by Perry Rhodan
Count. She extended her hand timorously. Rhodan smiled softly at her and returned her squeeze gently. Then he turned his attention to the Count. Rodrigo had removed his wide-brimmed hat and now he flourished it in a courtly bow which would have done credit to any nobleman of the 17th century. Then he stepped forward and with a second bow gave his name and also the names of his noble parents. "I am most delighted," he affirmed, "to finally make the acquaintance of the friend of my lady companion and I consider it an honor, Rho—"
"No names!" warned Rhodan sharply. "I am the Chief, no one else." Rodrigo reddened slightly but recovered gracefully. "Forgive me, Chief. I almost forgot to be discreet."
He looked about him searchingly, only giving the mouse-beaver a fleeting, curious glance, and then turned to Marshall. "So where is this fabulous hero and lady-killer that you told me about? I don't see him."
"Pucky?"
"Yes, I presume that's the name. I'd like to give him a piece of my mind."
"Well, just open your eyes, Rod. You are standing before Pucky."
In the meantime, Laury had bent down to the little mouse-beaver and was stroking his fur. "How are you, my little friend?" she said to him with a friendly smile. "Can you imagine that Rod is jealous of you?"
But Pucky did not answer. He continued to stare disconcertedly at the Count, who opened his eyes tremendously and looked down incredulously at the mouse-beaver. "Shoosh!" squeaked the mouse-beaver finally and gasped audibly. "So what masked ball is this comical character going to?"
The 'comical character' perceived the jest very clearly and drew back. "Is that this Pucky person?" he wanted to know. "Who else?" replied Marshall. Rodrigo narrowed his eyes and again turned his attention to the mouse-beaver, who was starting gradually to recover from his amazement.
"You are Pucky?" he asked again.
The mouse-beaver sat back comfortably on his hindquarters. "Do you have any objections? If I looked like you I wouldn't ask stupid questions. That only makes the first impression worse than it was in the first place."
Rodrigo took two steps back and swiftly drew his sword. "Defend yourself or I will send you to the ignominious fate you deserve!"
Laury let out a shrill cry and jumped between the two fighting roosters. Rhodan glanced at the two Springers. They were inspecting the contents of the money purse and were paying no attention to what was taking place. They appeared to be oblivious of their surroundings.
Pucky began to squeak with laughter. He hopped around merrily on his short legs. His glistening incisor tooth shone gleaming white in the sunlight. "Where we come from, only old women wear such knitting needles!" He whistled off key. "My son, I'll teach you some respect with my left paw!"
Rodrigo forgot his good upbringing. With a cry of rage, he rushed upon the mouse-beaver, who only straightened up slightly and met his gaze. As the Count was about to make his thrust he suddenly felt his wrist jerk powerfully. The pain was so great that he let go of the blade. To his unbridled bewilderment, the weapon came alive. It described a shallow curve and hurled point-first into the nearest tree. The sword penetrated the trunk almost a foot deep and remained there, trembling from its swift flight.
Rodrigo stared alternately at Pucky and at the swaying blade.
Pucky nodded triumphantly; he hopped over to Laury and took her hand. "Now tell me," he chirped tenderly, "you haven't actually fallen for this jack-in-the-box, have you?"
But Laury withdrew her hand from him. "Pucky, you're mean!" she sobbed and she went over and placed her hand on her lover's shoulder. Don't be angry, Roddy. Pucky doesn't mean it that way. He just has a habit of pulling those silly jokes of his. Forgive him, if you can."
Count Rodrigo proved that he could be magnanimous. He patted Laury's arm gently and then went over to Pucky. "I don't think it was so silly," he said. "It was a very excellent magical stunt, Pucky. Sometime you will have to show me that trick. From now on there will be peace between us."
Pucky took the outstretched hand in his paw. "Agreed. And as for that trick..."
No one had paid any further heed to the air taxi pilot, who had learned from Berzan's opening remarks that a false inspector was involved here. The Ara had drawn away from them and used the general confusion to get back into the cab of his machine. Before anyone could stop him, he took off in a vertical climb.
Rhodan was the first to notice it, then Pucky.
"I'll fetch him back," the mouse-beaver volunteered. He began to concentrate for a jump, but Rhodan shook his head.
"Let him go, Pucky. Let him alert the Trulans if he wants to. We're going to disappear from here. When they come, they'll be looking in the wrong place."
He became silent as a third Springer emerged from the house, a redheaded man with a tremendous beard and the figure of a professional wrestler. With a penetrating gaze fixed upon Rhodan, he approached the group,
He stopped and looked at Rhodan's uniform as though it were an unusual work of art. "So you are the false inspector," he said.
Rhodan read the man's thoughts and was startled. But it was probably to be expected. He maintained his equilibrium. "Do you have any objections, my friend?"
"On the contrary!" The redhead laughed broadly, perfectly at ease. "I have nothing to do with the trap you've gotten yourself into." He waited until his colleagues were also listening to him. What he had to say actually did concern them all. "I suggest that you start worrying about a new hiding place—and quickly. A few minutes ago a luxury yacht and two heavy Arkon cruisers landed at the Trulan spaceport. Inspector Glogol will be pleased to find a colleague of his on Tolimon. Incidentally, my name is Tulin."
Marshall looked alternately from Tulin to Rhodan.
Rhodan smiled pleasantly at the redhead. "Thanks for your advice, friend. I think well make our departure now. Is there anything else?"
"No," said Tulin brusquely. "Just make sure you get out of here in a hurry because the police will soon know that you were brought here in a taxi. We don't want them to find anybody here with us, do you understand?"
"You're not very friendly but on the other hand your rectitude is refreshing," Rhodan complimented him, then he signaled his own group. "Come, friends. Count, don't forget to pull your sword from the tree. We have a long walk ahead of us, so we'll have to hurry." He nodded to the Springers. "Again, many thanks for your assistance to this point. We can't ask any more from you. Good luck!"
In some perplexity, Laury and Rodrigo followed Rhodan and Marshall. In his waddling gait, Pucky brought up the rear. They could tell from the storm of incoming thought-impulses that Trulan was becoming a giant hornet's nest.
The chase had begun.
• • •
When it became apparent that everybody had been taken in by an impudent impostor, the humiliation of it served to inflame the anger of those who had been duped. Security and alien control authorities activated all available forces to apprehend the vanished 'Inspector' without having any clear idea of what his motivation had been.
Glogol went a step further. He sent an emergency radio dispatch to the Regent of Arkon, the response to which was the arrival of a powerful battlefleet. Tolimon was sealed off hermetically from the outer void.
A strong detachment of troops rushed to the spaceport and surrounded the luxury yacht of the false inspector so that it would not be possible for anyone to enter it. They did not wish to destroy the valuable ship, since it was not manned and did not pose a threat in itself.
Of course that was a mistake but it didn't make much difference.
A systematic search of the city was instituted. The police began their search in the downtown area and only proceeded slowly to the outskirts. When they finally arrived at the villa of the Springers, they did not find anything there that was suspicious. The taxi pilot had been called hurriedly into the situation and stood perplexedly before the old pensioned officials of the zoo administration, who were very indignant over the inconvenience and promised to complain to the government.
• • •
The fugitives traversed the outlying cultivated fields between several suburbs until they reached the shelter of a small woodland area. Here they paused to rest.
Count Rodrigo snorted angrily. "Why do we have to go sneaking off like a bunch of seared Indians? Don't we have enough weapons to fight them on the run?"
"Weapons we have," nodded Rhodan calmly, "but what would be the use? We can't wage war against an entire planet—and we have no reason to. It's enough that we've raised all this suspicion. Now we must disappear without a trace. One day we'll come back and pick up the formula for the life elixir—should it become necessary. We have a sample of the serum; that may be enough."
"So now how do we get out of here?" asked Marshall, who knew conditions on Tolimon only too well. He was thinking of the fearsome Froghs and their swiftness. "Our only means of flight is out at the spaceport."
"Precisely!" confirmed Rhodan quietly. "And now Pucky's going to find out if we can move the ship to us. If my remote control gear is still working, that should be no problem. But I have to be sure they haven't secured the yacht to the ground. That could cause heavy damage to the hull. Pucky will have to cut loose any such anchoring lines before I summon the ship."
Pucky had pricked up his ears. Another mission? "Now, Chief?"
Rhodan nodded. "But watch out, young fellow! The city is swarming with police and they're also looking for you. Don't let yourself be seen under any circumstances. You can hardly make it in one jump because we don't know the exact distance."
"I'll make it if I concentrate on the ship. You can help by visualizing the ship with me, Perry. Then it will go easier..."
Rhodan closed his eyes. It was not difficult for him to imagine the interior of the ship. Naturally it wasn't difficult for Pucky, either, but he seemed to think that two heads were better than one.
"The main control panel is shaped in a half circle, above which you'll see five viewscreens. Their controls are in the form of round dials. The two seats are in front of it, while to the right there is the communications installation..."
"He's gone," said Marshall.
Count Rodrigo let out a cry of astonishment and mumbled something about 'wizard sorcery'. He had never witnessed teleportation before. Laury remained silent. She crouched close to the Count on the soft ground. All around her were thick bushes and high trees. There was only some visibility directly overhead. The sun was already sinking toward the horizon. It seemed very much as if they'd have to spend the night out in the open.
Rhodan opened his eyes and remarked: "Let's hope he didn't miss his jump and land in the midst of police troops. Of course they can't capture him but I'd prefer that nobody saw him now." Again he closed his eyes. Pucky? Where are you? he thought intensely.
Marshall also picked up the mouse-beaver's answer:
The second jump got me to the ship. This port is going crazy with police and the military. The real inspector is here, too, and he's nosing around the Koos-Nor. What should I do?
Have they got the ship tied down?
Nary a cable. They don't know about your remote control gadget.
Great! enthused Rhodan. Then get back here at once on the double!
But Pucky took his time.
He stood in the small control room of the space boat and used the periscope to watch the proceedings outside on the landing field. Here inside the ship he felt completely safe and he figured it might be useful to Rhodan if he could bring him some information.
He cautiously penetrated the thoughts of the Inspector, who was strutting around the Koos-Nor in his magnificent uniform speculating on how the impostor had possibly gotten hold of this special VIP model of a ship because these luxury yachts were only reserved for inspectors of the Empire and the wealthiest members of the ruling class. One of them must have used a fictitious name, but why?
Glogol couldn't arrive at any answers to his questions because it didn't occur to him to consider other than an Arkonide behind it all. He turned arrogantly to the Minister of Tolimon Security, who stood next to him. "Have you caught the impostor yet?"
The frightened Minister sought to collect his wits. "Not yet, Your Grace, but our men are combing the city. The criminal must have had assistants here. We shall find them."
"The assistants do not interest me!" Glogol shouted at the startled official. "I want to uncover this impostor who dared to go behind the Robot Regent's back."
"Of course, sir." The Minister bowed. "The necessary orders have gone out already. He will die and..."
"I want him alive!" cried Glogol, almost beside himself. "By the hotspot of the Hell planet! What can I do with a dead impostor? He couldn't tell me anything!"
The intimidated Minister hurried away in obsequious haste, probably because his chief concern was understandably to get out of the Inspector's sight. Glogol watched him go, thinking thoughts that filled Pucky with visible amusement. This arrogant fellow was a typical Arkonide, all right. Entirely different than Khrest or Thora, of course.
Pucky cleared his throat while he watched Glogol call a couple of Tolimites over to him and talk with them. During this he pointed a number of times at the Koos-Nor. Suddenly the mouse-beaver began to tremble with rage when he became aware of what the Inspector had ordered.
Specialists were supposed to cut open the hull of the abandoned yacht with torches. Glogol was hoping to come across clues concerning the impostor, inside the ship.
Such a thing could not happen under any circumstances.
Now it would have been a simple thing if Pucky had merely teleported himself back to Rhodan, who could have then put his remote control device into action. But Pucky wasn't much for the simple things of life. He loved to complicate situations and then let events take their course.
This Glogol character was simply not simpatico. Very seriously, he had a lesson coming to him, but it had to be done without raising suspicion. The best deal would be to make the Inspector ridiculous and then nobody would take time to think of causes.
Pucky began to grin as he concentrated, sending his telekinetic forces streaming toward the Arkonide.
Glogol was still instructing the technicians when he suddenly felt a curious tugging sensation in the region of his stomach. It was as though someone were pulling at his colorfully striped Admiral's trousers. He looked down disconcertedly but couldn't discover anyone who had the temerity to attract his attention in this manner.
But the tugging became more insistent. With a snap, his gold-embroidered belt parted and fell to the ground along with his gun holster. The weapon, desafetied by the fall, discharged and was thrown far out on the landing field by its recoil action.
At the same time, Glogol's pants slipped down and became curiously animated. They glided gracefully away and finally disappeared in the direction of the nearby jumble of houses.
Glogol wore long underwear and an arrogant Arkonide in long underwear was a bit more hilarious than a normal Terranian in similar attire. All his dignity was gone. Staring wide-eyed and trembling in every limb, Glogol watched his trousers soaring away, unable to explain to himself how they had slipped from him without the slightest action on his part. The Tolimonites 'in his vicinity comprehended no more and no less than he did but they had to accept the evidence of their eyes and what they saw had nothing to do with an Arkonide inspector. Before them was a ridiculous figure in pink underwear and socks that had been tattered in the action. Only the jacket laden with insignia and orders of merit was a reminder of former magnificence.
Some of the police officers began to laugh uproariously.
At first Glogol didn't hear them but then his face flushed with anger. He stormed about in a rage and shouted at the miscreants. But the result was other than he had expected.
The soldiers and their officers, the returning Minister of Security and various public representatives lost all of their timidity and reserve. They could feel no fear or res
pect for an inspector in his underwear. He was a man just like themselves—but a funnier one. Undressing like that in the middle of the spaceport!
Glogol staggered as the waves of laughter crashed against him. He looked for something to hold on to and supported himself on one of his aides who was always beside him.
"You will rue this day!" he screamed at them, his voice almost cracking. "It's an insult to the Empire! The Robot Regent will not let this injury go unpunished, I'll see to that!" Suddenly, as though transformed, he became cold and collected. His voice acquired its customary inflexion, even though in his present attire his arrogance was not quite as impressive. He spoke to the technicians who were still doubled over with merriment. "Enough! Start to work! I want to be inside that ship in just 10 minutes!"
Then he ordered his aide to remove his trousers.
• • •
When Pucky rematerialized in the forest hideout 10 minutes after Rhodan's order, he was still smirking. He had hardly taken form again before he sank weakly to the leafy ground and shook with laughter. Rhodan, who had telepathically witnessed the events with mixed emotions, had only refrained from interfering because he suddenly realized that the mouse-beaver's childish mischief might have some wide-ranging consequences. Once the real Inspector's authority had been impaired, the flight from Tolimon would certainly be easier.
Marshall and Laury were also aware of what had happened but the Count was frightened almost out of his wits when Pucky suddenly appeared in their midst. Least of all did he understand the grins of amusement on the faces of the two men, Pucky and the girl.
"What's happened?" he wanted to know.
Rhodan explained it to him. Then the nobleman's features also lit up with a merry smile. Apparently he could quite easily picture a prince in long underwear and his reaction indicated that a man so attired even in the 17th century would not have made an imposing figure.