Caves of the Druufs

by Perry Rhodan

  Not that Conrad Deringhouse was planning to circumnavigate Roland. That would have been the likeliest way to be discovered by the Druufs. The Gazelle flew a short stretch in orbit for orientation following the specifications received from Ernst Ellert and then plummeted vertically into the dense methane-ammonia atmosphere. Before the plunge the speed had been further reduced. It had to be prevented that the air molecules, when rebounding from the Gazelle's protective energy field, become ionized and thus stimulated to glow—an effect so distinct in atmospheres of some density at velocities over 15 Mach that it could be seen over vast distances.

  The men on board the Gazelle—or rather, the two men and the mouse-beaver—squandered no attention on the peculiar surface configurations of the planet and its surrealistic combination of colors. They knew all too well what they were participating in and curiously enough, even Pucky was completely aware of the seriousness of the situation. Earth, mankind and the Solar Empire stood and fell with Perry Rhodan. For a few days Perry Rhodan had been considered dead. A few days had been enough to plunge the Earth into discord and confusion. A few weeks would suffice to place it at the mercy of the thrust of the Arkonide Empire.

  But Perry Rhodan was still alive—at least that was what Conrad Deringhouse believed—and no greater service could be rendered mankind than to find him, liberate him from imprisonment and bring him back to Earth.

  Deringhouse had sunk the Gazelle to a ground altitude of less than 100 meters and was approaching the site of the Druuf base from what must be the east as defined by Ernst Ellert. Deringhouse did not intend to land the spaceship directly in front of the entrance to the base. He thought it advisable to conceal the Gazelle somewhere and send out Ras Tschubai, the teleporter, to reconnoiter the subterranean installation. Pucky's assignment would be to establish telepathic contact with the mutant, Fellmer Lloyd—whereby it was still no more than a plausible assumption that the four prisoners of the Druufs were really the four men who had remained on the dying base of Grautier.

  If Ernst Ellert's directions were correct, then the entrance to the base was located on an endless expanse of rocky plain armed with scattered monolithic rock-needles. Near the place that Deringhouse took to be their destination, he could make out a small lake, its water glistening red. Ellert had not mentioned this lake. Deringhouse became doubtful that Ellert's specifications had been accurate enough.

  Skimming the plain and skilfully skirting the monoliths, the Gazelle approached the red lake. Deringhouse had reduced flight altitude to five meters. He was almost certain that none of the usual tracking devices could register them at that depth.

  About 10 kilometers away from the lake Deringhouse finally stopped the ship. Manoeuvring it into the partial shade of one rock-needle he sank the Gazelle to the ground and let the propulsion idle as it was conceivable that he would suddenly need it in the course of the coming hours.

  Now that they were at their destination, or at least in its proximity, and no longer had to watch for any trace of the Druufs, they began to take in the strange sight of the methane world. They stared at the panorama screen and slowly the sensation of the passage of time began to fade. The tension that had filled them gave way to a dreamlike tranquility.

  Conrad Deringhouse felt the dangerous weariness that was spreading through his body. Startled and amazed he tore his gaze away from the screen and looked around at Ras Tschubai. "Hey, Ras," he called. "Don't fall asleep!"

  The African shuddered. Deringhouse could see that Tschubai had undergone the same experience he had. It seemed evident that the sight of the colorful rocky plain engendered a drowsy, hypnotic state. Was it natural? Did the color and form combination have that effect on human beings? Or had the Druufs installed a hypnotic weapon and were they lulling their opponents to sleep?

  "Get going, Ras!" Deringhouse ordered. "Just take a chance and jump. You know that nothing can harm you if you land on a spot where there's solid or fluid matter. Look straight down. Should you by chance emerge in a passage or cavern chamber, take note of the location and report back to us. Understand?"

  Ras Tschubai nodded. He stood up from his cushioned chair, took a few sideward steps and shut his eyes. One could not see how difficult it was for him to prepare himself for a teleportation jump to a place he had never seen before and could not envision.

  Deringhouse watched the teleporter. He saw the outline of his body suddenly begin to vanish. But before it had completely disappeared, it reappeared and solidified to its usual clarity.

  Large beads of perspiration were gleaming on Tschabai's forehead. He opened his eyes. "Nothing," he softly said in a tired voice. "Apparently I landed in the middle of some rocks. But close nearby there must be a hollow. I could feel it."

  Deringhouse nodded patiently. "Good. Try it again when you feel up to it!"

  Tschubai rested for awhile then made a second attempt. He shut his eyes and tried to see the place he wanted to reach through the darkness behind his eyelids. Of course it was a purely imaginary picture, as he did not know the place. But even this imaginary picture served to activate the extra section of his mutated brain at the desired moment and to trigger the teleportation.

  Ras Tschubai jumped.

  The first thing he experienced was a baffling feeling, as if several hundred pounds were resting on him. He had to press against this weight in order to even get on his feet, which took a great effort. He realized that it was nothing more than the high Roland gravitation that created that feeling and proceeded to turn on the antigrav generator of his suit. All in all he needed five seconds to recover from the gravitation shock, to determine that he had arrived in a subterranean passage fitted with conveyer strips and to reach out his hand towards the generator switch.

  What followed happened fast, too. Ras Tschubai was delivered a heavy blow on the back. He whirled, staggered and felt a scorching, biting pain rip through his body. He collapsed and lost consciousness. The last thing he saw was the nightmarish figure of a Druuf looming three meters tall farther back in the passageway, his weapon aimed at Tschubai.

  • • •

  "They are less than 50 meters away," Fellmer Lloyd gasped. "The robots could be even closer than that!"

  It seemed as if the lead the fugitives had gained because of the slow specific time of the Druufs would not suffice to reveal the mechanism of the door. Their hands had probed the wall thoroughly from top to bottom, right to left and twice diagonally. They had pressed the coarse synthetic gloves on every conceivable point of the rock but it did not budge.

  Fifty meters—that was barely more than the accurate range of a shock raygun. Perry Rhodan hunched over and tensed his muscles in order to resist the hard blow that would have to come any second.

  In his helmet receiver he heard the mutant panting. It was a tremendous strain for Lloyd to hold the alien thought patterns under constant surveillance.

  "Forty meters to go," he gasped. "My God... they'll start shooting any time now. The robots must be getting closer."

  Nothing could be seen. The uniform lighting turned the back of the passage into a bright, contourless spot of light. From time to time a spark flickered bright in the midst of the light, a reflection off one of the metal bodies of the robots.

  Six hands groped across the stones unceasingly, as Fellmer Lloyd stood to one side and concentrated on the Druufs. Six hands gliding aimlessly from place to place, seeking the secret location of the opening mechanism. Two of the six hands suddenly sank in discouragement. Somebody uttered a hoarse curse and kicked the wall with all his might.

  And the door opened!

  All at once a new passageway lay before them. Under the door the conveyer strips gently inclined and continued upward.

  The passageway was on a slope. It was not hard to imagine that somewhere towards the front it would lead back to the surface of the planet.

  Perry Rhodan hesitated. That was not what they had planned! They had intended to find a transmitter and contact Hades. It was completely
nonsensical to think that the Druufs might have erected the transmitter up above on the rocky plain.

  But they had no choice. They were compelled to follow the passage! At any second a Druuf or their robots might open fire, and if Reginald Bell, who had just barely recovered from the first shock, were to receive a second, he would never again stay on his feet.

  "Go!" rasped Perry Rhodan. One word only, yet it contained more rage and determination than others could have expressed with an entire sentence.

  They stepped on the conveyer, Reginald Bell in the lead, and rode into the newly discovered passage section. Fellmer Lloyd was at the end. He had hardly passed the stony doorway when it moved for the second time and closed, although none of the four had touched it.

  The same gravitation prevailed in the passageway as it had farther back: Druufon gravity of 1.95-normal. The passage was illuminated in the same manner as the others they had been in. They could not see any farther than 20 or 30 meters.

  Perry Rhodan's thoughts raced wildly. He found the latest development disquieting. The Druufs only had to open the rock door and resume their pursuit. Thus far they had achieved nothing more than more headway by walking on the moving conveyer. The faster they moved, the sooner they would reach the end of the passage and the exit to the upper world. Outside, however, the gravitation was 2.6-normal, which would make them even more vulnerable to the pursuing Druufs than down here below.

  Was there any point to it? Wouldn't it be better to remain here and wait until the Druufs approached?

  There was only one glimmer of hope remaining: the door to the exit passage had been disguised. Why? Who was to have no knowledge of this passage? Certainly the Druufs had not reckoned with foreign visitors. If the passage was to be kept secret, then surely from the lower ranking members of the base personnel. What purpose this served could only be answered by the Druufs.

  But that was not important, at least not at the moment. What was important was whether the Druufs pursuing them were aware of the existence of the passage. If not—there was still hope. They would reach the wall and not find the fugitives. That would surprise them and they would begin to search through the adjoining rooms, for they could no more have observed the opening of the concealed door than the prisoners could see them.

  The only uncertain factor was the robots. With their all-frequency eyes they must have seen the prisoners fleeing past the hidden door. The question was whether their program allowed them to reveal this to the Druufs accompanying them.

  Perry Rhodan interrupted his thoughts as the passage and the strips dipped into a gentle curve. The passage became even less easy to scan than it already had been due to the uniform. If there were some Druufs waiting up above at the end of the conveyer, they would almost run into their arms before spotting them.

  But no one was waiting. The passage ended in a fairly spacious, empty rock chamber. The strips vanished through a crack in the floor, discharging their passengers. There seemed to be some sort of portal opposite the passage mouthway. Without hesitating, Perry Rhodan strode over to it, placed his hand on the spot where the Druufs generally hid the opening mechanism, and waited in suspense.

  The two wings of the portal began to creak open. It sounded as if this exit had not been used for several years. With a distinct crack the two halves of the portal slid farther apart, providing a view of a broad expanse of gently dipping rocky ground. Light from one red and one green sun was spilling over the rocks.

  Perry Rhodan stepped outside. Instantly the treacherous weight descended on him like a steam hammer. He buckled at the knees, hit the ground hard and remained there. He waited until the others were beside him and said: "From now on it's best to move on all fours. That's easiest."

  Then he turned, tossing over onto his back to see the place at which they had emerged. The door to the rock chamber had meanwhile closed behind them but the door was no longer visible. It fitted jointlessly into the wall of a vertical rock-needle that climbed to dizzying heights and hid its peak between an entire drove of small, red-brown clouds.

  The Druufs seemed to have a preference for concealing the entrances to their cavern bases in the walls of monoliths. This was not the place where they had first gone into the cavern after the Druuf ship had landed.

  Rhodan turned around again. He looked down the sloping rock expanse and discovered a narrow, red stripe below. The stripe sparkled and glistened as if it were in constant motion. Rhodan remembered the red lake they had seen while leaving the Druuf ship. What he was looking at was part of the surface of that lake. It was about 800 meters in front of them. This gave them an opportunity to get their bearings.

  The Druuf ship was no longer in sight. It had probably just settled here to unload the prisoners and immediately left. That was a relief. From the ship that would have long since been sighted.

  Perry Rhodan tried to conceive a plan. This was a difficult task as he had almost no criteria by which to select the next sensible move. One thing was clear: they had to get as far away as possible from the portal of the rock chamber, as fast as possible. The Druufs could appear at any moment.

  They would have to head down for the sea. The shores would offer some shelter. From there they could keep the chamber exit under observation and decide on additional moves after the Druufs had lost track of them.

  He told his companions what he had devised. "There isn't much we can do right now," he added, "but maybe one of you has a better idea."

  Atlan's voice answered with a ring of irony: "The way things look, Administrator, we should be glad to have one single idea. You are right. We must creep down to the lake and wait to see what happens."

  Reginald Bell grumbled his agreement. "Let's go. What are we waiting for? By the way... Does anyone have any idea how long the oxygen supply in the tanks will last?"

  Nobody knew. They were unable to read the instruments that indicated the air reserve. Their only hope was that the supply would last a few hours, since the Druufs had larger lungs than humans and accordingly would need more air.

  Fellmer Lloyd nodded. He had nothing to say.

  Laboriously they crept down the slope. Each time they hoisted themselves on their arms to gain another half meter, a gnawing pain shot through their limbs. They barely had enough strength to push off with their feet against the smooth stones. Their legs were dragging on the ground and when the men had covered half the distance, they discovered that the knees of their suits had worn dangerously thin.

  They crawled on, now more cautious. From time to time one of them looked back to check whether the Druufs had already appeared out of the rock chamber. But all was quiet. Their pursuers seemed to have lost their trail.

  They had gone about 600 of the 800 meters when Reginald Bell, whose turn it was, looked back to check on the Druufs. He did it with groans and moans. Then he suddenly realized that it had been worthwhile this time. Now he could see past one of the monoliths that had been blocking the view of the plain. He saw two things at once.

  He saw a group of Druuf robots surfacing far behind the monolith which contained the rock chamber. And he saw, off to the right, the thin, flat contours of a Terranian Gazelle scouting craft.

  He let out a cry of surprise and continued to lie there with his head raised, although it took a great effort.

  6/ IN THE GRIP OF THE STORM—AND AFTER

  Conrad Deringhouse knew that something had befallen Ras Tschubai when he failed to return. Tschubai was not the man to disregard orders. If he had not returned it meant that he was unable to return.

  Deringhouse became nervous. Out of the nervousness he committed the decisive error that brought the entire Roland venture within a hairsbreadth of failure: he ordered Pucky to look for the African. The mouse-beaver had telepathically determined the place that Tschubai had concentrated on shortly before his jump. It was not difficult for him to recreate Tschubai's thoughts. He thought nothing of jumping right after the African and having a look around. His teleportation abilities were stronge
r and better developed than Tschubai's. He needed only close his eyes for a few seconds, read Tschubai's thoughts once again—and jump.

  He jumped straight into disaster. The staggering blow dealt him by the intense gravitation almost drove him out of his mind. It was true that he had become accustomed to the gravity of the Earth, which was much too high for him, but he was and remained a native of the planet Vagabond, on which normal gravity was 0.53. He fell flat on the hard ground and sensed simultaneously the thoughts of an unspeakably alien being. He opened his eyes in confusion and saw looming large before him a pair of boots that unmistakably belonged to a Terranian spacesuit. Ras Tschubai! Plucky did not get around to contemplating Tschubai's fate. A fierce blow struck him from behind. He sensed the vehement and triumphant thought-impulses of the alien and then submerged into the deep blackness of unconsciousness.

  When Pucky failed to return, Deringhouse realized what a mistake he had made. Now he was on his own. He had no parapsychological or telekinetic abilities that would in any way give him the edge on the enemy. If he left the Gazelle himself to do any scouting, he would be dead or captured within minutes. He had nothing more than the built-in weapons of the Gazelle, a few hand-firing weapons and his fists.

  Instantly he realized what he should do. He only had one alternative: to wait. If Pucky and Ras Tschubai were only unconscious but not dead, they would revive and return to the Gazelle by teleportation. He needed information before he could undertake anything and one of the two mutants would bring it to him.

  Only it was dangerous to wait on Roland. Since Pucky and the African had not reported back Deringhouse could by no means be certain that the Druufs had not discovered him. It seemed as if they had been prepared for the arrival of the Gazelle and the teleport jumps of the two mutants. Under those circumstances it was only a matter of minutes before they would open fire on the Gazelle. For Deringhouse himself the danger was not acute. The first shot would be intercepted by the protective energy screen and before the second could reach its target, the Gazelle would be in the air and beyond the range of enemy gunners. But when the two mutants were able to jump back, they would only find a vacant place and fall into the hands of the enemy all over again.