Planet Mechanica Read online

  Cardif turned his back to him and went over to the local communications terminal. He switched on the viewscreen and waited for it to light up. He finally saw Bell’s face, which looked tense and worried.

  "I’m coming over in the space-jet, Bell," he said. "Pass the order on to the Fleet units that the Anti ship is not to be hindered, once I leave its airlock. Over and out!"

  While he spoke he happened to touch his chest. His fingers contacted the egg-shaped device that he carried against his skin: the 21st activator—that miracle from a superhuman world which also made him an immortal!

  On the basis of that immortality he was quickly building his new plan—to break the power of the Antis, to eliminate Perry Rhodan forever and to dethrone the self-styled Imperator, Gonozal VIII!

  He, Thomas Cardif, was both Terran and Arkonide. He intended to rule both empires.

  • • •

  He was racing toward the Ironduke. The space-jet’s engines were on full-power thrust. The spherical out lines of the linear-drive ship were looming rapidly nearer. Cardif was in constant radio contact with the Ironduke during the crossing. He had just passed beyond firing range of the Baa-Lo, according to his computer.

  He suddenly shouted into his microphone: "Attack the long-ship! Alert the Fleet units now approaching! Total destruction!" His voice rang out with rapier impact. The order was irrevocable.

  Jefe Claudrin responded immediately. Cardif was already grinning in triumph as he saw how swiftly the 800-meter Ironduke leapt out of its free fall course and began to accelerate. The big sphere shot past the space-jet like a phantom within only 50 kilometers. He could see the polar gun turrets open up with all the firepower at their command.

  But almost in the same moment his hypersensor reacted. In spite of severe engine damage, the Baa-Lo had made a hyperjump from free fall! Cardif stared at the sensor panel, looking in vain for any coordinate values. The counters rested at zero. And then he understood what had happened. The Antis had been able to make a complete disappearance by use of their mental powers. The space-time continuum failed to react as the Baa-Lo made its hypertransition and re-emerged somewhere among distant stars, back in the normal universe.

  A half-hour later the I-109 landed in one of the Ironduke’s space-jet hangars. Minutes later, Cardif-Rhodan entered the Control Central.

  "Perry!" shouted Bell exuberantly. He ran both hands through his stubble of red hair, not knowing how else to express his relief.

  Even Mercant’s eyes had a high luster as he spoke: "Thank God you are with us again, sir!"

  Although he expressed his compliments he was also raging over the fact that the alien long-ship had escaped him.

  It was some time later that Bell casually asked an innocent question: "Where did Nolinov and Alkher go, Perry—back to their stations?"

  Cardif-Rhodan had been expecting this question since entering the Control Central. "No," he answered, shaking his head. "The two lieutenants didn’t come back with me. I believe they are dead."

  In the few second of stunned silence which followed, the chill of outer space seemed to pervade the room.

  "Perry, you only believe they are dead? You don’t know it for sure?" Bell half stuttered the words but he moved closer to the Chief and stared at him. "Come on, Perry—tell me I didn’t hear you right! Man, what on earth were you thinking of when you gave that order to destroy the Anti ship?"

  "Just what I got through telling you, Bell!" answered Cardif-Rhodan sharply. His eyes flashed a challenge.

  The men in the Control Central held their breaths. All eyes were focused on just one man: the Chief. But this Perry Rhodan acted like a complete stranger to them. When had he ever left one of his own men in the lurch? And much more to the point—when had he ever given an order to attack and destroy when the, life of a single one of them was in question?

  Perry! Bell’s voice carried a note of desperation but Cardif-Rhodan cut him off.

  "Do you think I wouldn’t regret the death of those two men? I saw a robot take them away. They seemed to be dead at the time. Unfortunately the Antis wouldn’t tell me anything when I asked about Alkher and Nolinov. You know I could have simply told you they were dead—flat out! That would have avoided any misunderstandings."

  Bell was visibly shaken. "Perry, you’ve never thought or operated this way before. I don’t understand you. Oh sure! I get most of what happened on Pluto... Banavol brought you a report that an Anti was going to show up at the Springer base there. But what I don’t get was why you took such a highly personal interest in verifying that information. What is Solar Intelligence for?"

  Again, Cardif-Rhodan interrupted him. "Solar Intelligence can prove right now whether or not it is still what it was!" As he said this he glanced at Allan D. Mercant.

  "What’s that supposed to mean?" demanded Bell angrily. That this exchange of words was going on in the Control Central was making him nervous.

  "What does it mean?" Cardif-Rhodan’s tone expressed bitter scorn. "You will soon find out! It certainly should be interesting to find out why the Antis attacked me and how they knew of my flight to Wanderer. It’s not a mere matter of curiosity, Bell—I will find out! And now I’d advise you to hang onto yourself when I tell you this: either Stana Nolinov or Brazo Alkher, or both of them, must have advised the Antis of my flight to Wandered There is no other answer because the Antis made it quite clear to me that they had been waiting in ambush for the space-jet!"

  Behind him, somebody cleared his throat. It was Jefe Claudrin who as commander of the Ironduke was directly in charge of the two lieutenants whom the Chief was so badly maligning. "Sir...!" he rumbled warningly—but Cardif-Rhodan also cut him off.

  "I didn’t ask for your opinion, Claudrin! Mercant, I demand that your organization be put to work at once on this. In the shortest possible time I want to know where the Baa-Lo has landed, where the Antis have gone and whether Alkher and Nolinov are actually dead or alive! Within one week I want to have some satisfactory answers to these questions!"

  Mercant’s face was expressionless and he ignored Bell’s significant glance. The Solar Marshal could not remember ever having heard the Chief give him an assignment in this manner before. Nor had Perry Rhodan ever doubted the ability of Solar Intelligence. "Sir," he remonstrated calmly, "you are asking something almost impossible..."

  Cardif-Rhodan’s imperious hand gesture cut him off. "Possible or impossible, Mercant! I’m not interested in guesswork! Do you know what’s involved here? Do you know what’s fallen into the hands of the Antis, thanks to the traitorous help of one of those officers of the Solar Fleet or both of them? Haven’t you asked yourselves why the Antis turned me over unconditionally"?

  "Twenty cell activators have fallen into their hands! The same type of cell activator that Atlan wears—but until now he was the only possessor of such a device!"

  This announcement silenced even Mercant. Bell seemed to be trying desperately to catch his breath. Many of the officers in the Control Central had turned visibly pale. Their Epsalian commander had apparently forgotten the Chiefs rough reprimand.

  And Cardif-Rhodan stood there triumphantly in their midst. He himself broke the uncanny pall of silence: "Is it understandable now why I issued the order to attack and destroy?"

  Thomas Cardif exulted inwardly when he perceived that even Solar Marshal Mercant’s attitude was less accusing. And the underhanded chess play he had made, branding the two blameless officers as traitors, was now bearing fruit.

  There was only one man present who would not be moved from his own opinion. The thunderous voice of the Epsalian filled the room. "Sir, I beg your pardon but I cannot believe that Alkher or Nolinov betrayed you to the Antis! If that were true, then I’d cease to believe in humanity itself. In that case, you could also call me a traitor to yourself and the Solar Imperium!"

  Cardif-Rhodan had allowed the Ironduke’s commander to finish speaking. Now he walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder in a traditional Rhodan ges
ture. "Claudrin," he asked "can you explain to me then how the Antis knew of my flight to Wanderer? If I have suspected the two lieutenants unjustly, then is there someone else or perhaps several others you’d care to suggest, on board this ship, who might have committed this act of treason? And one thing more, Claudrin: how is it that the servants of Baalol asked me about the cell activators as soon as they captured me?"

  The commander stared at him with widened eyes and finally shook his ponderous head. "I’m sorry, sir, but not even that is going to convince me that those men could be traitors. Something else has to be involved here which we know nothing about. Maybe Solar Intelligence can come up with an answer."

  Cardif-Rhodan did not have a chance to reply.

  "Claudrin," said Mercant swiftly, "I’ll tell you one thing right now... In fact, I’ll swear it! Solar Intelligence will furnish that answer—or my name isn’t Allan D. Mercant!"

  PLANET MECHANICA

  Copyright © 1977

  Ace Books

  by arrangement with Arthur Moewig Verlag

  All Rights Reserved.