TO PERRY RHODAN, ARKON SECTOR: ALL PEACEFUL IN TERRA SECTOR. NO HYTRANS. FLEET IN READINESS. BEST LUCK! DERINGHOUSE.

  If Rhodan wanted to be honest with himself, he had to admit that a great weight was lifted from him. It appeared that the robot brain on Arkon had not initiated any action against Earth. Thora was right after all, even though final proof of her conjecture was still missing. in any case, Rhodan's expedition now had the time at its disposal to bring its purposes here to a satisfactory conclusion.

  Half of the Titan lay in an underground hangar with an open sliding roof, while the upper half was camouflaged so that it could not be recognized. This offered the search ships of the robot brain very little prospect of discovering the stolen super battleship.

  That is, if no one were to betray what was really going on on Zalit...

  The Zarlt was not to be trusted. It was true that he was still operating under the persistent hypnotic orders of the Mooffs but in his heart and as a free man his own thoughts were not any different. The Mooffs could not have found themselves a more suitable instrument. The goals were the same, even though, perhaps, the planned procedures were different. If it should occur to the Zarlt that it might be timely to win recognition from the robot brain through a worthy deed, he would betray Rhodan without a twinge of conscience. Rhodan had considered the idea of bringing him under the hypnotic control of the mutants but then had resisted the temptation. Each day more Mooffs could arrive and if the new ones perceived that the Opposition also had hypnotists the situation would become more complicated. The as yet Unknown Adversary who was using the Mooffs to make the Zalites take over the Arkonide Empire must have no idea of the true strength of his Opponent.

  The communications man had left. Bell was occupied with one of his cherished emergency drills. Thora had entered the command central unnoticed. For awhile she stood near the door and observed Rhodan, who sat in his pilot seat immersed in his thoughts.

  For 13 years this Terranian had held her in custody and obstructed her longed for return to Arkon. She had been all but convinced that she would never forgive him for this imprisonment but now she wasn't quite sure of where she stood.

  The return to Arkon had been a bitter disappointment. She looked back on it with reluctance. The many reproaches that she had intended to voice to Rhodan had never been spoken. She had to admit that he had been right in designating the Arkonides as decadent and incompetent. His harsh judgment of them had been justified by their single act of entrusting the responsibility for an entire galactic empire to a positronic brain.

  Without turning his head, Rhodan spoke into the silence. "You aren't disturbing me, Thora. Come and join me. I'd like to talk to you."

  She walked toward him slowly, the proud figure erect, an indefinable expression on her face. Her hair, almost white, framed her delicate head, contrasting unnaturally with her tanned complexion. Thirteen years of Earth sun had left their mark. Something gleamed in her golden eyes that Rhodan had never seen before.

  "So it seems our purposes are at odds," she murmured.

  "But I think not, thank God, our viewpoints," Rhodan replied. "Please, sit down, Thora. Incidentally, you were right: the robot brain hasn't sent a single ship to Earth. I wonder if it was a matter of choice or of not knowing the Earth's position?"

  "The latter," she said, and sat down next to him. "Believe me, if it knew the position, the Earth would be as good as lost. A robot brain has no feelings."

  "But hopefully it can think logically. It had to recognize that I am not an enemy of the Empire."

  "So far you've not given it any reason for thinking otherwise. Anyone who does not abide by its regulations is an enemy of the Empire. You have even stolen one of its ships.

  "And if I only did it in order to serve the Empire?"

  Thora smiled dubiously. "You'll have to prove that to the Brain first, Perry. don't you think that's difficult—even hopeless...?"

  Rhodan shook his head. "Not at all! The Mooffs came into the picture at just the right moment. If we succeed in making Zalit a sister world to Arkon again, that should no doubt suffice as a proof of our loyalty to the Empire."

  Her smile deepened. "It suffices with me already, Perry. I have no doubts as to your good intentions. What matters is, if the Brain agrees with me."

  You are a logical thinker, Thora—so is the Brain. So your mutual conclusions must also come out the same. Let's wait it out. Actually, there was a different matter I wanted to discuss with you." After a pause, he continued resolutely. "Thora, how do you assess your future?"

  Her smile disappeared as though wiped away by an invisible hand. " Myfuture?" A shadow flitted across her face. "What future is there for me on Arkon? My dynasty is all but extinguished. Khrest and I are as exiles, even though some have recognized us either through need or in other indirect ways. I'll be frank, Perry... if I had to make the choice today between being Arkonide or Terranian—it would not be too difficult."

  This was a shocking statement when one recalled how proud this Arkonide aristocrat had been and how much she had scorned the 'barbaric' Terranians. The reversal of attitude was understandable but it seemed to Rhodan too sudden. He suspected a pitfall, a cloven hoof somewhere.

  "A Terranian?" he asked thoughtfully and looked at her. She returned his gaze freely and openly. There was something akin to pleading in her eyes, which he did not understand. "Thora, don't you consider Terranians to be far beneath you?"

  "Not any more, Perry. Sometimes I even wonder if it may not be the reverse. Did not the Immortal express something of that nature?"

  The Immortal! Suddenly Rhodan thought he knew what was activating Thora. The secret Immortal, the unfathomable being of living energy that existed on the artificial planet, Wanderer, had withheld from the Arkonides the life-rejuvenating biological cellshower. He had given it only to Rhodan and Bell.

  Because they were Terranians!

  His smile was touched with bitterness. "I understand you, Thora, but I don't know whether the Immortal could be bribed."

  She drew back from him slightly. "No, Perry, you mustn't think that!" Eternal life is not the only enticement that beckons to me. Arkon has disillusioned me to a point where I have hardly wanted to live at all, much less live forever. No, I have had over a decade of opportunity to be among Terranians. I have directly witnessed how they have accomplished in 13 years as much as we did in thousands. And I have often given deep consideration to the question of how great a regeneration the Empire would undergo if it were riot ruled by Arkonides or a robot brain but by Terranians..."

  Rhodan didn't answer. He sensed that she spoke the truth. And it was so incredible to him that he needed a few moments to grasp it. Finally his wits returned to him. "In that case, you know that your race would forfeit its ruling position," he reminded her. "You are an Arkonide, Thora. Naturally you could become a Terranian, on paper, but in your heart you would forever remain what you are: Arkonide! Would such a state of affairs permit you to be happy?"

  She smiled again, this time in a more womanly way. A trace of tenderness touched her lips and the golden eyes glistened. "Happy? Why should I not be able to find happiness?" she asked, and she looked past Rhodan.

  It seemed to him as though his heart were in a vice. Suddenly it was as if scales fell from his eyes and only by the severest effort was he able to conceal his reaction. Cautiously he searched her face and her eyes—but he found no confirmation there for his preposterous supposition.

  He was just about to brace himself for a reply when the door banged open and Bell marched into the control center with a thumping stride. For several seconds his voice failed him when he saw Rhodan and Thora sitting so intimately together but then he regained his self-control.

  "Emergency drill completed!" he announced in an exaggerated military manner. I have scheduled the next drill for this evening. Sir, the crew knows the Titan now almost better than their pants pockets."

  Rhodan awakened as if from a dream. He looked at Bell distractedly and nodded. "Very well, Reg. Next drill this evening."

  Bell remained where he was. "Something wrong?" he asked, anxiously.

  Rhodan smiled. "No, it's nothing—at least nothing that should concern you."

  I see!" said Bell, who didn't see at all. He glanced quickly at Thora, shook his head and departed. He closed the door sharply and his footsteps rang in the passageway beyond.

  Rhodan turned once more to Thora. The mood was gone. Her mouth was set as sternly as ever and the splendorous light that had given him his first hint was lacking. Now she was the old Thora again. But he also knew that there was another Thora, whom one would have to consider with care.

  A Thora with a heart...

  • • •

  Pucky and Tama Yokida did not return to the ship until evening. Their first business brought them to Rhodan who was eating supper in the Officer's Mess with Thora, Khrest, Bell and the mutants. Lieutenant Tifflor and Frank Haggard sat in a corner playing chess.

  The mouse-beaver saluted and sat down on his hindquarters. "Special mission completed!" he announced. "During the past two weeks all Mooffs present on Zalit have been exterminated, as far as we could locate them. The scientists are beating their brains out trying to figure how those pressurized glass containers for the Mooffs became porous—but I guess they're not going to get any answers."

  "What about the ships of the space fleet?"

  Pucky shrugged his shoulders and almost lost his balance. "As far as was possible, we covered that also and knocked out the Mooffs. Naturally other ships are still returning from patrol flights with live Mooffs on board."

  "That has to be blocked also," Rhodan ordered, and patted the mouse-beaver on the back. "You will continue the mission. The Mooffs have to be eliminated. Their Masters must begin to believe that the climate on Zalit isn't healthy for them—in both senses of the word. When the transports arrive with more Mooffs, they have to be processed immediately."

  "Will do," responded Pucky, stretching his small body. This brought his eyes to a level with the spread of food on the table. "I'm hungry."

  "Over here!" called Bell, from the other end of the table. "We scrounged up a couple of carrots for you from the Ganymede's freezer compartment and brought them oven"

  The mouse-beaver's ears shot up and he teleported to the empty seat next to Bell.

  Two seconds later Bell was hanging from the mess hall's ceiling, staining in vain to be free of Pucky's stream of telekinetic energy. He paddled with his arms and legs and promised to send someone immediately to the Ganymede to get the carrots, and it was only a joke anyway, and...

  Pucky was oblivious to Reg's babbling. With death-defying avidity, he gnawed on the bones of an unfamiliar animal that served as sustenance to the Arkonides.

  He would have preferred the carrots.

  • • •

  John Marshall confirmed Rhodan's assessment of the situation. "The influx of adherents to the now-united resistance movement has increased tenfold now that the Mooffs are dying off and their suggestive powers are failing. The Zalites hate the Zarlt, who had their old Ruler assassinated in order to usurp his power. On the one hand they aren't overjoyed at the prospect of a guardianship through the Arkonide positronic brain but on the other hand they are astute enough to prefer that to rulership by the new Zarlt. They know that then the Empire would be lost, because they know their weaknesses."

  "The Zalites are a remarkable people," said André Noir, the hypnotist. "Those who have been freed from the Mooffs. Don't seem to need any new inducement to support the cause, as long as none of them are officers close to the Zarlt. The latter, I would say, need some special treatment."

  "Not yet!" warned Rhodan. "The Zalites must remain free to make their own decisions. I want the Zarlt to keep on with his game and not suspect that we are responsible for the death of the Mooffs. He must continue under the impression that we are enemies of the Empire and are hiding from the search patrols of the robot brain."

  John Marshall probed Rhodan's mind but to his chagrin encountered an impenetrable defense screen. Rhodan smiled at him.

  Bell, who had been released by Pucky and was no longer stuck to the ceiling, agitated for swifter action. "Perry, just suppose we put the ruling class of the Zalites under hypnotic control—they'd do what we told them to. With one stroke the jig would be up and Zalit would be free. The robot brain would be grateful to us and..."

  "...and we would never know who is behind the plan to destroy the Brain, Reg! No, that wouldn't work. The Zarlt must continue to be free and operate according to his own judgment, otherwise the real manipulators will get suspicious. They are the ones I want to unmask, whoever the devil they are. The Zarlt is nothing but a puppet. If we cut the string he's dangling from, we won't know who's making him dance. So fine—we knock out the Mooffs. We also support the Freedom Fighters. But with that we've reached our limit. For the time being at least."

  "If I understand you correctly, the Zarlt will be permitted to execute his plan, so that..."

  "No, he'll carry out only the first steps of his plan, no more. At the moment we unmask the true manipulators behind the scene, we strike, and we rescue the Empire. I won't go further than that."

  "Have you decided, then, to rescue the Empire?" injected Khrest. In his voice was not a particle of suspicion.

  "Yes," said Rhodan.

  Khrest locked his gaze on him. "For whom?" he asked, pleasantly.

  Rhodan did not speak but his answering smile was equally pleasant.

  6/ "THE ZARLT MUST DIE!"

  For the second time Zarlt Demesor visited the Titan —and he did not come alone. He brought several officers with him, who appeared to Rhodan to be acting as bodyguards.

  The Zarlt was unable to entirely conceal his uneasiness. Of course he was very friendly and charming but a closer look at him revealed that heavy thunderclouds of trouble were looming on the horizon of his future plans. Naturally he knew nothing of the decisive role of the Mooffs; for him they were nothing other than welcome assistants in the fight against the growing dissatisfaction of his people. How was he going to be able to investigate the secret thoughts of his subjects, now, if no more telepathic Mooffs were available?

  He marched in to Rhodan, who waited for him in the mess room. He did not pay any attention to John Marshall, who stood at one side, little knowing that at this moment his thoughts and intentions were being subjected to a careful analysis.

  "Much time has passed since you came to our world," he began the conversation after the greetings were over with. "You still maintain your silence and will not reveal to me how you were able to get through Arkon's blockade belt?"

  Rhodan smiled calmly. "Zarlt Demesor, you seem to consider it a simple task to eliminate the robot brain. I must warn you that even if you should succeed you would still have to face the powerful Arkonide fleet, not to mention the robot-guided fighting units that will take action independently of the robot brain. I do not believe that you have the slightest chance of conquering the Empire."

  "Who suggests that I want to conquer it? I want only to free it from the tyranny of a machine, that's all."

  "A praiseworthy goal," Rhodan admitted. "And am I to help you reach it?"

  "Naturally! Isn't the Brain your opponent? Isn't it pursuing you like a deadly nemesis? I can't see what objections you could have to being my ally."

  "Discretion alone might force me to that, Zarlt. And one other thing: Whats the status with your own people? Can you depend fully and completely on their support?"

  The Zarlt nodded confidently. "Yes, I can! The Zalites are peace-loving but they also stand ready to fight where their freedom is involved."

  Rhodan glanced briefly at Marshall. The silent signal between them went unnoticed. The Zarlt was lying. He was well aware that a majority of the Zalites stood against him. No one approved of his intention to attack the robot brain.

  "The internal affairs of Zalit do not concern me," said Rhodan. I will reveal the method of penetrating Arkon's defense ring when the time comes. When it is time to do so, Zarlt—not a second sooner."

  A shadow of resentment swept across the reddish-brown face but Demesor controlled himself perfectly. "I have time, until your confidence becomes firm. As a sign of my friendship, today I am giving a celebration in the red palace and I wish to invite you and your officers. You have been with us many weeks without having had an opportunity to get acquainted with Zalites under more festive circumstances. Will you accept?"

  "Why not. How many of my people may I take?"

  "That's entirely up to you, of course. I presume you will be bringing only your closest friends. One thing more: today I was visited by a personal courier from Arkon, who was making investigations. The robot brain has a basis for deducing that your fight from Arkon was in this direction. I denied this most energetically and claimed never to have observed your presence within our System."

  "I thank you for that," replied Rhodan, who already knew that the Zarlt was lying. Not a single courier ship had landed on Zalit this day, nor had any such questioning occurred. In actuality, the robot brain didn't have the slightest clue as to where Rhodan had flown with the stolen ship.

  "Today I will place two limousines at your disposal," the Zarlt promised. "Only members of the Government will take part in the festivities. I must ask you to take this circumstance into consideration, in the selection of your retinue."

  Rhodan promised to comply, although it could not alter his own objectives. It was most important that he should give the Zarlt a sense of superiority. The man must be made to feel strong and secure in his plans. Rhodan didn't know to what extent the unknown Masters of this game were backed up by spies on Zalit—if any. Perhaps the Mooffs represented the only contact between them and the Zarlt. But then again, perhaps not.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10