by Perry Rhodan
Perry Rhodan
The Third Power #26
Cosmic Traitor
THE SPRINGERS—those farflung Galactic traders are holding a summit meeting on the planet Goszul in order to plan an attack on Earth. Rhodan is worried, and rightly so! Then--a great break: a Springer traitor contacts Perry, willing to betray his own people. The Peacelord sends several of his best mutants on a dangerous mission to the rendezvous on Goszul. And the more-than-humans are discovered and captured! Thrill follows thrill aboard spaceship and aground on another world as Rhodan and his Mutant Corps encounter interplanetary conflicts of the—
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COSMIC TRAITOR!
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1/ STRANGER FROM SPACE
"UNBELIEVABLE" Reginald, Bell finally said after Perry Rhodan's long silence finally became too oppressive for him. "I still can't believe it!"
Rhodan only smiled bitterly, saying not a word.
Bell flared up. Here in privacy with the Chief of the New Power he could afford to talk to him as a friend to friend. They had been together ever since their first trip to the Moon in the Stardust I and remained friends now as the Terranian leader endeavored to pacify the Galaxy for the protection of Earth.
Perry & Reg presently found themselves, together with a few members of the Mutant corps, aboard the heavy space cruiser Terra .Terra and companion cruiser Solar System had just emerged from hyperspace in the familiar section of the universe near Pluto's orbit. Separated by 25,000 miles, the two ships raced across the solar system toward Terra.
The shock of transition, the unpleasant side effects of a leap through space, had subsided; Perry had left the commander of the ship, McClears, to the operation of the craft and had retired to his cabin, requesting his friend Bell with a glance to accompany him.
"Perry," Reg erupted, "It has played a cruel joke on you! But why didn't you try to reach Wanderer anyway?"
Perry thoughtfully regarded Reg. "The Immortal admittedly likes to play jokes but they are never mean, Reg."
But, Bell was wound up and wouldn't let Rhodan finish. "Perry," he said gravely, "we didn't exactly go to Wanderer for pleasure, but because the Springers pose such a serious threat to us. If the Springers decide to make a concerted attack on us with all their firepower it will mean the end of us. It has willfully refused us admittance to Wanderer. And you don't call that unfunny, Perry?"
Perry Rhodan was extremely disappointed and dismayed, a condition in which his men never saw him. He had not yet been able to devise a method of stemming the peril of the Galactic traders. He looked past Bell, who watched him expectantly. Bell knew full well that his friend only fried to disguise his disenchantment and helplessness.
"Good heavens, Perry," Bell muttered, "I don't know you the way you're acting now!"
Rhodan ignored his remark as he replied, "It trusts in our ability more than we do ourselves—it can be the only explanation, Reggie. Remember how tough It made it for us on our way to Its planet? You and I still have to learn something about Its sense of humor. It didn't let us enter and refused to acknowledge our presence because It had no intention of handing over more tele-transmitters to us. It seems to beIts opinion that we should defend ourselves against the Springers with the means, currently at our disposal..."
"If that's humor I can no longer appreciate a joke!" Bell replied disgustedly. "The Stardust has only two tele-transmitters—that's the grand total. What do you think will happen to the Stardust if their friends the Mounders assault us with their overwhelming force? The Stardust will be no more, not to mention the cruisers Terra and Solar System, and the Earth will be an enslaved colony of the traders."
Bell saw a gleam in his friend's eyes and a grim smile on his lips as Rhodan stretched himself vigorously, beginning to feel a little better.
"You're absolutely right," Rhodan replied. "If the Springers deploy the Mounders in a determined effort, all will lost. Now if this isn't a terrific joke!It trusts us to beat off the Galactic traders and the Mounders to boot!"
Disheartened again, Bell sank back in his chair. "Is that all you've got to say, Perry?" he moaned, completely deflated.
"Yes, Reggie, for the moment anyway. Thanks for being such a good friend and giving me a poke in the ribs at the right time!"
"Who...me? When did I do that?" He looked so flabbergasted that Rhodan told him with a broad grin: "You don't look so smart!"
"I'd give a fortune for a hint on how to grapple with the calamities ahead," Bell snarled angrily and then fell silent.
• • •
Terrania, the capital of the New Power in the Gobi Desert and seat of the Terrestrial World Government, awaited the arrival of the two cruisers Solar System and Terra. After the structure disturbances due to the transition through hyperspace, the ships had contacted Terrania via hypercom and now received instructions how to traverse the force-field above Terrania.
Perry Rhodan left the Terra in a taciturn mood. He maintained a formal appearance by reciprocating greetings and exchanging a few words with some of the officials but he did not fool his friend Bell.
Not in the entire existence of the Earth had it been in such jeopardy as now that it had been, discovered by the Galactic traders one time members of the now slowly-decaying Arkonide Imperium. They lived almost exclusively in clans on their huge spaceships and carried on trade with all planets which seemed profitable. Neither friend nor foe of any race they always remained neutral and sold their wares to both sides in a conflict for their own advantage. Nevertheless the Springers, as they were called, were no harmless roving band of Star-Gypsies. Any outsider trying to enter their domain was mercilessly exterminated. If their own considerable power was inadequate, they could call on the help of the Mounders, descendants of the Arkonides like themselves but people of incredible weight and—what was much more dangerous— possessors of tremendous space battleships.
Perry Rhodan had so far held the Traders and Mounders in check but had been unable to make the lesson Hands off Terra or pay with your lives! stick.
He briefed his staff of officers about the acute danger threatening from the fleets of the Springers and the Mounders.
"The heavy cruiser Centurio will be christened tomorrow and put in service," Commander Nyssen of the Solar System remarked hopefully.
Rhodan smiled woefully. "What difference will it make? None! One medium size spaceship more or less—and with the Centurio we still have only three in this class—doesn't count for much against the massed forces of our enemies. Anyone with any idea will have my eternal gratitude."
He looked at his aides: Reginald Bell, the cruiser Commanders McClears and Nyssen, Maj. Deringhouse, the mutants and finally at Khrest and Thora. His eyes fastened longest on the proud Arkonide woman. In the 10 years they had known each other their relationship had become ever closer but not close enough to let anybody dream that these two exceptional beings could be more than friends.
* * *
The Centurio was, christened by the Arkonide Thora. Behind her stood Deringhouse without a muscle moving in his face but unable to hide the joy in his eyes at becoming the commander of such a fabulous cruiser.
Not far away Perry Rhodan, chief of the New Power, Reginald Bell and the Arkonide Khrest stood together in a group. As Thora loudly proclaimed the christening words, Khrest whispered to Rhodan: Who would have thought, 10 years ago when we first met after my crash on the Moon that you'd have to defend the Earth as Administrator of the Terrestrial World Government against invaders from the universe?"
Their eyes met. One individual, an Arkonide with the knowledge of an age- old civilization and the other Perry Rhodan, an outstanding member of the human race on Earth
, intelligent, courageous and heir to the Arkonide knowledge, the only man besides Reginald Bell who would be spared the process of aging in the next six decades.
As Perry was about to answer Khrest, Bell nudged him and pointed to the telecom screen. The picture grid flickered and the face of Col. Freyt appeared.
"What's the matter?" Rhodan asked quickly in a low voice. He didn't want the ceremony of launching the heavy cruiser Centurio to be interrupted.
Freyt noticed Rhodan's concern and restrained his loud voice. "Chief, the structure sensors on Mars and one of Saturn's moons have just picked up something!"
Rhodan perked up immediately. The traders! he thought. They took three months to prepare their attack and now they're coming.
But Freyt interrupted him excitedly: "Another signal, chief! Second structure disturbance. The same ship has left the solar system again."
"Col. Freyt!" he responded, "give..."
"Call stage one alert!" Rhodan ordered quickly, glancing doubtfully at the heavy new cruiser which had just been christened by Thora.
Col. Freyt's face fluttered away from the picture and the screen, turned grey. Bell chewed on his lower lip and Khrest looked like a man holding his breath.
Now stage one alert had been invoked. However Terrania was not unprepared. The super-battleship Stardust II —the non plus ultra of Arkonide art of engineering which had been conquered by Perry Rhodan and his mutants on the world of the Ferrons—stood, ready to join the heavy cruisers Terra and Solar System and a number of destroyer groups while others were on guard patrol between the planets.
The stage one alert remained in force while Rhodan summoned his closest aides for a consultation.
Evaluation of the report had confirmed that an alien ship had transitioned from hyperspace into the Solar system and disappeared again in another leap back into hyperspace.
Reginald Bell was beaming optimistically: "A negotiator from the Springers, Perry...?"
John Marshall, tall and dark-haired, didn't change the expression on his earnest, slim face. Nobody would have suspected him to be a telepath. He shook his head when Rhodan looked at him questioningly and said: "I know the Springers too well to expect them to send an intermediary in the strange ship which vanished again. The Springers are concocting a plan to eliminate us in one stroke."
"Perhaps a faulty transition...?" Bell expressed his thoughts and was startled when the Arkonide Khrest remarked sharply: "The Galactic traders originate from our race, Bell..."
"Too bad," Bell retorted gruffly but then he caught himself. "It's indeed regrettable. Otherwise we'd have much less trouble than we do with your offspring!"
Khrest hesitated a moment, then he understood what Bell had meant by his words. But the remark stuck in Thora's craw. With fire in her eyes she pounced on Bell: "You should be the last one to denigrate us Arkonides! Your attitude smacks of..."
She stopped in the middle of her sentence when she noticed that Perry Rhodan had trouble concealing a chuckle. Now she realized she had once again been carried away by Bell's stinging humor.
"We'll have to wait and see," Rhodan declared at the end of the consultation. "Our destroyers in the solar system will remain on alert. It's all we can do at the moment."
• • •
Commander Deringhouse was liable to be found almost anywhere in his ship. He wandered as in a dream through the spherical craft which measured more than 600 feet in diameter.
His Centurio was scheduled to start on its maiden flight in an hour, at which time the mighty ship would lift off to roam through awe-inspiring space fraught with dangers.
He supervised the final checkup himself.
Weapon Control! There seemed to be only one, expression in the language everybody spoke: "All clear!"
Rangefinder system, transmitters, communication with engine room, with converters—all clear, clear, clear...
When the final all-clear came through Deringhouse took a deep breath. His mind was no longer on the high alert status which still prevailed.
• • •
Perry Rhodan was a little surprised when he saw Khrest and Thora enter the room. John Marshall wanted to leave as with his telepathic powers perfected by hypno-training he recognized that the Arkonides wished to talk alone to Perry Rhodan. He had already turned to walk out when Rhodan held him back. "Stay with us, Marshall!" he said softly, nodding to the Arkonides in a friendly gesture.
There was a quick frown on Thora's forehead. She still remained the same sensitive Arkonide as ever, resenting it if something went, contrary to her expectations. The extremely tall, slim Khrest, the outstanding scientist in the Arkonide Imperium, exuded a serenity in harmony with his knowledge.
Thora's mien relaxed under Perry's steady benevolent gaze. She disregarded Marshall's presence and began to speak: "Time is getting short, Perry Rhodan, and it is working for the Galactic traders and against the Earth—against all of us including Arkon! The Centurio is now ready for its first flight. Let Khrest and me fly to Arkon in the Centurio. I don't make this plea in order to force the fulfillment of your promise under the pressure of grave circumstances but out of genuine concern for Terra and fear for ourselves..."
Perry Rhodan's face had become very serious. He studied Thora and Khrest very carefully. Rhodan had utmost faith in the scientist but because of her impulsiveness he did not trust Thora enough to exclude ulterior motives.
John Marshall stood closely behind the Arkonides. With a supreme effort of his telepathic abilities he had succeeded in gaining access to the shielded brains of the Aliens and deciphered their thoughts. When he glanced at Rhodan the sign was understood.
"I know," Rhodan replied, reassured by Marshall's information, "that I still have to make good my promise..."
But this isn't what matters now," Thora interrupted vehemently. "We want to get help for you, Perry Rhodan. Help which It on the invisible planet Wanderer has denied you. But my people, the Arkonides, will not fail us. Only by rallying the might of our race will you be able to withstand the onslaught of the Springers and the Mounders!"
"Their attack can occur any minute." Rhodan tried to avoid a decision although he had told himself many times already that now the time had come when he was in desperate need of outside help.
"Perry Rhodan!" Khrest confronted him. They looked at each other. "Rhodan, I'm disappointed in you. You're evasive. You can't escape fate by subterfuge. Thora and I must go to Arkon at once! The Centurio is ready to take off. Let us go or don't you trust us any more?"
It was a harsh question for Perry Rhodan. After all he owed all his knowledge and power to these two people.
Then he impressed the Arkonides with his frank reply: "It's true I wanted to delay your flight to Arkon but not because I mistrust you. I was still hopeful of finding a way to repulse the Springers without assistance from others. Now I realize that this will be impossible."
Marshall broke in: "Chief, a message!"
"Yes," Rhodan responded, turning his head to the telecom where Col. Freyt's face wriggled onto the screen.
"Chief!" Freyt said agitatedly. "The transceiver station on the Moon has intercepted a call coming from the same sector where the two structure disturbances were observed to have taken place yesterday."
"The message, please!" Rhodan demanded.
Quickly Freyt conveyed the call: "Levtan requests the Lord of the New Power Perry Rhodan to give his permission for landing. Please reply on same frequency. Levtan."
"Thank you, Col. Freyt!" Rhodan called back, his face beaming. Freyt failed to understand why his boss
was so happy, with the message.
"I guess we won't fly to Arkon after all Khrest inquired apprehensively before Perry could say a word to the Arkonides.
"Not yet, Khrest!" In the same breath he turned to John Marshall and said: "You heard the communication. Inform Bell and tell him to take care of the evaluation!" Then again to the Arkonides: "Just a minute, please!"
Perry Rhodan had been fam
ous since he was a young cadet in the U.S. Space Force for his ability to make instantaneous mental switches. This talent had been further improved. He alerted all stations in a few seconds with terse commands via telecom. His instructions reached far beyond Pluto's orbit, where the destroyers were on guard patrol.
2/ "TREACHEROUS ANGEL OF PEACE"
Reginald Bell, Perry Rhodan's friend and deputy, let his stocky figure fall onto a chair, pushed a stack of radio message evaluations aside and grinned at Kitai Ishibashi, the Japanese physician and psychologist.
"We've got work for you, Ishibashi. We're expecting company, soon. Somebody wants to see the Chief. He's inquired..."
"A Springer?" Kitai Ishibashi asked. His almond shaped eyes lit up briefly.
"Perhaps a Springer. Probably. We don't know yet. But when his ship arrives we'll depend, on you and you'll have to stay on call. Our future hangs in the balance and your skill may make the difference."
"I'll do my best," Kitai Ishibashi assured him.
Bell looked thoughtfully at him. He was very apprehensive at the thought that a Springer's visit was imminent There was something highly peculiar about it but neither he nor Perry Rhodan could put his finger on it.
For this reason he had called in Kitai Ishibashi, the "Suggester", who had the mental power to superimpose his own will on a person in such a manner that his subject remained convinced he was making his own decisions, completely unaware of being under a strange influence.
Bell perused the evaluations. The radio message from the sector where the two structure disturbances had been registered was a dilly.
"Slow as molasses," Bell mumbled, figuring on the fingers, of his hands that it took the message about 24 hours to reach the moon. "And what's this?"
He studied the measurements of the angle at which the message had been beamed to the transceiver station on Luna. The calculations of Ron, the positronic computer, were attached, confirming that the radio message in uncoded language stemmed from the ship which had caused the two structure disturbances 24 hours earlier.