by Perry Rhodan
"I am authorized to connect you with the Regent," he blurted out. "Are you ready?"
"I am ready, Drenn."
• • •
The conference lasted an entire hour. And Perry Rhodan won.
He was assured the command of more than 75% of the Arkonide battle fleet and in addition he obtained the assurance that none of the ships to be placed at his disposal would be manned by robots. From that moment on and effective immediately, Arkon 3 was considered to be the fleet base for Perry Rhodan, as long as the Administrator of the Solar Empire needed it for such purpose.
And finally a number of additional support bases and strongholds throughout the galaxy were placed at his disposal. Through the highest channels, each garrison commander was placed under Perry Rhodan's command.
Rhodan explained it to Baldur Sikermann, First Officer of the Drusus. "This means that the Regent has shelved its ideas of annexing the Earth for a long time to come. From today on, 75% of the Arkonide fleet is under my command. Due to the fact that no robot may be installed on any of the ships, their commanders will have no direct contact with the Regent and will hear my orders alone. If I want to, I can occupy Arkon itself."
Sikermann slowly recovered from the shock. "And it... it just simply made you a present, like that?"
"No. I was able to convince it that I'm not out to become an enemy of the Empire. The fact that I'm married to an Arkonide woman carried a lot of weight. The machine trusts me. And besides, it can't fend off the new enemy without my help."
"Still can't? Even with all the information the Regent got?"
"It won't do it much good."
"How come?"
Rhodan sat down. "I now have my first conversation with the Regent on my own tape copy," he answered. "Let's listen to the heart of the matter." He took a small device out of his pocket, set it down before them on the console and turned it on.
After a short search he found the place he was referring to. Sikermann first heard Rhodan say: "...remember that you don't know my race and that almost 60 years have passed since we heard from each other the last time. In 60 years my race accomplishes more than others do in three centuries."
And the Regent's answer: "What's 60 years? What is time for a being like me? I am immortal. For me one time span is as long as another, quite irrespective of what names you mortals apply to it."
Rhodan cut off the tape. Sikermann looked at him uncomprehendingly. "I really don't get it," he mumbled.
"But you should. The key point in all the data we've collected about the Unseen is obviously what we found out about the time differences between the two universes. Now naturally the Machine is capable of counting off seconds, minutes or hours, or it can register any time-span as so many years. It can also calculate time—just as with any other arbitrary set of numbers. But when it's a question of two different time-continuums, then the Machine lacks the necessary comprehension, which is the true comprehension of an immortal."
"In a word: it can't do a thing with our information. Either it will be necessary to build into it a new sector that can deal with real times in separate reference frames... or it is absolutely dependent upon us, because you know there aren't very many Arkonide scientists who would be willing to come out of their artificial shells to handle such a problem."
Sikermann drew a long breath. "What you're saying is, then..."
"We're out of danger," Rhodan completed the thought for him. "Not only that: figuratively speaking, we're king of the hill—lords of the universe. The Regent really must have felt those Unseens breathing down its armor-plated neck—otherwise it'd never have made such concessions as these..."
• • •
The Drusus remained on Arkon-3 several days. The transfer of a large part of the Arkonide spacefleet to Rhodan's command entailed an incredible amount of administrative work. During this period Rhodan had a series of conversations with the Regent, whose tone had become considerably more cooperative than before. For example, Rhodan received permission to unload the 100,000 Mirsalese on Arkon 1 and leave them there till the way to their home planet was clear again. It was the first time in the history of ancient Arkon that aliens had been quartered on the Arkonides' residential planet.
As for the Arkonide fleet, Rhodan had initially been concerned over the likelihood that the commanders would only become subordinate to him unwillingly. But as it developed, he misjudged them: first, as was characteristic of their race, they were generally too languid to even experience an, emotion and, secondly, it was much more preferable to them to be commanded by an alien human than a machine of their own construction.
• • •
The fleet transference was close to completion. The units in space had received their orders and held to their assigned waiting positions.
Rhodan planned to make a grand enveloping movement on the invisible opponent.
The Regent assured Rhodan once more that all the resources of the tri-planetary Arkon worlds plus their galactic support bases were unconditionally at his disposal and the robot Brain seemed pacified by Rhodan's reiterated assurance that there was no intent to move against Arkon itself.
Rhodan wasn't deceived by the conclusion of the peace treaty. He knew that while he was out there somewhere in space, fighting the Unseen, the Regent would be striving to regain a part of its former superiority—for example by building more ships or fostering a closer alliance between the Springers and the Empire. Of course for the time being the Regent's 'hands' were tied and the Earth was secure.
Rhodan would keep his word: he would never make a forceful move against the Arkon Empire—even the potential power of 75% of the Arkonide fleet under his command didn't tempt him. For he knew that in due course the day would come when the Empire would have to succumb of its own ennui and that would be the day for Terra's only worthwhile way of conquest.
Peaceful.
RETURN FROM THE VOID
Copyright © Ace Books 1974
Ace Publishing Corporation
All Rights Reserved
THE SHIP OF THINGS TO COME
WHEN Atlantis was named, He was there.
Atlan!
You'll be there too—10,000 exciting years ago—when the Crystal Prince of Arkon returns in vivid memory to the Zakrebians and their problem... the Mysterious Aliens and their attacks... the action on Larsa (Venus)... the perplexing puzzle of the 'Body' Ship... and an amazing encounter (that long ago) with some one—or some thing —you've met before (if you've been a Rhofan long enough to have visited the planet Wanderer).
It's another Atlan Adventure and one you won't soon forget. In fact, you may call it his greatest yet—
FORTRESS ATLANTIS
by K.H. Scheer