Duel Under the Double Sun Page 10

  "Who is here?"

  When I heard that voice I came near to sobbing with relief. Perry was exactly as calm and collected as he always had been in other moments of peril. There was only a slight tension in his facial muscles. Pucky cried out uncontrollably.

  Out of the corner of an eye I caught a movement of one of the other four priests who had drawn a small weapon from under his cape. I fired without hesitation. He had mentally reinforced his defense shield but before he realized what kind of fiery micro-missiles were coming through his screen he was already dead. He dropped limply to the floor. The Supreme Baalol did not betray a single emotion. He observed the fallen man with apparent indifference.

  I spoke to him. "As the Supreme Baalol, you seem to mistake an open state of war for some kind of game. I urgently advise you to instruct your men outside to put away their weapons. If this is a game you've lost it. Terran troops are landing. An additional 10,000 robotships are just now taking up their attack positions. They are under orders of the Regent of Arkon. I cannot absolutely guarantee that the commands I have given will be followed. If you don't make up your mind swiftly, this world will be destroyed. You should have noticed that so far only your energy screen has been under bombardment."

  The ancient one hesitated but then walked past me with dignified bearing and opened the door. In a few hover-jumps I reached Rhodan's side. Meanwhile he had picked up Cardif's beamer. "Thanks," he said simply.

  It only took the old priest a few moments to reestablish order. He came back but the door remained open. Outside in the other chamber they had even set up a portable impulse-cannon. No one paid any attention to Cardif. He had crawled across the room until he could lean against a wall. There he straightened up to a sitting position. I turned off my deflector screen since it had become senseless to remain invisible.

  Pucky was with Perry. The little one was crying. I had never believed that mouse-beavers were capable of tears.

  The Supreme Baalol seemed to have arrived at a decision. "I presume that in you I see His Highness, Gonozal VIII," he began. He appeared to have no interest now in the dead man or the wounded one.

  "So it is."

  "You handle negotiations," Perry whispered to me, hardly moving his lips. He was obviously avoiding the sight of his whimpering son.

  The Anti smiled courteously. He seemed not to have a nerve in his frame. "May I remind Your Eminence that if your fleet makes an annihilating attack it will also endanger your own life?"

  "I was aware of that when I infiltrated this building," I retorted coldly. My weapon still threatened him. He gazed without expression at the strangely shaped muzzle.

  "You do not place much value on your health, Your Highness."

  "If I am held here longer than two hours of standard time, my standing orders will become irrevocable. You must be informed concerning the apathetic logic of the robot Regent."

  "Do you have any specific recommendations?"

  "A few, yes-and they're brief. Effective immediately, the Baalol cult is forbidden in any part of the sovereign territory of the Greater Imperium. Any violations will be punishable by death. Thomas Cardif is to be handed over to Terran jurisdiction. The Administrator and I are to be set free."

  "And in return, Your Highness?"

  "Withdrawal of the united fleets. All damages chargeable to your own treasury. You have 30 minutes to decide."

  An officer came in with every indication of panic. Even as he whispered swiftly to the ancient one I knew that the space-troop division had landed. Before the old man could reply I added some words of my own. "You will have to give up the idea of removing Cardif's activator. His plan is unfeasible now. I have already informed the Fleet Command of the true situation."

  Cardif shouted hateful invectives at me. I ignored him. The Supreme Baalol considered, finally asking for 10 minutes in which to deliberate.

  "Granted. But withdraw your soldiers."

  When he was about to leave, something happened that no one expected. Suddenly, Cardif went into a raving fit again but this was the wildest exhibition he had ever given. On a mental level we sensed a thunderous peal of laughter. It swelled so powerfully that I thought my skull would burst. Although it was not perceivable by the normal senses, the Antis also heard it. Cardif pushed himself up painfully from the floor, only to fall again to its hard surface, threshing about on the polished tiles like a man in the grip of a major epileptic fit. His outcries of anguish and pain were a torture to the ear.

  "No-not that!" I heard Perry murmur, as his eyes widened at an unprecedented sight.

  In the area of his chest, Cardif's special uniform began to rip. As the material frayed and tore, he screamed ever more loudly.

  His naked chest stood exposed. We saw a fiery red bulge the size of an egg.

  Explosion incredible: out of his bulging breast burst an egg-shaped object!

  The alien thing gleamed crimson. It hovered motionless in the air for an interminable moment. Then, like a sentient magnet, it glided slowly toward a transfixed Perry, blood dripping from its ovoid form.

  Blood of Cardif... blood of Thora... blood of Rhodan.

  Perry grasped my arm but I could offer him no help, I could only stare in horrified fascination at the hideous finale.

  The paranormal laughter died. In its place we heard a mental message: Cardif should not have made the mistake of ordering the activator adjusted to the personal frequencies of his father. After which the maniacal laughter surged again for the last time... and subsided into silence.

  The airborne activator struck Rhodan's chest, attaching itself like a suckerfish. The great man's face twisted in reaction for a moment then he regained his composure and looked calmly about him.

  Cardif's screams were stilled: he was dead. The son of two worlds, the son of two races, was dead. Though Thora's untimely demise was mourned by billions, there was cosmic consolation, at least, that this extraordinary Arkonide mother had been spared the death scene of her ill-starred son. Poor rebel-blooded Cardif would rail no longer against his unkind fate.

  The Supreme Baalol had paled noticeably.

  At last I broke the silence. "It will no longer be necessary to hand Thomas over to Terran custody."

  "Your allies are mighty," said the old one. "I agree to your conditions but I wish to preserve the cult on those worlds which are not in your sphere of influence."

  "It is also banned in the Solar Imperium," added Perry, entering into the negotiations for the first time

  The Anti nodded. There was nothing more to say. It was only then that I had time to greet Rhodan properly. Although his words of gratitude were few, their sincerity moved me more than would have been possible with a well-prepared speech.

  Pucky felt of him all over. "Good!" said the little fellow with evident satisfaction. "This time it's you. How were you captured on Okul?"

  His face became expressionless and he still avoided looking at his dead son. "I acted like a fool. The stone platform fell into the depths and I was lost. The contents of my memory were transferred to Cardif. That's how he was able to take my place. During the time of his exile he had matured more. Physically he matched me in every detail. With that and my own knowledge he could dare to play the role."

  "He didn't know everything," I interjected. "Do you remember our duel on Hellgate?"

  He smiled. "Naturally. In fact I thought of it in their undersea base just as they crammed the hypno-hood on my head. During the transference I was able to conceal a few things. Of course Cardif knew about the duel itself but not about seemingly unessential details which would be tremendously important to other people."

  I understood. This had been typical of Rhodan. At the moment of his greatest crisis and danger he had been able to make plans and act upon them. "Did you think of our 'water verse?'"

  "Precisely that. And I also erased certain details of our encounter in the Venus museum. I thought of rapiers instead of heavy battle swords. I wasn't able to camouflage the really important
things that Cardif would need for his masquerade. Whenever I did, the Antis were right there to force me. So I had to take care to limit myself to what they thought were very minor details. That's why I picked out a few items that only the two of us knew about."

  "Were you counting on my questioning Cardif later?"

  "Yes, more or less. His character was extremely negative. I suspected that he would succeed in fooling Bell, Mercant and all my other friends but in your case he would not. I also assumed that certain of his actions or various events resulting from them would tend to make you suspicious."

  "That's just what happened."

  "I figured as much. So you caught him on little details?"

  "Actually he simply betrayed himself. He even went out of his way to talk about the museum when it wasn't at all necessary. As I look at it now I can see that it was a sort of panic move on his part. He had avoided any direct contact with me for months but when we finally did meet he seemed to sense the danger I represented to him. Right away he sought to convince me of his identity by mentioning an experience that was related to the beginning of our acquaintance. And he mentioned rapiers. Finally I sang our little water song to him and he didn't recognize it. That told me enough. These things, coupled together with his other actions, provided me with a complete chain of evidence."

  We discussed Rhodan's imprisonment for 15 minutes or so. He had been taken from Okul immediately and brought to Trakarat where he had been treated very humanely. He said nothing of his inner emotional turmoil during that time but I could well imagine what this great man must have suffered.

  "What do things look like in the Sol System?"

  "It's high time you were returning. Cardif has caused a great deal of havoc."

  "I thought so. We'll have to repair a lot of damage."

  The Supreme Baalol returned to the room. Behind him came a number of Terran troops from the landing forces. Then came Bell. When he saw Perry he struggled visibly to control his emotions.

  One hour later we took off in a space-jet. Rhodan was given a reception that was even beyond my expectations. The enthusiasm of the men was boundless. I sent the robot fleet home. After all the excitement subsided, Rhodan completed his negotiations with the Baalols.

  The southern section of Antipolis had been nearly annihilated. Trakarat was the planet where the ancestors of the present-day Antis had landed 20,000 years ago. After their descendants recognized their new faculties which had been acquired as a result of environmental influences, they had discarded the idea of a general colonization here. They concocted a very long-term plan which embraced the next 10,000 years! Temples of their cult were built on most of the civilized worlds of the galaxy in order to entice the masses. More primitive cultures were confused and misled by paranormal trickery.

  Meanwhile the Baalols' commercial power had become considerable and finally they had taken part in the larger game of galactic politics, which was to have reached its crucial point with Cardif. But this part of the plan had failed. To my way of thinking it had all resulted in weakening these god-priests to where they were no longer dangerous. We knew their goals and their methods. We had developed special weapons for combating them-a fact which had been impressed upon their leaders by now.

  Rhodan informed us that there were only about 150,000 Antis on Trakarat. The planet served as a training base. After passing their examinations the young Antis were then sent out to other bases of operation to fulfill their missions. Marriages could only be consummated on Trakarat and only between the Baalols themselves.

  When so much is known about an enemy he ceases to be dangerous.

  • • •

  We had taken Thomas Cardif with us and after services his body was surrendered to the vast reaches of interstellar space. It had been depressing for me. Rhodan had given the salute as Fleet Commander and head of state but what his private thoughts were as a father I could only guess. We did not speak of it.

  He took me back to the Arkon System in the Ironduke and there the robot fleet squadrons were just arriving. When we parted we knew it was not going to be easy to repair the damages wrought by Cardif. When he shook hands with me I glanced at the chest area of his simple uniform. I knew the life-prolonging cell activator was there. It had always been meant for him and now he had finally received it.

  "One of these days I'll have to give you a call," he said, somewhat dejectedly. "So don't go far from your hypercom. The galaxy still has need of you. The Arkonide Imperium needs help."

  He looked at me gravely for a moment and seemed to understand what I was thinking. "You name the time, Imperator. If you need assistance-we'll be there."

  When the Ironduke thundered off into the sky, I was alone again. Rhodan had much to do. My role was to wait.

  DUEL UNDER THE DOUBLE SUN

  Copyright © 1977

  Ace Books

  by arrangement with Arthur Moewig Verlag

  All Rights Reserved.

  THE SHIP OF THINGS TO COME

  AURIS OF LAS-TOOR... Perry sensed that his hostess unintentionally revealed more warmth in her stereotyped words than she cared to. Although her manner and gestures were constrained her eyes fairly radiated. It was only with an effort that he suppressed his desire to hold her hand any longer than was absolutely necessary. In spite of everything she was his adversary.

  Yet he had to admit to himself that he had never fenced with an enemy so reluctantly before.

  But the danger was too great. Auris never made decisions independently. Behind her was the Ruling Council, a group of determined and mentally capable men who were sternly dedicated to the welfare of their race.

  The Akon beauty accompanied her distinguished Terran guest as far as the boarding hatch. As she gave him her hand once more, Rhodan felt that the pressure of her grip was more than what was required by protocol alone. "Until tomorrow, Perry Rhodan." For the Solar Administrator it would mean a sleepless night for he must decide what's fair in both love and war. After Thora, will Auris become the second love of Rhodan's life? Can Perry afford to steal time for love? For he is faced with the problem, in the next entry in his 'diary,' which he shares with Atlan and Pucky, the problem of--

  THE STOLEN SPACEFLEET, by Clark Darlton