The Starless Realm

by Perry Rhodan

  The silence was broken only by the soft hum of the motor until Sengu suddenly spoke again. "I see light! Maybe 10 km ahead—but dim and diffused. Looks more or less like some kind of emergency lighting."

  "What else do you make out?"

  "Machinery and large chambers—lots of passages and main corridors with many doors. Beyond are still other rooms filled with machinery. Power rooms, motors, generators—a big room where the walls are covered with viewscreens. But the screens aren't working. Yet those radiations are coming from them that I picked up before. Do you think, sir, that we may be approaching the main control center?"

  "I'm sure of it. It's the same place where I was 60 years ago. I managed to correct a slight error which saved the Barkonides from certain destruction. But as it appears now it seems that my efforts turned out to be in vain."

  The speed of the car began to drop swiftly, after which it entered a large subterranean station. Here the tracks branched out and offered a variable selection of travel routes. But Rhodan was not planning to travel farther. He brought the car to a halt.

  "We have arrived. It was right here in this station that I climbed out of a similar vehicle that other time. But I wouldn't be able to say for sure what direction I had come from. Well, we can determine that later."

  He got out of the car and stood there for a few moments, undecided. Then he turned to Sengu. "Those machinery rooms—are they in this direction?" he asked, pointing toward one of the exit doors. When Sengu nodded, he continued: "Good! Then I'm oriented again. Let's go."

  Sengu got up swiftly and joined Rhodan but Pucky took longer. He clambered out of the rear seat with nerve-wracking fussiness and then waddled awkwardly across the passenger platform. "What do you want to do in those machine rooms?" he inquired, although as a telepath he had already guessed Rhodan's intentions. "Wake up this whole sleeping planet and tell them happy time is here?"

  Rhodan had a sharp retort on the tip of his tongue but he suddenly stared at Pucky thoughtfully. A furrow appeared on his brow. "You know they say, out of the mouths of babes and fools—maybe even mouse-beavers—sometimes a kernel of truth is spoken. At least we can try to reactivate the power equipment. Maybe in the process we'll find out what happened to the Barkonides."

  Pucky watched him in some amazement as Rhodan went to the indicated door and opened it after searching momentarily for the latch lever. Then he grinned sheepishly and pattered after him. Sengu followed, not having caught much of the repartee because after all he was not a telepath.

  The machines stood in silent rows within the main hall. They fairly gleamed in their immaculate condition as though they had only just been installed. Along the ceiling were heavy conduits and thick cables which led through the walls, connecting the various units of machinery with panels in the control central. As confirmed by Sengu, Rhodan knew that there were still more power and machine rooms beyond this one.

  Their footsteps echoed hollowly from the bare walls. They came to a halt in the main control center. Rhodan's lamp was bright enough to illuminate the big room.

  The complexity of the operations and monitoring installations reflected the magnitude of their gigantic task. It was from this command station that the planet had been forced from its orbit and orphaned from its central star, after which it had been launched upon its long and lonely journey through cosmic space. That big semi-circular console over there with hundreds of meters and button switches on its polished top—was that perhaps the Master Control? Or the giant switch panel over there above the other desks and consoles? They might be the controls for life support and air recycling.

  Rhodan turned slowly to take in all of the complex systems around the room, aware of a sinking feeling within him. How could he ever fathom this equipment which had been able to make an entire planet independent of the sun's light for a 200,000 year span?

  He walked over to have a closer look at the hemispherical console. All of the meter scales were at zero. He listened but could not detect the slightest sound. Everything was as silent as a tomb. Even the machinery elsewhere was dead, as Sengu had confirmed.

  Sengu...?

  Rhodan pointed to a door at the far end of the room. "Beyond that door is another big chamber, I recall, where the power generating equipment is located. Your residual radiations will be coming from there. Can you take a look?"

  Sengu went to the door and entered the adjacent hall. Rhodan and Pucky followed him. Prominent in the center of the room was a raised circular cover shield that was perhaps five meters in diameter.

  "The reactor is under that," said Rhodan. "It is larger and more powerful than anything we're able to imagine. Well, Sengu? Is it in operation?"

  Sengu stared at the shielding and penetrated it with his special vision. "The thing isn't working, sir. The reactor was shut down. I can see lead chambers where there are still residual particles of radioactive material."

  "Try to trace out the main cable leads into the other room. Maybe we can locate the reactor controls."

  The Japanese mutant turned to his task—which was a formidable assignment for a non-expert in nucleonics. But his eyes penetrated all obstacles and located the power cables, tracing them through the walls to their source. Gazing constantly at the floor, he moved through the chamber until he arrived in the control room. His eyes continued their search until finally his gaze came to rest on the hemispherical console.

  "That's it, sir—the reactor control installation."

  Rhodan had suspected as much but now he had the confirmation.

  There were no numerical indications on the various buttons, switches and meters but they had color designators that distinguished them one from the other. A determination of their purpose could only be made by a form of optical conjecture.

  "The main cable terminates here," said Sengu, and he indicated a panel containing only three button switches. One of them was green, another yellow and the third was red. "I'd say it was a crazy coincidence if the green one just happened to be the start button."

  "Or the red one for Stop," grinned Pucky. "What else?"

  "Coincidence...?" Rhodan stressed the word significantly. "Who knows whether or not it's merely that?"

  His hand slowly approached the green button and paused over it. Then—as though to forestall any other decision—he pressed it deep into its socket.

  For about 10 seconds, nothing happened, but then the ceiling of the room began to glow. It gradually grew brighter until the control center was bathed in brilliant light. The reactor was delivering power again.

  Rhodan switched off his hand lamp and returned it to his pocket. Then he raised his hand testingly into the air. "Well—do you notice something?" he asked.

  A warm current of air passed over them. It was not only warm but fresh. Only now did they realize how stagnant the air in the halls and passages had been.

  "It looks like all the equipment's starting to work," said Sengu. "What I'd like to know is, who shut off the reactor?"

  "The invisible ones?" Pucky seemed to be uncertain. "But we haven't come across anybody down here yet."

  "That doesn't say by any means that they were not here," replied Rhodan. He was becoming more and more uneasy. "If you notice anything suspicious, fire at once. We know now that it can affect them." He looked about as though searching for something. "I think we should start trying to trace down the vanished Barkonides. They certainly have to be somewhere. Now that the power has been restored we'll at least have some light."

  "Will we travel farther in the rail car?" asked Pucky speculatively, although he in particular possessed the simplest means of transportation. "All there is around here is a bunch of machines, nothing else."

  "The residential cities are on this same level—yes, we could try it with the rail car. Or can you see anything farther on, Sengu?"

  "To be frank, sir, up till now I've only been concentrating on the installations here and not the Barkonides. But perhaps I might be able to..."

  Somewhere th
ey heard a clicking sound.

  They heard it clearly. There could be no mistake. At the same time the easily detectable vibrations under their feet ceased to be felt. The ceiling dimmed gradually and then blacked out. Also the refreshing currents of air were cut off.

  Somebody had shut down the reactor again.

  Rhodan pulled the lamp from his pocket and swept its beam over the room. They were only 20 meters from the reactor console and could not have missed seeing anyone in its vicinity.

  The room was empty.

  Rhodan held the lamp in one hand and the energy gun in the other. With sudden decision he went to the power console. He couldn't believe his eyes. The green push-button had been snapped back out of its socket. Somebody must have depressed the red one. It was as though an invisible entity was facing him, yet he detected no trace of thought impulses.

  "Pucky... is anybody here?"

  "Nobody! We're the only ones down here, at least anybody who's thinking."

  That was reassuring as far as the invisible enemy was concerned. But with respect to the Barkonides it was much more disturbing. Men who did not think were dead men, because even in sleep the brain continued to function.

  He lowered his hand to the green knob again and pressed it in. Immediately the lights came on. A number of the indicators came to life, their needles trembling. Under their feet was a humming noise. The whole complex of gigantic machinery was running anew.

  Click!

  Rhodan stared incredulously at the green button, which had been released again. The lights went out. The machines became silent.

  This time he had seen it clearly. First the red button was depressed by an invisible finger and then the green one snapped upward, released by the relay circuit.

  He turned on the reactor again and held his hand closely over the red button as a shield. Even if someone here were invisible he would not be able to operate it.

  Click!

  It was incomprehensible. Rhodan could find no explanation for the phenomenon. Maybe it was due to some remote control from the surface. Nobody knew who the invisible creatures were or what kind of technology they possessed. The little word 'impossible' was no longer in use among space-faring Terrans because experience had shown them that all riddles of the universe have an explanation.

  Which included the present mystery—even though the solution was not immediately at hand.

  Rhodan again depressed the green switch-button and held it in forcefully with his finger. Several times he felt that it was trying to spring back but then the action finally ceased. The equipment remained on, and continued to operate.

  Rhodan removed his hand and sighed with relief. "We can't stay around here forever and keep switching this thing on. If the enemy sees he can't get at the machinery from this point he may try to interrupt the power leads. I'd just like to know what's on their minds."

  "And I," said Pucky, "would like to know who they are and where they come from."

  Ignoring him, Rhodan continued: "Let's stick together now and get back to the rail car. Pucky, you get your bearing on this place. In case the reactor is shut off again you have to jump back here and turn it on again. Do you understand?"

  "I'm not stupid!" retorted Pucky somewhat impudently as he waddled toward the exit. "The only thing is, I think I'm going to be doing some fancy jumping back and forth. Let's hope I don't lose you guys in the process!"

  Rhodan reminded him: "All you have to do is trace us by your telepathy. Of course it could well be that the reactor will continue to operate. Let's go."

  In the rail car distributing station as well as in the tunnel, the ceiling illumination was also present. As they traveled onward it seemed as though the rows of evenly spaced overhead lights were converging in the distance to a single point. However, they had hardly gone more than 500 meters when the lights went out again.

  "Does that mean I'm it?" asked Pucky, who had just settled himself comfortably in his seat.

  "I'd say it's a fair guess," Rhodan nodded without diminishing their speed.

  Pucky disappeared and in a matter of seconds the tunnel brightened once more. Then he was back with them.

  "If I ever catch the one who keeps fooling with those buttons," he panted in threatening tones, "I'll toss him into next week! What am I supposed to be, for hex sake—a Springer?"

  Rhodan was forced to smile at the comparison. Considering Pucky it was especially incongruous because the Springers were an offshoot race of Arkonides who were heavily built and wore full beards as a rule.

  A half-hour later when the car reached a wider section of the tunnel and finally rolled into another large station center, Pucky had already performed a dozen teleport jumps. However, for five minutes now he had been able to relax. The lights burned steadily without further interruption. The air-conditioning was back in operation and the reassuring vibration under their feet held steady.

  The car came to a stop. Rhodan pointed to a closed metal door. "That's the entrance gate to the next living center—or at least that's what Regoon explained to me. He was the chief physicist of Barkon. He worked out the whole master plan of this place and converted it into a reality. I wish I knew if he's still alive."

  His companions made no comment. They knew too little about his previous experiences on Barkon more than a half century ago. They didn't know Regoon any more than they knew the nuclear expert Laar, or Gorat the astronomer, or Nex the nexialist. His former connections here had been with these four men. At that time they had been the leading Barkonides.

  The entrance gate resisted all attempts to open it.

  Rhodan sighed: "The Immortal certainly knew what he was about when he included you two in this mission. Now you can give me an example of teamwork. Sengu, how about giving us a nice description of the locking mechanism?"

  The Japanese mutant looked through the metal surface of the large door and immediately perceived the electronic locking device, which was designed to open on a specific impulse or code combination. He gave such a graphic description of the technical details that Rhodan as well as Pucky could visualize its operation.

  Rhodan nodded to the mouse-beaver. "Now it's your turn, Pucky. Open it up!"

  Pucky brought his telekinetic powers into play. Without physically touching the door, he sent his mental force currents into the mechanical portions of the lock and moved them in the proper sequence. He performed precisely what the activated power circuit would have done.

  And thus the ponderous gate glided open.

  Beyond it was a brilliantly illuminated area but the air that met them was anything but fresh. Of course the air flow from the ventilator shafts was in full operation but Rhodan quickly perceived that since the machinery had only been on for half an hour—and intermittently, at that—the stale air in the great hall beyond had not had a chance to be fully replaced as yet. Without renewal, the supply of air in the cavernous place might last for weeks but it would have exhausted itself eventually. And such seemed to be the case here—although now the condition was being corrected.

  The broad passage ahead seemed to extend into the distance endlessly. At even spaces to their right and left were rows of identical doors on which numbers could be seen.

  Rhodan looked at Pucky. "Still no mental vibes?"

  The mouse-beaver shook his head. He could not pick up any thoughts. If anyone was down here he had to be dead—or at least incapable of thinking.

  Rhodan looked thoughtfully at the first door in the main passage. He approached it and noted the flat inset area for receiving a manual contact. It was a lock activated by body heat. He placed his hand in the declivity and waited. Seconds later the door slid laterally into the wall.

  Sengu and Pucky had joined him there and they suddenly stiffened in surprise. They could not believe their eyes because what they saw was almost too fantastic to be real. The rectangular chamber, measuring 30 meters in width and at least 300 meters in length, was filled to the ceiling with racks containing metal stretchers where th
e missing Barkonides were laid out, row upon row.

  Dead...?

  Rhodan experienced a shock of horror mixed with pain over this sudden death of a race of people whom he had come to cherish almost as much as the Immortal did. But immediately the question arose, Why had they died—especially in such a calm and orderly fashion?

  It was quite obvious that they had all retired to their bunks as though to sleep. But this couldn't be an ordinary state of sleep or Pucky would have been able to pick up impulses from their ceaselessly working minds. So they had to be dead or...

  Was there another alternative?

  There was no way that this could be a state of suspended animation or preservation by deep-freeze as had been used by the ancient Arkonides. The Barkonides were lying in their niches fully dressed. There was no technical implementation here to indicate that they were being fed artificially or monitored by any automatic equipment.

  Dead...?

  Just as Rhodan decided to have a first hand look at some of them, the lights went out again. Pucky was heard to voice an expletive he had learned from Bell. Then he dematerialized. Rhodan had a fleeting impression that the air circulation had cut off all of a sudden and that the vibration in the floor had ceased. But then the lights flashed on as Pucky returned.

  "Those lousy button pushers...!" he muttered bitterly.

  Rhodan stepped to the nearest stretcher bed and leaned over the motionless Barkonide. This was a man in the formfitting uniform of a technician. His complexion was pale but it still seemed as though he were merely asleep. Rhodan put an ear to his chest but could not hear any heartbeats. Also, no breathing.

  But the Barkonide's body was warm.

  If he were actually dead, then it could only have happened but minutes before.

  Rhodan straightened up and looked questioningly at Sengu. The mutant returned his gaze with an expression of helplessness. The light flickered and went out. While Pucky took care of the matter, the two men examined several of the other Barkonides. All of them were apparently dead yet their bodies had not yet lost their warmth. They were not breathing, their hearts were still but their blood had not cooled down.