by Perry Rhodan
That's it! The logic of the conclusion was inescapable. My escape was too simple. I was supposed to lead the three Unithers to the last place I wanted them to go: right into my spaceship!
Khrest was aghast. "How could I have been so blind?" he chided himself. If his adversaries did not walk close behind in his footsteps they must already be lying in ambush near the spacecraft and he would have fallen into their trap.
A raindrop splashed his forehead and a few minutes later the rain came down in buckets. Khrest felt miserable. He was dismayed by his waning physical condition and wondered where he would find the strength to keep up the fight against his enemies. Fight? He smiled sadly. All he had done so far was run away.
He stopped to figure out what to do next. The vicinity of the spacecraft was dangerous territory which was better avoided. There was only one alternative which, however, he did not consider very promising either. He could flee into the forest. This would not be difficult for a young man but it was a terrible hardship for him to fight the inclements of the weather and the beasts of the primeval forest. It would be torture to his frail body. If he sought refuge in the forest now, there might never be a return for him.
Nonetheless he decided to turn back. He turned his face upwards and let the rain fill his dry mouth, which helped make him feel better. He started to limp back. It was tough going but it was made a little easier for him by the gravitation which was one-sixth less than on Terra, a difference that was quite noticeable.
By the time he was back at the vessel of the Unithers his ankle was almost numb with pain. He took off his sandal and examined the injury. His ankle was badly swollen and felt very hot. Although he had abundant medical supplies at his home, he didn't dare go there anymore. He tore off a piece of his tunic and dipped it in a puddle. Then he wrapped it tightly around his foot. This was the best he could do under the circumstances.
All was quiet aboard the stranded vessel of the condemned Unithers as the rain pattered on its hull. Khrest was now firmly convinced that his tormenters were lying in wait for him with drawn weapons in the proximity of the spacejet. He was determined to make it as difficult for the Unithers as he could. He was anxious to prove to them that an Arkonide was an opponent not to be underestimated regardless of his age.
6/ BATTLE IN THE FOREST PRIMEVAL
Khrest reached the edge of the forest. His body felt leaden. His clothes were dripping wet and clung to his skin. The pain in his foot had abated a little. The ground was so saturated with water from the prolonged rain that each step made him sink down.
He tottered to a tree and leaned against its trunk, grateful that the dense foliage shielded him from the rain. Only a few heavy drops penetrated the leaves. The bark of the tree was rough and splintered, exuding a musty smell. A rustling noise emanating from the dark forest reminded Khrest of its dangers.
The acid-squirters roamed the forests only during the day and he did not have to fear an attack from them. By contrast the horned burrowers were predators of the night. They emerged from their holes after dark to go on the prowl. The meter-long barrel-shaped beasts had short sturdy legs and were capable of developing considerable speed. Their forelegs were built like spades and the burrowers used them to dig underground. Their bodies were covered with thick horny plates. Two pairs of mighty claws grew like pincers from their skulls. They were powerful enough to kill bigger victims than Khrest.
The Arkonide recalled Ufgar's account of these beasts. Two companions of the eminent discoverer were injured by the horned burrowers and the acid-sprayers had claimed three fatalities. However, both animals were vulnerable to the impulse-beamer—if he could protect himself in time.
Khrest desperately needed some sleep. To sleep on the ground would be tantamount to committing suicide. He penetrated deeper into the forest. The underbrush became thicker and Khrest got stuck several times. Finally he found a tree whose strong branches were low enough to pull himself up. Considering his age and poor condition Khrest performed a formidable feat by climbing the tree. Up there he would be safe from the horned burrowers who were not built to get up on trees. He chose a heavy branch and sat down, leaning his back against the trunk. It was not the height of comfort but in his situation he could hardly afford to be very finicky." He listened for a while to the rustling of the leaves and the patter of the rain and then fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
• • •
A cacophony of screeching and chirping birds woke him up in the morning. It was bright daylight and the rain had stopped. The air was pleasantly warm. Khrest rubbed his face. To his surprise he felt well-rested and the repose had been very beneficial to his wounded foot. He felt hungry. Not far from him a red bird perched on a thin twig, screaming its indignation over Khrest's intrusion into the fresh air. When Khrest moved inadvertently it flew hastily away.
When Khrest looked down a cold shudder ran along his spine. He was suddenly wide awake. His luck had run out.
Only a few meters from his tree stood one of the trunk-people, clutching a thermo-beamer in his fist.
• • •
Zerft's blind rage had evaporated, yielding to reason. It would be senseless to run around in the forest like a madman. That was not the way to find the Arkonide. A shadow crossed his face whenever he thought of Golath and his botched plan. They should have shown no mercy to the Arkonide from the beginning. He vehemently deplored the fact that he depended on Golath as the only one who knew how to fly the alien ship.
Zerft was certain the prisoner had fled into the forest. He probably had seen through their scheme. Zerft had thoroughly searched the Kaszill without finding the Arkonide. The hatch leading to. the nose of the ship was wide open. The rain had washed out Khrest's tracks, leaving no clues for Zerft. As soon as it was completely light again, Zerft left the Kaszill and headed for the forest because it was his opinion that the Arkonide would be found there. Once he looked back and saw Golath go into the wrecked vessel. However he no longer paid any attention to the inept endeavors of his rivals.
Zerft figured that the fugitive was an old man who would be incapable of penetrating very deeply into the forest. This fact would limit his search to a fairly small area and he began to comb his surroundings systematically.
After pursuing the manhunt for some time an odd animal appeared on the scene. It was only half as big as Zerft and not nearly as broad. The first impression was quite ridiculous. It seemed to consist of two segments, a slim round rump and a thick oval head. It's body was covered by a dense black fur which extended so far down that the legs of the animal could not be seen. When it moved it looked as if it were borne on a cushion of air from which Zerft concluded that it must have innumerable feet. By contrast the head of the animal was completely bare. It was covered by scars. Several tiny eyes looked like dark holes. There were also other openings whose purpose Zerft was unable to determine at first glance.
For a moment the two stared at each other. The animal was at least as surprised as Zerft. It watched him motionlessly. Then it uttered a peculiar smacking noise which was somewhat similar to the sound of the brawlers on Unith. Zerft studied it curiously. The animal sounded off again. Then it turned around and slowly retreated.
Zerft thought the animal might lead him to the Arkonide and therefore began to follow it. When it noticed that it was being followed it paused and looked back as if annoyed.
"Shove off!" Zerft shouted.
Little impressed by the threat the beast ogled Zerft. Now it kept uttering the smacking sound unwaveringly. It was obviously provoked after showing Zerft that it did not want to be disturbed.
Motivated by a certain amount of curiosity Zerft shook his trunk to make the beast move on. He quickly learned to his sorrow the purpose of the mysterious glands on the head of the creature. A thin concentrated stream of liquid was shot at him. The liquid hit him in the shoulder and made his skin burn a little. Zerft saw a yellow fluid run down on him. Wherever it touched his skin it became irritated. Like a mild burn. But h
is thick skin protected him. It apparently was a natural defense for the creature. Now Zerft was convinced that the animal was harmless. He approached it with the intention of driving it away and was amazed that he was unable to scare it. The acid-sprayer stubbornly stood its ground.
"Move on!" Zerft commanded. Then he was hit by a second acidic stream. He uttered an astonished cry and reeled back. Horrified, he looked at his arm. Within moments the liquid had eaten a deep wound and the pain was more than he was able to bear. He whipped out his thermo-beamer but his attacker had already vanished. He looked around panic-stricken, fearful of a new attack which might occur any moment. That astounding creature was apparently able to throw acid at its enemies with any strength it chose. If Zerft had heeded the first shot, which was intended as a warning, he would have been spared the serious consequences. But he had insisted on provoking the beast and was forced to pay for it. His arm was throbbing in pain and he was losing blood. He quickly tore off a strip from his clothing and tied it around his arm above the wound to constrict the circulation of his blood. He was terrified by the thought that the acid might contain a poison that could paralyze or even kill him. His mind became so confused that he connected the Arkonide with his misfortune. The old man was the cause of all his trouble. Ever since they had run into him, their luck had worsened. Zerft was seething in an all-consuming wrath. Those despised Arkonides! For centuries they had tried to enslave his people. The hate for Arkon was deeply rooted in every Unither. For Zerft, whose mentality had not reached a very high stage of development, the Arkonides equated with misery, poverty and tyranny. There was no middleground between black and white extremes for him. Compromise was a word unknown to Zerft. He was unable to practice tolerance and expected none from others. Like most bullies, it would never have occurred to him to look in himself for reasons that might be responsible for the evils he had suffered. It was always another person who had caused his troubles. This attitude had raised so much hostility in Zerft that he was unable to control it. He had become embittered and found it impossible to extend his trunk in friendship to another Unither.
He clutched his weapon in his uninjured hand. There was no trace of the weird beast and he quickly lost interest in pursuing it. He could only think of Khrest. He wanted to fake revenge on that old man for the calamity that had befallen him.
Thus the outcast Unither stood with a weapon in his hand on a strange planet, a poor misguided being whose acts were determined by the wildest rage. This made him very dangerous.
• • •
His enemy had not yet spotted him. Slowly, without making a noise, Khrest pulled out his impulse-blaster. The man with the trunk was badly wounded. He seemed to have tangled with an acid-sprayer. Ufgar had mentioned in his report that these animals were prone to attack bigger opponents only when they felt threatened. When the Unither turned around and Khrest saw his wound, he felt terrible pity for the victim. He felt tempted to climb down from his tree and help Zerft. But he had to keep in mind it was the same Unither who had been so eager to shoot him in the wrecked vessel and there was no reason to believe that he would act differently this time.
Then Khrest saw the acid-sprayer. The animal was sneaking up on him from the back. It was too much for Khrest to witness an intelligent being stalked to death by a vicious beast. Ufgar had also described the diabolical slyness displayed by these harmless-looking creatures. Khrest was torn between two opposing feelings. If he warned the Unither, he exposed himself to the greatest peril. Yet his code demanded that he aid an intelligent fellow being.
The acid-sprayer silently crept closer to his prey. It was only a few meters away from point-blank range. These animals were able to control the content of acid in their liquid jetstream at will. They could regulate it from causing a harmless itch to a corrosive intensity. Khrest had no trouble predicting the concentration of acid which would be launched in the attack on the unsuspecting Unither.
Humane considerations gained over reason in Khrest. When the acid-sprayer reached the critical point the Arkonide shouted a warning. Zerft spun around with a distorted face and the animal instinctively squirted its potent stream. The Unither threw himself to the side and dropped his weapon. Khrest acted without a moment's hesitation. He jumped down from his safe place and shot the acid-sprayer with his impulse-beamer, causing it to collapse instantly.
The stranger lay motionlessly on the ground and Khrest believed that he was unconscious. He cautiously walked over to him with his weapon ready to shoot. When he bent down, the supposedly unconscious figure suddenly sprang to life. His hand holding the impulse-beamer was seized by the trunk and forced back. Khrest realized too late that he had committed a horrible error. He was in no condition to resist the brute force of the trunk. A powerful arm grabbed him around the waist and pulled him irresistibly down.
In his utter helplessness Khrest became sadly aware that his efforts had all been futile.
• • •
Liszog shook himself. He had been asleep. He raised himself up to peer anxiously out of his hole. It was bright daylight and it had stopped raining. He was relieved to see that the little ship was still there. He was loath to contemplate what Golath and Zerft would have done to him if the Arkonide had managed to gain possession of his ship because of his negligence. He climbed out of his ditch and looked around. There was nobody to be seen. He was bothered by an accumulation of dirt in his trunk and longed for the treatment of a trunk-cleaner. Liszog ran to the shore of the lake and washed off the mud. Then he slaked his thirst and flung a few pebbles into the water with his appendage.
He wished Golath would come back. He was plagued by unpleasant forebodings, feeling afraid he would never find peace unless they succeeded in returning to Unith and doubted it would ever come to that. He went back and sat down disconsolately next to the hole. His mood grew more and more apathetic.
Finally he saw Golath's lumbering figure at the top of the slope, waving to him. He carried a fiat box and several other objects. Zerft was not with him. Liszog's spirit revived and he got up to meet Golath.
Golath gave him a critical look. "You were sleeping," he stated, disgusted.
Liszog smiled in embarrassment and took over some of Golath's burden.
"Fortunately nothing seems to have happened around here in the meantime," Golath commented in a conciliatory vein. "Watch out that you don't drop anything."
Liszog glanced dubiously at the articles Golath had brought. He knew nothing about technical matters and normally shied away from such things. "What are you going to do with this stuff?" he inquired.
"I was unable to carry all I need for my purpose. I collected a few more pieces at the Kaszill and want you to pick them up for me." They had reached the shore and Golath continued. "Perhaps I can build a generator to create a field which will neutralize the energy screen surrounding the spaceship. If it works we can set up a tunnel through which we can pass into the ship."
Liszog sent a vexed look in the direction of the well-protected flying disk. "What are your chances of making it work?"
"It all depends on the magnitude of the energy which is required to maintain the shield. The critical difference lies in what can produce more powerful energy—my generator or the hidden source of power supplying the defensive field."
Liszog dangled his trunk in thought. "I wonder what method the Arkonide uses if he wants to enter his ship," he mused. "Would he do that from his house?"
"Hardly," Golath speculated. "I should assume that he carries a device that enables him to board his ship at any time." He tapped his forehead with a look as if he saw Liszog for the first time. "What a moron I am!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of searching the Arkonide? We could have saved ourselves all this trouble."
"Zerft will capture him again," Liszog said hopefully. "Then we'll have another opportunity to check if he carries the gadget you're talking about."
"If Zerft gets his hands on him, he'll eliminate our chance of searching him," Golath replied, dist
ressed.
Liszog shuddered in silence. They had reached the disk and put down their equipment. Golath looked for a dry place while Liszog watched him idly. He felt a vague sympathy for his bulky partner in crime. At least Golath endeavored to solve their dilemma by using his brains whereas Zerft always acted in blind fury.
"You better leave now to pick up the rest of the load," Golath urged him. "I've assembled all the stuff in the control room."
Liszog nodded. He pictured himself lying on the trunk-cleaner and was convinced Golath had also taken advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the same luxury.
"Don't dawdle unnecessarily," Golath admonished him, "and be very careful. Don't listen to Zerft if you see him there."
"I won't," Liszog agreed. "I'll do as you say." He ascended the slope. When he looked down from the top he saw Golath already hard at work.
• • •
As desperately as Khrest tried to free himself, he was unable to break Zerft's iron grip. Colored spots danced before his eyes and his throat was choked so tightly that he could breathe only with the greatest pain. His wounded opponent had no intention of relenting the torture or showing any gratitude for saving his life. Khrest's hands clutching the Unither were much too weak to change the inevitable outcome. He had been unable to hold on to his impulse-beamer and all his last-ditch efforts could accomplish was to prolong the agony of certain death.
Using his brute strength, Zerft rolled his massive body around till he lay on top of the old man. Khrest thought that all his bones must break under this load. He closed his eyes in utter exhaustion and his resistance diminished perilously.
Suddenly he received help from unexpected quarters. The acid-sprayer who had been mortally wounded by his impulse-beamer, reared up once more. Gathering its last ounce of strength it got back on its feet. Swaying around, it caught sight of its two enemies thrashing on the ground nearby. It let go an aimless stream of acid and dropped dead. It was its last automatic reflex but it had found its mark in Zerft's back. He screamed and lost his grip on Khrest. The stupefied Arkonide needed several seconds to understand what had happened. He flung himself to the side and seized the weapon of the Unither, who vainly tried to reach his hurt back with his hands. He saw Khrest reach for his weapon and hurled himself against him with a hoarse trumpeting.
