Heritage of the Lizard People Read online

  Perry Rhodan

  Posbis #113

  —————————————————

  HERITAGE OF THE LIZARD PEOPLE

  —————————————————

  1/ THE UNKNOWN BRAIN

  This conversation took place on the planet Wanderer. Talking were the humanoid Homunk and his master, the collective being that ruled Wanderer. Due to that particular concept of time that was shared by the collective being and Homunk, the conversation consisting only of a few phrases extended over a longer period in terms of Terra’s time.

  Homunk: I notice that you are extraordinarily amused, Master. May I share your enjoyment?

  IT: Of course, it’s no secret.

  Homunk: Thank you.

  IT: It concerns the cell-activator which was recently given to a being who calls himself Perry Rhodan...

  • • •

  The first time Kalal heard the roaring laughter was when he alighted from the walk-belt in the small spaceport. It was so unusual that anyone dared to laugh in his presence that he whirled around in indignation.

  Behind him on the grey-white synthetic landing pad stood the towering Springer spaceship on which he had just arrived and a few members of the crew who were about to disembark to follow the lone passenger, as well as a few men of the ground personnel who had come to check the hydraulic landing struts of the gigantic spaceship. A deep blue sky arched above the scene and the white sun of Utik outshone itself with a heat which, to put it mildly, made the sweat pour from his forehead.

  However he could not make out who laughed. With a shrug of his shoulders he walked over to the automatic car which was waiting for him a few meters distant from the footbridge. He took two steps when he heard another outburst of laughter. When he spun around again, the scene looked entirely different.

  The Springers who had walked down the stairs behind him suddenly stood as rigid as pillars of stone and stared at him. The ground crew had stopped working and gazed at him in fascination. Kalal was vexed. What had happened? A Servant of Absolute Truth might be a very exciting sight to the ground personnel but why did the Springers have to stand there goggle-eyed?

  Kalal heard the laughter for a third time. But this time he was able to see that it did not come from those staring at him. The guffaws came from another source. But where?

  The men who had been working on the hydraulic supports left their jobs. Their heretofore serious faces, which had looked slightly bored, suddenly took on a different expression. Their eyes shone and their mouths were open in expectation. The men had stretched their hands forward as if they were trying to seize something before it escaped them. What amazed Kalal most was that they all looked so much alike.

  Furthermore he was the object which they tried to reach with their hands. They seemed to chase him like a famished hunter after elusive game. Kalal was deeply disturbed. Using his special gifts he tried to probe the thoughts of the men to learn why they suddenly behaved so strangely. However he tried in vain, either because he was too confused himself to concentrate enough or something else was there to hamper his efforts.

  Whatever it was, he became frightened when the Springers at the foot of the escalator began to run after him together with the workers, showing the same enchanted expressions on their faces. Utterly flabbergasted and without the faintest notion of the reason for their weird behavior he turned tail and ran to the automatic car. His garments, colorful to the point of being gaudy and pompous, were badly suited for quick motions. He stumbled and came close to falling. But, hearing the mob breathing down his neck, he was spurred to leap forward. He saved himself by reaching the open door of the car. Quickly he locked the door by pushing the button on the armrest and watched in horror as the men pursuing him so eagerly and blindly bumped against the vehicle, staggered back and then pressed their faces against its windows.

  "To the Temple of Truth!" he shouted in sheer panic.

  The automatic pilot, a small positronic box with a microphone on the instrument panel, responded to his instructions. The car began to hum and with a sigh of relief Kalal saw the flat smooth ground of the spaceport recede beneath him. The raving crowd was left behind.

  He had managed to escape the nightmare at the last moment but had trouble feeling very happy about it. Although he was relieved for the moment, his fear returned unabated. What had happened?

  • • •

  A wave of vibrating energy hit Meech Hannigan on his way to the cafeteria where he wanted to drink a cup of coffee for appearances sake. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and paid no attention to the apologies of the two men who had bumped into him while absorbed in conversation. They walked around him as he tried to determine what aroused him so much and, since he was trained in such things, he recognized it very soon.

  Strong emanations from an unknown brain! So strong that Meech had no trouble receiving them despite the hubbub of hundreds of brains in the heads of pedestrians who were much closer to him. He was unable to understand the emanations because he was not schooled for that but he immediately concluded that the unknown brain was one of those he had been sent to track down.

  He was puzzled that the energy vibrations had manifested themselves so suddenly. He would have expected them to be more indistinct at first, coming from a great distance, and gradually more pronounced. Instead they had sprung with a surprising clarity and suddenness from not too far away. Meech contemplated it for a moment. He concluded that the owner of the remarkably strong brain had advanced in his direction with unusual speed. This meant that he had come in an extremely fast vehicle such as a spaceship.

  Whoever possessed that intense brainpower must have just landed on Utik in a spaceship, Meech decided, probably in the spaceport of Massennock, the capital of the planet. Otherwise Meech could not have picked his brainwaves. This made his task very simple. Meech stood at the curb and hailed the next automatic car which was empty. The vehicle stopped and opened its door. Meech entered and made his destination known to the automatic pilot: "Central Registry!"

  As the vehicle swiftly and securely dodged the heavy traffic of the inner city Meech monitored the emanations of the unknown brain. He observed that they had become even stronger a few minutes after he had first intercepted them. The thoughts which occupied the brain seemed far from pleasant. Its proprietor appeared to be in a state of panic. Then his reception became weaker from which Meech deduced that the source was moving farther away from him.

  It took Meech seventeen minutes to reach the Central Registry. He put a palladium coin into the meter of the car and received some change. The door opened again and he stepped out on the sidewalk. As always, he counted his change and noted that the fare came to 2.40 Lodik. This was cheaper than in Terrania. The rate of exchange on Utik was about 11 Lodik for a Solar and a similar fare in Terrania would hardly have paid for a trip from Paschek’s on 86th Street to the intersection at third Avenue.

  Meech rode up on the escalator to the main entrance of the Registry. He looked at his feet and noticed that the step on which he stood bent under his weight. He knew that this would betray him some day. Perhaps ‘betray’ was not the right word since nobody of Utik was likely to care much whether Meech was really a member of the race he pretended to be.

  In the lobby of the building was an automatic information device. Meech inquired where the office to obtain information about arriving spaceships was located and was directed to the 48th floor. He used the antigravitor and took it in stride that the artificial gravitational field at first let him sink toward the basement before it became adjusted to his weight and lifted him to his desired floor.

  The office to which he had been sent was not yet ful
ly automated. There were several robot machines which dispensed the information requested by a visitor as it was available. Since Meech anticipated that the information he wanted to obtain was not readily available he formulated his question in a way that the automatons were unable to respond to adequately. This caused the robot door attendant to direct him to the supervisor of the office.

  Meech opened the door he had been shown and entered a small room furnished in good taste and indicating a preference for modern comfort. He was rather surprised when he saw the supervisor of the office. He faced a young girl who studied him with curiosity and obvious kindness. Meech responded with a faint smile and a polite greeting. "I’m sorry to disturb you," he added, "but out there," he pointed his thumb over his shoulder, "nobody was able to give me an answer."

  The girl tossed back her head and made her blond hair swirl. "That happens more often than I care to admit," she said with a cheerful laugh. She spoke in Arkonese like Meech. "Those mechs out there still have a lot to learn!"

  She pointed to a chair. "Have a seat she said, pausing a little after the last word and looked questioningly at Meech.

  "Hannigan," Meech introduced himself quickly as he sat down.

  "Hannigan," the girl repeated. "That sounds like the name of a Terran."

  "That’s what it is," Meech replied. "I am from Earth."

  "Oh... how interesting!" Her eyes widened and she leaned forward over her desk. "You must tell me a little about Terra, Hannigan. I’ve never been there."

  Meech noticed that she made no attempt to inquire about the purpose of his visit. She was anxious to engage him in a conversation. It was not the first time he had experienced similar situations. Whenever his job put him in touch with women, they were attracted by the good looks of his regular features. At first he enjoyed playing the game and taking a girl out for the evening. But sooner or later the moment inevitably arrived when the girls realized that he was not the man they had expected and since Meech had learned how deep their disappointment was he refrained from making more than one date.

  Moreover, he was pressed for time and could not afford to dillydally on his job. He was forced to play it cool. "I’m sorry to disappoint you," he said with an apologetic smile. Although I was born on Terra I was brought to Utik as a small child and I don’t know..."

  "Oh, I see," the girl interrupted him, frustrated. "You don’t know Terra. Well, what can I do for you?"

  "43 minutes and 20 seconds ago a spaceship landed at the spaceport of Massennock," Meech explained tersely. "I would like to know where it came from and if it brought any passengers to Utik."

  The girl stared at him in amazement. "43 minutes and..." she murmured.

  "And 20 seconds," Meech added.

  "Wait a minute," she said, shaking her head.

  Meech watched her push several buttons in a panel on her desk, selecting the desired information. He listened to the hum of the positronic databanks, from which was emitted a printed card. The girl took the card and studied it. Meech noticed that she had a quizzical look.

  "You are right," she replied slowly, "to the second."

  Meech regretted that he had stated the time with such precision. This could make him look suspicious. "Which ship is it?" he asked politely.

  "Loral #87," the girl replied. "It is a cargoship but it had one passenger."

  Meech knew that he was not allowed to ask more questions. She was not authorized to reveal the names of passengers. He got up. "A Springer ship," he murmured. "Thank you."

  "Don’t mention it," the girl dismissed with a gesture of her hand and returned to the work which Meech had interrupted.

  Meech felt sorry for her. It wasn’t easy to be a woman on Utik for evolution had taken a strange course. The inhabitants of the planet were descendents of Arkonide immigrants. Eons had caused the men to become baldheaded passive specimens whereas the women remained more or less true to their origin.

  Thus Meech could feel pity for this girl but his brain was programmed to disregard expressions of sympathy when it clearly interfered with his task.

  Outside, Meech stopped an automatic taxi with the intention of returning to the spaceport, some 30 kilometers out of the city. After traveling about only five kilometers, his car turned into a street and came to an abrupt halt. Hundreds of people milled in the path of the unmoving vehicle, jostling each other while shouting madly. Meech was startled by the spectacle but saw no reason to believe that the commotion had anything to do with his mission. Therefore he had no objections when the automatic pilot turned around and tried its luck in a different direction.

  The car managed to make some headway but after another kilometer on an adjacent street the scene was the same. The autopilot realized the futility of his efforts and inquired whether the passenger agreed to continue the trip by air. However Meech had become suspicious in the meantime. He told the pilot to stop and wait, paid his fare, and got out.

  He was quickly engulfed by the crowd that blocked the street. Excited men and women started to talk to him simultaneously so that Meech could only hear part of their words.

  "Did you hear already...?"

  "...a beautiful, exotic plant..."

  "...the fragrance is exquisite... incredible..."

  Meech Hannigan’s nature precluded preconceived judgments. He had no inclination to laugh just because something appeared to be senseless. Therefore he listened to the disconnected phrases and used his ability to combine them in a comprehensible picture.

  The disturbance in the streets of Massennock was apparently caused by a flower that had recently arrived at Utik aboard a spaceship. The descriptions of the plant which he received from numerous men and women did not coincide in all details but they all agreed that it was a magnificent flower with a wonderful and irresistible scent. According to these tales its aroma carried in the air from the spaceport to the inner city, a distance over 30 kilometers. Meech classed this information as most remarkable and unheard of.

  What impressed him most was that none of those who spoke to him had seen this mysterious flower. They had only sniffed it. Nonetheless they were unanimous in describing the color as violet with a bright yellow center in the blossom. There were only some differences about the shape of the leaves and the size of the plant.

  Meech inquired whether the scent of the flower was still in the air. Although his question was answered in the negative it was quite obvious that these people would walk to the end of the world if they became convinced that the flower could be found there. He tried to learn as much as he could and then returned to his taxi, ready to continue his trip to the spaceport by air. The aerocar followed a path high above the excited surging mass of people until it reached its destination after a few minutes.

  It was impossible to find a parking place at the spaceport. All access was choked by enormous crowds except where an effective blockade, in the immediate surroundings of the landing and launching pads for spaceships, had been set up. Meech noticed clear signs that the personnel of the spaceport was also affected by the extraordinary turmoil. Before long he could see that the confusion of the frantic mass of people gave way to some semblance of order and that solid throngs began to move in one direction toward the east. Somebody seemed to have informed them where the miracle flower was to be found. Meech was also anxious to follow the indicated direction. He was no longer too certain that this disturbance of the peace of Massennock had nothing to do with the purpose of his mission and, methodical as he was, he decided to get to the bottom of the matter.

  He instructed the autopilot to head east. As they skirted the edge of the huge landing field he studied the tall cylindrical fuselage of the Springer ship on which he surmised the individual with the strong mental aura had arrived. It showed the name Loral 87 on the tip of the vessel in an angular version of the Arkonide script. Meech reflected that it might be a good idea to pay a visit to the ship as soon as possible.

  A few minutes later he came to a different conclusion. He noticed th
at the emanations of the strange brain became more pronounced again, indicating that he was getting closer to it. Although he was wary of jumping to conclusions he had no reason to consider it a mere accident that the direction in which the impassioned throngs advanced was the same in which he approached the mysterious brain. There had to be a connection—and it didn’t take much longer before he could determine the nature of this connection.

  The aerocar passed over the complex of pyramidal, conical and cubical buildings comprising the Baalol Temple of Massennock. Meech definitely perceived that his reception of the other brainwaves grew weaker the farther he left the temple behind. He ordered the autopilot to turn around to the temple and quickly observed that the throbbing masses of bodies now converged from all sides on the temple complex. The miracle flower, the possessed mob believed, must be hidden inside the temple. At the same time Meech came to the conclusion that the source of the powerful emanations he perceived was also in the confines of its walls.

  Meech had fulfilled his main task. He had come to Utik to keep an eye on the activities of the Baalol sect and report to the chief agent at Terrania if anything unusual happened in connection with the Baalol cult. He regarded the appearance of the miracle flower and the unusually active brain as significant events which had to be reported at once and decided to return to his apartment in the city. He gave the autopilot his address and flew back to the house. He took the antigravitor up to the floor where he lived and carefully closed the door of his apartment behind him before sending his message to Terrania on the telecom-transmitter which was incorporated in his body.

  Having done so, he began to wait, knowing that he would soon receive an answer.

  • • •

  After Kalal, the High Priest of the Baalol cult, arrived at the Temple of Truth he was still haunted by infuriating outbursts of laughter without knowing where it came from. But gradually a suspicion took shape in his mind.