by Perry Rhodan
At least not until just a second ago.
Horrorstruck, Etztak stared at the dark-skinned ghost who had materialized from the void and now bowed politely with a broad grin. The apparition wore a uniform but no spacesuit. Dark hair curled over its black brow. Big brown eyes twinkling with amusement; two rows of gleaming white teeth were visible between its half-opened lips. The ghost held a piece of white paper in its dark hands.
"Don't be frightened, Etztak," the spectre addressed him in impeccable interkosmo. "My name is Ras Tschubai and I am a member of Perry Rhodan's Mutant Corps. My commander has sent me to give you this ultimatum. By the way, I am a teleporter, so it was very easy for me to penetrate your ship."
Etztak had, of course, heard about such intelligences who had mastered teleportation, and his experiences with the human race in particular had taught him that these Earthlings had developed some amazing talents. Gradually he overcame his shock.
"Rhodan sends you?" Etztak reassured himself. His instruments had not indicated any recent space rupture, therefore Rhodan could not he in the vicinity as far as he knew. "Why doesn't he come himself?"
"I wouldn't be so keen on it if I were you," responded the sturdy black man and handed the paper to Etztak. "First read that, then we'll talk."
Etztak took the note. With one glance he recognized the handwriting as being in interkosmo. No wonder these Terranians, who until recently had been totally unknown, had mastered this language if the Arkonides had been their teachers.
Without paying any further attention to Ras Tschubai, Etztak read:
"To Etztak, patriarch of the Springers clan! I have destroyed the battlefleet of the Mounders, sparing only Topthor and Grogham, so that they can warn the rest of their clan never to approach Earth again—except as bearers of a flag of truce. You, too, Etztak are offered a last chance. Provided you start your retreat within 10 hours, no harm will befall you. I'll arrive in the Beta-Albireo system in 10 hours in order to pick up my men from the second planet. If you should still he there I'll annihilate you.
Beware of any further attacks against the second planet. My two cruisers are instructed to prevent you from any acts of aggression against the iceworld."
Terra." Etztak read the message twice before he slowly put the piece of paper on the table. He sat down. For a moment he seemed to have forgotten the presence of the black Earthling.
Could it be true that Rhodan didn't know yet that an inextinguishable atomic conflagration was raging on
the second planet? Could he indeed not be as omniscient as one was almost led to believe? Ras Tschubai cleared his throat. "My commander wishes an answer. I am instructed to communicate your reply as soon as I return to the cruiser."
Etztak narrowed his eyes and said stubbornly, "I want to talk to Rhodan in person."
Etztak did not reply; he looked straight into Ras Tschubai's face, trying to probe for information, but in vain. And then the black man suddenly dissolved in the air right in front of Etztak's eyes. Vanished. Etztak hesitated not a single second. He established direct video communication with his ships. When the commanders appeared on the screens, gazing expectantly at their patriarch, he spoke to them in their own special dialect: "The Terranians have given us an ultimatum. They give us 10 hours to disappear from here. I'd like to hear your opinions."
Very soon Etztak was to find out that there was a great deal of disagreement in his clan. The majority suggested ignoring the ultimatum and proceeding to an attack on Terra. But there were also others who seemed more prudent. They advised immediate return to the clan's base in order to prepare from there a methodical campaign.
Etztak listened patiently to their various opinions as was customary in his clan. Everyone was entitled to make suggestions but in the final analysis it was the patriarch who made the decisions. He was not at all pleased to hear what the more prudent commanders recommended.
"If we accept the demands of the Terranians," he countered after everyone had his say, "we admit defeat. We, the Traders of the galaxy, capitulate before beings who discovered the secrets of space travel only a short while ago. We have been traversing the universe for 5000 thousand years, if we don't count the era of our Arkonide ancestors. It is as though a wise old man were to submit to the suggestions of a small child. And if it would mean death, I can't do it. Everything inside me violently resists such a course of action. Who, after all, is this Rhodan who has set this ultimatum? An upstart, a favorite of decadent Arkonides who have become infatuated with him and his home planet."
"Rhodan knows the position of the Planet of Eternal Life," said one of the commanders. "For thousands of years this planet has been the object of desperate search by all the nations of the galaxy—and Rhodan has found it!"
"Maybe it was just a matter of luck—but good fortune is a very fickle thing, it doesn't last forever," replied Etztak angrily. "Should we capitulate simply because the Earthling got lucky?"
"No," said the commander. "Not because of that but because there are said to exist secrets on the Planet of Eternal Life which might render their discoverers the rulers of the Milky Ways. Who knows, Rhodan may have found these secrets!"
Etztak's face looked grim. "Perhaps. But this would also mean it is high time to wrest these secrets away from him. Anyone who knows the secrets of Pel—the Planet of Eternal Life—and doesn't belong to our race, constitutes a danger to the galaxy." He paused for a brief moment and then continued. "I must warn all those who are overly cautious not to make blind decisions. I am in favor of holding out and continuing the fight. I'll abide by the wishes of the majority. Please, let me hear what you have decided!"
Their decision was unanimous. Etztak and his clan would fight and, if necessary, to the last ship.
"But one of us will have to carry the warning to the galaxy," one of the commanders pointed out. "In case Rhodan should actually succeed in wiping us out..."
"Topthor has already fled and will do all that's necessary. Don't worry, Heratz, even if all of us perish, the galaxy has been warned. We will be avenged."
An icy silence fell over all the faces on the screens, till one of the Springers said rather sarcastically: "That won't bring any of us back to life again."
Etztak gave no answer. He switched off the instruments and out of narrowed, grim eyes gazed down at the world that was condemned to death.
• • •
The heavy cruiser Solar System separated from its companion signaled and diminished its speed. Ras Tschubai had delivered his message to Etztak and made a report to Rhodan. The radio message was brief and matter-of-fact.
The reason Maj. Nyssen slowed down and cautiously approached the second planet was only too obvious. The planet's surface showed a most frightening change.
At first the pole started to burst into flames. Major Nyssen thought at first this might be due to an over-dimensional atomic explosion intended, perhaps, to melt down the ice cap. He felt no alarm. But then, when the fire began to spread and slowly but constantly devoured all in its path toward the south, he became suspicious.
He was seized by a monstrous thought.
While Ras was still busy bringing his message to the radio center Nyssen informed Capt. McClears on Terra of his plan and instructed him not to ease up with his nuisance raids against the Springers.
"I'll rejoin you as quickly as possible but it is vitally important to find out what's going on down there on the iceworld. Remember, we have some of our people down there."
The closer the Solar System came to the second planet, the more his suspicions turned into certainty. It definitely looked as if an all-devouring atomic fire were raging down there.
This could not be due to some natural cause. If indeed this was an atomic conflagration, then it could have only been set by the Springers. Because they couldn't cope with five members of Rhodan's crew, they destroyed an entire world.
Nyssen was seized by a violent anger. If he had now confronted Etztak in person it would have been very easy for him to s
trangle the old man with his bare hands. But then he remembered Tiff—and the two girls.
Twice he circled the iceworld without discovering the slightest trace of the missing persons. This was not too surprising for he had not enough time for a thorough search. And thus it was also possible that he missed locating Orlgans and his crew.
In any case, he convinced himself that the second planet of the double sun Beta-Albireo was just about to transform itself into the system's third sun. Unless some immediate measures were taken, Tiff, Eberhardt, Hump, the two girls and Pucky would be past help.
But what could he do? The five missing persons didn't answer any radio calls—maybe they were not permitted to. After all, what could Nyssen know of Rhodan's intentions when he sent Tiff and his friends on a secret mission in the fight against the Springers?
There was only one possibility and Maj. Nyssen seized on it. He left the raging atomic hell quickly behind and advanced into deep space. One light-hour away from Beta-Albireo II he established video communication with Rhodan.
• • •
Sleepy-eyed, Bell left his cabin and joined Rhodan in the command center of the Stardust . The redheaded, stocky astronaut eyed his friend with unconcealed distrust. "One of these days you could let me know on the Q-T how you can manage without sleep. If people would just leave me alone I wouldn't wake up for two months."
"The sins of our youth come back to haunt us in our old age," Rhodan smiled mockingly. "Play now, pay later."
Bell stared at him as if he were about to have an apoplectic fit. "Do you mean to say, my friend, that I'm an old man at the age of 37?"
Rhodan was still smiling. "Relatively speaking you're a few years older than that, pal. But in regard to the follies of your youth, one can never be sure you won't commit them all over again. I'm just thinking of a certain Stella Rallas..."
"Wait a minute!" roared Bell in horror and couldn't keep his hair from standing upright like the stiff bristles of a hairbrush. This porcupine act, quite in-voluntary on Bell's part, took place every time he got very furious or someone reminded him of some embarrassing event he'd prefer to forget—such as now for instance the affair with the divine film star Rallas.
"But what's the matter with you?" Rhodan inquired, feigning compassion. "She was such a gorgeous creature, wasn't she?"
But Bell was not too interested in that now. Of course, she had been very beautiful, that apparition the Immortal had conjured up from the void and had smuggled into his cabin. But she was nothing but a joke, the kind the Immortal liked to play on his unsuspecting visitors to his planet on the edge of eternity. Bell preferred not to think of this embarrassing incident.
"That's all you have to tell me?" Bell growled. "That's why you waked me up to come see you?"
Rhodan turned serious. "Not just that, Reggie, of course. There are some other reasons. I just had Ras Tschubai deliver an ultimatum to Etztak in person. It expires in 10 hours. Sure, I could make the jump to Beta-Albireo right now, but I want to leave the Springers enough time to think this matter over thoroughly. In the meantime there won't be any more attacks on the iceworld, which means that Tiff and his friends are safe for the time being. That leaves us sufficient time to return to Earth where some urgent matters demand my attention."
"In 10 hours?" Bell sounded very doubtful. "That's a very short time."
"Long enough for me to give some instructions to Col. Freyt," replied Rhodan. "Who knows when we'll next get back from Beta-Albireo."
Bell remained sceptical. "So that Thora and Khrest can bug us about it being high time we bring them back to Arkon, their home planet? Hum, I don't know..."
Rhodan had no chance to express his opinion on this painful subject; a red alarm signal flared up. The radio communication center wished to speak to the commander.
Rhodan switched on the intercom. "Rhodan here, what's the matter?"
"Emergency call from cruiser Solar System ."
Rhodan threw a quick glance of warning to Bell "Contact!" he ordered.
"It's a hyper-video communication," explained the officer on duty, interrupting. Seconds later Rhodan's special scope lit up. Major Nyssen's worried-looking face appeared. Rhodan nodded a brief greeting. "You're contacting me via hyperscope reserved for extreme emergencies. Are the Springers attacking?"
"They're defending themselves in the usual manner," Nyssen said as he shook his head. "No, this is not why I am calling you." He continued: "Tiff and the others are in great danger. The Springers have started an atomic conflagration on Snowman!"
"A chain reaction?" Rhodan asked, fearing to confirm what he had heard. Bell's hair began its famous routine again, making his head resemble a red hedgehog. "You mean to say the Springers are unscrupulous enough to annihilate an entire world?"
"Unfortunately there can be no doubt about it, sir. I have been able to see it with my own eyes. The fire began at the North pole and is approaching the equator with unbelievable speed."
"According to the latest reports Tiff is at the equator," said Rhodan, greatly perturbed.
"I have been unable to find him during my search sir. He seems to have vanished from the face of the planet. But this won't help him either. The whole planet is doomed. The ice masses have melted. Mighty streams have joined to form entire oceans, which are already boiling in the temperate zones."
"I have issued an ultimatum to Etztak," began Rhodan, but Nyssen cut in sharply.
"In far less than 10 hours the atomic fires will have swept across the equator. You mustn't wait that long, sir, unless you want to leave Tiff and his companions to a horrible fate. I would attempt their rescue but the Springers are alerted, they attacked me with seven ships when I made my second reconnaissance flight."
Rhodan waved off Bell, who desperately was trying to put in a word.
"This cancels my ultimatum to Etztak. It seems anyhow he had no intention of heeding my warning. Would he attack you otherwise? Well, then, let him learn his lesson: what happens to those who attack our Earth. Major Nyssen, keep looking for a sign of life from Tiff. I'll be there in 10 minutes with the Stardust . And the Springers better watch out!"
The screen grew dark again and Maj. Nyssen's much-relieved face disappeared.
"But that's...!" said Bell. But that was all he managed to bring to his lips.
"Yes, that is devilish, irresponsible! The ice planet is inhabited. The semi-sleepers are living inside the warm caves. I don't know who they are except some information from Tiff that they possess a certain type of intelligence and are good-natured. In any case, they are a peaceful race that never harmed anybody. And now this race is doomed to extinction because an old man won't admit that he suffered a defeat. He'll pay dearly for that some day!"
Before Bell had a chance to reply, Rhodan requested the positronic brain to calculate the coordinates for the transition. The distance was 320 light-years, which presented no problem. This time however it was most important that the calculations be absolutely precise, for they couldn't afford to waste even a single minute after their rematerialization in order to ascertain their position.
Hardly five minutes had passed when the positronic brain ejected the metal foil containing the requested information. Rhodan picked it up and fed it into the navigation robot who from this moment on assumed command of the giant ship. Rhodan waited until the machine's metallic voice announced:
"Direction unchanged. Speed unchanged. Transition in three minutes. Coordinates known. Count down starts with 60 seconds to zero."
Bell groaned. "And I had to be waked up just for that! Couldn't you have let me sleep through the transition at least—!"
Finally Rhodan's features relaxed a little. The deep lines disappeared and his eyes twinkled ironically. "It wouldn't have done you much good, Reg. The actual jump lasts only a few seconds."
"At my age," countered Bell with a nasty glance in the direction of his friend, who was two years his senior, "every second of sleep counts." He threw himself down into the chair of the c
opilot and stared at the second hand of the clock. "Let alone at your age!"
At this moment the metallic voice of the robot started the count down.
"Sixty seconds... 59... 58..."
• • •
It took almost five minutes before Aubrey could acquaint the anxiously waiting group with his decision. This much time was needed by the positronic brain to weigh all possibilities against each other and discover the optimum solution:
"Pucky has found out that an atomic fire is approaching the equator from a northerly direction. The outside temperature has risen to over 32°. The ice is melting in the north and the water pushing southward. Only the fact that our entrance was sealed off by the ray cannon shot has so far saved us from drowning. There is only one way out left for us: upwards!"
Tiff and the others stared at the solid rock ceiling. "But there are at least 90 feet of natural rock above us, Aubrey," he said hopelessly.
"True, but also probably no water," replied robot RB-013. "We must try it. Withdraw to the entrance of the cave, because the cave floor slopes up in that direction. In case water should seep in, close the helmets of your spacesuits. If it gets too much, you may have to dive through the water."
"Through a shaft filled with water—90 feet up?"
"If necessary—yes. There is no alternative. We cannot summon any help since we are screened off by the rock. If we don't help ourselves we'll all be lost. And even if I am only a robot, I don't look forward to rot and rust in water."
Pucky threw a glance at the box with the semi-sleepers. "Water won't harm them too much, besides the box can he made air-and-water tight. But this wouldn't be too good for them in the long run."
"Let's get going," said the robot. "There isn't much time left. Once the rock begins to glow it will be too late."
"Okay," said Tiff to the robot, "we'll advance toward the old entrance. And you watch out that you don't burn yourself."