by Perry Rhodan
The Thort stood up at once. Lossosher, one of the leading scientists and a member of the Judiciary Council, made inquiries about human endurance limits. It was a very polite gesture.
Reginald Bell and Marshall donned their radio helmets. Their salute was snappy and correct.
"You'll receive our information through our liaison officer Chaktor," said the Thort. "We'll reach the final agreement today."
"Your internal arrangements are for you to decide, of course," assured Rhodan. "May I ask how many of the damaged units of your space fleet have already under-gone repair? The reports from my reconnaissance pilots are very alarming. Your fleet commander should take all precautionary measures to prepare for renewed trouble."
The small face of the Thort looked worried.
"We're in the process of installing the ray cannons which were built to your specifications. All manufacturing plants on the three planets are working at full capacity. Will you let us have the plans for the fabrication of the Arkonide energy field projectors?"
Bell coughed. The quick look he gave Rhodan was superfluous.
We can talk about that after we've signed the contract," advised Rhodan with a little smile. "Now, may I take leave for a while?"
Saluting once again, they left while the Thort was watching them quietly and wondering where these people had come from. Rhodan had pretended to be an Arkonide.
All this had only served the purpose of keeping the galactic position of the Earth a secret. Rhodan was concerned about any accidents which might bring harm to the unstable Earthlings. In this respect he put their interest first.
They left the maze of corridors. Outside, the air which was breathable for them, seemed to boil. Vega, the gigantic sun, stood with flaming splendor in the cloudless sky. It was pouring forth enormously strong ultraviolet radiation. Rhodan pressed his eyes together.
The mean temperature had already risen to more than 115°F in the shade.
"That's enough," Rhodan said, exhausted. "The gravity and this heat together are hardly bearable. In another hour it'll be one hundred twenty-five degrees in the shade."
He was walking toward the air-glider and stopped suddenly in his tracks when he heard a slight whirring noise. Simultaneously he noticed Marshall's stiffened attitude. Evidently, the mutant was receiving a telepathic message from the battleship.
Bell stared through narrowed eyes at the sky. The slight whirring noise had increased to a dull rumble which quickly swelled to an ear-splitting roar.
A seemingly white-hot glowing object came speeding rapidly from behind the peaks of the nearby mountains.
The huge sphere was pushing great masses of highly compressed air ahead of it and caused a tumultuous disturbance of the planet's atmosphere. It was as if a tremendous meteor swooped down directly on the spaceport of the capital.
Fiery pulsating bursts of energy from the reversed jets in the protection screen ripped the glowing air molecules apart. The spherical ship came to an abrupt stop. No need for Rhodan to guess at the formidable deceleration factor of the braking action.
The masses of air crashed and thundered into the vacuum behind the ship.
"If that isn't Nyssen, I'll eat my helmet!" shouted Bell, beside himself. "If that guy would only learn to make a decent landing!"
"Now, now," said Rhodan, teasing him. "I can remember when you gave an even bigger show than that."
"That was only a case of compelling necessity," growled Bell. "What's the matter with Nyssen? That is the S-7, isn't it?"
Bell started to run.
The mutant awoke from his trance. His slender face was serious.
"Emergency landing, sir. Nyssen is bringing Deringhouse in. Severe burns. All hell broke loose near the six moons. Nyssen chose not to return in normal flight. He leaped here directly from the orbit of the thirty-eighth planet. Taking quite some risk, I believe."
Rhodan didn't reply. His lean body shot across the smoothly polished stone slabs of the plaza in front of the portal. Seconds later he lifted the glider up. The Ferrous used for this purpose a tiny semi-atomic ray-drive mechanism as an auxiliary lift for vertical takeoff. They even surpassed the accomplishments of the Arkonides in building miniature atomic piles. They could squeeze a miraculously controlled reaction of a nuclear fusion process into a volume no bigger than a matchbox. No wonder Rhodan insisted so much on a trade treaty to exchange merchandise. This was just what mankind urgently needed.
The Ferronian machine was racing at low level over the conglomeration of capital buildings. The pilot was bent over the peculiar double-action control stick and his feet were operating the energy pedals. This was a strange arrangement for humans, who would probably have done everything the opposite way.
As they approached the spaceport they were checked by the radio control station. Even by human standards, where all nations exercised exceedingly strict security surveillance, the Ferrons had made a fetish out of safety. One had to pass innumerable security checks.
Through the oval cabin windows the vast surface of the Ferrol Central Spaceport came into sight. Everything was built in a grandiose manner by these humanoids far out m space.
Five days ago, Rhodan had given orders to transfer the captured battleship from the carefully constructed hangar built into the mountains to the Central Spaceport. From that moment on, the skyline of the metropolis was enhanced by another "mountain peak."
That which arose from the ground at the northern end of the spaceport was a truly superlative structure. There was no comparison in daily life with which to describe the breathtaking and overwhelming impression.
Stardust II, as Rhodan had named the battleship in honor of the first atomic moon rocket, which he had commanded, wasn't only a symbol of scientific achievement and technical superiority: it was a symbol of power; a power which, by human concepts, had conquered, colonized and pacified an immense part of the galaxy. Only for this purpose had they built these battle-ships of the "Imperium Class" and only with this aim in mind had they constructed these titans by untiring labor and costly expenditures. There was nothing that could withstand the concentrated might of these colossal ships. They were designed and built to destroy entire worlds.
Rhodan looked for a moment at the auxiliary ship S-7. A few minutes ago, when he observed the risky landing of the spacesphere, it had loomed very large, invincible and threatening.
Now that the Stardust II was blotting out the horizon, the auxiliary ship which had seemed so imposing before had shrunk to almost nothing. Although its diameter measured two hundred feet, and a very respectable mass was, therefore, resting on the telescoping legs of the landing gear, it looked paltry by comparison.
The battleship was a true sphere with a diameter of about twenty-five hundred feet. No known race in the galaxy had ever built bigger or more powerful spaceships.
The glider came closer. The returned auxiliary ship was steadily growing larger but the enormous mass of Stardust II could no longer be seen in one glance. One had to lean back in order to bring the upper cupola into view.
It was a veritable mountain of bluish Arkon steel which reached to the sky as it stood on the runway made of the toughest synthetics. It was a hulking monster with such colossal machinery and output that it was capable of supplying all the electricity for all the work on the planets of an entire solar system.
Rhodan set the glider down beneath the smooth armor-plated hull. A bulging equatorial ring, running around the middle of the sphere high above him, was mounted on the hull. The engines of the battleship were installed in this ring. Although the openings of the pulse-drive jets - big as craters - were still closed, Stardust II was on alert and ready to go when alarmed.
The spaceship had been the backbone of the Topide fleet. Perry Rhodan still didn't know how it was possible for these nonhuman descendants of a reptilian race to overpower and seize this super battleship. The fact remained that they had manned it and used it for the invasion. Rhodan's mutants were able to overcome the whole Topid
ian crew with their supermundane powers without inflicting any damage on Stardust II.
From that time on, Rhodan was in possession of such means of destruction as could only be equaled by similar products of the Arkonides themselves. But this was highly unlikely, for the Great Imperium had never extended as far as the Vega system and now its people no longer had the desire to venture out there. There could be no doubt that the once resolute race of Arkonides had entered the final stages of decline. The mental degeneration had reached such a degree that there were wily a very few Arkonides left who still had the outstanding qualities of their glorious ancestors. Khrest and Thora were among them.
Bell and Marshall disappeared between the heavy columns of the extended support legs. The circular pad of each telescoping landing leg covered more than seven thousand square feet. There was no way of comparing the dimensions of this splendid ship with anything on Earth. Rhodan couldn't estimate its value except to say that its cost must have run into many billions of dollars. It was certainly more expensive than the navies and air forces of both World Wars combined.
Rhodan followed at a slower pace. As he walked into the long shadow of the spaceship, and Vega was concealed by the spherical hull rising above him, he noticed that an apparently heavily injured man was carried in.
The crew of the S-7, the auxiliary ship which had just landed near its mother ship, jumped out, talking excitedly. The men seemed tired and worn.
The small figure of Major Nyssen, looking parched and weather-beaten, detached itself from the crowd. He'd clamped his radio helmet under his arm and his sparse hair was soaked in sweat.
He saluted briefly.
Rhodan's lean face exuded soothing calm. He examined with blinking eyes the two hundred foot high S-7, which could easily be hidden in a small segment of the spherical super battleship. He waited until Nyssen came over.
"It was a tough flight, sir," Nyssen began. "Too hot to handle for the little pursuit ships. We lost Sergeant Calverman. He was one of my best men."
He was bestowing the highest praise on the African. Rhodan remained silent. He could feel that Nyssen was in a turmoil of emotions.
"The Topidian lizards have fortified themselves on the six moons of the fortieth planet. The biggest of the moons has been turned into a cosmic fortress. They're working feverishly. The five other satellites are heavily reinforced outposts serving as warning stations with small defense crews. Topide reinforcements made a sudden hyperspace jump into the Vega system. Rous and Deringhouse were right in the middle of it and before they knew it the Topides swarmed all over them. I had dispatched them on a quick reconnaissance flight. Rous had rescued Deringhouse. It took me an hour to get to them and to take their machine on board. Then I made a short hyper-transition jump into the orbit of Ferrol. That was all. We have excellent photographic evidence."
This was a very brief report for a very big event. Nyssen never wasted any words. He presumed that everybody understood him anyhow.
Rhodan simply nodded. Then came the question which worried him most.
"What about Deringhouse? Is he going to pull through?"
Nyssen shrugged his shoulders wearily.
"They got his fighter with a thermo-ray. We should do something about reinforcing the protective screens of our machines. He's suffered severe burns."
"Get some rest, Nyssen. Your ship will be put into the hangar by somebody else. Thank you very much."
Rhodan watched silently as his commander hurried away. Then he trudged slowly over to the rolled-out conveyor to the battleship. He was still one hundred yards from the entrance at the bottom of the sphere and, while walking, kept looking at the majestic steel dome of Stardust II above him.
"I'd like to see this one get into a fight," exclaimed Sergeant Rous. "Have you heard anything about Major Deringhouse, sir?"
Nyssen shook his head.
The Arkonide robot specialists for evaluation of the new intelligence data were flitting back and forth. They disappeared in the brightly shimmering antigrav field, where they were gently pulled into the ship's interior.
"We'll soon see some action around here, Rous," predicted Nyssen. "These rascals are going to make it hot for us. I'd like to know what the old man is going to do with his mutants this time."
Sergeant Rous fell silent. He was thinking about a quiet mountain valley in the west of the French Alps. It had been so peaceful there.
3/ RHODAN'S RUSE
He was resting still and unconscious in a special bathtub. His body was submerged up to the neck in the milky liquid of the biosynthetic cell-activating serum. Major Deringhouse was inhaling oxygen from a robot-regulated apparatus which simultaneously controlled his breathing and his blood circulation, stimulating them when needed.
Doctor Haggard and Doctor Manoli, the ship's physicians, didn't make much conversation.
"He'll pull through," Doctor Haggard said. His eyes betrayed his indignation. Then he added:
"Sir, it's my opinion as a doctor that this whole matter is very regrettable. I'd prefer if we didn't have to treat any injured men in the hospital. Please don't wake him up. He'll remain in hypno-sleep for another twelve hours. The pain of third degree burns isn't exactly pleasant."
Perry Rhodan was mulling over these few words. Haggard and Manoli had left. Only the medical robots were watching over the motionless patient who'd gone through hell far out there in the Vega system.
Deringhouse had gallantly dared to penetrate the closed phalanx of hostile ships in his attempt to obey his orders.
Rhodan's lips tightened. Nobody was aware of his own deliberations, not even Bell, who was standing behind his commander, observing the wounded man anxiously.
"They must've been fighting like devils," whispered the stocky man. "We really have to do something to avoid such things in the future."
Rhodan looked into his friend's eyes. They'd flown to the moon together and found the shipwrecked Arkonides there. They met and became friends when they went through the rigors of basic training in the Space Force.
"We'll take care of that," he reassured Bell emphatically. "Let's go now. It was fortunate for me that Deringhouse was lucky."
"What do you mean, you were fortunate?" questioned Bell.
"That's exactly what I mean. After all, some people have a conscience, and I happen to be one of them. For heaven's sake, don't think that I look on Calverman's death as an unavoidable necessity. It wasn't inevitable in principle and it was poor judgment on my part. I shouldn't have ordered these continuous reconnaissance fights. No, no arguments, please." Rhodan cut off the discussion.
"Khrest and Thora are waiting for us in the little computer room," Bell said, downcast. with a last look at the pilot sleeping in deep hypnosis, they left the hospital room quietly.
Outside the medical department they entered the labyrinth of corridors and numerous decks. The ship was overwhelming, like a big city. In the volume of the extensive outer hull, wide halls housed machinery which couldn't even be found in the biggest power stations on Earth.
They moved by conveyor belts to the central axis sector in which the main elevators were going up and down. The up-and-down directions were always maintained in the battleship, even in free fall, by fully automatic gravity regulators. This was only one of the countless technical accomplishments which were unheard of on Earth.
They were gliding a thousand feet up in the smooth-walled antigrav elevator. The nerve center of the ship was a steel sphere of armor plate and was located at its hub. These big ships of the Imperium Class were constructed with such great care by the Arkonides that they lasted for thousands of years. The fleet building program on distant Arkon was a thing of the past. Unfortunately, the heyday of this galactic nation had faded away some time ago. They were definitely destined to perish.
The only question remaining was which one of many other races would fall heir to the declining Arkonides and build their realm up again. The Great Imperium was now a colossus on clay feet. Rebellions were
flaring up in most sectors of the galaxy while no one on Arkon was able to make the effort to send out the still available units to make a quick end to the chaos.
This was one of the many facts of which mankind was ignorant until a few years earlier. Man had always imagined himself to be alone; had claimed to be the only intelligent creature in the wide galaxy, which now proved to be an illusion. There were numerous other intelligent races and many of them nonhuman.
The two robot guards in front of the armored door to the so-called "little calculator room" saluted. Rhodan paid no attention. His mind was on far more important matters. The door panel in the bulkhead slid open. Before him lay an oval room with the control switches of the semi-positronic reserve calculating machine. It was designed as an emergency aggregate but it also functioned as an auxiliary segment of the main positronic brain.
Khrest, the Arkonide scientist with the strangely youthful face, stood beside the safe where the code was secured. His tall, lean figure was imposing; even more impressive were the knowing reddish eyes, which alone indicated his true age. The nearly white hair was no clue. That and the color of his eyes were a characteristic of his race. Khrest was a little taller than Rhodan. Outwardly he didn't differ from human beings. The minor differences in anatomy were only visible in X-rays.
He nodded, serious and dignified, a fact which Rhodan didn't like. It wasn't in the nature of the Arkonide to show restraint toward Perry Rhodan after their long-lasting friendship.
The young woman at Khrest's side was the embodiment of what she'd always been. Thora, the commander of the exploration vessel which had been destroyed on the moon, hadn't lost her defiance. However, Rhodan felt that her rude and haughty coolness was nothing but a mask for her imperious attitude. She'd long since given up telling Rhodan that humans were nothing but half-apes who'd become "clever" by some accident. She'd never used the word "intelligence" in this connection.
Rhodan had remained standing in the middle of the room. Khrest, the greatest scientist of the otherwise degenerate stellar race, tilted his high, fine-featured head. Rhodan didn't wait for the involved phrases. when Khrest talked, it was always long-winded.