by Perry Rhodan
"I haven't any time just now to get into this thing personally but we've all just experienced how vitally important it is to get to the bottom of it. When you can, please keep giving me any further reports on developments... and you can depend on one thing, Doctor, on Topid we're going to keep a sharp lookout for any clues to this uncanny defense weapon. Thank you. That is all."
6/ KERH-ONF SPELLS POWDER KEG!
The towering telescopic struts of the On-Tharu slowly extended. The raging thunder of the mighty pulse engines in the skirt-ring of the gigantic spacesphere had subsided to a low rumble. The antigrav projectors were rendering the mile-high ship almost weightless.
According to Arkonide star catalogs, the Topide spaceport of Kerh-Onf belonged to the most important city in the entire binary sun system. It was the only sort that could receive a super-class ship without the pavement breaking through A thousand feet over Kerh-Onf the On-Tharu lowered with an exasperating but majestic slowness toward the landing apron.
Perry Rhodan had summoned John Marshall and Pucky to him, along with Harno, the little ball-shaped creature. By means of their telepathic faculties the first two were to check over the psycho-mental disposition of the reptile people who were waiting at the edge of the spaceport. With his natural long-distance vision, Harno was to search for the battle position which had projected the energy sensor beam.
Atlan and Bell landed the massive spaceship, whose monumental size was a fitting representation of the Greater Imperium. All battle positions were manned and even the tele-transmitter stood ready for action.
Suddenly the mouse-beaver blurted out: "Perry, those lizards are mad enough to pop their scales! What they'd like best is to shoot every last Arkonide off in a mail rocket with no forwarding address. And if you think that's something, when it comes to the Great Coordinator..."
"That's right," agreed Marshall, the Mutant Corps chief. "Arkon has forfeited the last trace of sympathy in the Topide System by its forced recruitment here."
Khrest was listening and now added his comment: "Throughout history the reptiles have broken every treaty they ever made with Arkon."
Pucky leaned against Rhodan. He was the only one who could allow himself such a liberty. After all he wasn't a human being and he didn't care to be one. Often he seemed to take more pride in his animal shape than in his phenomenal faculties and above-average intelligence. Whoever came in contact with Pucky had to divest himself of the conviction that intelligence was only related to the humanoid form. The mouse-beaver was proof of the fact that humanoids did not necessarily play the superior role in the workings of destiny.
"Boss," he said, "the official delegation from the Government is forming. The head sheik around here seem to be somebody named Xxal-Ri. But don't hold me to the spelling. Man, how he loves the Arkonides! And his conscience must be unkosh because all he can think of is the deceptions and dirty tricks that this system has pulled on Arkon. He also thinks the slowness of our landing is suspicious..."
At this moment the On-Tharu touched down as lightly as a feather. With a last sputtering murmur the pulse engines died out and the antigrav projectors slowly folded under.
Harno made telepathic contact with Rhodan. The globular creature floated chest-high before him and projected a vision of a strange-looking piece of space artillery. The thing had no resemblance to a disintegrator assembly or a thermobeam pointer and it certainly was no impulse cannon.
"This is the place, Perry Rhodan, from which the sensor probe beam was shot upward at the Kublai Khan. A few minutes ago the reptiles learned from their follow-up computations that with their new beam they are able to break down the defense screen of our ship. They are just now in the process of reporting the results to higher authorities..."
"If these overgrown Gila monsters can do as they please, Perry... they'll make spinnets (spinach?) out of us chirped Pucky excitedly. "Now they're discussing years gone by and are talking about the beating they took in the Betelgeuse System... But what's making them tear their hair now is that not a single airlock has opened on our ship..."
He was interrupted by Bell. "Topides don't have hair, Pucky, so they couldn't be tearing it. Once and for all, you're going to have to express yourself more precisely. A little while ago you referred to the head of their delegation as a sheik. Such expressions are unbecoming a lieutenant in the Mutant Corps!"
"Forgive me, Sir Deputy Administrator!" chirped Pucky. His manner was so grave that even Perry Rhodan was taken in by it and stared at the mouse-beaver in amazement. No one was accustomed to see in him such discretion and reserve. Normally he would have put up a fight. "Sir, I shall henceforth guide myself by your example!"
Incipient laughter was cut off by a call from the Com Room. "Sir, a dispatch from the Sherbourne!" The Sherbourne was located in front of the interference zone. "A fleet of Topide merchant ships is trying to make hypercom contact with their home port..."
Rhodan spoke angrily into the microphone. "Let's not have the Sherbourne make things any more complicated than they are already! Use the handover procedure at once!" The handover procedure meant that an, Earth spaceship would pick up the message of an alien ship and fly through the electronic screen with it. Once on the inside, it would then relay the message onward to its destination. It was actually a very cumbersome method but the best brains of Terrania hadn't been able to make a better suggestion. Although not happy with Bell's idea, they had been forced to accept it.
In the meantime all preparations for disembarking from the On-Tharu had been made. One report after another streamed into the Control Central. The plan went along like clockwork.
When Allan and Rhodan prepared to leave the Control Central, Pucky piped up rather emphatically: "I think I should play the number one role with the lizards— have you forgotten? After all, my uniform—"
"Priority message to the Chief!" The repeated announcement over the speakers drowned out every conversation on board. Lt. Elp, the officer on duty in the Com Central, turned the volume down to a rattle after this alarming beginning: "We have a warning from F.C. Curtis, Solar Intelligence agent on Topid. He has just learned that two Arkonide robotships have been here for three days, preparing to take on a troop consignment of 6,000 Topides with spaceflight experience. Location of Arkon ships unknown! End of message from F.C. Curtis."
Atlan and Rhodan quickly exchanged glances. Bell sat bolt upright in his chair, suddenly tense. For some seconds, silence reigned in the great Control Central on the On-Tharu.
Perry Rhodan drew in one long, deep breath, then turned to look at John Marshall. His order was brief: "Your mutants can go to work now."
Bell looked at the tip of his right thumb. Suddenly that same weird premonition came upon him which had come within a hair of completely ruining his last New Year celebration.
While Atlan and Rhodan left the Control Central, Pucky moved over to Bell and chirped in his car: "Fatso, I should have gotten me some heated plod-hoppers after all, because we're all going to have the worst case of cold feet you ever saw... everybody! Now don't grumble about my choice of words because I have to politely remind you that up till now you were always referring to boots as plod-hoppers..."
"I'll plod-hopper you—!"
The mouse-beaver eluded Bell's grasping hand by making a lightning jump to one side. Ploud-hopper!
Marshall called to Pucky: "Keep in contact with the Chief until I get back!"
Then he too left the Control Central in order to get several mutants started on a search for the two Arkonide robotships. It was a matter of prime urgency to find out up to what age the robot Brain was conscripting space-experienced reptiles for action at the front. John Marshall had not forgotten the reasons behind Rhodan's last-second decision to take this desperate action.
By means of the central antigrav shaft, Atlan and Rhodan reached the main airlock exit, which directly faced the waiting Topide delegation. As the two of them marched down the broad ramp to the plastic pavement, 150 robots began to move in t
wo contingents, one on either side of Atlan and Rhodan, all of them having the unmistakable appearance of Arkonide fighting machines.
Before them the bizarre buildings of the reptile city of Kerh-Onf rose against a backdrop of shimmering, white-grey mountains that spanned half the horizon. Approximately 2,000 yards ahead of them a group of more than 200 of the lizard men were standing at the edge of the spaceport.
Rhodan and Atlan marched toward this group, looking as proud and arrogant as possible in their magnificent and colourful Arkonide uniforms. To the right and left of them thundered the metallic cadence of the 150 combat robots against the hard plastic surface of the field. Behind them followed a retinue of nine men but only three of them could have been taken for Arkonides by their appearance. However, the remaining six could be regarded as members of some Arkonide subordinate race of people.
These nine men actually belonged to the most unique organization in the galaxy— the secret 'Mutant Corps' of the Solar Empire. They had not come along for the purpose of protecting Rhodan and Atlan but rather were assigned the difficult task of determining, on their first contact with the reptiles, what was still known or remembered on this planet concerning events that occurred 70 years ago in the Vega sector.
The reception committee now began to move forward from the edge of the spaceport. The Topides walked like humans, more or less. They possessed hands and feet and held themselves upright. They also breathed the same kind of atmosphere as humans but beyond that all points of similarity vanished.
Their low, broad and hairless reptilian skulls with their almost razor-sharp lips and protruding chameleon eyes gave them a predatory appearance. It was difficult to imagine that these reptilian creatures could be intelligent, and it required a still greater effort to keep in mind that their level and quality of intelligence as largely comparable to that of the average human. But as understood by humans the standards of ethics and morality had no validity in their world. In their language there was not even a word for pity or mercy. However, in certain areas, alien to both Arkonide and human perspectives, they nevertheless made their advancements along intellectual and technological lines.
In addition, the brownish-black covering of scales over their serpent thinness of form served to emphasize their alienness, and of course their chief non-humanoid characteristic was the unmistakable reptilian shape of their heads.
However, no problems in regard to communication were anticipated. Every Topide attached to the government service in any way had to be completely conversant with the commercial language of Intercosmo, For this reason Rhodan and Atlan had dropped the idea of bringing along a positronic translator. Prior to making a new approach to this alien binary system, they had even gone into hypno-training in order to learn the reptiles' own language. However, in this latter regard they did not intend to let the Topides know that they could understand them in their own tongue.
The two groups met each other at the halfway point. Eleven humanoids and 150 robots stood opposite almost 200 lizard men, with a 30-foot separation zone between them.
Atlan took a half step forward, the very epitome of an Arkonide—arrogant, proud and even brazen. "Who is Xxal-Ri?" he said in such a caustic manner that it even made Rhodan uncomfortable. "Let him step forward at once!"
The several hundred lean and motionless reptiles betrayed their inner agitation by the cold gleam in their great, protruding eyes, which could turn independently in all directions. One of them stepped forward, dressed in an olive green uniform without insignia.
"You are Xxal-Ri? By order of the Great Coordinator I demand an immediate investigation concerning which Topide official gave the order to send a sensor probe to the On-Tharu! Xxal-Ri, do you know what I refer to?"
"Yesss," hissed Xxal-Ri.
Atlan corrected him sharply in the same second. "You will always address me as Your Lordship, and here"—he indicated Perry Rhodan—"you will address the representative of the Great Coordinator as Great Arkonide Attor. When will you produce the Topides who dared to sensor probe a ship of the Great Coordinator? I shall wait no longer than two hours. And now I wish to go into the city. Out of the way, lizards!"
Only an Arkonide like Atlan could have played the role as convincingly as this. Behind him, Rhodan could hear several of the mutants draw in their breaths sharply. Although every detail of the present action had been carefully discussed beforehand, and in spite of their familiarity with Arkonide arrogance and conceit, nevertheless Atlan's portrayal was so realistic that it went against their instincts. It was not compatible with their human mentalities. And what Atlan had just topped it all off with by directly referred to the Topides as lizards was the greatest insult anyone could possibly inflict upon this non-human race.
But the reptilian creatures kept their raging thoughts to themselves without any open display of resentment. It was too soon to make an open move against Arkon. Their minds were aflame with the memory of the deadly blow their spacefleet had suffered in the system of Betelgeuse but they were too intelligent to consider a senseless resistance that would only invoke the danger of being destroyed by the Great Coordinator.
"Sir, no moves toward active resistance can be detected but this Xxal-Ri person has no intention of initiating the investigation that Atlan has demanded. Instead he will hand over three Topides who have already been condemned to die."
It was a powerful telepathic message which Atlan was able to sense. Instantly he thundered at Xfflal-Ri, "Lizard, if you dare to substitute three death-sentenced Topides for those who are guilty of the ship-sensoring, the Great Arkonide Attor will request the Great Coordinator to send three squadrons of super battleships and sweep your entire planetary system out of the galaxy!"
Atlan's swaggering boastfulness was preposterous but because of the marvelous way he played his role of the arrogant Arkonide all the reptiles took him at his word and for the first time Xxal-Ri revealed that he could stiffen in sudden fear like any humanoid. His great eyes ceased to wander but instead stared fixedly at Atlan, horrified. Perry Rhodan had never seen naked fear expressed as plainly as it was in the bulging eyes of Xxal-Ri at this moment.
The reptiles were heard to mutter in their own language. "The robot Brain has sent a demon here who can read our thoughts...!"
A state of growing unrest began to be evident among the closest followers of Xxal-Ri. But Atlan and Rhodan left no opportunity for this to get out of hand. The marching advance of the 150 combat robots separated the Topides and soon the 11 men arrived at the edge of the spaceport together with their escort.
Suddenly Rhodan lightly nudged the Arkonide's hand. Atlan nodded inconspicuously. He had also received Harno's telepathic message, as relayed through Pucky: "Boss, this F. C. Curtis agent has just flashed us a report. The two Arkonide robotships are about to fly to Kerh-Onf. There are supposed to be about 1500 lizards on board."
By way of reply, Rhodan made use of his wrist microcom. He called Bell directly. "As long as possible, take no notice of the two robot-controlled spaceships. But advise the interference zone immediately. That is all!"
Having overheard this order, Atlan observed Rhodan' apprehensively. "Barbarian, I'm afraid a storm is brewing. We should keep the Kublai Khan ready for takeoff against any eventuality. Knowing we have that as a backup is reassuring, to say the least... but I'm going to teach these Topides how to properly receive Arkonides who have come here as representatives of the Great Coordinator.
Rhodan and Atlan were the first to be transported by air toward the city, along with four fighter machines and two mutants. Atlan spoke so softly to Rhodan that no one else could hear him.
"Back there I was even disgusted with myself when I tore into those creatures and flaunted my uppity Arkonide arrogance. But at the same time what I discovered, old savage friend... was that it wasn't too terribly difficult to play the role..."
He was interrupted by a sudden thundering that emerged from the violet-hued Topide sky. Two Arkonide battleships dropped toward the space
port of Kerh-Onf. These were the two robotships that had come here on orders from the Arkon Brain to make a forced recruitment of another 6,000 reptiles experienced in space flight. By the fastest means, they were to transport them to the overlap front where such a horrendous loss of personnel and equipment was being encountered.
Rhodan calmly watched as the two ships landed at the other end of the spaceport. Contrary to Atlan, he considered their appearance on the scene as posing no particular threat to their daring operation. A glance behind him revealed five other hover-gliders of Topide construction, which were bringing the rest of the mutants and the combat robots to the city.
The bizarre buildings of the heavily populated city of Kerh-Onf towered above the haze that was present every where on the planet. During three circlings of Topid the precision instruments of the Kublai Khan had also detected this haze on the night side and had identified it as a form of vapor.
Measuring 8,825 miles from pole to pole, Topid's axis was over 1,100 miles longer than that of Earth, yet the surface gravity was only 1.3 g. Ice masses at the poles had not been detected. Although there were no oceans here of Earthly dimensions there were a number of large lakes and inland seas, connected with each other for the most part by communication canals. Four tremendous mountain chains might have given a passing observer the impression that Topid was geologically very rugged yet vast plains stretched out between many of the individual mountains.
Three moons circled Topid—tiny satellites measuring only 360, 480 and 540 miles in diameter.
"Admiral," asked Rhodan, "were the Topides known to the Greater Imperium in your own time?"
"No... at least I've never heard that they were. But what's that coming from the spaceport...?" He pointed in some concern to his left. Five small spherical ships of Arkonide design appeared to be moving to block the flight of the hovergliders.
In the same moment, the air in front of Atlan and Rhodan shimmered briefly. Then Pucky the mouse-beaver stood before them with Harno tucked under his left arm.
