by Perry Rhodan
"Another invitation?" asked Maj. Heintz. His voice sounded apprehensive.
I shook my head. If that were the case it would not come to me this way. Such matters were customarily handled over the radio. The letter arrived in the Control Central. The envelope was of fluorescent foil and it bore the seal of the Supreme Council. Rhodan's hand was tense when he handed it to me. I ripped it open and the letter fell out.
"It's in handwriting!" said Quinto. "Who's it from?"
I thought that my heart stopped for a moment. The signature and seal were unmistakable. After reading it I lowered the letter and looked at the others. "It's an invitation, alright! Epetran asks me to visit him since he's heard from Admiral Aichot that I had some recommendations to make for the improvement of transition techniques."
Rhodan also read the message. "It says other officers familiar with the subject are also welcome... Well, I'll be! What is he up to?"
"Danger!" signaled my extra-brain.
Almost against my will I declared: "The invitation can't be avoided. When Epetran makes a request it's the same as an order. Who will go with me?"
Rhodan called his service robot to him. "My extra uniform-fast!" he ordered.
Within 30 minutes a vehicle was waiting for us at the cruiser's ground lock.
"So he took it for granted that we'd be ready in half an hour," observed Rhodan grimly. "Alright, let's go. No, Kitai, I'm sorry, we won't be taking you with us. Anyway, if this scientist is equipped with an activated brain your efforts will be useless."
Our suggestor mutant remained behind. We descended in the antigrav and climbed into the robotcar. It was emblazoned with the escutcheon of the Supreme Council. The third man in our team was John Marshall , who was to attempt to read the scholar's mind. Officially he was joining us as Chief Engineer of the Sotala.
We started off, not knowing what awaited us in Epetran's quarters. Certainly he wasn't thinking of any gala reception. Apparently the interview was to be a very sober one. Arkonides of Epetran's rank had been very clear thinkers. They were only interested in facts. It was said especially of the chief scientist of the Supreme Council that he very seldom took part in noisy festivities although he stood well in the Imperator's favor.
We drove into the control zone close to the main construction site. Long hangar-like structures loomed before us. Apparently Epetran didn't consider it unusual to be requesting a visit from us in the middle of the night. He was one of those Arkonides who believed that soldiers should be ready at any hour to serve the Empire.
Rhodan was uneasy when no inspections occurred. We were allowed to pass through the energy barriers without hindrance. My extra-brain remained silent. My skull felt as if it were held in an iron band. We knew that Epetran had been the greatest man in Arkonide history. It was quite an ordeal to be facing such a personality.
"Captain Tresta?" queried an officer of the guard. He belonged to the famous elite troops of the Tentons.
"That I am," I confirmed, introducing Rhodan and Marshall as officers "Telater and Aday".
"His Eminence is expecting you. Your visit will be limited to one hour."
He saluted, I nodded, and the car moved on a bit farther. We got out in front of a tower-like structure. We had arrived.
• • •
Marshal's face had blanched conspicuously. I caught a signal from him and understood. It was dangerous to attempt to probe Epetran's mind. It was almost as if the telepath were trying to tell me that the scientist may have detected the paramental interference.
However, if this was true the great man did not reveal it in any way. He was a tall Arkonide with snow-white hair that hung down to his shoulders. I had never seen a man with such a high forehead nor such a benevolent expression. For a moment, as we came in, this kindly look darkened. I felt as if the Supreme Council had secretly condemned us to death. Then-quite strangely -his threatening aspect vanished.
My presentation took two hours. His questions fairly exhausted my technical knowledge. Within the first few minutes he had understood how the transition computations had to be processed in order to accelerate succeeding hyperjumps and make them more accurate in terms of the navigational course. Arkonide history has it that shortly before his death he had introduced considerable improvements in this regard. If I wasn't entirely mistaken, we the "yet unborn" had provided the impetus.
Even Rhodan and Marshall did some talking. In fact Perry had gone so far as to allude to the possibility of linear spacedrive. This seemed to fascinate Epetran still more. He regarded Rhodan closely as if he were seeking to penetrate his thoughts. His deep voice trembled with an inner excitement when he questioned us.
We found ourselves in a laboratory where the equipment appeared to be dedicated to computer programming. We were fairly surrounded by instruments and consoles. It was quite clear that Epetran had not been planning a gala reception.
When Rhodan finally stopped giving hints and reassumed his regular role, to my great relief the old man's quiet smile returned. He wore the uniform of the practical working scientist. Only the symbol of the Supreme Council indicated his high position.
"I thank you, Major Telater," he said. "Your statements have been very interesting. But I believe it would be more advantageous to us to first try your commander's recommendations for improving our existing propulsion system. You will be hearing from me. How long will you be staying on Arkon 3?"
I assumed he was addressing me. "In any case until my cruiser has been overhauled, Your Excellency. After that I expect to receive new orders."
He nodded thoughtfully. "Are you satisfied with the fighting power of your ship?"
"It could be better, Your Eminence."
The old man frowned as if piqued for the moment. "The Sotala's armaments are the very best."
"Which soon may not be enough, Excellency. The enemies of the Imperium are not asleep. I beg you to let me be frank with you."
"Of course, as you wish. But I know of no race in the galaxy that would be capable of defeating our fleet."
"'I was thinking about developing intelligences. No one knows what the future will bring."
He rose to his feet by way of dismissing us. But his last words had the heaviest impact on me. "When we are no more, the Imperium will find powerful friends. Then it will all depend on taking the right steps."
We left. The old man gazed after us from amidst his machines. Marshall walked out first and I followed him but then I missed Rhodan. When I turned to look back I saw him standing there tall and straight in the lab room. Epetran's gaze and his seemed to be locked together. Marshall stifled a sigh as we heard Perry's departing words.
"Most assuredly the Imperium will find friends one day, Your Eminence. And they will remember you and your genius." He saluted and finally came out into the corridor. The sliding door closed behind us.
"Was that necessary?" I snapped at him angrily "Even without that I have a feeling he saw through us."
"I do, too," he answered, impressed. "Let him make of my words what he will."
"Caution!" whispered the telepath.
Farther ahead two soldiers of the guard appeared. My hand touched the butt of my service weapon. But all they had to tell us was that we had gone way over our visiting limit. They emphasized that it wasn't proper to prolong an interview with a man like Epetran with persistent questions.
I was reminded of the hospitality of my race. I had the impression that the old man would not have let himself in for such a lengthy discussion, nevertheless, unless he had wished it so. Unquestioningly he would have dismissed us the minute he ceased to be interested. I made my apologies to the guard officer, who gruffly passed us through.
A half hour later we again entered the Control Central of the Sotala.
"No unusual events, sir," reported Maj. Heintz.
Outside the sun was rising. I wondered if Epetran ever slept. Rhodan checked his watch. According to our conversion table the date must be February 14.
"Tomorro
w at 12 noon-our time-the bomb will explode," he said with unusual emphasis. "Pucky and Ras Tschubai, stand by for action. Marshall, your face is still grey. What's wrong?"
The telepath was almost apathetic when he spoke but his words shattered our self-confidence. "Presumably Epetran knows who we are and where we come from. Just after we entered his lab we were monitored by paramental means. For half a minute there, you and Atlan were unconscious. I was able to resist it. But I don't know if Epetran succeeded in breaking through your mental screens. I don't think it was possible with Atlan. How about you, sir?"
Rhodan sat down. He stared almost dumbfounded at the chief of the Mutant Corps. "Unconscious, you say? You sure you're not mistaken?"
"By no means, sir. I was awake. You and Atlan were asleep with your eyes open. Probably the results are coming through now from his para-probe. I urgently advise you to conceal the bomb in the Brain at once -and to leave this time plane."
I glanced involuntarily at the viewscreens. Outside the spaceships of my people were taking off and landing. Personnel vehicles were crossing the area back and forth. No one approached the Sotala.
Rhodan turned on the P.A. microphone. "All hands! Red alert is in effect. It's possible that we may be attacked, in which case the time converter will be shut off. If we should unexpectedly enter our own time reference we will be close to the Regent and his robot fleet. Open fire without waiting for orders. Com Central: prepare a distress call to the Fleet. Stand by for emergency takeoff. That is all, thank you... "
He turned off the switch. The ordnance experts appeared with Terran combat suits. They were far superior to the equivalent products of Epetran's epoch. The energy screens were stronger and the deflector projectors were much more advanced.
Pucky and Ras Tschubai reported. We were ready to make our jump. Two weapons technicians brought us the bomb. The uranium timer was already operating.
The half life radiation clock would give the ignition impulse in 6,023 years.
Mercant was getting nervous. "I don't think it's wise for the leaders of both imperiums to place their lives in danger. Since we left our own time on February 10th we don't know if you were still alive on February 14-meaning today."
"Mercant, don't get me al confused," Rhodan snapped at him edgily. Obviously his sense of humor had failed him at the moment. "By the same token I could just as well claim I've never lived. That would be the case if something were to happen to us now, wouldn't it?"
Mercant turned to look helplessly at Kalup. The scientist said nothing. He was busy studying the micro sound-tape of Epetran's conversation.
"He sounds like an oracle," Kalup said finally. "When you read between the lines you can conclude almost anything. Wait till I get the analysis. At first try I can't prove anything."
"Request denied. We're teleporting. The bomb must be placed in the Brain. Ready, Atlan?"
I nodded. We had decided to dispense with our pressure helmets. Breathable air would be available where we were going.
Once more I pointed out to the teleporters the remote power room where I wanted to operate. I was familiar with it from my days as Imperator, since at that time I had free access to the Brain.
Then we jumped.
7/ A HITCH IN TIME
Rematerialization occurred in a fair-sized room containing an emergency-power reactor and a converter bank. Farther to the left were the control panels which were connected to the pile by heavy cables. High tension lines led through the thermically-glazed rock walls into an adjoining room where the tanks containing pre-catalysts and nuclear fuel were located. There were also the moderator pumps for dampening down the reactor with regulated injections.
I knew that the emergency power pile had never been called upon for any current demands. I had found the place during my numerous inspection tours and learned that its installation had been a useless precaution.
Typical of this type of construction, the whole assembly sat on a shoulder-high foundation made of armorplate plastic metal. One wall was broken by a maintenance hatch. Behind it was a passage through which one could crawl to the clean-out access holes around the reactor zone. The hatch was no more used than was the power unit itself. Here was the place for our bomb. It could lie here undisturbed for over 6000 years, waiting for the impulse from its uranium timer.
Pucky took a look around in our immediate vicinity, finding only several technicians making routine inspections. They were checking out individual relays. The construction of the giant Robot had required thousands of years. This particular reactor room must have been completed about 20 years ago and there were no further installations being done in this sector. The only thing we would have to fear would be detection by a security patrol, which was unlikely.
I turned off my deflector field. The room was lighted by a permanently burning emergency lamp. We waited until our eyes had adjusted to the dim illumination. It was warm and it became uncomfortable in our combat suits but we didn't dare turn on our air-conditioners. To avoid any danger of being traced by instruments it was better if our micro-reactors could remain inactive. Their residual radiations were enough to worry about.
Pucky returned from another teleport jump. Ras Tschubai stood at the closed steel door and listened for sounds outside.
"Everything clear," whispered the little one. He looked around anxiously. "Nobody's there but those technicians."
"Almost a little too easy, eh?" remarked Rhodan.
I thought of Epetran and Marshall's story. If the learned scholar had seen through our game he was certainly reacting strangely. Why hadn't he sounded an alarm? Or didn't he suspect what we were intending to do? Had he merely regarded us as interesting visitors from the future who had come to impart specific knowledge to him? No-Epetran was too shrewd not to realize in that case that we must have come here to destroy his life's work? Would he stand for that?
I was helpless to find an answer. Finally my extra-brain expressed itself. Granted that Epetran had guessed our origin, he wouldn't be able to interpret our thoughts. He would have to rely on the vagaries of machine analysis.
This thought relieved me somewhat. At any rate we hadn't been eliminated so far. No one seemed to suspect our presence down here. Above us lay about 1000 meters of solid rock. The few access passages were heavily guarded. If there were any hint of our presence, all the sentries would have to do was to move in and attack. This was evidently not the case or they would have come looking for us long before now.
Rhodan's voice suddenly tore me from my thoughts.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked. I was surprised to see that the Terran was suspicious of me. I could detect it in his eyes. He had always looked this way at other intelligences when he doubted their intentions.
"You Terran barbarian," I retorted angrily, "are you thinking perhaps that I‹ll lose my nerve at the last minute? Will you never learn any better?"
The Chief of the Solar Imperium suddenly grinned with the ingenuousness of one of his youngest cadets.
Pucky showed his incisor tooth brightly. "Now he's acting human again!"
I released the cylindrical bomb from its carrying straps. Rhodan held it while I opened the maintenance hatch. After I had crawled in, he handed it to me and I attached it to the plastic metal wall with instant-grip fasteners. To check it over would have been superfluous. The weapon was sealed. There was nothing more to attend to here. I carefully emerged from the crawl-way and closed the hatch.
Pucky was listening telepathically for thoughts impulses from outside.
"Almost too easy to be true, sir," said Ras Tschubai. "Is that all?"
I nodded.
"Then let's jump back," ordered Rhodan. "We can't wait here for 6000 years."
He attempted to laugh but it didn't have the desired effect. Pucky ran to me and I picked him up in my arms. It was the best way for the two of us to teleport.
"Are you sure the reactor definitely won't be inspected?" asked Rhodan again. He had often asked this question.<
br />
I couldn't tell him any more than I had previously. The power pile had never been used. The main reactors had never failed.
Ras suddenly groaned and I realized why too late. He and Rhodan were standing several meters away. Before I understood why they both started to collapse I was also attacked by a wave of pain. Pucky screeched and I felt his legs tremble. I felt as if fluid fire were running through my veins. I squatted down and let the little fellow roll onto the floor.
After three seconds it was all over with. The pain faded as swiftly as it had come. Rhodan's reaction was to reach for his weapon immediately. My eyes finally cleared and I was about to ask what happened when Ras let out another groan. His eyes were fairly popping as he stared beyond me. When I turned, I knew why.
The emergency power reactor had changed. Its isolation shielding jacket which had just been so immaculate was now stained and spotted. Here and there were cracks and other signs of decay. A thick layer of dust was on the floor and the equipment. I jumped up. Rhodan was already on his feet. Pucky was still squirming on the floor.
"How can a new reactor become a pile of junk in three seconds?" asked Rhodan. His voice sounded hoarse. I declined to answer, since we both knew.
"It's-it's the time field!" stammered Tschubai, horrified. "Sir, we've gotten out of the conversion field. The machine has stopped working."
I helped Pucky to his feet. His mouse face was contorted in a grimace of uncertainty.
"The field is gone," he confirmed. "I'm getting many impulses. We're back in our own time again. But the bomb-!"
I whirled about to look as the hatch that I had just closed. Just closed? Perry reassured us.
"Don't get excited. We left the Sotala on February 14. We haven't spent more than an hour here. We still have 20 hours."
His last words were drowned out by a nerve-shattering howl. Outside the alarm sirens were sounding. The Regent had detected us. For 6000 years it had been a harmless machine. Now we had to get used to the idea again that it had begun to deteriorate due to the tampering with its A-1 circuits.