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  CRITICAL SPOT: Heperais

  Two members of the Mutant corps have broken their loyalty to Perry Rhodan and now he must risk detection by going in person to the trouble area of Heperais. Before his mission is through, there is excitement unlimited in this, the first adventure of the interstellar colonists. And the Robot Regent of Arkon learns to its dismay that the long-thought-dead Administrator of an Earth destroyed... still lives! And by a chance of cosmic proportions, Talamon the Mounder is shocked when he has an insight that leads him to realize that—

  Perry Rhodan

  Atlan And Arkon #48

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  The Dead Live

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  1/ "NOTHING'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THORA!"

  SMACK!

  The balled fist that struck the top of the heavy oakite table belonged to Reginald Bell, second-in-command to Perry Rhodan and Perry's lifelong friend.

  The nearby windows shook with the vibration.

  From the windows there was a good view overlooking Terrania, seat of Earth's world government in the 21st century.

  "Death's too good for them!" was the opinion chirped by the comic-looking being crouched on the middle of the table: the mouse-beaver from the planet Vagabond-Pucky.

  Then the Peacelord spoke. "Force won't solve our problem," Perry Rhodan said. His gaze wandered over the powerful panorama of massive buildings, the teeming city surrounded by a fertile area that had once been anything but fertile in the previous century when the area had been known as the Gobi desert. But his eyes were turned inward in introspection as he continued: "We would only make more enemies. If these people find they cannot agree with our policies and goals, they will simply have to find a new home. It was a joke during World War 2 when Hitler gave the world '24 hours to get out' and it was a gag long ago to say 'Earth—love it or leave it!' But now that solution is not only possible but necessary. There is no longer any room on Earth for rebels against our harmonious life because the Earth belongs to a united mankind and has no time for misguided malcontents."

  "Maybe they should settle on the Moon?" suggested Bell, throwing his good friend Pucky an encouraging glance. "In my opinion, even Venus isn't far enough away for them."

  "Let's ship them off to the next galaxy!" Pucky suggested. "They can't do any harm there."

  Rhodan shook his head again. "No use going from one extreme to the other. We have to find the golden mean—the compromise that will satisfy everyone—and then our problem will be solved. These so-called Free Settlers aren't trying to overthrow us, they just simply refuse to be Terrans in our sense of the word. They won't recognize the world government—but for that should we declare war on them? Should we send tens of thousands of people to death because a few fanatics can't think logically? No, we must do the opposite—we must help them!"

  "Alright," said Pucky resignedly. "So we have to help our poor ungrateful enemies."

  Bell leaned forward toward Rhodan, who sat just across the table from him. "So what do you have in mind?" Pucky had already moved his yard-long mouse form to one side and out of the way, having telepathically sensed Bell's intention.

  "They'll be settled elsewhere," said Rhodan. "I'll put one of the larger spacespheres at their disposal, along with a 200-man crew, and send them off. They can leave the Earth and look for a new world. When they find one, they'll be able to do whatever they please and we won't have to bother with them anymore. Don't you think that's the best and simplest solution?"

  Bell agreed and, Pucky added: "I just hope they don't run into any Springers and betray the Earth's position to them."

  "The rebels won't even know it anymore," Rhodan promised, realizing that both his friends had agreed with his decision at least in principle. Burly, red-haired Bell had been, easier to persuade than Pucky, who was both an extraordinarily intelligent mouse-beaver and one of the most capable mutants of all time. Rhodan continued: "I'll have our proposal submitted to the spokesman for the free settlers."

  "Why do you call them 'free settlers'?" Bell asked, cupping his chin in his hands. "Are all the other colonists from Earth not free then, just because they owe their allegiance to the world government? Is this a paradox of some kind or...

  "They call themselves that," Rhodan explained. "In our official documents and records they are called 'Anti-social Free Settlers'—the AFS."

  "That makes sense," grinned Bell and looked over to Pucky. "What do you think of that, you old carrot chomper?"

  The mouse-beaver revealed his single incisor tooth—his version of a smile—and thus showed he was not averse to a bit of humor such as Bell's jocular reference to his taste in vegetables.

  "Not bad, Reggie," Pucky answered, "Not bad at all. But if there's anyone who's antisocial around here, it's someone who makes fun of people's dinner—"

  Bell grabbed for the mouse-beaver but Pucky was quicker. He 'teleported to safety at the other end of the table. Easy to read in his shining mouse~yes was the intention of making use of his third ability, telekinesis, if Bell did not behave himself.

  However, Bell had no desire to float weightless against the ceiling. He gestured lazily with his hand. "Come on, Pucky, let's be friends again and not argue over trifles. —Well, Perry, what do you plan to do now?"

  As Pucky returned, calmed, to his old place, Rhodan laid out his plans. "We're getting the crew together now."

  In a few weeks the ship can take off and then we'll be rid of our trouble with the rebels—I hope. Anyone unhappy with the way things are on Earth can go along."

  "I hope there won't be too many," muttered Bell, "Or we'll have to send out a whole fleet."

  "I don't think it will come to that," Rhodan said. "Say—what is it, Pucky?"

  The mouse-beaver held his head lowered and cocked to one side, seeming to listen to something coming from inside himself. He was clearly receiving a telepathic message or perhaps he had by chance mentally overheard something which interested him. Rhodan himself had become a telepath over the years, although he had to admit that the mouse-beaver was far superior to him in that respect. While Rhodan could perceive generally only concentrated thought-impulses 'aimed' at him, and those only under especially favorable circumstances, Pucky could receive and understand any impulse, emanating from a living brain, even when it was not intended for him.

  "Just a moment," chirped Pucky. He waited, then looked up. "The information center will call for you in a second, Rhodan. There's an important message from space, though I don't have any idea what it's about."

  Rhodan glanced at the blank TV screen that took up the whole of a narrow sidewall. It connected him directly with Terrania's communications station. If someone there wanted him, the screen would—

  Yes! There it was!

  The screen suddenly lit up and formed an animated image. A man sat behind a desk, looking into the room as though the walls did not exist. Hidden cameras and microphones switched on automatically and the 2-way connection was made.

  "Sir," said the man behind the desk, "We just received an important message from the Lotus. Commanding officer Jim Markus has sent an emergency signal and the Lotus is returning immediately to Earth. The ship can possibly arrive as soon as later today. Since the communication broke off at that point, I could learn no more."

  Rhodan's expression became earnest. "No other indication as to what's wrong, Miller?"

  "None, sir. The transmission was no more than a short impulse and lasted only a 10th of a second. I had no time to get a fix on its point of origin."

  "Thank you," said Rhodan. "Remain on the alert and let me know immediately if you hear anything more from the Lotus ."

  The screen went dark again.

  "
Well?" said Bell anxiously, "What does all that mean?"

  "That means," answered Rhodan, looking past him, "that 4300 light-years from here, in the Heperais System to be exact, something has gone wrong. What that is, we'll soon find out, perhaps even yet today."

  "And the settlers?" twittered Pucky.

  "They can wait. They aren't so important now. At the moment, in fact, it seems to me that only Capt. Markus is at all important."

  Bell stood up. "I'm going to the spaceport. Markus surely won't be long in coming across a measly 4000 light-years. That's just a stone's throw across the cosmos, a cat's jump through Hyperspace."

  Pucky shivered and teleported down to the floor. "Why must Reggie be so tactless and talk about cats when I'm around? There must be someway to break him of that habit..."

  Rhodan watched them go but his face lacked the smile it usually bore when the two friends fell to plaguing one another with affectionate insults and banter... which they were now doing, although out in the corridor and no longer in his office.

  • • •

  Capt. James Markus landed only after 20 hours had passed.

  He explained that his delay had been due to waiting as long as possible for further messages from the cosmic agent Fellmer Lloyd, who was missing somewhere on the mysterious planet Volat. But no word was forthcoming from Lloyd and Markus had at length decided to return to Earth and report to Rhodan.

  Along with Bell and Pucky, the mutant André Noir, an excellent hypno and of late a telepath as well, was also present at the meeting.

  "And then you landed our agent Lloyd according to plan?" asked Rhodan for the sake of confirmation once Markus had begun his recital. "Then what happened?"

  "I don't know all that much myself," the Captain apologized. "Lloyd impersonated a Preboner and attempted to get in touch with our man Sikeron, who was killed. While he was trying to find Sikeron, Lloyd met Kuri Oneré, the daughter of a Galactic Trader who had settled on Volat.

  "Now the indigenous inhabitants of Volat are giant insects. Not much is known about them except that their leader is a female, the one they call the 'Omniscient Mother'. With her help, Lloyd was able to recruit members of various intelligent races into a band to oppose two mystery men. The latter, men with supranatural abilities, turned out to be members of your Mutant Corps, sir: two rebels."

  Although it did not show on his face, Rhodan's interest had clearly increased. "Tell me more!"

  "The rebels are Nomo Yatuhin, a weak telepath, and Gregor Tropnow, a hypno. They both felt themselves short-changed because they had not been given the life-prolonging cell-renewal treatment on the planet Wanderer. On Volat, they founded a resistance movement against the Earth. Together with Springers and other subjects of the Arkonide Imperium, they planned to betray and attack Terra whenever the opportunity arose."

  "My own men..." murmured Rhodan, still shocked. He appeared as though he did not want to believe it. Bell remained grimly silent.

  "There will always be traitors," said Markus philosophically. "They discovered Sikeron and killed him before he could pass what he knew on to the Earth. Now it looks like they got Fellmer Lloyd too. In any case, I couldn't find any sign of life from him. The last message he sent went something like this:3 alarm alert! Yatuhin and Tropnow are traitors. Attack on the Earth planned! Three alarm alert!

  "So what became of him?" Rhodan asked.

  "No one knows. He disappeared along with the girl Kuri. The natives didn't kill them, that much is certain. The natives had been helping them all along, you know."

  Rhodan remained silent for several minutes. The others were quiet, too, in order not to disturb him. Being telepathic, Noir and Pucky could follow the deliberations in his mind as he was making no effort to shield them.

  Finally he spoke. "Is the Lotus ready for takeoff, Capt. Markus? Good. Noir, Pucky and I are flying with you and we're leaving today."

  The ensuing silence lasted only a second before Bell indignantly exclaimed: "What about me? You're certainly not going without me, are you.

  "I'm afraid so," Rhodan told him calmly. "Who would look after things here for me if not you?"

  "And to think you spent all day yesterday telling me what a wonderful and important job you have, Reggie!" said Pucky, grinning maliciously with his incisor tooth. "So what good's your high rank if all it does is stick you behind a desk whenever there's some excitement? Well, at least you'll be safe sitting here. The Chief and Noir and I can take care of this little business out in space by ourselves."

  "I won't have to listen to speeches by the hired help while you're gone, that's some consolation," muttered Bell. Just to be safe, he held on tightly to the table's edge but the mouse-beaver did not attempt to use his telekinetic power against him.

  Pucky suddenly sprang into Rhodan's lap and looked soulfully into his eyes, chirping: "I'm going away now, Chief. I have to get something before we take off for Volat. See you later..."

  Before Rhodan could say anything, Pucky had disappeared. No one knew what he went to find.

  "Cute little fellow," Markus commented—to which Bell responded with a nearly hysterical laugh.

  Rhodan turned to Noir, who sat across from him. "Make sure that Anne Sloane receives a comprehensive report of the current situation. She's in Venusport right now and will have to be informed of the Mutants' whereabouts. We'll meet in an hour on the Lotus at the spaceport. Markus, you come with me."

  Bell watched as the others left the room. Then he slowly stood up, walked around the table and sat down in the massive seat that was Rhodan's customary place.

  The temporary transfer of governmental authority in Terrania had taken place without fanfare. In that moment Bell had become the man who pulled the strings—all the strings that held Rhodan's Solar Imperium together.

  The shock came a few minutes taken off.

  To start with, the light cruiser had stood on its three telescoping legs. The shining metal sphere was 300 feet in diameter, nothing in comparison with the spacespheres measuring 2400 or even 4500 feet in diameter. By any standard, the Lotus was a small ship but she could defend herself in an emergency. And, like on any other ship in the Imperium fleet, a hypercom and a structural compensator were to be found installed aboard. The compensator disguised jumps through hyperspace so that they could not be detected by others. Rhodan's ships could speed through space, 'silently' in a sense, without being spotted by the omnipresent tracking stations manned by Arkonides and other intelligent races.

  The crew members assumed their posts for liftoff. Meanwhile, the passengers had assembled in the Control Central. Rhodan sat in the copilot's seat next to Markus while Pucky lolled—as usual—in a reclining position on one of the couches, appearing to miss Bell greatly. André Noir, the hypno, had taken his place in the reserve seat.

  The vidscreens glowed while nearby, in the navigation room, the positronic brain spewed out the data for the imminent jump through hyperspace.

  Markus laid his hand on the control lever.

  And then the spaceport, the city of Terrania, the Asiatic continent and finally the planet Earth shrank behind them into the emptiness of space.

  The acceleration was such that the Lotus would reach the speed of light in 20 minutes. Even before reaching the outer limits of the solar system, it was possible for a ship to go into transition.

  More on the basis of a hunch than anything else, Rhodan suddenly said: "Turn on the radio!"

  Markus was surprised. "Why, sir? Inside the System you'll get only the normal radio traffic. Besides, we'll soon be moving so fast the waves won't reach us anymore."

  Yet, Rhodan felt more strongly than ever that his hunch was more than a mere whim. He pressed his point. "You're right, normal waves won't reach us—but the hypercomis allowed for emergencies."

  "You're expecting an emergency? What kind?"

  "You can never tell—I just think it's a good idea to stay in touch with the Earth until the last minute."

  Markus shrugged and reached
for the intercom. "Com Center! Keep the hyper-receivers open until we go into transition. That's right, orders from the Chief!"

  Rhodan sank back into the padding, listening with half an ear to the incoming signals as they arrived over the hypercom and were broadcast into the Control Central. His gaze rested on the row of vidscreens in front of him which depicted the space surrounding the ship.

  There was the Earth, shrinking even as one watched. It was a familiar picture, well-known to all space travelers, but the man had not yet been born who ever grew tired of looking at that beautiful blue-green world. Near the glaring disc of the Sun stood Venus, a brilliantly reflecting sickle. To one side, Mars was slipping past ever faster towards the ship's stern—if one could speak of a spherical ship as having a stern.

  The amount of interference coming from the loudspeaker was increasing, although the Lotus was moving away from the sun. Normal signals were being reflected off the billions of chunks of matter in the asteroid belt and picked up by the ship's antennae.

  Then a loud, clear voice broke through the confusion of signals and interference. "Calling Perry Rhodan! Come in please! This is Col. Derringer, Mars Security! Calling Perry Rhodan! Come in—"

  Rhodan gave a start but his surprise lasted only for a fraction of a second. Even before Capt. Markus could make a move, Rhodan was already out of his seat and speeding to the communications center. Pucky watched him go with considerable astonishment but remained where he was.

  As Rhodan entered the small instrument-crowded room, the communications officer on duty was on hand to make the connection with Mars. He looked up at Rhodan inquiringly. "That call was made by hypercom, sir. Do you want to reply?"

  "Yes," Rhodan said. "Make the contact with Derringer. I want to talk to him."

  Col. Derringer continued to broadcast without pause and with the same urgency. However, since he expected a reply, his receiver would have to be in operation too.

  "Contact made," said the officer, handing the microphone to Rhodan.