by Perry Rhodan
As the leading nuclear scientist of his race, Laar was also the head of the government. It was proof of the fact that science and politics could harmonize, after all, and that a scientist involved in politics did not always comprise a threat to a world's survival.
Again he wore his formal headpiece which was so similar to a silk top hat and which he apparently always brought out for special occasions. Rhodan wondered about it for the second time since his arrival but did not ask any questions about it. A time would come, perhaps, when the relationships between Barkonides, Arkonides and Terrestrials would be explained.
"We are in your eternal debt," said Laar, shaking hands with Rhodan, Sengu and finally Pucky. "Perhaps we may have an opportunity to repay you some day when your own people need help—after we have come closer to the galaxy. Then you may always count on us."
"If anyone here should be grateful," returned Rhodan, "it should be us. What would all of us be without you?"
He said this in order to bolster the self-confidence of the Barkonides. They considered themselves to be the ancestors of all intelligences in the galaxy, much of which they had colonized a million years before. They would need all the self-confidence they could muster in order to ride out the long journey before them.
Regoon and Gorat also said goodbye but asked no questions. They knew that a small ship would be waiting on the surface for the Terranians—as had happened many years ago.
When Nex offered to accompany them to the surface, Rhodan looked at his watch. "We have only just one hour. Do you think we could make it in a rail car? It's along way..."
Nex smiled. "We'll take the elevator. With that we'll be up there within 10 minutes..."
• • •
The doors of the airlock closed at the precise second of the scheduled moment of departure. The lone figure of the Barkonide and the hill he was standing on receded into distance. Nex was waving farewell with both arms raised upward toward them. In the ship's transparent nose bubble, Rhodan returned his signal until the nexialist's figure became a tiny dot in the snow-flecked wasteland—and finally was gone.
The spacecraft pushed through the energy screen, out into the void. As its velocity increased, Barkon sank away into the fathomless abyss and became a small sphere. It was difficult to see it because of the reduced reflective capacity of its altered surface.
And then Barkon disappeared entirely.
The bow of the miracle ship turned toward the distant galaxy, which now stood out against the firmament of the starless realm like a gleaming cloud of light.
The return flight had begun.
7/ FAREWELL TO BARKON
The Drusus had landed on Wanderer.
In the hall of the Physiotron stood Rhodan and all of his mutants who had received the life-prolonging, cell-shower treatment less than 60 years before. They had taken advantage of the opportunity to request a new treatment from the Immortal and it had been granted. Also the most important and capable men of his staff, whether mutants or not, were to receive the rejuvenation.
Once the process had started, Rhodan left them and retired to the adjacent hall where the Immortal awaited him. The latter had once more assumed Its spherical shape and was hovering near the domed ceiling. Rhodan sat down in the contour chair and waited. The small sphere lowered down to him until It was on a level with his eyes.
"I have learned everything from your thoughts, Perry Rhodan. You need not report anything to me; I merely wish to tell you something."
"And my questions...?"
"I cannot and must not answer them. Too much knowledge has an effect on the future. For you the future must yet remain obscure because the brilliant light of knowledge around you would only serve to blind you. Yet you shall come to see these things—even if what you think you see is still obscure and dark. The Barkonides have been saved. They are on their way to us and one day they will arrive. Perhaps more swiftly than you believe at present. Even sooner than what might seem possible..."
"Do you know the future?"
"It is fixed but there are many paths to it. Only that alone is its secret—the paths to the future."
"So although the paths are varied, you're saying that the end point is fixed and can't be changed."
"When I speak of the future I mean the end of all time. It has a beginning which lies billions of years in the past. So you see that time also must end. All roads to the future converge there. However variegated the planes of existence and probability paths, all of them lead to one goal: the end of all time."
"The end of time," muttered Rhodan, aware of a shudder down his spine. "Then what is the whole meaning of the past or even the present, if the future only means the end?"
"Other than you or myself—who knows of this ending?" came the counter-question. "Would you venture to reveal such a secret?"
Rhodan shook his head. He already knew that he could tell this to no one. He only had one more question, now that he had gotten this far. So he stated it: "What is the nature of this ending, friend? Is it a return to void and nothingness? Is it the eternal peace of Nirvana or a night of Chaos? What comes after the end? Something must come after. Or is it nothingness?"
The shimmering sphere was the embodiment of a vanished race and the remaining focal point of its total wisdom. Now it rose to a higher level and appeared to grow larger. It seemed to Rhodan that this might be a sign of agitation.
"You ask more than you would ever be able to comprehend. Can you not ever be satisfied? You know more now than any intelligence in the universe. You know that there are many parallel paths to the future and that every thinking, self-conscious being chooses his own. Naturally each one does not know what his path looks like but he knows very well that it leads inexorably into the future. You, too, will travel one of these paths but you have someone who leads you there. Your way is not the easiest one but it borders upon the greatest riches to be wrested from existence. Before you have passed away you will learn the lesson of humility from time to time. The end of time...? No, my friend. Even you will not discover its nature or what comes after—perhaps the beginning of another time cycle, or perhaps nothing. I am the only living entity who could answer your question but I will not. Of course along the paths to the future attempts will be made to break beyond the barriers of time—some with a certain amount of success. But to what avail? A time machine can only choose one path and if it should thrust through to the end of time it would cease then to exist. For what else could become of a time machine without time? It could never return. And to swim laterally through the streams of time is not possible. At least not in a material form."
Rhodan could perceive the limitations. He would never lose sight of these facts. His muscles relaxed their tension. He felt a peace come over him that he had never known before. For the fraction of a second he envisioned his path before him. It reached out brightly and clearly through the darkness of Infinity, finally dwindling somewhere into the sea of time toward some indefinable goal.
Then the vision disappeared.
He sat there in the special chair. Before him hovered the sphere, incomprehensible in Its omnipotence and wisdom, immortal, cognizant of the beginning and end of time. If this entity existed, then the future must still hold significance. Otherwise would It not have made an end of its existence by now? Would It continue to lead him—Rhodan—into that future?
"I thank you," said Rhodan in a low tone of voice, conscious of his comparative weakness and insignificance. Was he not a mere human, even though relatively immortal? Were there not many others like him? Had he not become what he was, only through their help and loyalty? What would he be without his friends—and without the Immortal...?
"I am also grateful to you," answered the Immortal. "You have helped me in a situation where I was unable to render aid myself. And if we had not helped the Barkonides..."
He left the rest unsaid but Rhodan suddenly realized that the moment had come for a final question.
"What about the Barkonides?
Who are they, actually? And why is their destiny so important to you?"
"Do you believe that I am showing them a special preference? That is not the case."
"Why was it necessary for me to rescue them?"
"They are important! Without them the end of time might have a different structure—I don't know."
"I thought that was fixed and unchangeable."
"That I believe but can I truly know?"
Rhodan realized that he wasn't going to find out much more. "And the invisibles? Who are they? Have you ever encountered them yourself?"
There was a slight pause. Rhodan knew that meanwhile his people were still in the biological cell-shower. He was not wasting time.
Then came the answer: "I have them to thank for what I am today. I can tell you no more."
"You are indebted to them? I don't understand. You mean they are not hostile? If so, why have they attacked the Barkonides?"
There was another pause before the answer was given: "If an opponent kills you, Perry Rhodan, then you have him to thank for your death. Have I expressed myself clearly enough?"
Was this merely becoming a play on words...?
The shimmering sphere floated up toward the ceiling. Rhodan got to his feet. The chair disappeared as though it had never been there. But that was not as intriguing to Rhodan as the fact that while he had been almost a week on Barkon only four hours of real time had elapsed for the Drusus.
"Goodbye, my friend," said the Immortal in its voiceless way. "You will be hearing from me. I am able to reach you anywhere and at any time."
"In any time?" smiled Rhodan, and he bowed slightly in the direction of the sphere, which gradually attenuated and at last disappeared.
He received no answer...
• • •
The synthetic planet Wanderer had long since submerged into its nameless state or realm of invisibility. Col. Sikerman had announced the approach of the first transition.
They were sitting in Rhodan's cabin—Bell, John Marshall, Sengu, Pucky and several other mutants. Dr. Manoli stood near the door.
"Then it was even crazier," said Bell casually, obviously referring to Rhodan's first excursion to Barkon. "You were there for three weeks but in our own time-plane you only lost one second. This time you were there a week and actually lost four hours. Looks as though the Immortal's able to make variations."
"That would be a handy thing for a lot of men," said Pucky. "A fellow could say goodbye to his wife in the morning and tell her he was going to the office. But what he really does is to go with a... with a... well, anyway,not with his wife... and do a 4-week vacation in the South Seas somewhere. Then after a month he comes and reports back home, just in time for lunch!"
Manoli grinned rather smugly. "I for one am not married," he commented.
Betty Toufry stroked Pucky's fur. "You don't have a very good opinion of our men," she said, chiding him for his somewhat ribald fantasies. "Now how could the incredible powers of the Immortal ever inspire you with such naughty imaginings?"
John Marshall, however, was not to be diverted from more important considerations. After hearing Rhodan's report he had been interested in just one problem. He asked his questions again. "Who could those invisible people have been? Do they come from our galaxy? How come we never encountered them before?"
Rhodan seemed to be looking through and beyond him as he smiled and said: "You're asking three questions all at once—none of which I can answer. But one thing is certain: the Immortal on Wanderer knows these aliens! He must have had something to do with them in the past. I don't know more than that myself, and I wouldn't venture to really express my speculations on the subject. But I'm afraid that someday we're going to meet those invisibles again. And I don't think we'll be able to compare the encounter with anything like the one we've had with the Druufs. The difference is too tremendous."
"Do you think they'll ever be able to find us?"
Rhodan did not reply.
Pucky stood up. "I think I'll grab a little shut-eye. You coming along, Bell? I have a new joke to tell you. One of the girls in Com Central told it to a friend of hers. Of course I just happened to overhear them by accident—uh, maybe it's better to say I stumbled across their thoughts. Not my intention, of course! But all the same it's a good one. Well...?"
Bell hardly even looked at him. "Thanks—not in the mood. Besides, I've heard it already."
Pucky was speechless for a moment. "You've heard it? But—I've never even told it to you! "
"That's right," answered Bell with a bored yawn. "I heard it from Liana Pepsy. You know, the girl in Com Central..."
Pucky raised his brows, pretending to be shocked. He waddled to the door. He opened it and then paused to turn and look back. "How indecent!" he chirped indignantly. "And I had always thought she was a nice girl! Can you imagine...!" With that, he went out and closed the door after him.
Bell leaned back in his chair in some satisfaction and closed his eyes. But if he thought he was going to be left in peace he was mistaken. Dr. Manoli came over and tapped him on the shoulder. "OK, Bell—let's have it. After that buildup, don't leave us in suspense!"
Bell's eyes snapped open. He looked askance at the female mutants about him. "It wouldn't do, Doc. There are ladies present."
Betty stood up and signaled to Ishy Matsu. At the door she turned to Bell. "Sorry, Bell, but we are telepaths. That joke has barnacles on it. Have fun!"
The two women departed, leaving only Doc Manoli and Rhodan as possible victims. Because John Marshall had also heard it—from Pucky.
"It seems there was this country yokel who had just arrived in town," Bell started to say but he stopped as Rhodan got up and went to the door. "Hey, you mean you've heard it, too?" he asked, somewhat crestfallen.
Rhodan shook his head as he opened the door. "Not the joke, old chum—but I've heard you!"
Manoli grinned. "You old star-chaser, you disappoint me!" After Rhodan had gone, he turned to Bell. "But at least there's nobody to disturb us now. Let's have it!"
Bell overcame his sense of being deserted. "Well, OK. So this country bumpkin comes into town and..."
"Transition in 10 seconds!" The announcement blared from the loudspeaker. Col. Sikerman's voice sounded cold and indifferent.
The look of expectancy froze on Manoli's face. Now he would never get to hear the joke. At least not from Bell, who seemed to suddenly deflate like a punctured balloon. Three interruptions in a row had been too much for him. But Manoli consoled himself. He would just have to hear it directly from Liana Pepsy herself. At least she didn't have Bell's prima donna temperament—not that one!
"Transition!"
There was silence during the hyperjump.
Then Bell: "So this hick came into town and he asked a police officer how to get to the next main intersection..."
"Stop!" cried Manoli in sudden rebellion. He held his hands over his ears. "That's the story about the dog that was being taken for a walk! I heard that one a hundred years ago! And besides, it isn't juicy at all—you call that a joke? Pah...!"
In the neutral color motif of Rhodan's cabin there was only one bright red spot which seemed to be out of harmony with the milieu.
Upon closer inspection, this round red spot turned out to be Bell's face...
THE STARLESS REALM
Copyright © 1976 Ace Books
by arrangement with Arthur Moewig Verlag
All Rights Reserved
THE SHIP OF THINGS TO COME
"DEATH," the high priest said to me. "You are close to death. I knew that you did not have a second device. So my information was valid. I demand full freedom and the right to participate in programming the robot Regent."
"You're a little late with that idea," remarked Rhodan. "Without the activator, Atlan will die. If that happens because of you, Kaata, I'll come after you personally! You'll not get inside the ship. If Atlan is put out of action you will still have me and my mutants to face. We'll chase you all ove
r this moon if we have to. I am familiar with the spacesuit you are wearing. It only gives you 10 hours of oxygen. Our Terranian suits have a superior regeneration system. We can breathe for 24 hours! What use is it to resist? What could you gain by Atlan's death? Use your reason! I'm offering you complete freedom—what more do you want? You're beaten, anyway."
The Anti was silent for a few moments, during which we allowed our weapons to cool off. Otherwise we would not have been able to use them.
Then came Kaata's answer: "I can't rely either on your promise or on that of a dying man. I prefer to gamble on what's real. My prospects of conquering you are better than anything you can guarantee me. I have no faith in the pledges of a barbarian or in the promises of an Imperator who has gained power through deception. You will have to die, Atlan!"
• • •
This dramatic sequence takes place in the next episode of PERRY RHODAN—
THE MYSTERY OF THE ANTI
By K. H. Scheer