by Perry Rhodan
The Druuf glanced at Onot with increasing astonishment. "Where did you get that idea? Not a single robot has landed. Their ships are attacking us, that's all. But they're manned by robots."
Somehow Onot felt a sense of relief although he didn't know why. Only after the robots arrived on the surface of Druufon was he supposed to activate the transmitter. And then he would have five more minutes to save himself.
"That's what I meant," he replied and walked on. The other Druuf couldn't get over his puzzlement and followed him with bulging eyes before he got on his way again. Why should he worry about the whims of the chief physicist as long as he didn't bother him and stuck to his own affairs?
Onot entered the station and made sure that receiver was ready for operation. He could have switched it on immediately but there was still a danger that somebody else might come in and shut it off again. This had to be avoided if possible. There would still be five minutes before the arrival of the robots, during which the station would be unguarded.
Onot shuddered. Robots? What did he know about robots?
He must have gone completely out of his mind. Why was he here? Didn't he have enough other things to do?
He suddenly felt the pressure growing in his brain and then experienced a sensation as if his own intellect had been pushed aside. And this wasn't all, because now he heard the voice for the first time as it silently said: "I can't help it, Onot! But now I must tell you who I am and that I've shared for many months a place in your body. I'm stronger than you and you'll have to obey me from now on—unless you want me to leave you and take your life with me."
Onot was nearly frightened to death. He didn't believe in supernatural shenanigans but this silent and persuasive voice was no hallucination. It was as real as himself. "What... where are you?"
"In you, Onot. I'm an intellect like you but I've lost my body. I've found you after wandering restlessly through time and I've helped you to build the time-freezer. Don't you think this is a good reason to be grateful to me?"
"I still don't understand..."
"Call me Ellert, Onot. Someday you'll understand everything but if you don't you must die when I leave you. However we don't have time to waste right now. Turn on the transmitter in exactly one minute!"
"The receiving station?" Onot struggled against the thought of obeying a stranger, especially a ghost. "I won't do it unless you tell me why I should."
"If you refuse to obey me, I'll be compelled to force you. I've gained control of your body, your nerves and your muscles. I can make your heart stand still, Onot! You've got exactly 30 seconds."
The time was expressed in units of the Druufs. Onot felt his right hand lift up. It approached the lever which would release the flow of energy to the grid. He gave his brain the command to lower his hand again but it continued to reach for the lever.
"It's useless, Onot," came the somewhat sarcastic impulse from Ellert. "Furthermore it'll be wiser of you to obey me because pandemonium will break loose in here in five minutes. You must reach a safe shelter before then if you wish to go on living. I can save myself because I can exist without your body."
The hand touched the lever, hesitated a moment and then depressed it. It immediately started a vibration of the receiver, a sign that it was in operation.
"And now let's get out of here, Onot! Move your tired legs and go to the glider in the main corridor. We can be miles away in the next five minutes."
Onot began to run against his will. He would have liked to know what connection the robots had with the transmitter but he was far more worried about the problem of his invisible enemy who had taken possession of him. Would he ever be able to get rid of him?
He flung his entire weight into the glider. The streamlined cabins ran on electronic rails which connected the subterranean stations and the various departments. They reached a velocity of more than a 1000 kilometers per hour.
Onot pushed the drive-lever into full speed. Then he leaned back and closed his eyes.
Ellert isolated Onot's brain and made contact with Rhodan. Transmitter is set!
"At least 50 of the robots that have landed are still functioning," Rhodan advised him. "As soon as the fireworks in the computer center start popping they'll assume that they have managed to storm it. I've already broadcast my warning to the Druufs and I'm going to land there. Keep in touch, Ellert!"
Onot was 80 kilometers away from the computer center when the ground under the city began to shake. But he could hardly feel it because he had surfaced already by the time the shockwave reached him.
• • •
Capt. Rous and Lt. Potkin waited tensely near the transmitter. The apparatus was set so that the push of a button sufficed to activate it. The picture screen flickered unsteadily. It reflected the electrical disturbances of the twin sun Siamed. It was tuned in on Rhodan's frequency. His orders could come any moment.
More than 40 robots stood waiting in the energy cages. They were programmed to start their work of demolition at the same instant they emerged in the computer center of the Druufs to deliver their charges of energy till it was completely spent and then to self-destruct in the holocaust.
Rous was biting his lips. "Damn it! How much longer will it take them?"
Potkin remained outwardly calm, as was his custom. "There's nothing we can do about it. Rhodan must know why he is still holding back. This offensive against the Druufs requires the interaction of artificially created incidents. Our own action is also timed to correlate with these incidents and we shouldn't come in too soon or too late."
"Yes, yes, I know," Rous grumbled angrily. His temper seemed to get the better of him. But this time he wasn't alone and he couldn't make his own decisions. This was one of the reasons the always-calm Potkin had been assigned as his aide.
The picture screen suddenly began to move and showed a face.
"Rous! Potkin! Are you ready?"
"Say the word!" Rous exclaimed, his hand reaching for the button.
"Contact in exactly 10 seconds," Rhodan replied quietly.
Potkin admonished Rous with a glance. "Five seconds to go... 4... 3... 2... 1... now!"
Capt. Rous slammed his fist on the button and when he looked at the energy cages they were already empty. He had sent a veritable inferno on a trip.
When he looked back to the picture screen, Rhodan's face had disappeared.
• • •
Rhodan had no illusions about the risk he took when he came in for a landing on Druufon.
The remnants of the Arkonide fighter-robots could be seen lying around everywhere. The concrete—or whatever the Druufs used in its place—was dotted with innumerable craters but there were no spaceships in sight. The entire fleet was locked in the battle with the invaders, trying to destroy or repulse them.
The Drusus touched down.
Somewhere in the city was a tremendous detonation which caused a shockwave to sweep across the spaceport. They saw a pale flash in the light of the midday sun. A dark cloud of smoke rose lazily and drifted to the open land.
"And you want us to get out into this," Bell asked dubiously. "If they ever find out that were behind this..."
"By the time they discover it, we'll be far enough away," Rhodan said nonchalantly. He didn't feel quite as confident as he pretended. The Druufs could have smelled a rat since his warning had come 10 seconds too late. "Why would they get the idea that we're playing a trick on them?"
Pucky waddled over to them. "On the contrary, they're glad that we're here," he reported. He probably had monitored the thoughts of the ruling Druufs by telepathy and must have known what he was talking about. "At the moment they're racking their brains how it was possible that some of these robots got into the computer center where there had been some fighting."
Harno floated down from the ceiling and turned himself into an observation screen. Take a look at the computer center of the Druufs!
They did as he suggested and were able to observe the events which took place
deep below the city. The robots spilled out of the transmitter and began their devastation. Others must already have been farther inside because continuous pressure waves raced through the corridors, cracking the walls wide open. The detonations caused the generators and entire machinery halls to collapse. Luckily for the Druufs the computer center was mostly run automatically so that only little loss of life occurred. The destruction was limited to the technical installations which fully served the purpose.
"Thank you, Harno. We've seen enough. Our plan was successful. The Druufs are now deprived of their scientific institute and it serves them perfectly right since they have used their knowledge preponderantly for military purposes. We've hit their most vulnerable spot and I expect their war machine to collapse. The only question is when."
Atlan, who had been standing silently in the background, took a step forward and looked at Rhodan with earnest eyes. "I hope it won't be after Arkon's fleet has been gutted. One of these days we're going to need that fleet badly."
Rhodan looked the other way. "That's my hope just like yours, Atlan. But there is no other possibility of defeating the Druufs without weakening the Regent, unless we want to attempt both jobs by ourselves. And you know as well as I what the result would be."
Atlan sadly shook his head. Harno ascended to the ceiling again and waited.
"I'll take Bell and Pucky with me," Rhodan said. "In case of an emergency we may have to be rescued by teleportation."
"I can carry both of you together," the mouse-beaver said, not without arrogance or justification. He had proved on more than one desperate occasion that he could teleport two people at once. "Of course, one is much easier but I can handle both of you. But Bell and his belly count for 1½."
"I've lost almost five pounds during these last few weeks," Bell protested. He was rather sensitive in this respect. "That ought to lighten your burden."
"Big meal!" Pucky exclaimed. "As if five pounds would make any difference with you! You probably took it all off in the wrong place anyway."
Bell shook his head and patted his belly. "Right here."
"Oh...!" Pucky stretched his words. "That's good. I thought it was up there!" He pointed to Bell's head.
Before Bell could grab him, Pucky jumped out of his reach.
Rhodan interrupted the horseplay of his two friends. "We'll leave the Drusus the regular way, through one of the airlocks without taking weapons along. Sikerman, call the Druufs on the radio. I want to talk to Tommy-1 as soon as you can reach him."
Tommy-1 was a reference name for the translator of the Druufs. The names of the Druufs were so unpronounceable that they were incapable of being articulated by Terrestrials.
Sikerman and the chief radio officer Lt. Stern undertook to establish communications immediately and it didn't take two minutes before Sikerman was able to report: "Contact, sir! Go ahead!"
Rhodan spoke into the mike of a translating machine which was connected to the radio sender. "This is Rhodan speaking. We've come in our flagship and wish to negotiate with you although you have failed to treat us in good faith in the past. But the attackers are getting out of hand. We need your help as much as you need ours."
"They have dropped robots on the city and some of them forced their way into our subterranean nerve center. Can you stop them? We're too busy with the air defense and the struggle in space."
That's all I need! Rhodan was taken aback for a moment. Then he said hesitantly: "Don't you have any ground-troops that can be deployed against the intruders? We've got only three ships available here and we would have to ask for reinforcements. This would take much too long."
There was a pause. Pucky concentrated his thoughts and tried to read the mind of Tommy-1. "They're trying to come up with something," he reported.
"Come to us!" they were finally requested by the translator. "We would like to talk it over with you."
"I'll come with two advisers," Rhodan agreed and told Sikerman to switch off the transceiver. Then he turned to Bell. "It's all set, pal. Let's go!"
He picked up a multi-purpose wristband which also contained an efficient transceiver. It would enable them to call the Drusus whenever necessary and even if they were unable to use it there would still be Pucky and Harno.
Harno? Rhodan looked up to the ceiling. "You better come with us too, Harno. Perhaps you can be of assistance if you join us."
The black ball floated down obligingly and was put by Rhodan into the pocket of his pants. There Harno was in a safe place. Rhodan had a certain idea how the strange being could help him—if the occasion arose.
Once, after they had alighted and walked the short distance to the city, they were surprised by the foray of a small Arkonide pursuit ship. The 20-meter-long torpedo-shaped craft must have broken through the defenses and dived with the death defiance of a mobile robot on the target that it must have considered an enemy. Fortunately it was caught in an energy beam of an anti-aircraft gun. The glowing cloud drifted awhile over the city and was soon blown away by the wind.
"If that wasn't lucky!" Bell growled, and hastened his steps. "I'd like to know why they don't send us a car."
He barely had uttered his desperate wish, when a vehicle approached from the edge of the landing field. It was long and streamlined. Apparently it was steered automatically. As soon as it stopped in front of them the doors opened by themselves.
Rhodan got in, followed by Bell. Pucky was the last to jump on the wide seat. "Are the Druufs really so broad-beamed?" the mouse-beaver wondered as he sank into the upholstery and almost disappeared. "These seats fit somebody like Bell just fine but as far as my delicate physique is concerned..."
"Stifle yourself!" Bell said irately. "The mass your body lacks I've got in my brain."
He was interrupted by Rhodan. "I'd watch the way if I were you so that we can find your way back or your big brain won't help you much. Over there is the forum of the Council where they've already tried once before to put me on ice. I think they're already familiar with Pucky."
"Who in the Galaxy doesn't know Pucky?" the mouse-beaver exclaimed enthusiastically.
Bell stared in the direction Rhodan had pointed. "A fine trap! And we have to go in there?"
"I guess so," Rhodan replied.
He seemed to be right. The vehicle glided up on an inclined elevated street and sped above the buildings of the city on a wide road toward the dome-shaped edifice. When they had come within 100 meters of the forum, a door opened to let them enter.
They stopped in the middle of the arena. The benches around them were occupied to the last seat. It was amazing how many Druufs remained idle in the city while a decisive battle raged for their planet.
Rhodan was the last to climb out, letting Bell and Pucky alight first. He did not bring a translating machine, knowing the Druufs had excellent instruments of this type themselves.
His assumption was justified. They had made arrangements for every Druuf in the forum to follow the negotiations.
"We thank you for your warning, Perry Rhodan of Terra," a voice resounded from the ring of columns which supported the cupola. "Unfortunately it came too late but it has proved to us on whose side you stand."
Rhodan tried to locate the speaker but it was impossible to find him. The ruling members had again taken the seats in the uppermost row, which ran around in a large circle 50 meters above the arena. Any one of the members could have been Tommy-1.
"I'm ready to hear about the measures you have to propose to me," Rhodan stated coolly. He had no intention of helping the Druufs, being only interested in obtaining the secret of the supra-lightspeed propulsion system. "What can we do?"
"Bring in your forces and throw them into the battle with the robot fleet," Tommy-1 replied. "Destroy the machines that are ravaging our scientific institute under the city!"
"Don't you have an army to take care of them?"
"All our soldiers have been sent out to take part in the space battle. There are only politicians, scientists and officer
s left behind, and they are incapable of fighting."
"Why can't the officers fight?"
"Not these," was the inscrutable answer.
I found Tommy-1, Pucky signaled telepathically. Shall I bring him down from his rostrum?
Not a bad idea, Rhodan responded. Maybe it'll make the desired impression on them.
Pucky didn't have to be told twice. He had pinpointed the spokesman of the Druufs and knew which of the monsters had thought the words they had just heard. He concentrated his mind on the colossal figure who sat up close under the ceiling and seized him in his telekinetic stream of power. As though he had suddenly become weightless, the ponderous Druuf, almost three meters tall, slowly floated up into the air and over the balustrade until he was suspended above the center of the arena.
A unison outcry of astonishment reverberated from the amplifiers. In reality the Druufs didn't scream since they communicated by way of an organic sender and receiver inside their bodies with which they produced ultrasonic waves. However the application of the translating machine made the impulses they emitted audible for human ears.
Tommy-1 remained remarkably calm. Although he thrashed around with his arms and legs, these movements were probably instinctive reflexes. To be sure, he was unable to understand what had happened to him but there was no time to grasp for an explanation. If he were to fall down all of a sudden, he would be dead beyond any doubt.
But Pucky didn't let him drop like a stone. He made the Druuf perform an elegant loop and descend leisurely from his height, to safely stand in the arena before Rhodan.
"It's easier to talk to one another like this," Rhodan said in a loud voice, hoping that the translating apparatus would function equally well under the altered conditions. This turned out to be true.
"How did you do it?" was the first question Tommy-1 asked. "It was as if an invisible hand had held me."
"It was mine," Pucky enlightened him, proudly slapping his own chest.
The Druuf stared goggle-eyed at the mouse-beaver from his big mouse-ears down his full length to his broad beaver tail. He seemed to be especially fascinated by the flashing incisor which betrayed Pucky's hilarious mood. "That?" Tommy gasped. "Who's he?"