The Stolen Spacefleet Page 10

  Which would be the work of the unknown intruder!

  Morkat gradually came to realize that a sheer stroke of fate had enabled him to be witness to an incredible event. In one swift moment of revelation he knew whom the Akons had to thank for the unexpected takeoff of the fleet. He knew but did the Akons know it also?

  Throwing all caution to the winds he rushed into the communications room. Although he was not an expert in this particular area he believed he was capable of operating a transmitter. But when he finally succeeded it was already too late. He felt the pulling pains of the hytrans and realized that even if his radio signal had left the antenna in time it might not reach Akon for years yet or even centuries.

  The transition in itself gave him no indication of what distance was being traversed. He attempted to use the hypercom but apparently he didn't know enough about it because nothing happened. And shortly thereafter, another transition occurred. Altogether he counted seven such jumps but he didn't know that in each case it was in another direction and that the hyper-compensators were operating. Therefore no one was able to track the fleet's course.

  When the cruiser rematerialized after making its final transition, Morkat saw strange constellations on the viewscreens. Little by little the other ships also materialized until the entire Akon fleet was back in one formation. From the instruments he could determine that the velocity had dropped to half the speed of light and that the journey was being continued toward a nearby sun. It was obvious from their first manoeuvre that the ships were under some kind of guidance. There was no one beside himself in the Control Central and yet the cruiser was being navigated on course. With sure precision and straight toward its goal. Just as certainly as the entire fleet was being controlled.

  The sun was circled by two planets. The fleet's destination appeared to be the outer planet, which was a large world of deserts and lonely steppes. The velocity lessened considerably as the stolen ships went into their landing patterns and lowered toward the apparently uninhabited planet. Ten minutes later the light cruiser settled gently to the ground.

  Morkat waited a few moments uncertainly in the Control Central and then hurried to the main airlock. He was relieved when he read the atmospheric analysis from the meters there. The air was breathable and even the gravity was similar to that of Akon 5. He would not have known where to obtain a spacesuit because the ships of the fleet had not yet been so equipped.

  He opened the lock and stopped on the threshold as though entranced. What he saw was fantastic although he could hardly have expected anything else. The fleet was still in the process of coming in to a landing. One ship after another descended from the sky and touched down lightly and expertly on the desert sands of the alien planet. They even aligned themselves in the same formation in which they had stood on the spaceport of Akon 5. It was as if the entire fleet had been transplanted from one world to the other.

  Which was effectively the truth.

  Morkat waited until the last ship had descended before he turned on the grav-lift and allowed himself to be carried gently to the ground. A small yellow sun stood almost directly above at the zenith, giving out very little warmth. Undoubtedly the nights here would be very cold.

  While he walked through the cool sand from ship to ship in the wild hope that some of the other technicians had shared the same mishap as he, he realized that he would never be able to fly one of the cruisers without outside help. His own training had not prepared him for that. He was familiar with a number of the controls and knew how to work them-but as for an actual takeoff? Not to mention his unknown position. It was completely out of the question.

  But whatever political power had been responsible for the fleet's abduction would be coming for the spoils. Had it really been Perry Rhodan? His first doubts began to assail him although they were nothing more than suspicions.

  Then a horrible thought struck him: what if they discovered him!

  What then? He had become aware of a deadly secret. They would not permit him to live with such knowledge. If they came, therefore, he must not let them find him.

  Again he became aware of the hopelessness of his situation. Where should he conceal himself? In one of the ships? That would be foolish because it would be the easiest place for them to discover him. And as for somewhere on the planet? He looked around him and laughed bitterly. Nothing but deserts and low plateaus, not even mountains or any other natural formations that might offer shelter. No, that would be senseless also. Besides that he would die of starvation if they were to pick up the fleet and leave him here.

  Finally, however, the course of events relieved him of the burden of having to decide.

  Two days passed in anxious waiting while nothing happened. The ships stood there motionlessly, waiting in the terrible desolation of the uninhabited world. During the nights, Morkats was forced to return to 'his' cruiser in order to keep from freezing. At the first light of dawn he would go outside again and scan the pale green sky from which the thieves would have to appear.

  And then they came.

  It was a spherical ship of the Imperium class which landed not far from the perfect fleet formation and immediately detected him. Out of the ground locks came a stream of robots along with several human figures which turned out to be Arkonides as they drew nearer. Morkat had expected to see Terrans and so was proportionately surprised. They dealt with him politely but answered none of his questions. Most of the Arkonides went with the robots and busied themselves with the stolen ships. Morkat didn't know specifically what they were doing but he at least suspected that they would be removing all traces of the Akons.

  However, one trace was left which could not be erased. He, Morkat, the Akon!

  The commander of the big ship assigned him to a cabin and took off. Morkat noted that only one transition occurred, and then the vessel landed again.

  A half-hour later he stood facing Gonozal VIII, the Imperator of Arkon.

  • • •

  They were lying on the deck of the sailboat as they had done only the week before. Again there was hardly a breeze and the sun shone hotly down from a cloudless sky.

  But this time Bell wasn't swimming. He was lying next to Rhodan while listening to a report from Atlan whose voice sounded loud and clear in the micro-receiver. Nor was Pucky doing any diving. He squatted silently on the gunwale and sought in vain to reach the water with his feet for his legs were too short.

  When Atlan finished, Rhodan asked him: "So what now, Atlan? You certainly can't just put this Akon fellow, Morkat, in prison. And you can't execute him either, so what can be done?"

  "I've given it some thought, Perry, and I think I have an idea. If you go along with it I'll give Morkat a new memory. When he returns to Akon he will no longer know anything about the theft of the fleet."

  "A hypnoblock with a new memory?" Rhodan nodded thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea. But do you think they'll buy it? And how will you get him back to Akon?"

  They heard Atlan chuckle softly. "I can run you through the scenario if you'd like. It's not very long."

  "Let's hear it, Atlan. Bell and Pucky are as curious to know as I am."

  "You have them both there with you? Excellent. By the way... on the planet Xorbaty, when my people took over the fleet and checked it out, they found the remains of a carrot. It happened to be in the very cruiser that Morkat was in and which will be used in my plan. Would anybody know how it got there?"

  "Hm-m-m... Pucky looked askance at Rhodan. "I wonder now..."

  "Yes, I wonder," repeated Rhodan. "But let's hear that scenario."

  "All right, it goes something like this: The scene opens with the Akons still trying to recover from the loss of their fleet. The puzzle hasn't been solved and the guilty party-if there is any-is still unknown. Then one day their patrolships report the arrival of an unidentified light cruiser. It appears to be unmanned but it lands on the spaceport of Akon 5. Of course it doesn't come down perfectly-it wobbles and bungles a bit and it's slightly damag
ed."

  "The airlock opens and a man comes out-it's Morkat. Morkat the missing technician has come back! The Ruling Council convenes at once to hear his report. So he tells how he was still on board the cruiser when the fleet took off. He was able to activate the viewscreens but nothing more because the flight controls wouldn't respond to him. Same with the radio."

  "On the screens he observed a giant blue sun which rushed toward him and then disappeared. But only for seconds because by some surprising fluke he went through a second brief transition and then saw it again behind him. He saw all the other ships fall toward the sun and plunge into it. He did not know why his cruiser made that extra jump and thus escaped the terrible destruction. Upon trying the controls again he discovered that they suddenly responded. After days of wandering flight and mistaken transitions he finally succeeded in finding the Akon System. From that point onward he was able to navigate home by direct visual reference."

  "So in listening to Morkat's report the Ruling Council realizes that this is a final proof of the fact that a technical failure really was behind the activation of the robotic systems and that the fleet could not have been lost due to the intervention of certain political powers."

  "Auris of Las-Toor breathes a great sigh of relief as a stone is lifted from her heart. Nevertheless, technician Morkat must repeat his story under a lie detector. The instruments reveal that he is telling the truth. And finally the Akons are able to face the Terrans and Arkonides again without any lingering bias of suspicion."

  "Well, my friends, what do you think of the scenario?"

  "Great!" said Rhodan. "Let's hope it works out that way."

  "I'm sure it will."

  "In that case Morkat will have performed a service for us." Rhodan sighed with relief. "Which goes to show you that the unexpected can often be turned to advantage."

  "That's for sure!" chirped Pucky happily.

  Rhodan said goodbye to Atlan and turned off his micro-transceiver. He stretched out pleasantly in the warm sun and listened to the rippling of water against the hull of the boat. Everything had worked out, after all, and within a few days Auris would have dropped her vague doubts concerning him.

  "And that's probably the most important of all," said Pucky aloud. But when he caught Bell's questioning look he casually added: "I mean-that this time our short little furlough won't be interrupted again. What else?"

  "My sentiments exactly," said Bell as he let himself splash into the water.

  Thus relieved of a considerable weight the boat righted itself so abruptly that Pucky lost his balance on the other side. He joined Bell Although not intentionally.

  Rhodan remained undisturbed. Being in the center of the deck he had not been affected by the gyrations. He smiled and watched while Pucky dove to the bottom and brought up a flat stone and placed it on Bell's stomach.

  Bell only laughed.

  It was just too wonderful to simply lie here under the sun with nothing to do but watch the water. Vacations were always wonderful.

  THE STOLEN SPACEFLEET

  Copyright © 1977

  Ace Books

  by arrangement with Arthur Moewig Verlag

  All Rights Reserved.

  THE SHIP OF THINGS TO COME

  HERE are the chapters comprising next issue's adventure. You won't want to miss a one of them.

  MISSION UNKNOWN, THE SILENT CITY, ATTACK FROM NOWHERE, THE PLAGUE OF PLENTY, VENGEANCE OF GARATHON, DOOM-DUST MERCHANTS, AYE, ROBOT! A GAME OF MADNESS, HEAVY GAINS!

  Ten thrilling chapters involving Meech Hannigan, Ron Landry, Larry Randall, Lofty Patterson and lots of Springers and Spaceships. It all comes together in the next stirring story--

  SGT ROBOT, by Kurt Mahr