by Perry Rhodan
"Too bad we don't know it," His Excellency said gruffly. "Just assume the worst case and give me an estimate."
Wee-Nii began to weigh the possibilities in his mind but no matter how he looked at the venture he arrived at the odds of 100,000 to 1 for the plan and advised Iiy-Juur-Eelie accordingly.
This really irked his Excellency. "Don't you understand," he yelled angrily, "that our existence is in jeopardy? Even if the odds were worse, we must take a chance! Well then?"
Wee-Nii tried to keep his composure and went on to explain: "We'll have to be ready to determine the exact direction of the radio beam the next time they send a message. 900 million kilometers are not too much of a distance and it should be possible to verify whether the base of the fleet is on Feejnee itself or on one of its moons and, if the latter is the case, on which one. As soon as we've obtained this information we can try to manoeuvre our ship in the shadow of Feejnee or its moon to get close to the enemy. This would be the only way. As I said before, I've already given you my judgment for the success."
"Yes, three times already," Iiy-Juur-Eelie growled, annoyed. "Get one of the ships ready for launching; prepare the crews for their mission and take over the weapons you'll receive."
"Weapons?" Wee-Nii asked in amazement.
"Yes, weapons. Or did you think the men will fly to Feejnee just to say hi to the aliens?"
"Are you contemplating an attack, Your Excellency?" Wee-Nii asked with a heavy voice.
His Excellency narrowed his eyes. "I don't know that it's anybody's business what I want to do. The Commander of the ship will receive his instructions from me personally," he said in a hostile tone. "Is that clear?"
Wee-Nii replied with a bow: "Perfectly, Your Excellency."
"Good. Now something else. Did you hear from Sey-Wuun?"
"No, Your Excellency."
"That's strange. What could've happened to him?"
Wee-Nii made an uncertain gesture. "Collision with a meteor, a raid by the primitive settlers..."
"Balderdash! You call them primitive yourself and you profess to believe that they could attack one of our ships successfully?"
"The expression 'primitive settlers' has been first used by Capt. Sey-Wuun, Your Excellency. The idea has been accepted although the degree of primitivity is entirely unknown."
"So what do you propose to do?"
"I have to ask you for a subsidy, Your Excellency," Wee-Nii answered quickly and boldly. "The Spacefleet is no longer in a position to feed itself."
"You can forget about that," Iiy-Juur-Eelie rejoined in an unexpectedly calm tone. "A pound of flour is already worth its weight in Diijeeh pieces and the price is rising all the time. The treasury of the government is empty. They have undertaken this project and will see it through. Send a second ship to Weelie-Wee if the first one fails to return."
Wee-Nii bowed gratefully. "I intended to ask your permission for this, Your Excellency," he said.
"How much longer will the food reserves for the fleet last?" His Excellency questioned.
"Only 200 days," Wee-Nii replied.
"And how long will the roundtrip and loading take the ship?"
"At least 180 days, Your Excellency."
"Then you better get it on the way without delay. I can't stress the fact enough that the treasury has no reserves to supply the fleet. You're compelled to fend for yourself."
Wee-Nii was aware that this 'irreversible' fact would change as soon as the fleet was called upon to proceed against the aliens but he kept his thoughts to himself. Iiy-Juur-Eelie nodded to let him know that the consultation was ended. Wee-Nii rose and left after bowing three times in the prescribed manner.
• • •
The sentry at the north entrance of the airport assured Chellish that no ship would land during the next hour and that it would be safe to drive across the airfield in the aircushion car to get to the Fair Lady.
Chellish glided southward and felt sure that nobody at the northern gate would notice that he headed for the southern exit instead of his ship as the land was already veiled in darkness and the airfield was not illuminated.
The sun had set half an hour earlier but Chellish thought it wiser to arrive at the meeting point in darkness. The mystery person would wait if his business was important enough.
It took Chellish some time to locate the gate in the south as it was not situated straight across from the northern entrance. At the gate stood a high and narrow guardhouse and when Chellish stopped, a Whistler in uniform stepped out. Chellish opened his car window. "I'm a guest of His Excellency," he said curtly and waited till the language converter translated his announcement.
The uniformed guard saluted and stepped back, opening the gate and letting the hissing car pass.
Mullon, who was crouched on the rear seat, looked out the window. "There's not a soul in sight," he muttered.
"I'm not surprised," Chellish replied. "I'd hardly think he would want to talk to us close to the guard."
He turned right and drove along the border of the airfield, proceeding very slowly to give Mullon a chance to search the terrain. However, Mullon had little luck; he saw nothing.
"Oh well, let's try the other side," Chellish suggested.
He turned around in a wide curve to stay out of the sentry's view and steered back to the enclosure of the airfield at the other side of the guardhouse.
"If we don't find him now," Chellish said, "we'll return to the palace."
They had found no trace of the man by the time the guardhouse was visible again. Chellish was afraid they would look suspicious if they kept driving around any longer and he headed back to the gate.
The sentry came out again and bent down to the open car window.
"We lost our way," Chellish said. "We better go back to the north gate to return to the city."
The sentry waited patiently until the translator had finished the answer. Then he uttered a few hissing noises which Chellish took to be his permission to proceed until he heard the translator report: "If you've come to meet somebody, perhaps I can help you."
Chellish looked up in surprise and studied the Whistler who was still standing at his car and bent down to the window. He tried to identify the face of the stranger who had passed the note into his pocket that afternoon. Was it the same face? Were the two men the same person?
These confounded Whistlers! It was so hard to tell them apart. "Oh?" he said cautiously.
"I believe it's difficult for you to recognize people of my race," the sentry replied. "Please have confidence in me although you don't know me. I'm the man who slipped you the note in the bar."
"It doesn't require much confidence," Chellish admitted. "If you know about the note you must be the man who gave it to me, or one of his friends. What can I do for you?"
The Whistler made a waving gesture with his hand. "Do you wish to leave your car at the gate?"
"Not necessarily. Whatever you think."
"Drive around to the side and turn off the air. If the patrol comes by you can do as if you had to fix something."
"Sounds alright," Chellish agreed and reversed the car. He 'choked the air' by switching off the compressor and causing the car to settle in such a slanted position as to make it appear that the motor had broken down right there. Then he got out with Mullon and went back to the gate.
Befitting the proud and self-confident manner of his race, the Whistler showed no embarrassment in beginning the conversation. "You probably have already heard about the insurgents or, as we call ourselves, guerrillas. We're seeking freedom for three billion people. We've learned that you belong to a foreign and powerful race and we would like to request you not to lend your support to the present government."
Chellish listened quietly to the translation and replied: "We don't have as much insight in the prevailing conditions as you seem to believe, my friend. We've been received by Iiy-Juur-Eelie in a friendly manner and have paid no attention to the inner conflicts existing in your world. We h
ave no intention of using our might in the interest of anybody else."
The sentry seemed to feel that it was necessary to explain the background of his movement. "The form of Heeninniy's government has been determined by a constitution. The law provides that the President-King acts as head of state and that a Council of Ministers runs the administration. It's no secret to anyone that the Council of Ministers was bought by Iiy-Juur-Eelie. They make no decision unless he orders them to do so. Neither is there any more opposition in Parliament, since Iiy-Juur-Eelie has decreed a year ago in a special amendment to the constitution that all such opposition is forbidden. Our government was set up to represent the people but in reality it is nothing but a puppet of Iiy-Juur-Eelie and they use the special amendment to commit crimes against all those who are unwilling to knuckle under without a protest. We've dedicated ourselves to fighting this system and if you concede that I'm not lying to you, you'll realize that our battle is just and honorable."
Chellish's mind worked feverishly. What he had heard sounded honest. He was dubious about the plan to create additional unrest on Peep by using the guerrillas but he had to consider the fate of 8000 brethren on Grautier. "What did you have in mind?" Chellish asked. "How can we help you?"
The Whistler uttered a noise which sounded like a sigh. "This is difficult to say," he replied. "Not that we can't use your help but what can strangers like you do without exposing themselves to trouble?"
Chellish offered a suggestion. "Is there a possibility that we continue our contact?"
"Certainly. You probably have already wondered how we know your language and your way of writing. Several of us are also members of the government's Secret Service. We've been able to infiltrate the Service with extraordinary care. Whenever you take one of your trips and request an escort, we can probably arrange that one of our men will go with you."
"Very good. Then we'll need a password for identification."
"Yes. That's simple enough. When our man enters your car he'll say: I hope we're going to have a pleasant trip. Then you'll know who he is."
Chellish smiled. "Fine. Of course we'll need a lot more information if you want us to help you. I assume that your people will be able to secure it for us."
"Of course. We're extremely grateful to you that you're willing to help us and we'll do our best to make the task easier for you."
Chellish deemed it time to end the conversation. He promised the Whistler he would give the matter plenty of thought in order to determine the most effective way in which he could assist the partisans. This seemed to be more than the sentry had expected from their secret understanding and he expressed his thanks effusively, which was unusual for his race.
Chellish and Mullon went back to their car. They started it up and drove back across the landing field to the northern exit without being challenged. They reached the city, which looked even more dismal at night than during the day since all public life was conducted inside the towers, and the streets were dark except for some lighted signs at the street crossings. Chellish drove slowly without saying a word.
Mullon didn't seem to feel the need for conversation either until he suddenly erupted: "I don't like this matter at all, Chellish. The insurgents seem to be honest people. But are we justified in encouraging their fight against their brothers to save our 8,000 Terrans who got into their predicament through their own fault?"
Chellish looked at him with astonishment. "Since when are you so unselfish?" he asked with a touch of irony. "Are you willing to pass up such a good break for us?"
"I don't know what you have in mind," Mullon replied without answering his question directly. "Let's assume that your plan leads to an open revolution. This would mean a lot of bloodshed. Perhaps 100,000 Whistlers might be killed before the revolution triumphs or is suppressed. Do you think it's right to risk the death of 100,000 Whistlers in order to save 8,000 Terrans whose lives are not even threatened, although they feel that their freedom is at stake?"
Chellish nodded gravely. "I've also been pondering the pro and con of this matter," he admitted. "Your scruples are a sign of decent feelings. Yet I believe that your reasoning is wrong. Grautier is an independent state. The Whistlers want to oppress us and they don't have a shred of right to do so. Grautier is defending its liberty. Since it is a weak nation it is in no position to conduct an open war and thus depends on a secret defense by its agents. Grautier can't afford to be choosy as to the conduct of its secret war and it must use every opportunity it gets."
"So you say," Mullon retorted grimly. "But what am I going to do about my troubled conscience? This mission to Peep is beginning to bother me."
• • •
After they returned to the palace Mullon and Chellish were informed that His Excellency had preferred to wait with the dinner till the two most prominent of his guests had come back. His Excellency would consider it an honor, they were told, if his guests would join him in the dining room at a convenient time and suggested half an hour after their return.
Chellish realized that something was up. It was impolite to let O'Bannon and the others wait with hungry stomachs because he and Mullon were absent on some private business. Iiy-Juur-Eelie obviously must have some special reason to insist that all his guests come to eat with him.
As it turned out, he had two reasons. To begin with His Excellency urged his distinguished visitors not to confine themselves to the capital in their endeavor to study life on Heeninniy. "The entire land is at your beck and call," he assured with emphasis. "One of my private machines is at your disposal whenever you wish to take an extensive trip around Heeninniy."
Then he continued to boast of the magnificent sights with which his country abounded and it was unmistakable that he was anxious to induce Chellish and his friends to accept his invitation.
Chellish had a hunch why he pushed the idea. He guessed that Iiy-Juur-Eelie was desperate to get a look at the equipment of the Fair Lady and, above all, to study its propulsion system. Such a long flight would fit into a scheme to keep the aliens away from the ship for a few days and he could even stage an accident to prolong their absence.
Naturally Chellish was not in favor of such shenanigans. Most of all he didn't want to accept the offer before he had a chance to talk to one of the Secret Service agents of the partisans in order to find out if any preparations for an 'accident' had been made.
His hesitance, or so it seemed, only increased Iiy-Juur-Eelie's determination to stick to his guns and to bring up stronger arguments. The second reason why he had assembled all of them at his table was, as he explained: "Apparently your sudden and unexpected appearance has meant a great shock to my people. You must understand that our race has lived for thousands of years in its own world without knowing that other intelligent races of brothers exist in the universe. One day-just at the time when this heretofore-lonely race is about to venture out into space-an alien ship arrives at our shores. The technology of which this spaceship is a product is evidently much superior to our own. The strangers who came in the ship exhibit the manner of travelers who are accustomed to roam every day through space on journeys of many light-years whereas a flight of a few million kilometers is a great adventure for our forlorn race.
"Imagine for a moment how such an isolated people must react to this visit. Our hopes and dreams are disappointed. Psychologists will point out that it is only natural and almost inescapable that our lonesome race will, as a result, build up a resentment against the foreigners."
He looked around with his big bulging eyes as if he wanted to read in the faces of his guests what effect his speech had on them.
"Do you mean to tell us that such a resentment has developed against us?" Chellish inquired.
Iiy-Juur-Eelie made an emphatic affirmative gesture. "Yes. It grieves me greatly to report to you that a rumor has sprung up among my people that you came to Heeninniy to scout our country as the first step of your preparation to conquer us with your fleet."
"Not one word of th
is is true as you well know," Chellish quickly asserted.
Iiy-Juur-Eelie hastened to assure him that he had no part in these groundless accusations and considered them as a despicable affront to his hospitality. "These fabrications have probably been concocted and spread by the illegal opposition," he believed. "But whoever is responsible for it, you could contribute your share for the improvement of the domestic politics of our nation by accepting my suggestion and staying away from the capital for a few days."
Now he had come out with it! Chellish had wondered why Iiy-Juur-Eelie had admitted so frankly that the population of the city was hostile toward the strangers. Undoubtedly it would have been more diplomatic to hide the mood. It was bound to alarm the strangers who had no way of knowing that such resentment existed.
It was clear that Iiy-Juur-Eelie used the information about the unrest among his subjects to make the trip around the planet more palatable to his guests.
"Under the given circumstances maybe it would be best to follow your invitation," Chellish agreed. "We'll think about the excursion and let you know in the morning. Meanwhile we wish to thank you for your kind offer. May I ask a last question?"
"Of course, my friend!"
"What made you think that your people harbor such hostile feelings toward us?"
"We've found handwritten posters at several places in the city which incited the population. They read: CAUTION! THE FOREIGNERS WANT TO SUBJUGATE HEENINNIY!"
• • •
During the same night Sheldrake and Krahl left the Fair Lady to give the Whistlers one more reason to worry about the aliens. They sneaked out of the ship without being seen and began to tear up the ground about 1 kilometer away from the ship. They figured that the spot was approximately at the center of the landing field.
The hole they dug was no more than half a meter deep. They put in a plastic box which was about the size of a medium big suitcase. Then they covered it up with soil again and trampled down the dirt to hide all clues.