The Giant's Partner Read online

  "Her love...?"

  "Yes, her love for her homeland–and for you, Perry. Or are you blind?"

  Rhodan avoided looking straight into his friend's eyes. "Not blind, Khrest. But I never had time for it. Besides, Thora and I are worlds apart and, especially, eternities."

  "That can be changed. All that is necessary is the earnest desire for it. Some day you may even be forced to, Perry." He rose and walked to the door. "Good night and—think about what I just said. Now you do have time for it."

  Perry stared at the door that had just closed behind his departing friend. Had anyone been present to observe his face, they would have been hard put to describe the expression on it. The Peacelord was far from at peace with himself. Two seconds later he was on his feet, shrugging into his jacket and outside in the corridor, where Khrest was just disappearing around a bend of the hallway.

  The antigrav brought Rhodan to the erstwhile main deck in the midsection of the ship. Thora's apartment was close to the mutants' quarters.

  Also Bell resided here.

  As Rhodan passed Bell's door it opened and Pucky came waddling out. The expression on his face had been described many times before by poets in song and verse: sheer heavenly bliss. He shut Bell's door behind him, chuckling happily while he hobbled down the corridor. Suddenly he did a double take and turned around slowly.

  "You, Perry?" Pucky squeaked in mock astonishment. "What are you doing here?" There was a roguish twinkle in his limpid brown eyes; his incisor jutted out from between his lips; Pucky grinned as though he had just discovered a whole field of delicious carrots. "Oh, I see! Too late, Rhodan, too late! Am I a telepath or am I not? —well, enjoy yourself! I'm a gentleman and know when to keep my mouth shut!" And with a mischievous giggle and some gay if horribly off key whistling he waddled off and disappeared in the mess hall of the Mutant Corps.

  For a moment Rhodan was annoyed that he had not kept his thoughts in check but then his curiosity got the better of him: what in the world had Pucky been doing in Bell's cabin at such a late hour? He retraced his steps and stuck his head inside his best friend's door.

  His hair standing on end, Bell stood at the wash basin, cold water running over his wrists. His face held the look of a man condemned to purgatory.

  "What happened?!" Perry asked with deep concern. "You didn't have a row with Plucky, did you?"

  "A row? With Pucky?" Bell moaned and rubbed his obviously stiff wrists. "Oh, no—quite the contrary. Remember I promised him something? Well, scratching his fur for five hours is about as bad as scraping your fingernails on a blackboard for as long a time! I wonder if I've got any fingerprints left? And I've only paid off two hours of my debt so far—3 more to go!"

  Understanding, Rhodan grinned and began to close the door. Adding a word of sympathy he said, "Get some bandages–and next time be a bit more careful what promises you make. Night!"

  He was still smiling when he knocked on Thora's door but now the smile was not one of amusement but... tenderness?

  The beauteous Arkonide stared at the most powerful man of the New Power as though she were seeing one of those supernatural entities whose existence she had first heard of on distant Earth–a ghost. "You...?" was all she was capable of murmuring weakly.

  Rhodan entered without invitation and closed the cabin door firmly behind him. "Thora, there's something I have to discuss with you..."

  THE GIANT'S PARTNER

  Copyright © Ace Books 1973

  All Rights Reserved

  THE SHIP OF THINGS TO COME

  FAR OUT in the Thatrel System; 34,000 light-years from the planet of their birth; the Peacelord of the Universe & His Mutant Corps find no peace of mind–or body–on the planet Honur, whose southern polar region is discovered to be a wild wasteland harboring a weird fleet of You must read the next episode to find out. Do, and you will also find yourself confronted by the same puzzles as perplex Perry & Pucky. Such as: what is the origin of the gelatinous blob-like creatures, the Mooffs? Why are they here, far from their native world? Who are the Honos and what about the Nonues? Who has been exerting a sinister influence on the Zarlt of Zalit and for what dark purpose? AND WHO is exerting Herculean efforts to take over the stellar empire? Small wonder the deeps of space vibrate to the call of--

  SOS: SPACESHIP TITAN!

  by Kurt Brand