by Perry Rhodan
The trio approached the unEarthly beautiful Arkonide woman, who stood there looking at them intently. Her eyes met Rhodan's, and for the first time he failed to detect her usual derision and scorn. On the contrary, there was a hesitant question in her expression. A wave of strange emotions flowed from her lovely features, but they revealed nothing negative.
She was the first to break the silence after the three men had come close to where she waited for them. "It is strange that we meet out here, but maybe it is not just by accident. Don't you sometimes have the impression that Ellert is still somehow among us, even if our senses cannot perceive him?"
Rhodan was amazed; it was more than mysterious that she should have experienced the same feeling he did. Once, Bell had remarked that Ellert's mind might have lost its ability to return to his body and that his spirit might now be wandering about aimlessly in the present time. However, Rhodan and Khrest were of the opinion that Ellert's mind, if it still possessed a consciousness of its own, was no longer residing in the present. When Ellert was attempting to escape from physical death, the electro shock had driven his mind into another dimension, from where there was no way back. Whether this dimension meant the past, the present, or the future was impossible for them to guess. But if it had really been in the present time, then Ellert should have been able to establish some communication with them, somehow using the mutants as his mouthpiece.
"He is still living in our emotions, Thora," Rhodan replied calmly. "Someday in the future we might catch up with him, if he hasn't traveled too far ahead of us on the time stream. By the way; why should you be so interested in Ellert's fate?
He was nothing but an Earthling."
She tried to hide her embarrassment. "Truly intelligent races have the privilege of admitting that they have made mistakes. The Arkonides are intelligent. Therefore, I am acting according to my intellectual level when I admit having underestimated the inhabitants of this planet But this does not mean, on the other hand, that I consider them our equals."
"No one would ask you to do that-at least, not yet," Rhodan said with sincerity.
"We have won a great deal already if you have been able to revise your former hostile attitude. It is a fact that we have overcome a common enemy through our concerted efforts. That has created a link between us, Thora!"
Khrest stepped closer to Thora. He gazed into her golden eyes, and a gentle smile lit up his ascetic features. "Thank you, Thora, for these words! They are like a golden bridge over which someday in the far future the only path will lead that will bring about the survival of the realm of our galactic empire. It is possible that Rhodan, too, will have to walk across that bridge in the future."
"I wouldn't mind joining you, if that bridge is made of gold," said Bell without a trace of pathos. "The only question is whether I will live that long."
"There is no reason why we could not continue our research project with the Good Hope," replied Khrest. "We no longer have the big space cruiser with which we started our expedition to find the planet of eternal life, but the Good Hope is big enough to take us there, even if it is not powerful enough to carry us back to our home planet"
There was a long pause. Then Rhodan shook his head. "There are more urgent tasks at hand right now, I am sorry to say. We must first train our mutants, and I want to establish a base on Venus for that purpose. In a few days I will fly to Venus and prepare the first camp for our mutant school. As far as we have been able to tell from our observations of the planet, there is no intelligent life on Venus. Later on, when peace and order have been firmly established here on this globe, we will have plenty of time to start the search for the planet of eternal life. But to be honest with you, I sincerely doubt that our efforts will meet with success."
"We will find that planet!" shouted Thora. "It does exist!" There was an almost fanatical fire of enthusiasm burning in her eyes. "We were told so by some expeditions that have returned from there. But they guard the secret so jealously that it will mean bitter battles once we reach the planet that will give us immortality."
Rhodan smiled.
"I'll believe it when I see it!"
Bell joined the conversation. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could finally get rid of having to be afraid of our own funerals? Look at all the survivor benefits I could collect from all my friends!"
No one laughed at Bell's suggestion, and he turned away, a bit insulted at his friends' lack of appreciation for his peculiar brand of humor. He contemplated the pyramid tomb, which the rays of the setting sun had turned into a luminous golden hue.
Perry stepped over to Khrest and Thora and held out his hand to her. "Are we going to be friends from now on?" he inquired, a bit unsure of himself. For an instant the customary arrogance flitted across her face, but then she shook Rhodan's hand.
"I both admire and fear you, Perry Rhodan. But you will understand that such feelings do not engender any true friendship. I also realize that we depend on you and that we must cooperate with each other. Should that be the basis of a genuine friendship? Besides, Khrest forces me to be cooperative. You see, I accept your hand here only because I must do so. Are you satisfied with that?"
"Yes, for the time being," said Rhodan. "Sometime in the future you will give me your hand, but then you will do it for different reasons. Till that time comes, I will have to be satisfied with what I have here. Yes, I am quite happy. May I thank you for it, Thora?"
For a moment their eyes fused and their hands joined, making them as one. It might have been quite a solemn moment if Bell had not chosen to sigh deeply and interrupt with his blessing: "Amen."
The most solemn of all words deprived the pact between the man and the woman of any solemnity. Maybe because this word had been uttered by Bell. The sun sank below the horizon, and suddenly the monument lost its luminous glow. It was as if an invisible flame had been extinguished inside the metal of which the pyramid had been constructed.
The first star came up in the sky.
Without knowing why, Perry Rhodan saw in this some inner connection that promised an optimistic prognosis for the farthest future...
The Ship of Things To Come
When Perry Rhodan arrived in the vicinity of the star-sun Vega, he found a race of human-like beings who were being systematically destroyed by reptilian invaders. Drawn inexorably into the conflict, Rhodan suddenly found his ship damaged beyond repair. He was forced to crash-land on the eighth planet. Now his life - and the safety of Earth - is in the hands of the Vegan planet's underground! Discover this in the next stirring story--
The Vega Sector
