by Perry Rhodan
His friend's posture struck Rhodan as being so absurd that he completely forgot his anger and started bellowing with laughter. Bell's eyes, shut tight in ecstasy till this moment, opened slowly. He realized how silly he must look. And that in the presence of Redkens, who was still leaning against the wall, stammering over and over again: "An autograph! How I would have liked to get an autograph from her!"
"Oh, shut up, Redkens! That woman could never have given you an autograph—it was nothing but a ghost," Bell reprimanded the young fellow.
Since Redkens had not been along on the initial trip to the Planet of Eternal Life, he knew nothing of the strange incomprehensible jokes the Immortal was so fond of playing on those who had come in search of It.
"A ghost? But I certainly know Rallas when I see her..."
"It might just as well have been Columbus," interjected Rhodan. "But Columbus wouldn't have scared me as much as that... what was the lady's name?"
"Rallas—the ravishing Rallas!" moaned a very disappointed Redkens. "How could she have been a ghost if she had a real live body?"
"It can accomplish anything It wants to do," Bell enlightened him. He had gradually overcome his shock, once he understood who had fooled him with this illusion. "Out of our imagination It creates concretized illusions. They are nothing but our materialized thoughts. Rhodan's subconscious mind contained the memory of this one particular film with the film star Rallas—this was enough for the Immortal to form an exact imitation of her and have her materialize right here in our ship. It's quite simple—though I must admit to having been tricked by the apparition for a moment."
"That was quite a lengthy moment" observed Rhodan, "in case you weren't aware of what was going..." Rhodan fell silent in mid-sentence. There was suddenly a voice in his brain—the soundless telepathic voice of It the Immortal.
"Hello, old friend,"It said. "You have come to visit me? Oh, I see you have important reasons for this visit. Well, we should have a longer talk about all this. Keep the same course as before, also the same speed. In exactly three minutes you will hit Wanderer's protective screen. Shut off the engines."
Rhodan awaited further instructions but they never came.
He looked at Bell. "Did you just hear a voice?"
"No. Did you?"
Then Rhodan realized that It had spoken to him alone. And as strange as it might seem, this time It appeared to make it a point to speak to Rhodan as soon as possible. The fact that It had given Wanderer's exact position directly to Rhodan seemed to be an indication of It's decision.
"Shut off the engines!" ordered Rhodan. "Bell, alert the crew to be prepared for tremendous sudden deceleration. Despite our gravitational fields we should experience a considerable jolt. In three minutes we'll hit the energy field of Wanderer. This will act as brakes for us. And then..."
Somebody was laughing. It was Redkens. The young cadet was still standing at the same spot as before, leaning against the wall. But now he was holding a postcard size photo in his hand. He kept staring at it, laughing so hard that the tears welled up in his eyes.
Bell walked over to him and took the picture. He examined it for barely a second before he, too, burst out laughing. Then without as much as saying a word he passed the photo on to Rhodan. Rhodan glanced at it and saw an excellent color print of the lady, who just a few minutes earlier had squashed him so energetically against her breast. The picture bore an inscription in a delicate handwriting: "To my faithful admirer Redkens with best wishes from your friend Stella."
• • •
The Springers' spaceships had been constructed according to Arkonide principles though most did not resemble each other. All the flagships of each of the clans' fleets had been equipped with structure sensors which registered and announced every concussion occurring in the space-time structure. The sensors had been coupled to a group of instruments that not only could almost pinpoint the exact location but also calculate the distance covered by any object causing such a space rupture. Thus it was not particularly surprising when Topthor and his fleet returned to normal space hardly five light-hours away from Rhodan's Stardust.
Topthor soon arrived at the same conclusion as Rhodan before him: within a radius of 50 light-years there was not a single larger chunk of matter—apart from the quickly located Stardust, of course. His face all puckered up in anger, Topthor stared at the videoscreen. From another screen close by could be seen the fairly calm-looking mien of Grogham. "So where is your marvelous fairy tale planet, Topthor?"
The leader of the Mounders remained imperturbable despite the anger he felt inside. His eyes remained fixed on the screen; not for a fraction of a second did he dare take his eyes off the Stardust. He didn't want to risk letting that ship out of sight nor lose instrument contact with it.
"Do you really think, Grogham, that we'd find that ship right in front of us? I'm sure there are appropriate precautionary measures, and if I'm not mistaken..."
He fell silent suddenly.
On the main videoscreen where the Stardust could be seen, something strange was taking place. The Stardust was a gigantic sphere with a diameter of 2,400 feet and now one of its hemispheres began to disappear. The observers were under the impression that over there, just five light-hours away, a lunar eclipse was in progress. All went very fast. One half of the Stardust vanished within the course of two seconds, while the rest took about 10 seconds. Apparently this vanishing act slowed down toward the end.
Topthor was at a loss how to explain this phenomenon. "Damn it, that wasn't a normal transition," he said somewhat bewildered. "There was no space rupture, no disturbance in the continuum. Something simply—devoured Rhodan's ship."
"Devoured?" stammered Grogham. His face grew pale. "What do you mean by that?"
A full alert signal spread instantly throughout Topthor's craft. The fleet set out on a miniature leap across five light-hours. When the ships rematerialized, they found space all empty around them. Their instruments showed nothing whatsoever within a radius of 50 light-years. Therefore, the Stardust had become nonexistent, although this was totally impossible. Matter can be rendered invisible, if need be, but it cannot be made to vanish without a trace. At least not without a normal transition which would undoubtedly have been registered by the instruments.
Where had the Stardust gone?
Topthor found no answer to his question and for the first time he was confronted by an unsolved problem. Actually, even, by an unsolvable problem. Over a distance of more than 1,500 light-years he had been able to pursue Rhodan—and now all of a sudden this Earthling had vanished into an absolute void. There was something fishy going on here!
Grogham spoke up: "Since he disappeared at this spot here, he'll return to the same place. All we need is enough patience to wait till then."
"That's what I thought myself," mumbled Topthor angrily. "Be prepared for a long wait—but we have lots of time."
"May I let the crew have a rest period?" asked Grogham.
Topthor nodded his head in agreement. "Yes. Also pass on the order to the captains of the other ships. A full sleep period for the crew. I don't believe there will be anything happening for a few hours at least."
Topthor was quite wrong in such an assumption. But how could he have had any inkling that his men would not even have the time to fall asleep?
2/ To Distant Barkon!
The Stardust was racing with half the speed of light into the bell-shaped protective energy field of the artificial planet Wanderer. From one second to the next the speedometers fell to zero.
Despite all the activated neutralization fields their entry was accompanied by a sharp jolt throughout the entire ship. Everyone who had not fastened their safety belts was knocked about. Fortunately, Rhodan had foreseen such an eventuality and had ordered the necessary safety precautions so that no one was actually injured.
During the course of 12 seconds the Stardust was penetrating and passing through the artificial sky of Wanderer—and then the planet lay
before their eyes.
It was a world of wonder. It contained all that could be found on any of the inhabited planets of the galaxy. Gently undulating landscapes with meandering streams alternated with wide oceans dotted with picturesque island groups. The continents were covered with park-like forests. In between stretched giant steppes which were inhabited by the oddest creatures. Steep mountain ranges created a change in the scenery and introduced an element of welcome diversity. Prehistoric winged dragons soared through the skies with staggered flight patterns.
It was a world close to paradise.
But it was not a normal world. It was a flat world. The planet Wanderer was not a genuine planet but rather a giant disk with a diameter of almost 4000 miles. Above this world arched an energy bell with an artificial atomic sun fixed at its highest point. This sun gave warmth, light and life to this peculiar world.
This world was visible only to one inside this energy dome. Even at the slightest distance it became not only invisible but also nonexistent. This world was in another time plane and could not be located even by the most sensitive instruments.
Rhodan pushed a button. The metal plates in front of the window hatches slid aside. When Rhodan arrived at the observation dome of the spacesphere, Bell was already there to greet him. Filled anew by the unfathomable wonders of the Immortal, touched to the depth of their souls, the two friends stood there silently, admiring the panorama of the idyllic world as it unfolded below.
"Do you like it, Perry?"
The voice of the mysterious Immortal was suddenly clearly audible inside the room. It seemed as if It had talked to them not by telepathy but in a real voice. Rhodan smiled calmly. "It is such a wonderful and peaceful planet, old friend. You have created a paradise for yourself which should be the envy of every mortal being—"
"Not only the mortal ones but the immortal ones envy me for my creation,"It giggled in amusement. "You have come to visit me?"
"I have come to ask a favor of you," confessed Rhodan, still gazing down on the fairy tale landscape. "You must know what I want from you."
"I haven't the faintest idea,"It lied. "How should I know what your wishes are? I'm not prying into the innermost secrets of my friends."
"You're less than truthful!" protested Bell, who was thinking of the beautiful Rallas who had so abruptly been removed from his arms. "I can prove..."
"Ah, our friend Bell," said the invisible speaker. "You were annoyed by the pretty imitation? Well, we'll give you a treat! I'll smuggle her into your cabin tonight..."
"Don't you dare!" roared Bell, very scared, fearing less the amorous Rallas than the derisive laughter of his crew. His ruddy cheeks had grown conspicuously pale. They turned a chalky white at the sound of It's roaring laughter. It was everywhere and was therefore able to see Bell's frightened face.
"Beautiful women are so much more interesting than Indians or Wild West gunfighters," said the voice in amusement. It was hinting at the mirages which It had used during Rhodan's first visit in order to keep the Earthlings away from their goal. "By the way, Perry, keep on the same course. Land again near the machine city. It has hardly changed and you will easily find again the great hall where I shall be waiting for you. Homunk will guide you."
Rhodan was astonished. "How do you know what I used to call that robot?"
"But my dear friend, Homunk isn't a robot at all. He is a Terranian that I created—you might call it—from surplus matter. I liked him, that's why I let him continue to exist. Meanwhile he has become much cleverer—he's looking forward to your visit."
Well," asked Rhodan, "haven't you any more surprises in store for us? No tests, no riddles to solve?"
"No, why should I? I'll have all the fun I could only want."
The voice grew silent and it was to Rhodan and Bell as if an invisible person had left the room. Some undefinable something seemed to be receding from them. It was withdrawing and left them alone.
Bell drew a deep breath. "It's uncanny. I'll probably never get used to the idea that such a creature really exists. It is a magician—It has created the whole world down there from the void according to It's own designs. It has transported living beings from other planets and from other times. It is almighty."
Rhodan shook his head in a slight reprimand. "No, Reg,It is nothing but a being that has resulted from the amalgamation of an entire race and therefore possesses its entire knowledge. You might say It's powers border that of a God but it has more humor—and don't forget that this humor came about merely because of boredom. All truly immortal ones suffer from boredom."
"I'd never suffer from boredom if I were to live 10,000 years," Bell asserted flatly. "There will always be new events that will distract you and make you forget that you have too much time at your disposal. There will always be new adventures that will chase away all boredom."
"Mortals will never be able to imagine what the life of a truly immortal creature is like, Reg. I've tried, believe me, even though I haven't become genuinely immortal. My body periodically requires the life-prolonging biological cell shower—and if some day I'm unable to obtain it, the aging process of my body will resume again. Nevertheless I have given it much thought, what it is like not to grow old. At first I was overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling of happiness and thought I'd be rid of all worries forever. But this was just for a short moment. Then I realized how long an eternity lasts. Around me the eternal cycle of birth and death will take place but I shall remain unchanged and untouched by events. Mankind could start considering me to be godlike—and this would be the beginning of eternal solitude."
"But you'd have companions just as immortal as yourself."
"Sure, I'd have these companions. But wouldn't we grow tired of each other's company if we had to see each other forever?"
Bell did not reply. It would have seemed too sentimental at this moment to assure Rhodan that he could put up with his presence for all eternity without growing tired of it. He looked down at the slowly changing panorama of the world as they flew over it. The engines of the Stardust were humming softly. The blue-golden sky stretched above them, illuminated by the glow of the atomic sun. Once this sun would burn out, the artificial stars of an alien and unknown galaxy would start to shine—a galaxy that might have been the original home of the Immortal. Millions of years ago the ships of It's long since vanished yet still existing race might have crossed the great abyss in order to find a new home in this galaxy. It had never discussed It's past but perhaps some day soon this great secret might be revealed.
Rhodan, too, was silently gazing down at the planet. They were just flying over an ocean whose mirror-like surface was glittering in the sun. Not the slightest wind ruffled the smooth surface of the water. Some islands appeared on the far horizon.
"Which worlds might have served It as a model for this lovely paradise?" wondered Bell out loud. "Occasionally I imagine I find some traces of our own good old Earth."
"I'm inclined to agree with you, Reggie," said Rhodan and pointed ahead. "Those islands down there—they remind me of our South Sea islands. And remember, during our first visit. we saw an exact replica of the North American Rocky Mountains."
Suddenly It's voice filled the room again. It must have listened in to their conversation and have understood every single word.
"You are wrong, old friend. These are never imitations—nor was Stella Rallas an imitation in the proper sense of the word. True, her body remained on Terra, your home planet. But her spirit was given here a new body and thus she herself was actually present. The same object can exist thousandfold if it can be transposed into that many different timeplanes. Those islands down there, they are indeed islands from Earth. But they do not exist at this moment on Earth; they did so millions of years ago. You will be able to see that with your own eyes if you set foot on them. The vegetation of these islands is not of the present time but that of an age long gone by."
"I see," said Rhodan, "we are dealing here with two different types of mir
ages. That woman bodily remained on Earth but not those islands."
"That's right; that's the way it is. And I must confess—I was listening in on your conversation from the beginning—your discussion of the psychological problems connected with immortality is very interesting for me. Although I have solved all those problems and am well acquainted with every aspect of boredom I still cannot really get used to it. Sometimes I wish I would die—I'm convinced it will come to that some day. However, that day has not arrived yet."
Rhodan smiled. "You sound almost depressed, old friend. Where's your sense of humor?"
"Humor need not always express itself in the form of laughter. The fact alone that I granted your friend Bell the gift of life prolongation is proof of my boundless sense of humor. Why else would an Immortal permit this funny looking Earthling to survive any longer than nature had intended unless It had a tremendous sense of humor?"
Bell's red hair bristles stood on end and made him resemble a fighting mad porcupine. Rhodan grinned. "How right you are. But you have mortally insulted our good friend Bell here..."
"That's what's so funny about it all,"It giggled. "How can one mortally insult a relatively immortal person?"
"I fail to see the joke," replied a sullen Bell. "And that incident with Rallas—what was so funny about that?"
"Sorry,"It announced highly pleased, "you'll never know for you lack a true sense of humor."
Bell made a face but kept silent.
Rhodan observed that they were approaching the continent which harbored the huge hall where It resided. Not much longer and the city must appear in view.
"Is it the same as it was before?" asked Rhodan, firmly convinced that the Immortal was constantly keeping his thoughts under surveillance. "Will I find it without any difficulties?"
"What?"
Rhodan was so perplexed that he let a few seconds pass before he answered: "The city—what else?"
"Forgive me," It said in a conciliatory tone. But Rhodan thought he heard a trace of sarcasm in that voice. "I was just watching the death of a solar system—more than 200,000 light-years removed from here. Millions of years ago, this solar system drifted out of its galaxy and the inhabitants of the second planet tried to detach their world from the sun in order to transfer it to another solar system. But their planet turned into a supernova. Now that system has two suns—but no more inhabitants."