by Perry Rhodan
"Time displacement?" asked Rhodan, leaning forward.
"In a way, sir. Certainly not time travel in the tradition of your fantasy tales. The device generates a 5th dimensional absorption field in which relative phases of 'time' can be altered. It is impossible to actually leave one's own time reference and live somewhere else. One can't just travel about as he pleases and act the part of the visitor from the future. However, the narrow radius of action this offers us should be sufficient for our purpose."
Kalup went into some of the technical aspects. The principle involved was understandable even though no one could explain how the Akons had influenced the present lines of time. Mercant waited patiently. The conference gradually took on the semblance of a casual gathering, breaking down into separate discussion groups. Everybody came to attention again when Rhodan sought to bring the meeting to order.
"Continue your presentation, Mercant. We're just about ready for anything by now."
"Thank you, sir. We have learned that the machine is stationary. It would have to be transported in a spaceship and transferred in outer space to the converted cruiser... The converter's operating crew is known to us. It consists of 4 Akon scientists who are still able to operate the equipment. But they aren't capable of handling repairs in case of a breakdown. The secret construction details have been lost. However, there is no particular danger involved in case of equipment failure. No one can be cut off in another period of time. As soon as the energy held collapses, everything becomes stabilized again. Our commando force on Sphynx has already been instructed to keep the 4 Akons under surveillance. The mutants will make sure that these men will be in the vicinity of the converter at the proper time. The device is kept in a museum but any practical use of it is forbidden, subject to punishment by death. Only experiments under government control are permitted. And that gives us our point of attack, through the 4 Akon scientists. You must acquire the machine and get it installed in the simulated Sotala. Once you are in the Arkon System the time-field is to be activated. The phasing has to be very exact. Once you have picked up and registered the famous hypercom message of the original Sotala you will be able to make a vernier time-line adjustment. Wait 2 days and then announce your victorious return over local telecom. It's certain that the genuine cruiser won't be able to cause you any trouble. By the time you will have made your landing, the old Sotala will have already been destroyed"
I almost forgot to breathe. Mercant had to be insane. Of course a virtual trip through time was equally crazy but even this idea of a time-displacement field presented problems that neither the Terrans nor myself would be able to resolve. The ancient science of Akon had left a machine behind that no one really understood anymore. Just the operation of the controls alone would be a gamble which could neither guarantee a trouble-free performance nor any security at all for our task force.
On top of these difficulties we had to face the problem of stealing the machine along with the 4 scientists. No doubt the latter had learned more or less which switches to activate, as a result of years of experimenting, in order to achieve this or that effect but this was still not in the realm of professional operation. I couldn't even imagine what effect a rephasing of time would have on us.
If we should actually manage to land on Arkon 3, 6023 years prior to present time, we would still be energy components of our own temporal plane or epoch. Mercant had admitted that it was impossible to achieve a stable entry into the era of Tutmor VI. The plan was senseless.
Mercant's voice pulled me out of my stupor. It was evident from his concluding remarks that the scientists of the Intelligence staff were aware of the difficulties.
"At the maximum output of the converter the effective range of the phasing field is about 200 km. No one should venture more than 100 km from the generator. Granted, that's a tight squeeze. Everything will depend on landing the false Sotala as close as possible to the Brain. At that time the Regent's last sections were being completed and there wasn't any defense screen. You will have to use your ingenuity, with the help of the mutants, to get into the lower labyrinths and conceal a nuclear bomb in such a manner as to prevent its subsequent discovery. The weapon has a time-fuse based on a Uranium clocking device. Exactly 6023 years later the fusion process will be activated. That will be on February 15, which is a few days from now."
Rhodan got to his feet. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his uniform, walked over to the film projector and came to a stop. "Mercant, this time you're going too far out on a limb. If the bomb is to detonate on the 15th of February, that means theoretically that it's already located somewhere inside the Brain."
"A relativistic conclusion," interjected Kalup. "It shouldn't be but it can be! The function of the Akon device is an unknown factor."
"Professor, I believe I have a fair reasoning faculty but you've lost me somewhere."
"Me, too, sir," Mercant admitted. "Nevertheless the attempt should be made. I don't see any other possibility of destroying the Brain. Recent events have proved how dangerous the Robot has become because of a reprogramming of its most vital circuits and installations. Members of the Akon Energy Command were detected in the security section. It would have been possible to capture the 8 scientists of that team if the Brain hadn't jumped the gun, so to speak, and opened fire. Atlan couldn't use his transmitter, and to use our most powerful weapon would mean the destruction of the Arkon System. Nor can mutants get through the modernized honeycomb screen. So I'm asking you-show are you going to ward off this menacing situation?"
Quinto spoke up. "Division 3 is of the opinion that something must be risked. Unusual situations require unusual methods. We've worked out a plan of action and it tells us what we have to do. You will be able to contact the greatest Arkonide scientist, the great councilor Epetran. He died 8 years later. Perhaps Epetran can be influenced to reprogram the robot Brain-fresh from the start."
"Nonsense!" retorted Rhodan. "If that were possible the Robot would be acting differently now!" I had to agree with him.
"That's hard to say. The present situation indicates everything and nothing. We still can't tell whether or not you've been back 6023 years or not, or whether you then reached the Brain. We would have to wait for February 15 to determine that."
"Then let's wait!" I cried out in desperation. Mercant made a gesture of rejection. Suddenly he seemed to be very resolute. "Impossible, Your Eminence. You would miss the precise point in time. It was on the 10th of February, 6023 years ago, that the hypercom message was received from the Sotala. Her commander received orders to return home immediately. So the arrival in the Arkon System would have to be 2 days later, which would be February 12th by Earth reckoning. Of course you will have the conversion tables with the Arkonide units of time to go by. You will have 2 or maybe 21/2 days at the most to conceal the bomb-or to influence the chief builder, Epetran, to build in some security circuits that will satisfy our requirements in the present. Otherwise the bomb must explode on the 15th of February. So if you miss the decisive moment there will no longer be any chance of landing you on Arkon in the bra of Imperator Tutmor VI. That the Sotala sent a victory message but failed to return is a very unique circumstance. There is no other spaceship you can copy."
"Why so? Thousands of Arkon ships were destroyed in the battles of that time."
"Of course, sir, but within the few days that are important to us, this only applies to the Sotala."
My extra-brain interceded. Mercant had made a mistake in his reasoning. When I stood up, Rhodan looked at me questioningly.
"Mercant, you know how long it will take to program the robot fleet. An attack is imminent but it isn't going to happen tomorrow or even in the next 3 weeks. So I ask you: why should the 15th of February, the cruiser Sotala and all these other things be so critical and decisive? Also you know that the Akon converter enables us to alter time. If we started this operation later we could Still follow the necessary schedule." I believed I had given a logical argument but I was wrong.
These Terrans could think!
"Certainly you could start 4 weeks from now and Still reach the right moment in time, sir. That still means the 12th of February for your landing on Arkon 3. This cannot be changed by any machine. But to make the plan work, the Sotala would have to be used and none other."
"I don't understand."
"Sir, during those specific days, 6023 years ago, the last controls of the Regent were being completed. If you arrive only a short time after that, the honeycomb screen will be there. So you have to select a time for your landing that is prior to the activation of the screen and which coincides with the arrival of the Sotala. The loss of that ship was a fortunate coincidence for us. As for the 15th of February, that is an arbitrary point that was determined by mathematics-pertaining to the Uranium timing device of the bomb. It was quite a problem to calculate the exact detonation time, based on the half-life rate of radioactive decay. Why should we alter that and have to start all over again? You would still be able to steal the Akon machine and begin your operations-but there is no getting around the schedule of the Sotala."
I felt that I had been taught a lesson by the Security Chief-but he was right! If the honeycomb screen was activated only a few days later, any delay in our schedule would be catastrophic. The Terrans had thought of everything. Rhodan went back to his seat and I also sat down again. We looked at each other searchingly. The room became silent.
When I finally nodded to him he seemed visibly to be relieved. "Mr. Mercant, run the film through again. We want to take a look at the interior of the cruiser."
I was filled with new courage. Rhodan had decided. The operation was "go". My extra-brain prodded me mentally but I couldn't quite make out the signal. It was probably calling me a fool.
The image of the Sotala appeared again on the screen just as Reginald Bell remarked resignedly: "Ever since the start of the New Power I've seen everything but this is the zaniest operation I've been involved in!"
"Wrong!" Rhodan corrected him. "You will take command of the Fleet and wait until the Regent is destroyed. When that happens, you will begin immediately to capture the Brain's robotships, which will have become helpless."
"What... ?"
"That's right, you are to begin with the task without delay, once the Regent's control has been eliminated. We have the advantage of knowing that something is going to happen. Before other intelligences realize how easy it is to take over the valuable ships of the Regent's fleet, we will have had to beat them to it. It's your task right now to find out where the larger formations can be located. They will be the first to be taken over. The lone wolves way out in deep space will have their turn later. Mercant-switch reels. I want to see the inside of the cruiser.
I finally felt relaxed. The die was cast. Rhodan had begun to take over with his usual drive. He was already thinking of things that hadn't occurred to me yet at the moment. Naturally, if the Brain should be destroyed, about 100,000 warships would be incapacitated. Unless we acted first, anybody would be able to take them in tow without resistance.
"If!" said my logic sector again. I lost track of how
many times it had used this word in recent days.
Two hours later the towering buildings that housed. the facilities of Solar Defense and Intelligence were like one big madhouse. Rhodan was too busy to be reached. He sat in a control room surrounded by at least 50 communicators. Next door to him the Fleet's General Staff was in session. I felt lost in all this hustle and bustle, which was only possible on Terra. A small but tremendously energetic stellar empire was preparing to strike a major blow. A way had been found to achieve the objective, consequently that way was followed. This was what I admired about these Terrans. Once they made a decision they never gave up until they had reached their goal.
I withdrew to my quarters. Almost hourly I was contacted by videophone for information. They wanted to know even the social status of an Arkonide captain of the rank I was to portray. A uniform tailor from Intelligence wanted my exact measurements. Weapons experts wanted to know if officers of the Arkonide fleet in those days were permitted to carry beautifully engraved private sidearms.
For 2 whole days I was busy trying to satisfy the Terrans' thirst for knowledge. But I became increasingly impressed with the feeling that I was dealing with realists rather than visionaries. These men were experts and specialists who considered details which ordinarily wouldn't have been thought of.
Then at last I fell to waiting again. However, I avoided any attempt to influence Rhodan's decisions with any advice of my own. There was still time for that should anything occur to me that might be significant.
3/ THEFT OF THE EPOTRON
Event was heaped upon event until it was time to go. We were accompanied by the simulated Sotala as we took off in the Ironduke to pay the Ruling Council of Akon an official "courtesy call". The deputy commander of the Arkonide cruiser was Maj. Heintz, a cosmonautics expert from Solar Intelligence. His crew consisted of 750 men as was the custom on heavy cruisers of the Imperium. In those days we still had sufficient manpower because the degeneration of the ruling race had only just begun.
It was only later that I and Rhodan were to transfer to the cruiser along with Jefe Claudrin and several other staff officers from the Ironduke. Our special equipment was already on board the Sotala, such as our uniforms, documents, weapons and whatever went with them.
The Ironduke proceeded in direct linear flight to the near center of the galaxy where we sent out a message to the Ruling Council. The giant blue sun of Akon, whose 5th planet was the home world of the Akons, had already illuminated our viewscreens when the answering dispatch was received.
Within 10 hours Claudrin started his braking manoeuvres and once more I had an opportunity to admire the beauty of Akon 5. Rhodan had named it Sphynx although the natives referred to it as Drorah.
The reception by several delegates from the Council had been noticeably cool. We were happy to withdraw to the Terran commercial base where almost all the members of the Mutant Corps had assembled.
Two days were taken up with festivities and inspection tours. The Akons had no choice but to show a proper amount of attentiveness to the ruling chief of the Solar Imperium but at the same time it became increasingly evident that the members of the Ruling Council were supporters of the Arkonide rebels. They had given me to understand that my presence on Sphynx could be tolerated for the moment but that it would be in the best interests of their relationship with the new Imperator for me to cut my visit short.
The radio monitoring station at our base had intercepted several hypercom dispatches and decoded them. My successor, Minterol I, was advised that my appearance on Sphynx was unfortunately something that could not very well be hindered, inasmuch as I was in the "retinue" of the Terrans' Chief of State.
I was no longer concerned about what they thought of me or what conclusions they might draw. I knew that the Zorab was waiting for us at a distance of 10,000 light-years in an almost unknown sector of space. All that remained was for us to steal the time converter.
The mutants had made all the necessary preparations. Rhodan had just returned an hour before from another reception and now he was relaxing in a contour chair while he listened to a report from Corps Chief John Marshall.
Mouse-beaver Pucky had gone on a mission with the mutant Kitai Ishibashi, by means of teleportation. It was the latter's assignment to "prepare" the 4 Akon scientists. Ishibashi's talent enabled him to use a kind of remote hypnosis to force his will upon other individuals. The resulting mental block or suggestion was hardly noticeable but of long duration. To this extent everything had been done to enable us to "appropriate" the secret device. However, a few problematical items still had to be clarified.
The so-called trading settlement was actually a modern and fully equipped base for Solar Intelligence. On the viewscreens the structures of the main spaceport of Sphynx were discernible. After Perry Rhodan's discovery of the Blue System the Akons had been forced to
take up space flight again. Now as before, however, they still managed their interstellar traffic by means of gigantic matter transmitters, although these were not adequate in a military sense. It had not been too difficult for Rhodan and the Terran Fleet to overcome the system's defenses-after due provocation-and to destroy the satellite power stations. After that the system-wide blue defense screen had ceased to exist.
The Akons had clearly recognized the fact that in spite of their perfected transport technology they would not be able to have any role in galactic affairs unless they built up their space travel once more. Doubtlessly they wouldn't have been so peaceful if they had been able to call in 10,000 warships to their aid. The Terrans were considered to be intruders. I well knew their opinion of me, the former ruler of a rebellious colonial race. By Akon values the Arkonides were degenerate savages, comparable to galactic vermin, undeserving of notice.
It was calm and peaceful at the city's new spaceport. There were no robotships of the Regent's fleet to be seen. Merchant ships of other races were not allowed to land. The Akons maintained a zealous surveillance of their zone of influence which included an unknown number of colonial worlds. All such planets were contacted and supplied exclusively with the help of the giant transmitters. They had set up a communications system which had functioned well until Rhodan discovered the Blue System.
He had startled the Akons out of their calm complacency and now we were feeling the effects of it. The Terran agents had informed us that the Ruling Council maintained relations with the rebels on Arkon. A few months before this, that fact had been denied, but meanwhile conditions had changed.
Rhodan had followed my gaze and become pensive. "It looks quite deserted out there. In a few years it will be swarming with spaceships of every type and description. The Akon ship-building industry will soon be on its way. Considering the high state of science and technology here I'd say we can expect to see some pretty sensational products."