by Perry Rhodan
"That won't be enough, especially in view of the fact that we can also accomplish a very positive purpose with our visit."
"And what would that be?" John leaned forward, curious.
"We're going to infest the meeting of the patriarchs with the plague," Pucky stated.
The telepath was about to make a declining gesture but he stopped in the middle of the movement of his hand. A shadow of concern flitted across his face. Finally he said hesitantly, "It's a truly fantastic idea, Pucky. However I believe I'll have to obtain Rhodan's permission first. Without his express permission we can't infect Springers who aren't stationed on Goszul's Planet. The disease is contagious and they'd spread it throughout the universe. I refuse to contaminate the universe deliberately."
"Why don't you ask Rhodan?" Tako suggested. "He knows whether it's justified or not."
John considered the suggestion to be very reasonable. He extricated the little transceiver, which was capable of broadcasting up to a distance of three light-months, from its hiding place. It took 30 seconds to make contact with the Stardust. "We've a rare opportunity to surprise all the Springers in this land at a meeting in one room together. Shall we afflict them with the plague or not?"
"That's a very direct question, John. I'll give you an equally straightforward answer if you can give me some information. What is the subject of their consultations?"
"Nobody knows for sure. Pucky thinks it's the invasion of Earth."
"They haven't been cured yet," Rhodan murmured, mulling it over for a few seconds. "Okay, here's your answer: if the Springers decide tonight that they want to invade the Earth, they must be infected. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, sir! What happens if they carry the plague out to the universe?" Rhodan's smile could almost be felt the whole distance of eight light-days. "Not much," he said and broke off the connection.
John didn't look much the wiser as he stowed away the transceiver. At a loss to understand his boss he looked perplexed at his friends. "Did you get that? 'Not much,'he said. I wish I could understand him!"
"Is that necessary?" Pucky asked, then quickly added: "Be careful, I can feel Enzally coming. I hope he didn't notice our doubts. It wouldn't help matters very much."
However Enzally appeared to be unconcerned. He greeted the four men with the same bow he made to Pucky, took a seat and said with a complaisant smile: "The meeting of the Springers will begin any moment. I came in the official car of the Spaceport Administration to advise you of the conference. Oh, you're wondering about the car. Well, now we've got friends everywhere. To get back to the Springers: what do you intend to do? Blow up their meeting?"
"We're planning to strike them with the plague," John said sternly.
A cold smile flickered on the face of the old Goszul. "Splendid! These business gods have seen what happens to a race that is afflicted with the Plague of Oblivion. As soon as they notice that they've caught the disease they'll flee in desperation to find a cure somewhere in the universe and we hope they'll let us live in peace from then on."
Tako had opened an oblong box from which he had taken five little bombs. John noticed that he weighed them appraisingly in his hands.
"Pucky will accompany you. It's better if two teleporters take care of this task. Throw the bombs and get out at once. Perhaps you, Pucky, will first be able to learn something about the purpose of the meeting. Rhodan gave orders to drop the bombs only when the Springers let it be known that they really intend to attack Terra."
"You may depend on us," Pucky reassured the telepath. He took two of the five bombs and seized Tako by the hand.
A second later they both had vanished.
• • •
The two teleporters materialized not far from the building at the side of the spaceport which was already familiar to them and where the conference was scheduled to take place this day. Enzally had accurately described the location to them. There was nobody in the vicinity nor were there any other guard robots except two husky battle-robots who were posted at the entrance to the building with their weapon arms ready to shoot. It was hopeless for them to get past them.
"We'll have to jump directly into the lion's den," Tako decided, not very enthusiastically. He looked like a genuine Goszul and it was impossible to tell the difference between him and the natives of this world. "We don't know where we'll wind up. If it happens to be in the middle of the assembly room they'll be in a tizzy."
"Especially when they see me," Pucky modestly presumed. "On the other hand I'll be able to extricate myself better than you because I can also use telekinetics. I'll twist their noses."
Tako said with a fleeting grin: "Okay, you jump first and come back at once so you can give me exact location. Then we'll jump together."
Pucky looked around. "Stay here behind the taxicab station and hide as well as you can. There seems to be nobody around here. A Goszul won't give you away and I don't see any robot patrols. I don't think it'll be too risky."
"Besides you'll be coming back right away," Tako reassured himself.
Pucky dematerialized and the Japanese remained behind alone, prepared to disappear the moment it became necessary. However everything was quiet. The spaceport with its huge ships lay deserted. At the far side a robot made his rounds. The sun had already set below the horizon and the light was getting dim.
It took five minutes till Pucky returned. "I've found an excellent place," he reported in his high voice. "Sort of a gallery above the conference hall. Nobody will be able to see us and we'll have a perfect view. We can even hear each word that is spoken and since each clan of the Springers speaks a different dialect, they're conversing in Intercosmo. Give me your hand, it'll be safer."
They leaped together and landed a fraction of a second later in a dark room which was poorly lit by the light shining down below. They could hear the babble of voices.
"The gallery," Pucky whispered. "Let's proceed cautiously when we reach the aisle. I imagine that people used to occupy this gallery before but the Springers are now decimated and have enough room down there."
They left the room in which all sorts of old equipment and junk was stored, such as a robot that was out of order. It was much lighter on the gallery and there were few places to take cover. They had to take their chances in the hope that nobody would see them. On all fours they crawled to the rail and cautiously peeked over it. What they saw made their hearts beat faster.
About 20 Springers sat or stood in groups, talking to each other in animated conversation. Apparently a pause had been called in the deliberations to give the individual Springers an opportunity to discuss the subject under debate freely.
Up front at a long table sat Ralgor—whom Pucky recognized from the colorful lump on his forehead, although it was the first time he saw it—and Etztak. The patriarch with the grey beard kept talking with great insistence to Ralgor but the two listeners on the gallery were unable to understand a word. Pucky concentrated his telepathic powers on them and found that Etztak was considering a possible invasion of the planet Terra. He outlined his plan which he wanted to introduce for debate. From the scraps of thoughts emanating from Ralgor it was precisely the plan he had in mind for which he wanted to win the support of the older Etztak.
"I believe we'll have to plaster them with our bombs," Pucky whispered to the impatiently waiting Tako. "They're about to lose this planet and they're already scheming to conquer a new one. We'll throw a monkey wrench into the intrigues."
There was a big hubbub in the assembly hall. Etztak requested the patriarchs to go back to their seats. He waited till calm was restored, then began to speak.
"We came initially to Goszul's Planet to consult about measures we could take to counteract the growing menace posed by Perry Rhodan. Unfortunately our action was delayed by some unforeseen events. Now another disaster has occurred. A plague has broken out on Goszul's Planet whose nature is completely unknown to us. We've learned to our great dismay that we're not immune to it. Accordi
ng to the latest reports seven of the 20 governors are already infected and have lost their memories. We, who haven't been in contact with the Goszuls, have so far been spared. But it is obvious that we'll have to leave as quickly as possible to avoid exposure to the disease."
Etztak waited till the general commotion subsided. In a changed voice he continued. "At this point I'd like to remind you of the real purpose of our meeting which wasn't called to negotiate questions of trade. My clan was repulsed by a powerful opponent in an attempt to make contact with the planet Terra. I'm referring to Perry Rhodan, the Administrator or President of the planet. He seems to have gained assistance from the Arkonides, whose sudden burst of activity is inexplicable. Rhodan succeeded in destroying a great number of our ships by deploying unknown weapons. Furthermore, Rhodan is definitely in possession of the secret of the Eternal Planet, the legendary world where immortality can be won."
Again the assembly began to seethe with excitement. The patriarchs put their heads together and started to whisper to each other. They were lured by the promise of eternal life more than by all the riches in the world. A myth suddenly seemed to have become a reality within their reach.
But Etztak tolerated no interruptions. "We're forced to leave this planet, that much is certain. Under the prevailing conditions I'm going to propose a quarantine of 50 years for this world to the Council of Traders. Much to my regret we'll have to abandon our technical installations here. My advice, which is shared by Ralgor, is that we rush with our ships and adequate reinforcements to the planet Earth and annihilate Rhodan's fleet. I'm convinced we'll find more treasures on Earth than anywhere in the universe. I need to remind you only of the Planet of Immortality."
Somebody in the background got up and inquired: "How about our armed escort?"
Etztak seemed to have expected the question. "Topthor the Mounder! Yes, I'm afraid we can no longer rely on him. He tried during my negotiations with Rhodan to attack Terra by himself and suffered terrible losses. Almost his whole armada was devastated. When I later requested his help he was in panic flight. I hardly believe that he'll be ready to attack Terra again."
"Why don't we make a deal with Rhodan if he's so powerful?"
"He's very powerful indeed! Does anybody in this room believe we can expect advantages from such a mighty adversary? He's making the conditions, not us! What could we gain under such circumstances? No, we've got only one choice: we must attack Terra by surprise and weaken its defenses to such a degree that we can take possession of it."
Three or four patriarchs shouted excitedly. "What are we waiting for? We're wasting our time with talk. Let's leave Goszul's Planet where nothing is any longer to be gained and hurry up to get to Earth where we can reap the fortune of the Arkonides! We'll force them to tell us the location of the Eternal Planet and we'll gain immortal life."
Etztak made a declining gesture. "Our decision must be unanimous and we can't afford a leak of our plans. Are there any arguments against it?"
A young Springer in the first row raised his hand. "Are we going to leave our battle-robots on Goszul's Planet?"
Ralgor at Etztak's side became restless but controlled himself beautifully and left the answer to the older Etztak.
"Do we have another alternative?" Etztak asked with raised eyebrows. "Our means of disinfection against the Pestilence of Oblivion are ineffective. Under no conditions are we justified to carry this vicious disease into the universe. We'd all suffer unthinkable consequences. We could be responsible for the loss of memory of the intelligent races in the world—a nightmare too terrible to contemplate!"
The subject was too unpleasant for Ralgor. He interrupted Etztak: "Any other objections? If not, I'd suggest we take a vote."
The old Springer agreed. "Is there anybody here who is unwilling to join in a collective action of the Galactic traders against Terra for the purpose of making a colony of the planet and securing the secret of eternal life from Perry Rhodan?"
The question had been put in such a way that nobody answered. Thus the proposal to conquer the Earth was unanimously adopted.
Etztak nodded with satisfaction. "Now let's agree on the details. I suggest we remain in orbit around Goszul's Planet for three more weeks to gather our forces. Why pick another place...?"
Pucky had heard enough. He turned to Tako. "Are you ready with the bombs? I think we ought to let 'em have it now."
The Japanese pulled his three plastic containers out of his pocket.
"Set the fuse for five seconds!" Pucky instructed him. While they prepared the punishing blow, further serious problems were discussed in the hall below. The two mutants were no longer interested in their evil designs since the patriarchs had no chances of putting them into effect.
Tako was busy setting the third fuse for the ignition. Then he looked up. Pucky was ready. "It'll be five seconds after they hit. There'll be a harmless detonation which serves to scatter the bacteria. It'll also make it look like an explosive bomb. Here we go—one, two, three!"
The five bombs sailed in a high curve through the air and fell in the midst of the assembled people, hitting the ground and the tables. For a second a hush fell over the gathering, then Ralgor, who was the first to recover from the shock, yelled: "Take cover!"
This was easier said than done. Nobody knew which way to jump and how much time they had to get away before the bombs blew up. They all automatically hit the ground in the hope that their neighbors would shield them from the exploding fragments.
When the blast of the five detonations finally came and nothing really happened, they felt greatly relieved and suspected a dirty trick—which was not far from the truth. However, nobody had an inkling of the fact they were bacterial bombs.
Etztak quickly returned to his seat. He held a little raygun in his hand and searched the gallery with his eyes. The bombs had come from up there.
But Pucky and Tako were already out of sight.
7/ ROBOTS AMOK
Perry Rhodan flicked back the switch and broke the simul-contact with John Marshall. The slight background noise of cosmic static became inaudible. Slowly he turned around and looked at Reginald Bell. The two men were alone in the spacious control center of the gigantic Stardust, eight light-days away from Goszul's stellar system.
"What do you say?"
Bell's face showed doubt. "Why did we have to put on such a big show on this planet if all we wanted to do was chase away 20 Springers? It would have been sufficient to infect them alone."
"Not really," Rhodan contradicted. "If only the patriarchs and their crews had become sick they wouldn't have known where they caught the disease. Of course they don't really know it even today but they must assume that also the robots and machines on Goszul's Planet are contaminated. Moreover they've witnessed the ghastly spectacle of the Goszuls losing their memory and having to start all over again from the beginning. Without such a demonstration the expected effect would've been far less persistent. Now we've accomplished two things. They'll put Goszul's Planet under quarantine and abandon their plan to conquer the Earth very quickly."
"I hope you're right, Perry. I'd hate to have to battle it out with these Springers forever. After all there are other tasks waiting for us which have to be solved."
"The meeting of the Springers took place eight days ago. Meanwhile the first symptoms of the sickness must have appeared on board the ships of the Springers. Our instruments show that they're still circling the system at a distance of two light-days and are constantly receiving reinforcements. Major Nyssen of the Solar System reports that he has counted a total of 69 ships so far."
Bell whistled through his teeth and tried to smooth his recalcitrant hair bristles with his hand. "That's an awful lot. I'd like to know how we're going to tackle them."
"We won't have to. The bacteria will do it for us. Nyssen has informed us that numerous consultations have taken place these last few days. The patriarchs visit the commanders of the newly arrived ships. Therefore we can take it for
granted that they have all contracted the disease by now. You can bet that all hell will break loose among the Springers in one or two days."
Bell glanced expectantly at the long row of dark control lamps. Each one of the lamps was in electronic contact with a ship of the Springers. The wireless circuit was hooked up to the structure sensor and the positronic brain. As soon as a Springer ship performed a transition in space, one of the lamps lit up. Automatic calculations furnished the direction and distance of the transition within seconds. A graphic system recorded all impulses on a map, which clearly showed where each clan had moved.
"They should start scrambling helter-skelter any moment now," Bell muttered. "When they realize that they've come down with the sickness they'll try to get hold of the nearest doctor."
Rhodan smiled indulgently. "I don't know where they can find a doctor but they really have no reason to be worried. You don't think I'd spread a contagious epidemic throughout the Galaxy? Don't let it bother you, Bell. The Springers will have colored faces and lose their memories for a few weeks but then the symptoms will diminish and eventually go away. In six days the bacteria will lose their potency for passing on the malady. The prerequisites for a widespread infection of other races don't exist."
Bell had listened attentively. "Why didn't you ease John Marshall's mind when he raised objections to the dissemination of a plague?"
"Because everybody—including him—had to be convinced that it was a serious ailment. One of them could have made an involuntary slip and betrayed the secret. You see, we had to use no more than a bluff."
"And what about the improvement of intelligence?"
"This happens to be true. When the patients recover from their illness they'll be smarter than before."
"The Springers too?"
"I hope! If they have more sense they might give up the idea of the Earth's annexation to their empire."
Bell grinned with satisfaction. "You've mollified my moral scruples and Marshall will also feel better when he learns the truth."