by Perry Rhodan
Tako Kakuta, the Japanese teleporter, quickly jumped back into the luxuriously furnished bedroom when the service robot entered the livingroom.
Thora exercised perfect self-control. She didn't say a word to the machine and waited till the positronically steered, permanently smiling imitation of an Arkonide left the room again.
"You can come back!" she softly called. Tako slipped through the opened crack of the door. He tucked his little disintegrator from the stockpile of weapons aboard theGazelle under his loose tunic.
"If they catch you with that, the game will be up," she stated matter-of-factly. "Go back to Rhodan and give him my instructions that he must maintain under all circumstances that he received the most extensive hypno-training from me personally. I've been recognized as Commander of the Zoltral dynasty. There's very little probability that I'll be identified as Thora. My credentials are immaculate."
Tako waved to her before he vanished in a short light-effect.
• • •
They flinched back from the empty armchair which was suddenly occupied by Tako. Rhodan jumped up, raising his glass, and all his men responded as if on command by leaping to their feet with their drinks and crowding around Tako, keeping him safe from prying eyes.
"You're late," Rhodan hastily whispered. "What happened? Any trouble?"
"Thora has been interrogated today for a second time and she doesn't understand why. At any rate she has been appointed to command theVeast Ark. We're supposed to ship in tomorrow. Our training will
be conducted by Khrest, who's now going through hypno-schooling.
"What kind of ship?" Rhodan was anxious to know. "A cruiser? Or perhaps an Imperium spacer?"
Tako's little childlike face showed signs of dread and uncertainty. "Worse than that, sir! TheVeast Ark is one of the new supergiants. What you predicted has happened. Our superior IQs and our first-rate expertise have caused the brain to assign us to their newest contraption."
Rhodan closed his eyes tightly. So it has come true! "I knew it," he murmured. "I knew it. It had to be or the Brain would have been unable to make a logical decision strictly based on pertinent facts. The only reason which could've kept us from boarding the vessel would've been the availability of another equally qualified crew. But what makes you think it's so terrible?"
"Thora is very disturbed. The new superbattleships of the Universe class utilize the latest discoveries of Arkonide science. They're equipped with machines about which we know nothing. Furthermore, a fully automatic positronic safety system has been installed which maintains direct contact with the robot brain at any distance. It would be hardly feasible to get it off the ground with only 50 men."
"If necessary I can do it with no more than 30 men," Rhodan stated tersely. "If it has an emergency backup system like theStardust, which is directly controlled from the Command Center, I'll operate all engines myself. It can be done!"
He rose abruptly and picked up his helmet. The Naats watched him curiously.
His men had become very quiet. Their eyes expressed it all. If they knew their old man, he had spontaneously made a decision which would bring surprising success or dismal failure.
They left the hall in small groups to go to their sleeping quarters under the blinding light of the high up atomic sun. A remote-controlled antigrav-glider brought a huge impulse-generator to a nearby repair shop.
"Get a good sleep and give your nerves a rest," Rhodan advised. "We'll all stay on board as long as possible. Time doesn't matter unless something unforeseen happens when a single second could make all the difference in the world. Marshall, make sure your men are ready at a moment's notice. If we want to get out of here we'll have to keep all our wits together."
They let a formation of roaring armored tanks roll by. The mighty monsters serving for land bound operations were on their way to the battleships of theStardust class in the distance.
"The Great Coordinator is showing its goodwill toward us," Bell scoffed. "Now I'm curious whom they'll put over us on board."
Rhodan glanced at the immense energy dome which housed a mechanical monstrosity that boggled the human mind.
The energy bubble glared coldly and menacingly. There was no power in the Galaxy strong enough to subdue it—except one!
"We'll see, Great Coordinator," Rhodan whispered. "We'll see!"
8/ A DESPERATE PLAN
It was a labyrinth of many thousands of corridors, little rooms and cavernous halls which had been embodied by the most experienced engineers of the Galaxy in the seamless outer structure of the 5000 foot sphere.
There was no comer, no spot which didn't serve some useful purpose.
Only the big central elevator which extended in a straight line from pole to pole through the sphere furnished an unmistakable reference for orientation. It was a battleship where a crew of thousands could simply be swallowed up in the vastness. The enormous halls of the power stations were subdivided again in various planes on which a man was apt to lose his way.
Rhodan was up against a problem which doubtlessly required a certain amount of time. It was in the nature of his quandary that it couldn't be fully grasped at the first effort.
Now they had spent four Arkon days on board theVeast Ark. Khrest, who was known here by another name, had tried his best to teach the astronauts and technicians of the taskforce all about the intricate operations.
They had meanwhile become familiar with the most important rooms but they were careful not to stray too far from the central elevator in order to avoid the chance of getting lost.
Rhodan's hypno-training had turned out to be somewhat inadequate here. There were rooms and chambers of such peculiar functional shape that a quick recognition was out of the question.
Under the pressure of a premonition that their ruse would soon fail to work they had arduously endeavored to identify at least the most vital control stations and to inspect the array of their instruments.
The steering system was almost identical with that ofStardust II. The synchronized, fully positronic complex which was located at the exact center of the vessel was of such perfection that the control of the propulsion engines, energy stations and auxiliary machinery could doubtlessly be exercised from this one spot, provided the master control aggregate—also placed inside the Command Center—didn't intervene.
The heavily armored master control aggregate was equipped with several optical screens and topped by a semispheric cupola. The colossal piece was mounted behind the curved row of switch consoles of the pilot.
It was a relay station for the great robot brain. Cautious examinations by the mutants had established the fact that this small mechanical brain was especially related to all functions of the ship's operations. It could at any time interrupt the normal conduct of the vessel, change calculations and cut off the engines.
The Great Coordinator had made certain that it never lost control and Rhodan realized that any act of force could be effectively thwarted as long as this efficient master-control brain functioned.
The men and women of the taskforce were no more than a few grains of sand in the desert of the super-battleship. They went constantly astray and had to use their radios to find their way back to the Command Center.
In this respect the gigantic ship proved to be a real handicap despite its enormous fighting power which was so alluring.
Thora had requested an hour ago permission to stage the first tryout of the 18 propulsion engines. It was granted only after Khrest and Rhodan confirmed that they had learned to operate the controls.
At present all 18 jets blasted flames out of the equatorial bulge where the propulsion system was housed in accordance with Arkonide construction methods.
The thrust of the machines in idling position was only 5% below the weight which kept the massive vessel on the ground under the prevailing gravity conditions.
The result was that the landing pads under the towering legs were dragged across the smooth metal surface of the spaceport, causing considerable vibra
tions of the ship's body.
Rhodan occupied the seat of the second astronaut and was totally concentrated on his job. He had the same control panel before him as the one Thora manipulated. It constituted a backup and emergency system which permitted a two-man control for a limited time. Naturally it resulted in unavoidably high tolerance values which could not be left uncompensated for on a long flight.
At any rate Rhodan had learned from it that it was quite feasible to launch theVeast Ark into space in this manner. However the readings of the countless corrective instruments could never be performed by two persons alone. Flying by means of the emergency system afforded only inexact manoeuvring in situations which called for total control of a well-trained coordinated team.
Rhodan had been startled shortly after the initial blast of the engine reactors. The moment ignition took place he noticed a bright flash of light behind him causing him to whirl around. The armored monster which concealed the auxiliary automaton of the central robot brain had enveloped itself, to his surprise, in an apparently very powerful energy field.
Five minutes had elapsed since ignition. The main step-switch for the automatic synchronization of the thrust output stood one mark above zero value.
Nevertheless the colossal ship edged more and more away from its original position under the pull of the vibration.
Khrest had posted 15 technicians in the main engine control room for which highly satisfactory test results were tidily issued.
"Number 1 to 18 performing faultlessly," Bell's crisp voice was heard over the loudspeaker. "Good coordination, tolerance plus or minus 0.0001%. Thrust equalizers cut in at 0.002 deviation. Propulsion system check: all functions positive."
Bell's face on the videoscreen looked like a question mark. Rhodan shook his head almost unnoticeably. It was much too early for a break into space.
Bell tightened his lips and clicked off without a word.
"Test concluded. Stop all systems!" Thora's voice rang out over the telecom.
Rhodan switched off. The deep rumbling thunder in the circular bulge of the superbattleship died down. In spite of the particleabsorbing deflection fields the ground 2500 feet below the jets was aglow.
It was now quiet in the Command Center. Only the automatic controls continued their functions. Thora cast a furtive glance at Rhodan.
As Thora swiveled around on her seat and got up, Rhodan searched the eyes of the seer Wuriu Sengu and caught a quick wink from the mutant.
The test run had served its purpose. Sengu, whose gift allowed him to see through inches of steel and highly compact energy fields, had been given instructions to determine the technical details of the circuit switches maintaining the contact between the onshipboard surveillance station and the central robot brain.
Tanaka Seiko, the mutant who was sensitive to all types of electronic waves, was also present. He seemed to have finished his investigations as well.
Rhodan turned around, keeping his face expressionless as the metallic voice of the Great Coordinator began to drone: "Commander, keep outside the red danger line!"
Thora stopped in her tracks. The towering contraption in the middle of the Command Center had not yet turned off its protective mantle. Rhodan noticed the flickering diagram impulse on a tiny oscilloscope. He looked closer and realized that somewhere in the vast interior of the battleship a power station was running with 80,000 kilowatt hours. The slight humming was barely audible. It was almost drowned out by many other noises.
Obviously the surveillance station drew its current from a bank of generators somewhere aboard the ship. Rhodan's interest grew intensely. He took note of the number under the little diagram screen. It was possible that it referred to a small auxiliary power station. The major energy reactors operated with much higher values.
Tifflor, whose attention had also been aroused, stared at Rhodan with a pale face.
"We've finished the test run," Thora spoke calmly into the invisible sound recorder of the automaton. "I'll be ready to make the first start in about 10 days. My crew has performed excellently as I expected it from the hypno-trained Zeklonides of the old Imperator's guard. I request your permission for my next test: checking the performance of the power stations."
She waited for the answer. There was a slight hum in the steel cupola. "Permission granted," the brain decided in its terse, unequivocal manner.
Thora returned and Rhodan contacted via telecom the second technical team which had taken over the main energy control center under the supervision of Sgt. Rous.
Thus the most important stations had been manned. The sergeant reported: "Power stations #1 to #8 activated and going through preheating phase."
Seconds later the Arkonide atomic reactors began the highly complicated nuclear process based on carbon catalysis as in solar bodies. Artificial stars were created in the towering reactors whose energy
flowed to interconnected transformers where it was converted into wireless current.
Stations #1 to #8 started up in intervals of 10 seconds till the superbattleship resembled a monster brimming over with energy.
Rhodan received confirmation of a report directing theVeast Ark to stand by fully equipped and ready to start on the spaceport. However he was disturbed by the news that a powerful fighter robot detachment was said to board the ship together with the humans.
Rhodan exchanged quick glances with Thora. She blanched when he activated the gravitation absorbers causing a wild roar to penetrate the Command Center. The measurements indicated that the output to the projectors was pegged to a value of 1.3G by the automatic regulator.
The next moment the operating noise of the power stations faded out. The silence which followed was again broken by the shrill signal of a bell. Bright red lines jiggled on the optical screen of the control automaton.
"You weren't authorized to use the absorbers," the machine announced.
There was no hint of an explanation and it didn't sound like a strict warning but the fact of the sudden interruption alone clearly proved the incredible degree of vigilance exercised by the Brain, considering that it was constantly busy with millions of other problems requiring its attention.
Thora reported the end of the day's program of experiments.
"Approved," was the stereotyped decision. "Attention! Evaluation of your trial: as a result of the exemplary performance of your service crew you're advised of the immediate assignment of military support troops to your command. 1500 specially trained Naats will board your ship in four hours. The theoretical instruction of your Zeklonides is to be continued."
Rhodan couldn't suppress a loud curse. He looked in consternation at the 30 foot-wide subsidiary automaton which had transmitted the orders of the chief executive robot with unfailing efficiency.
"They're just what we needed," Rhodan snorted. "Can't you do something about them, Thora?"
Thora helplessly shrugged her shoulders. It was a rather human gesture for an Arkonide.
The shouting of Tifflor's commands muffled their short exchange. The 20 people in the Command Center rose from their seats. Marshall squinted hopefully at the Communication Center from which they were separated by a transparent armored enclosure.
They had no business there as yet. The training was so far restricted to the most important departments.
Thora walked past the saluting men. The glowing energy screen around the monitor station collapsed. Rhodan risked a quick glance at the indicator of the small power station. The curve was gone.
The heavy security hatches of Arkonide steel slid back and they stepped into the mechanized interior of the ship opened before them.
Two robot guards saluted by abruptly flipping up their weapon arms. Wuriu Sengu. sidled up to Rhodan. This was a clue for the other men. They engaged in lively discussions about the various events and grew louder and louder.
"It's strange, sir," the husky mutant said excitedly. "I've looked at that thing from top to bottom and from all sides and there's not one cable l
eading to it."
"No cable connections?" Rhodan wondered. His ceaselessly working brain sought an answer. "How come? I've noticed that the robot is drawing power from the ship.
"There's not a single cable, sir," the seer insisted. "I've seen that the machine also has its own source of power. A small scale generator was clearly visible."
Rhodan swallowed a curse. His nerves were getting strained.
"I've got the explanation, sir," Tanaka Seiko whispered as he came closer. "When the protective screen was formed I registered a wireless flow of energy which came from below. The cutoff of the absorbers was done by a telecom radio impulse with a very unusual frequency. It was a hyper-modulated oscillation which ranged at high interval values across the frequency scale but didn't match a well-defined pattern."
Rhodan stood still in astonishment. So that's how it was! "And what about the built-in energy station? Was it functioning?" Rhodan tensely queried.
"No, sir, I'm sure it wasn't. I believe it's only for use in case of emergency."
Rhodan and his men entered the spacious corridor encircling the Command Center in a wide curve. From there other hallways radiated throughout the middle deck which was large enough to accommodate the quarters for the entire crew.
They passed the faintly shimmering antigrav shaft of the central elevator. When Rhodan was surrounded by all his men he quickly said in a low voice: "Listen! It's useless to cut off the power transmission. The monitor robot has its own emergency generator. Ivan, you go back to the Command Center after dinner and find yourself a hiding place out of sight of the telecom screen. You'll have to remain there from then on because the room would be immediately sealed off if anything goes wrong. Take a micro-transceiver with you and when I give the order you must destroy the whole subsidiary control brain. But be careful not to damage any other installations."
The two-headed mutant raised both hands. He was the only one who was capable of blasting the control automaton apart at one fell swoop.
By the time they reached the mess hall each man bad been informed and knew his place to report.