The Tigris Leaps
Page 10
He was listening with only half an ear. Then it was announced that in spite of his orders to the contrary, ships were taking off. One of them had been the Mab 1, and he had been told nothing about it because of an unavoidable mix-up in communications. As he listened to this piece of news, the Mab 1 was long vanished into the depths of the galaxy and could no longer be reached.
Gen. Sutokk could have been satisfied with the outcome of the operation, however, except when he remembered how unreasonable stupidly some of his people had suddenly acted, actions not even his scientists could explain. Then he came near to an outburst of rage.
Suddenly he remembered the captain of the Tigris. He was still with Egg-Or.
Why hadn't he been sent here yet?
"Get me Egg-Or!" Sutokk roared into the microphone. Egg-Or's face soon appeared on the vidscreen. "Egg-Or, did the stupidity epidemic hit you too? What's going on here on this planet all of a sudden? You mean to say you sent the captain over to see me... without any guards?! Oh, this is too much...!" At that point Gen. Sutokk got up and ran out of his office for some fresh air. His staff breathed easier, in relief.
• • •
No Arkonide ship spotted the Lotus when she sprang into the Naral System, took on a tiny lifeboat packed full with men and then disappeared in the direction of the Solar System once more. The newly developed frequency damper covered for any spring through hyperspace.
The danger that the Robot Regent might have discovered Earth's position after all still existed but only for the next three to four days. When the fourth day had passed, the danger was over. What Perry Rhodan had secretly feared had not materialized—no Arkonide spacespheres had appeared in Earth's skies!
All Terran ships were ordered to return. Only the few ships already equipped with the damper were allowed to make transitions. All the others had to wait until they too were supplied with the equipment that did not allow vibrations from the structocomp to escape into space. But so that the Robot Regent would not immediately learn that Terran ships were outfitted with an important new device, Perry Rhodan had some of his damper-equipped starships in the middle of the Galaxy make serial undamped transitions which of course would be detected by the Great Imperium's sensor stations, Perry Rhodan was well aware that he could not have his ships doing that for months on end, for if nothing else, he knew enough not to underestimate the Robot Regent. But every day he realized more and more that time worked for him and against Arkon.
Rhodan looked up from his desk.
Maj. Clyde Ostal stepped in. "Sir," he announced, "Professor Manoli has just informed me of the death of Mabdan 3. He died as a result of Arkonide forced hypnosis. There was nothing that could be done for him."
"And what about the old Mabdan... Mabdan 1: is he still lying in a drugged stupor?"
Clyde Ostal smiled. "That's why I asked to speak to you, sir... Mabdan 1 is waiting in the anteroom. He's in good health now and feeling fine. He wants to thank you for his rescue from his addiction. Our doctors did wonders with him."
"Then send him in, Ostal. After that, go remind Mr. Bell of the former drug smuggler on Ekhas and that the sum of money we owe him should be paid immediately. After all, who knows when we might need a friend...?"
THE TIGRIS LEAPS
Copyright © Ace Books 1975
Ace Publishing Corporation
All Rights Reserved
THE SHIP OF THINGS TO COME
EXISTENCE QUESTIONABLE.
That is the question facing the 8000 exiles from Earth, banished to Grautier, seventh planet of the Myrtha system, lying far off the routes of the interstellar space lanes. For they have learned, these transplaneted Terrestrials, that they are not alone on their grave new world—in the mountains exists a semi-intelligent race of monkeys, the Mungos, and in the jungles of the lowland live strange blue dwarfs who are endowed with amazing paramechanical and parapsychological powers.
But that's not all.
There are also intelligent beings inhabiting the 12th planet of the system—the Whistlers—and their recent invasion of Grautier has made the continued existence of the colonists quite questionable.
To protect themselves against a potential second invasion, A group of Grautierians 'reciprocate' the visit of the Whistlers, appearing on their planet in the guise of—
AMBASSADORS FROM AURIGEL
by Kurt Mahr