The Secret of the Time Vault Read online

  "Curiosity isn't one of my virtues. I suppose you'll tell me all about it in due time. Why should I bother you?"

  "You're right there, Freyt. By the way, I'm just as anxious to hear your report as you are to hear mine. Bell is taking care of the disembarking procedures of the crew and their transport into town. I'll come directly with you. The meeting will take place in two hours under the energy dome. Will you see to it that all those in authority remain close by, to be consulted if the need should arise? Now, just let me know quickly if everything is all right here."

  "In perfect order, don't worry!" reassured Colonel Freyt, who was now smiling again.

  An air-glider brought Rhodan, Khrest and Thora to Galacto-City where they were greeted by a jubilant population.

  Two hours later the meeting began of the outstanding heads of Rhodan's Third Power, as the coalition between the Arkonides and the Terrans was generally known.

  Rhodan opened the session.

  "I'm pleased to note your joy at our return, but I want to tell you immediately that we came only in order to leave again as soon as possible, equipped in the best possible way. Before I give you a detailed report of our experiences I would first like to call on Colonel Freyt for his resume."

  The colonel cleared his throat but remained seated.

  "We received your hyperwave messages from the Vega system and have some idea about what happened to you there. We started at once, according to your request, with the hypno-training of two hundred and fifty specialists from the guard troop. This training has been completed successfully in the meantime. These men will become part of the crew for your new spacecraft as you had indicated. We've also concluded with great success the specialist training of the mutants on our Venusian base. The mutant corps is ready for action with the exception of Nomo Yamhin, whose telepathic abilities are not up to par yet. I've already arranged for the return of all mutants to Earth. They're back home from Venus."

  "Splendid." Rhodan nodded with pleasure. "Crew and mutant corps are then ready for action. How about the robots?"

  "As you know, some robots were salvaged from the destroyed Arkonide cruiser on the moon. These were mainly specialists for repair work and maintenance. If you can make use of those ..."

  "Certainly, Colonel Freyt. Our new ship is immense. How far did you progress with the construction of our own spaceships here on Earth?"

  "It will take us another year to complete the cruiser according to the plans put at our disposal by the Arkonides." But our cruiser won't be as gigantic as the one you brought back to Earth with you from Vega ..."

  "Some ship, isn't it?" interrupted Reginald Bell, sounding as proud as if he himself had built the huge spacesphere.

  Rhodan did not pay any attention to him and methodically continued his inquiry.

  "How are things here on Earth? Any political news? Do we finally have a united world government?"

  Slowly Colonel Freyt shook his head.

  "I'm afraid not yet, Rhodan. You can't really expect that age-old traditions will be overthrown within a few years. You accomplished a great deal at the time when you prevented the outbreak of an atom bomb war with the help of the weapons from your Arkonide allies. This brought about a union of all the great powers of the world. But we are still far from a regular world government, I'm sorry to say. On the other hand, something has happened that I consider to be of the same order of importance. Allan D. Mercant has succeeded in uniting all defense and secret services of the world under one organization, which is known as T.D.U., Terra Defense Union."

  Allan D. Mercant was the chief of the Western Defense and thus one of the most powerful men of the free world. He sympathized with Rhodan's cause and had come over to his side on the basis of rational conclusions.

  "Well, that's at least something to be grateful for," admitted Rhodan. "But let me tell you now about my own plans. In the Vega system we became involved in the battles between some of the native inhabitants and alien invaders. The natives are the Ferrons from the planet Ferrol, while the invaders are known as the Topides, members of an intelligent reptilian race. The Topides succeeded in conquering the eighth planet of the Vega system; the Ferrons fled to the ninth planet, which they call Rofus. We captured the gigantic spacesphere and promised soon to return with more help. John Marshall and Doctor Haggard remained on the ice moon Iridul. That is about all."

  "Why'd you leave the two men behind?" asked Freyt, surprised.

  "They've established a small base there in order to keep watch over the hyperwave transmitter of the Good Hope, which can no longer be repaired. In case danger should threaten Earth from any Topidian armada, the two men will warn us immediately. This is an essential part of our defense. Several Ferrons have been added to their support, and their safety on the ice moon is assured. They're living in a deep cavern in the ice and have been supplied with all necessary equipment. Iridul resembles Pluto in size as well as other conditions.,

  "And now are you planning to return to the Vega system?"

  "We've no choice in the matter. We're doing a favor not only for the Ferrons but also foremost for ourselves. The Topides might decide tomorrow to attack Earth; after all, twenty-seven light-years mean nothing if you're used to thinking in terms of interstellar spaceflight! Therefore we must forestall them. This is why I wanted to make sure that conditions on Earth are stable, which would permit me to have a free hand elsewhere. We shall drive the invaders out of the Vega system before the thought can occur to them to make a serious search for Earth, which they suspect to be situated somewhere in this sector of the galaxy."

  "When are you going to take off?" inquired Colonel Freyt in a matter-of-fact tone.

  "As soon as the crew is familiar with the new ship. I shall personally supervise their training. Bell will be entrusted with the supreme command. And there's something else I'd like you to do. We've brought back with us many films of the battles in the Vega system and candid shots of the invaders. Have two hundred copies made of each film and distribute them all over the world. I myself will record a running commentary for these filmed documents. I'm sure these eyewitness reports won't fail to make a suitable impression on our population of the horrors of interplanetary war ..."

  Their success exceeded all their expectations.

  People gathered in all the big cities of the world and demanded the final union of all governments on Earth. Perry Rhodan was feted as their liberator and officially rehabilitated by the government of the Western bloc. His so-called 'transgression" of having used the superior technological advances of the shipwrecked Arkonides for his own purposes was forgiven. Nobody blamed Rhodan any longer for having built up his own neutral domain with the help of the Arkonide scientific achievements rather than handing them over to the world at large.

  Now Rhodan was assured that the whole world was standing solidly behind him.

  But there was little time for Rhodan to enjoy his victory, for the task that was ahead of him demanded his concentrated effort. In the meantime Bell was drilling the three hundred members of the crew until they had everything pat, and they were about to drop with fatigue. It took exactly eleven days to get the crew ready for action. Bell could report that the Stardust II was ready for takeoff.

  Four of the auxiliary vessels were supposed to remain on Earth to supply reinforcements in case of an emergency. The space that these four auxiliary vessels normally occupied in the gigantic storerooms was now available for two fighter squadrons, one hundred and eight ultra-fast and super-modern machines that were under the command of Major Deringhouse and Major Nyssen. These tiny torpedo shaped miniature spaceships accelerated within ten minutes to the speed of light.

  Rhodan gave orders for a final roll call. Although Bell felt absolutely sure of himself in general, this was something that made him nervous. He had the men line up in front of the gigantic spacecraft, got busy with petty details, such as inspecting their uniforms for loose buttons and dusty boots, until a guard announced Rhodan's arrival. Major Dering
house and Major Nyssen stood at the right wing next to their pilots.

  The men were standing stiffly at attention, like toy soldiers, when Rhodan's car approached. He got out together with Khrest and Thora. Rhodan walked over to the men.

  "Crew of the battlecruiser ready for action, sir!" reported Bell.

  Rhodan's eyes assumed a quizzical look, as he took in the scene. "At ease, men! We aren't in the army here, after all!" he reminded them. His remark, of course, was addressed to his friend Bell, who seemed to have taken his job a bit too seriously for Rhodan's taste. Then Rhodan took a package that he had been carrying under his left arm, and held it in his right hand. "As I've just been informed, you're all ready for battle in the Vega sector. We're facing a difficult task; let's hope we can accomplish it. But keep in mind, the world's fate depends on our victory. If our enemies should attack our solar system, Earth would be lost. In the meantime you've become familiar with this marvelous ship and you've learned to run it and service it. As you know, the ship is equipped with weapons capable of annihilating entire planets. With this craft I'm placing a tremendous source of power into your hands. It's my wish, friends, that this power be used for peace and good causes. But let's not forget that often you have to do battle in order to preserve peace and freedom. And now I'd like to ask our Arkonide friend Thora to christen our vessel."

  Rhodan had opened the package and now pulled out a bottle of champagne. Thora stepped forward, looking quite pale, and seized the bottle. Rhodan gave her a glance of encouragement. Khrest stood over to the side and stared rigidly at the giant sphere. Perhaps he was thinking that this ship used to belong to his own race, but that from now on human beings would take possession of it.

  Thora walked toward the spacesphere with tiny, halting steps. She stopped short of it, lifted her right arm, hesitated for a moment, then hurled the bottle against the metal hull. Only then did she break the silence. "I christen you Stardust II."

  Rhodan hurried to her side, hands outstretched. Only he could fully appreciate how hard it must have been for the proud alien woman to give the former Arkonide ship a Terrestrial name. For a few seconds their hands joined in a firm clasp. Then Thora turned abruptly and walked slowly back to the waiting car.

  This very moment, Rhodan knew, he had laid the second foundation stone to the future star realm of man, who someday would take over from the decadent Arkonide Empire.

  Rhodan addressed Reginald Bell. "I'd like to take Stardust II out on her first test flight for manoeuvres in the Asteroid belt. Khrest and I will participate as observers in this action. We should return by tonight. Our bases on Venus, Titan and Pluto have already been informed of our plan."

  The men broke rank hesitatingly at first, then everything went with lightning speed. The anti-grav lifts carried the men to their stations, escalators began to roll, bulkheads were opened and dosed, air pumped out of the airlocks, generators began to hum, then the hatches were closed down after Khrest and Rhodan had come aboard.

  A short while later the Stardust II blasted off.

  Bell sat in front of the intercom and gave orders. His subaltern officers were huddled in front of similar installations that were dispersed all over the ship. Tiny visiscreens showed the men's faces. Inside the hangars the pilots got into their fighters. The cabins were shut and the air streamed out of the hangars.

  While the Earth sank back underneath them in the glassclear ocean of air like a giant rock, then became embedded in the blackness of space, Rhodan began to issue commands.

  "Fictitious attacker has occupied Jupiter. Outpost on the Asteroids. Enemy plans to attack Earth. Our goal: to destroy the outpost and counterattack on Jupiter." Rhodan looked at Bell. "Carry on from here!"

  "OK," promised Bell, and rattled off instructions into the microphones. Then, while the Stardust II. If accelerated to the speed of light within the next ten minutes, going up to 50,000 G's, Bell leaned back in his chair, folded his arms in front of his chest and inquired casually: "Sir, would it please you if I were to pulverize Jupiter while we're at it?"

  "You'll forget your silly jokes when things get serious and we really attack the Topides someday," prophesied Rhodan. "Well, how about it? What are the men doing now?"

  The silly grin left Bell's face. "I'm not joking, Perry. In less than an hour our fighters will have turned several asteroids into fiery gas clouds and thus annihilated any supposed enemy hiding out there. Then the fighters will set course for Jupiter and attack all enemies trying to flee from there. With this ship it would be entirely within our power to change the giant planet's surface into a flaming hell."

  "That really wouldn't be necessary, but - I don't want to interfere with your plans here. Carry on!"

  Bell was now in his element. He proceeded with great skill. Nobody would have suspected such talent in him. Although the automatic steering mechanism relieved him of having to navigate the giant sphere, all initiative and strategical planning were left up to him.

  The Stardust II raced into the Asteroid belt, then slowed down. The first fighter squadron left the hangars and swarmed into space. Deringhouse was in constant radio communication with Bell, who kept naming imaginary targets and then had them attacked by the fighters. Rhodan followed the manoeuvres on the visiscreens. Khrest stood next to him, not saying a word. A secret fire was burning in his golden eyes but no gesture revealed his innermost thoughts. Only Rhodan had some vague idea what was taking place now behind the Arkonide's high forehead.

  Finally the Stardust II descended low over Jupiter's surface, racing across the dead planet, shooting at imaginary targets indicated by Rhodan with lightning speed. Where just a moment ago had been ice-covered terrain, now boiling lava-lakes could be seen. The fighters under Deringhouse's command paid brief visits to the planet's inner moons, then reported as having destroyed the imaginary enemy forces stationed there.

  Rhodan put his hand on Bell's shoulder. "You can sound the retreat now, Reg. I'm satisfied with this manoeuvre. I believe we can feel reassured when we return to the Vega sector. I'm full of confidence now. We've recouped our loss of the Good Hope a thousand times over with this spacecruiser. The Topides had better start looking out."

  For the first time Khrest broke his silence. "It would be easy for you to destroy the invaders," he said pensively. "But I wouldn't recommend it. You cannot prevent all enemy ships from fleeing the battle scene and then reporting to their home base what happened. There are counter-weapons even against the best equipped battleships. The Topides would think of nothing but revenge till they were ready to return someday and take up the fight again. It would be wiser to come to an agreement with them."

  "A peace treaty with those lizards?" pondered Bell.

  "Why not? The intelligent races of the universe come in many different shapes; that doesn't mean they're better or worse than we are. The Arkonides have concluded friendly deals with spider-type creatures. Our best friends belong to an aquatic race living in the oceans of a watery world. No, my friend, the outer appearance is not what matters. Only character should count."

  "Do the Topides have any character?"

  "Everyone has a character," replied Khrest seriously. "Sometimes the character is good, sometimes it's bad. That's the only difference."

  "What do you suggest we should do now?" asked Rhodan. "Propose a peace treaty?"

  Khrest shrugged his shoulders. "Let's return to that question later - once we meet up again with the Topides. They might be willing to enter into negotiations after they've suffered a defeat."

  "There's something else I'd like you to answer for me," said Rhodan, looking Khrest straight in the eye. "What do you think of my crew here? Do you believe they'll prove themselves in an interstellar conflict?"

  "You can rest at ease," replied Khrest, trying at the same time to suppress the admiring look in his eyes. "What I've witnessed here today is like a dream from the glorious past of my Arkonide ancestors. That's the way we were way back when we started to build up our galactic empire. Tod
ay, unfortunately ..." For a moment he was silent, his face betraying the embarrassment he felt. Then he smiled and continued bravely: "You could be the direct descendants of the former Arkonides."

  While Bell issued commands for the fighters to return to the mother ship, Rhodan remarked as if lost in thought: "Perhaps that's what we are - speaking figuratively, of course."

  2/ THE KEY TO ETERNAL LIFE

  Forty-two planets revolve around the bright star Vega. Intelligent life developed only on the eighth planet. The Ferrons were a short people, rarely taller than five feet four inches. Their eyes were small and deepset, their foreheads bulging. Their copper-colored hair and pale-blue skin - result of solar irradiation - formed a strange contrast. Their tiny mouths made them appear harmless. The climate on their home planet Ferrol was hot and tropical. Their short, thickset bodies were perfectly adapted to the 1.4 G's of their own world.

  Many Ferrons, however, were no longer living on Ferrol. After the invaders occupied their homeland, many of them fled to Rofus, one of the planets they had colonized. There they settled down, waiting impatiently for their liberators, the Arkonides, who had so suddenly appeared from nowhere and dealt the Topidian enemy a crushing blow.

  The Ferrons had in their possession matter transmitters, capable of operating throughout five dimensions and over tremendous distances. Yet they had not progressed very far in their knowledge of space flight; they had not mastered five-dimensional mathematics either. These two facts seemed to be inconsistent and Rhodan was rather puzzled by this.

  An ice-moon revolved around the twenty-eighth planet. The satellite's former atmosphere had become precipitated eons ago and changed the moon's surface into an icy desert with high mountains. No life could exist in this hellish climate. Still, Iridul was far from being a dead world.

  Hidden deep inside one of these mountains there was an immense cavern whose smooth walls still bore signs of recently molten rock. A wide tunnel led to the moon's surface. An airlock permitted John Marshall and Doctor Haggard to leave the cave anytime they wished aboard one of their two fighter planes, in order to carry out reconnaissance flights.