he approached the information point and the phase watchers glided protestingly into the air.
Double-O apologized, turned off the shield and pulled them back to the deck, after which he went to the information station.
The commander was just speaking: "One of the organic ships has taken flight after being badly hit. So we shall only move against one ship. One phase will be enough to bring us within firing range." Double-O switched into the transmission and said hastily. "Double-O reporting after periodic recharge for consultation." His rear lenses revealed that the phase watchers had entered the chamber to hear what he was saying. He waited for an answer.
"Consultation not yet necessary," said the commander. "Will request when needed." Disappointed, Double-O withdrew from the information station. The phase watchers also vacated the place in order to maintain their surveillance of the single phase, which would be needed to reach the two alien ships. Double-O told himself that everything must be done to prevent the organics from making an attack on the unknown robot ship. He extended a roller foot and glided to a phase shelter where he waited for the hyper jump.
• • •
The smooth manner in which the takeover of the Hat-Lete had proceeded so far was somewhat disturbing to Teluf. The major was not a superstitious man but long experience had taught him that to a certain extent small problems had a way of concealing possibly larger difficulties behind them. When nothing happened, as in this case, one always waited instinctively for the unexpected. The repulsion of the Springers had been practically by the book. There was nothing to indicate that anything would change in rolling up that operation.
The Frisco had matched its velocity precisely to that of the robot ship and was drifting alongside the heavy cruiser at a distance of about 10 meters.
Several magnetic cables had already tied the two ships to each other so that it looked as if the considerably smaller vessel was being towed by the other. Of course this was an illusion because in the empty void it wasn't size that mattered but only the accelerative capacity of a given body.
Teluf turned to Lt. Bottischer who had already put on his spacesuit and was looking expectantly at the major through his faceplate. The lieutenant was a tall, heavily built man. A lock of straw-blond hair was always dangling down on his forehead. Being the exact opposite of Galahad, he always appeared to be calm and unemotional, almost to the point of being phlegmatic. Everything he did was carried out with the most inimitable composure.
"You know what you have to do," said Teluf. "You will cross over with your men and check out the robot ship. Find out if it's still capable of making its own transitions. Look for any possible damage and try to discover what the Springers were doing on board."
"Yes, sir," Bottischer confirmed.
He nodded to his three companions and went with them as they all exited the Control Central. Galahad watched them go, enviously.
Teluf could not rid himself of a peculiar presentiment. He shook his head visibly without being aware of it. At this stage, actually nothing could go wrong. The gentle humming of the Trox penetrated his consciousness and he smiled to himself. Apparently Tonrim was waiting impatiently for a conclusion to this action so that he could soon get to another planet.
The loudspeaker crackled as Bottischer's calm voice was heard. "We are going outside, sir."
"Watch that first step!" said Galahad sarcastically. His hands nervously fingered the microphone.
After a while, Bottischer spoke again. "Now we are across, sir." Teluf leaned over Galahad and said drily. "In with you, Lieutenant!" Later Bottischer claimed that he would have replied to the order but just as he was starting to speak he was drowned out by a loud shout from Ikaze. The Japanese operator had just taken over his post at the space scanners.
"A ship!" he cried out. "A spaceship, sir!" Almost at the same instant Teluf felt the tension leave him. It evaporated like a cloud. Ikaze's round face was tense with excitement. The indicators of the mass sensors were going mad. Teluf was at the console in two steps and one glance was enough for him.
"It didn't produce the slightest warp shock, sir!" blurted out the Japanese operator. "And yet there's no doubt that it came out of hyperspace!"
"What a contraption!" Galahad interjected. "It looks like something from a madman's nightmare!"
The form of the sudden apparition was grotesque. Outwardly it was like a tremendous cube with a countless number of protuberances. Each side measured about 2,000 meters, which meant that it was a giant among the giants. Teluf's thought's raced feverishly. The approach of the alien meant that it had taken an interest in what was going on here.
"There was a similar ship," he said. "Maybe the same one that destroyed our space station, BOB 21. I remember the report very well. That's known as a fragment ship."
"Do you think it will attack us, s
ir?" asked Ikaze.
"I hope not. In any case I'm going to call back the boarding crew and we'll pull away from the Hat-Lete." A moment later he added: "Toss, put all battle stations on emergency alert." Galahad hurried away to take personal command of the defenses. The major tore his gaze from the eerie-looking nemesis on the screen. His premonition had not been false here was the unforeseen incident after all. The singsong humming of the Trox had stopped. Tonrim seemed to realize that they were now in a dangerous situation. A shudder ran through Teluf when he thought that the Gargantuan ship might open fire.
"Bottischer!" he called into the microphone. "Bring your men back here on the double. We have some unwelcome company."
"Coming, Sir," replied the lieutenant, as unmoved as ever.
It was a mystery to Teluf how the fragment ship could come out of a transition without producing the usual warp shock that was typical of standard Terran and Arkonide ships. This must be an entirely different system of hyperspace travel. A race who built such weird-looking ships might possibly use other sources of energy, and to them the conventional form of transition could be archaic or feeble.
Suddenly Teluf had an idea. He turned to Tonrim who had apparently become intimidated and hovered in a corner, staring at the proceedings with one big frightened red eye.
"Can you remember ever having seen such a ship, or are there any reports among your people of such a space vessel as that?" asked the major.
"No, never," asserted the Trox fearfully.
Teluf was inclined to believe the fragile creature because certainly the Trox would have shown less fear if he had ever been on a fragment ship.
"We're back in the airlock, sir," announced Bottischer. "Is our visitor so big that we have to make a retreat?"
"It looks that way," said Teluf grimly. "In any case, we're going to have to—" He didn't finish the sentence because he was lifted off his feet and slammed straight across the Control Central. The first raybeam salvo had overloaded the Frisco's absorption screens and they had collapsed. Apparently the fragment ship had fired off a full broadside. The magnetic cables between the Hat-Lete and the Terran ship were torn asunder. The light cruiser moved swiftly away from the robot ship.
Teluf had struck his head against the indicator console and had to fight to retain consciousness. Suddenly the main lights gave out and only the viewscreens and oscilloscopes furnished a faint illumination in the Control Central. The major used both arms to pull himself up while his head roared with pain.
Somewhere a man began to moan and he could hear some of the others crawling around on the floor.
The Trox whimpered softly but in the dim light it was impossible to see his spindly form. On trembling legs, Teluf groped his way toward the emergency light switches. Another salvo like that and the Frisco would be splintered in two or more pieces. The major had never been this close to death before in his life. He had always wondered what he would feel like in such a moment as this but now that it had come he didn't have time to think about it.
"Two engines gone!" shouted an excited voice.
That made them practically a sitting duck because they wouldn't get far with the three remaining engines. Teluf reached the emergency lights and turned them on. Ikaze, Van Holden and Drescher were already on their feet.
Galahad came storming into the room with an anxious look on his face. He helped Gerschinslij to his feet and turned to Teluf, who was taking in the scene with tight pressed lips.
"We didn't have any time to answer their fire, sir," he reported. "The forward guns have been completely destroyed." It jolted Teluf out of his fog. He ascertained that the ship's inner communications hadn't been knocked out. They could try to get away with their remaining engines which might keep the enemy from continuing its fiery attack.
Teluf thought fleetingly of his wife who at the time was taking a vacation on Sejatan to recuperate from the rawer climate of Earth. The Sejatans were a hardy humanoid race who carried on trade relations with the Solar Imperium. The major sighed.
Before he could issue his orders the ship was shaken by an explosion somewhere in its interior. Now even the emergency lights went out and even some of the indicators ceased to function.
"That does it!" cried Galahad.
Teluf was ready to make an angry retort because he did not intend to give up, but he controlled himself. As long as the Frisco still had a spark of life they would fight for their ship.
He heard someone enter the Control Central and at once he heard the calm voice of Lt. Bottischer. "Sir, the ship is on fire."
• • •
The buzzer told Double-O that the phase had terminated. He emerged from the shelter. Leisurely he moved back to the information center. The commander would not give the firing order immediately. First he would thoroughly observe the two ships. Double-O recognized the urgency of their fundamental assignment to destroy all organic life. Although this form of existence had mostly been found to be incapable of offering any resistance to speak of and usually seemed to be frail and feeble, still they had repeatedly run into trouble with them. Many of these strange creatures could put up a bitter defense. In addition to that, many of these organics reproduced themselves at an unbelievable rate.
Double-O reached the information station and entered it. This time the picture transmission had been turned on so that the relative positions of the other two ships could be observed. The larger of the two was the robot ship and it was a mystery why it permitted itself to be pestered like this by the organically-manned vessel. Why didn't the mechanical crew defend itself against this monstrous invasion?
Double-O felt that it was urgently necessary now that he should be called quickly into consultation. In his zeal the commander was overlooking important points that he, Double-O, could bring to his attention. It almost seemed as if there were some aversion to him on board the ship because he was a recharger.
He became aware of the hard voices of the gunners who were in the weapon turrets, calling out their target settings. The phase watchers had finished their work and had followed him into the information station. He regarded them distrustfully. The picture on the screen changed over to the commander who had connected himself to all communication channels. His eccentric form appeared to be lifeless and he had closed all his optics. As a precaution a number of messenger units from the lower levels had assembled around the commander so that they could take over immediately in case any of the communications lines should fail.
Distractedly, Double-O observed the commander's polished breastplate.
Compared to his own it was a priceless jewel. The recharger who was only an adviser glanced briefly at the dull metal plate on his own chest. Yet he felt no envy in spite of his admiration of the commander's appearance. The gunners were humming and buzzing now, which was the best sign that their energy capacities were at a bursting point of high tension.
The commander was calling to the individual turrets to inquire as to their readiness. Just then the picture on the screen changed to reveal the inside of a gun tower where Double-O saw one of the bright blue gunners take his position.
The commander directed a final adjustment of the target settings, and then the picture switched to the two alien ships. Double-O realized that the combined shots would have to be made with an unheard of precision in order not to damage the robot ship.
One of the phase watchers shoved him slightly to one side and he reluctantly withdrew into a corner.
"Attention!" called the commander, who became visible for the fraction of a second. "All manned turrets engage!" Double-O had a vivid vision of the gunners who would now throw themselves forward into their positions, their bluish bodies moving like lightning. Was there any greater perfection than this mechanical coordination?
"Fire!" came the commander's voice.
Twenty-eight of a total of 87 gun turrets opened fire on the much smaller opponent. The heavily-laden beams cut through the black void with a fantastic speed, making a lacework of light acro
ss the darkness. The enemy ship was hit and torn away from the robot cruiser. It drifted away helplessly without offering any counter fire.
Double-O took in the spectacle with great satisfaction. Once more the superiority of the true life form was demonstrated.
"Cease fire!" ordered the commander.
Double-O hoped the time had come now when he would be called in for consultation. He left the information point and glided away on his roller feet.
• • •
Bottischer knew that Major Teluf didn't need advice from his subordinates to know how to handle a situation, so he had withdrawn from the Control Central immediately after giving his report. And as expected, Teluf took action at once.
Alarm sirens began to howl while the major ordered that all bulkhead doors should be sealed off. Bottischer turned on the lamp of his spacesuit, which he was still wearing and which had evidently saved his life.
He had to get back to his men who were fighting the fire that had broken out.
Sooner or later the flames would smother for lack of oxygen but by then it could be too late. The lieutenant ran along the cabin passageway and an irregular flicker of light passed over him as he went by the small observatory. Maybe flames were already coming up through the antigrav shaft. When he reached the shaft opening he saw the fire raging just a few meters below him. He wondered how a steel structure could continue to feed the flames. Below, through the holocaust, he could see the rest of his boarding crew. In their suits and in the flickering light they looked like distorted gnomes.
Bottischer threw himself into the shaft, risking his neck in the process because it was questionable whether or not the lift was still functioning. But he was lucky and landed on the lower level all in one piece.
The automatic extinguishers were in operation and the men were also battling the flames with hand extinguishers. The lieutenant realized that the lift shaft would soon have to be closed off because the draft of oxygen from lower levels was strong enough to keep fanning the fire back to life. Besides, it was senseless to continue this planless struggle.