by Perry Rhodan
In reflex action, Claudrin caught him but the mouse-beaver chirped a warning. "Control your natural instincts, Jefe-if you have to hug me, just watch those muscles, will you?"
"Get out of here, you little pest!" the colonel shouted at him.
He had to smile secretly when his first bellow caused the mouse-beaver to disappear. But he could hear him grumbling somewhere behind his broad back.
"Good thing I'm well-behaved," Pucky muttered. "Otherwise I'd make fast work of that overgrown gorilla!"
Claudrin had no time to take up Pucky's remark. The tracking center reported that eight ships were attempting a crash take-off from Lepso. Nevertheless, Rhodan decided to take the mouse-beaver in hand.
"Come here to me, Lt. Puck."
Pucky avoided the sharp look in Rhodan's grey eyes but he quickly stepped up to him and reported. "Lt. Puck reporting as ordered, Chief! What's cooking?"
His impudence was unbelievable. A few of the officers broke out laughing and of course Bell couldn't hold a straight face at the moment. The mouse-beaver revealed just the tip of his incisor to produce a hesitant smile.
But there was no answering smile from Rhodan. "Now you listen here..." he began sharply-but he was interrupted.
The mouse-beaver's salvation was an incoming hypercom message that was relayed directly to the Control Central. As the viewscreen flickered to life, Rhodan stepped out of range of the pickup camera so that no one would know he was on board the Ironduke.
An unpleasant nasal voice rang from the loudspeaker. "This is Gal-Tan, Prime Minister of the Government of Lepso. We demand that the fleet of the Solar Imperium leave the Fering System at once-otherwise we shall open fire on the Solar Fleet with all weapons and ships at our disposal. If the Solar Fleet holds to its present course another five minutes, then the ultimatum of this government will be in effect!"
Prime Minister Gal-Tan did not even wait for a confirmation of the ultimatum before he cut the connection. Galactic war appeared to be unavoidable.
• • •
At a distance of 50 million km from Lepso, the Solar Fleet armada suddenly spread out in all directions. Only the Ironduke escorted by the 30 super battleships held its course for Lepso. The other fleet units raced away at various accelerations in order to reach the planned positions of deployment at the correct moment. Three minutes after the time stipulated by the ultimatum, Rhodan's ships had formed a blockade ring around Lepso. The eight enemy ships that had tried crash take-offs in order to get away from Lepso now hove to and prepared once more to land at one of the numerous spaceports.
The Ironduke was receiving very little radio traffic under the circumstances but none of the officers on board were overly surprised. This precision of manoeuvres into battle array was taken as a matter of course. They had not only practiced it well but had often put their training to practical use on many a mission. Many of the men only regarded the Lepso action as a routine operation but some who were more informed concerning the Antis had another opinion. Thus far Rhodan had given not the slightest sign of apprehension. He had been practically a mere observer in the Control Central and he still issued no instructions as the ball of the planet appeared to rush up toward them.
The Ironduke and its escort of Titans made a high-speed entry into the upper levels of Lepso's atmosphere. Through a thin cloud layer the surface of the planet became visible: the great cities, the vast stretches of desert, rivers, spaceports in astounding numbers and of tremendous size, with jungle-like primitive forests between and still more cities beyond.
The energy detectors came to life. There was a general expectancy of defensive action from Lepso yet on every Sol ship men were waiting for another kind of event.
And it had happened.
Arkon's robot fleet, now blockading the entire Fering System, was the first to experience enemy contact The 180-ship Mounder squadron opened fire on a formation of Arkonide robotships from a distance of 40,000 km.
Three of the 10 heavy Arkon cruisers burst into flame under the first beam attack. Robots were destroyed but no living crewmen. The defense screens of the other heavy cruisers had withstood the energy bombardment and now they raced toward the vastly superior opposing force. Their robot crews knew only their programmed instructions.
On seven heavy-class robot cruisers seven communications robots signaled to all ships of the Arkon fleet, telling them to attack the 180 ships of the Mounders.
Another of the small group had just exploded in a glowing cloud of gas but while the remaining six held steady on course, more than 300 additional robot spacers shot in from various directions. It did not concern the mechanical crews that no further signals were being received from the small formation. They now had the Mounder squadron in their target optics and they opened up with a concerted broadside.
The fate of the Mounders appeared to be sealed when the structure of space in the battle area was heavily shaken by shockwaves. Pouring out of the void of hyperspace came the battleships of the clan of Selfun. They moved into the conflict immediately with more than 350 of their heavily-armed long-ships. Although these far-ranging warships were a cross between heavy cruisers and battleships, in terms of armament they were battleships of heavy caliber.
The battle lasted for half an hour. During the first five minutes it seemed that the last robotship would go down in flames but the longer the duel continued the more robot-manned Arkon cruisers appeared. For every ship destroyed there were four more to take its place. Clan Chief Selfun the Elder suddenly realized that if he fought the robots any longer he'd be plunging his ships into destruction. Gritting his teeth in anger, he gave the order for a retreat.
But he was not surprised when his heavily-battered fleet was not pursued by the Arkon ships. It wasn't a part of the robots' programming. Their registered instructions told them: close off the Fering System except for ships of the Solar Fleet; let no other ship pass in or out of it. Therefore they were completely indifferent to whatever might occur either outside of the system or within it.
Meanwhile Rhodan continued to orbit around the planet with his super battleship task force. On board all ships all listening posts in the Communications Centrals were manned to the last console. Lepso was beaming one distress call after another into the galaxy and from all directions came one standard reply: We are coming to help you! Try to hold out until we get there!
From minute to minute a pattern began to form with increasing clarity. It was a picture that even Rhodan had hardly expected to see. Not only were all the worlds of the Galactic Traders and the Mounders unanimous in their response but also a frightening number of purely colonial Arkon planets. These latter were worlds and federations of worlds which had formerly been considered loyal members of the Imperium but now they were threatening to withdraw from the greater stellar alliance and they also pledged their support to Lepso.
All intercepted messages of this kind were fed immediately into the Ironduke's main computer. Then from its data registers a series of coded hypercom reports were sent out which it would take the Springers, Antis and Mounders at least several weeks to decipher. The summarized reports were beamed directly to the giant Brain on Arkon 3. In such a dangerous situation Rhodan did not want to run any additional risks and if possible he did not prefer to make any weighty decisions until he had the positronic evaluation of all reports in front of him.
The telepaths appeared to be standing around uselessly in the Control Central but whoever knew them was aware of the fact that at this moment there were none who were working more concentratedly at their tasks than the mutants-nor was Pucky any exception. Among all the billions of mental emanations they were straining to pick up one particular mental pattern that had become only too familiar to them. They were searching for the thought tendrils of one Thomas Cardif, alias Dr. Edmond Hugher.
Aided by the incredibly powerful optical system of the Ironduke they were able to pull in such a close view of the Baalol temple that the immediate area seemed to be only a few hu
ndred feet beneath them. With heightened concentration they sought to probe this particular location. But they did not detect that which they were seeking.
Ground fire from Green 15:43, Yellow 56:09! came the precise announcement from energy-tracking.
The Ironduke did not have to take action. The supergiant Wellington turned its sights on the ground batteries lying north of one of the major spaceports and silenced them with a single bolt from its thermo-guns. Which was of course a new provocation for Lepso to renew its frantic distress calls.
Standing next to Rhodan, Bell half-whispered what was on his mind. "All we need now is for the Akons in the Blue System to join in!"
"That's what I've been thinking about for some time. Ah, here comes the analysis from Arkon 3!"
The linear pattern that formed on the slightly convex screen revealed the insignia of the giant Brain of Arkon. Rhodan and Bell waited tensely for the decoded signals to follow. Nor did they have long to wait; the vast mechanical intelligence proceeded at once to deliver its information. The greatest positronic creation in the galaxy made no allowances for the fact that its interrogators were human. But in this decisive moment both Bell and Rhodan outdid themselves and met the challenge, hanging on to the rapid series of data until the mammoth positronicon signed off with its usual insignia symbol.
Both men looked at each other in mutual comprehension. Their premonition had been confirmed. This all-around military support being offered by most of the worlds and races of the stellar alliance of the Empire had not developed by chance. The whole affair was the result of planned and guided action.
"The Antis," said Rhodan succinctly.
"Here we go again!" muttered Bell resignedly.
Behind him Pucky announced himself with a pitiable squeak. As Rhodan turned to him the mouse-beaver showed visible signs of exhaustion. "Perry," he said dejectedly, "I can't find Thomas. I've tried everything. Lloyd has given up already."
When Rhodan looked questioningly at the mutant tele-tracer the latter nodded in resignation. Marshall was wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Alright," Rhodan decided. "Spare your strength!" He stepped to the microphone. "This is the Chief. Coded command to the Fleet. All ships of the first wave will proceed at once into landing manoeuvre-top speed, combat deployment. Ground rendezvous in 300 seconds. That is all!"
A half minute later the duty officer called through from Com Central. "Sir, the command has been beamed out. We are eight seconds into countdown."
Col. Jefe Claudrin knew that he was also included in the general order. "So now it's our turn," he rumbled. He calmly depressed a red button and alarms rang through the Ironduke. The ship dropped like a stone toward Lepso as his thunderous voice rang out on every deck: "Attention all hands! Blitz landing in approximately 250 seconds! Code El Dorado is now in effect. Over and out!"
Then the calm voice of weapons officer Brazo Alkher was heard on the loudspeaker: "Colonel, the Chief is on board. Will Fire Control be affected by special order 0.3?"
Rhodan took over instantly. "Under no circumstances, Alkher! You have the same firing orders as the major battleships. Today, special order 0.3 is to be ignored!"
The officers present cast respectful glances at their chief. Many of them revealed their admiration openly. Special order 0.3 provided that the life of the First Administrator was not to be endangered, at all costs. Brazo Alkher had more or less inferred from Rhodan's presence on board that he was automatically on open firing orders but now the Chief himself had confirmed it by lifting the special restriction, which overrode the authority of Fleet Headquarters which had issued 0.3 in the first place.
Accompanied by more than a thousand warships of every class, the Ironduke plunged downward through the thick air masses of the planet. Escorted by five super battleships the heavy cruiser landed at the great spaceport of the capital city. At altitudes of from three to five thousand meters the spherical spaceships had briefly opened their giant locks to disgorge a virtual shower of combat robots with antigrav equipment. Computer-integrated timing signals from the Ironduke automatically controlled the swift sequential periods in which the battleships opened their defense screens. This allowed the ponderous fighting machines to float downward toward their programmed task positions in the city below but each 14-second period of screenless operation was a high moment of tension. Each ship approaching its landing site had nothing more than its steel hull to protect it from a chance ground shot when its screen was momentarily inactive. But then all protective shielding came back on while the clouds of combat robots rained down toward the surface. They scattered swiftly in all directions and swept in over the sea of houses and buildings in preparation for a landing.
Simultaneously a similar landing operation ensued at all other sites of the more important settlements on Lepso, always accompanied by a descending storm of vast robot contingents. It was only somewhere to the north of the rocky desert regions that an ominous event occurred.
Eight heavy cruisers escorted by the battleship Winnipeg had just rebuilt their field screens when it happened. Here there were three well-camouflaged ground batteries under exceptionally powerful security screens. Suddenly a series of great disintegrator beams as thick as silos thundered against the Winnipeg's screens and caused the giant hull to be stressed within 93% of its capacity, thus bringing the battleship close to the brink of destruction. With the exception of the crews on three heavy cruisers, however, no fire control officer in the engagement was shaken by the surprise attack-and especially was this true of the Winnipeg itself. All polar gun positions of the spherical warships sprang into action and released a concerted salvo of fire toward the target. Where a second before a super-powerful ray battery had existed beneath the boulder-strewn desert, now there was only a gaping pit where the molten earth flowed down the steep sides to form a boiling pool of lava at the bottom of the crater.
A report came through from the Winnipeg's tracking sensors: "This defense position was robot-controlled."
The battleship's commander breathed a sigh of relief. Rhodan's top order was to spare all human or humanoid life where possible. He leaned over his microphone and calmly issued an order. "Report this action to the Chief. No further resistance encountered."
Whereupon the Winnipeg joined the eight heavy cruisers in their landing manoeuvre in the northern desert wasteland.
And the second phase of the operation began.
Rhodan's second wave was circling at 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters above this battle echelon the third wave had also come into formation. The thunder of countless impulse engines, the complaining howl of compressed air masses and the nerve-shattering shockwaves resulting from breaking the sound barrier must have caused the people on Lepso to think that the legions of Hell were descending from the void.
With its extended ring of landing struts the Ironduke hovered weightlessly over the landing field and finally touched down with a feathery lightness on the solid plastic surface of the port. The panob gallery revealed a virtual sea of spaceships of all descriptions. There were few of the Mounders' heavy ships to be seen but this was more than compensated for by the great number of Springer long-ships and the cylindrical hospital ships of the Aras, which were interspersed with a few alien types seldom seen in the known reaches of the galaxy.
With the exception of the Ara ships, all vessels were armed, yet none of them dared to enter in combat with Rhodan's super battleships. They were also well aware of the added danger hovering above them at altitudes of 10 and 15 thousands meters. Nevertheless one of the Galactic Traders must have lost his mind. A minute after the Ironduke landed, a smaller long-ship measuring only 100 meters in length attempted a crash take-off. It shot into the sky like a bullet but the first blockade ring overhead showed its teeth in the form of Rhodan's attack destroyers. The Springer commander of the little cylindrical spacer opened up with impulse and thermobeams, striking three of the oncoming destroyers.
But practically in the same moment the runawa
y was surrounded by 16 more destroyers. A group of them brought the vessel's propulsion system under concerted beam fire while the remaining fighters built up a cross-grid of destructive rays as a barrier of death. Then part of the fugitive's engine section blasted into brilliant flames. Instantly the ship lost its speed and made an alarmingly narrow turn, after which it twisted downward in a precarious attempt to land.
In the Ironduke's large launching lock the officer in charge of combat robots dispatched two dozen of his fighting machines. Their programmed command: to surround the landed fugitive ship and prevent all Springers from leaving it.
On board the Ironduke the last of the messages had come in. All formations of the first wave had landed on Lepso. Meanwhile the robot forces had occupied the most important locations. For Perry Rhodan this meant that it was time for him to make a personal contact with the planet's government.
His radio call went unanswered. The second challenge also failed to raise an echo. However it raised a cry from all the transmitters on the planet as they renewed their calls for help to their allies in the outer void. In their messages they called the Solar Fleet a pirate invasion force and the Terrans were branded as bandits.
In the wake of the barrage of distress calls, more and more answering signals were coming in from all parts of the Greater Imperium. All the Mounder clans announced that they were on their way. Also the giant fleet of the Springers was racing toward the Feting System. Even rebellious factions among the Ekhonides were promising help. In the midst of these messages were undisguised threats against Arkon. Imperator Gonozal VIII had to endure the accusation that Rhodan bad become his stooge.
Perry's sharply-chiselled features remained under control. His grey eyes revealed no spark of agitation. He turned calmly to Bell. "I think the time has come to set the record straight around here once and for all. It's a pretty sure guess now that this damnable narcotic is being produced here, somewhere on this planet. Otherwise I can't quite explain the extremes they've gone to in protesting our occupation."