Snowman in Flames Read online

  "Yes, make a new sun out of this second planet!"

  Orlgans nodded his head in consent and vanished from the screen. It was obvious that he did not agree at all with the mission he had been charged to carry out by the patriarch. But he had no alternative; he had to obey. He informed the commander of another ship to assist him with his task and to supply cover if necessary. Then he broke out of line from his formation and started on the lengthy preparations to make reality of this devilish plan.

  Meanwhile Etztak consulted with the other Traders how best to meet Rhodan's expected onslaught. This was not easy for nothing was known of the workings of the new weapon. The brief hints supplied by Topthor were not enough to get a clear idea. Topthor had promised to report back again but nobody could tell when this would occur.

  "Keep in close formation," ordered Etztak. "When-even Rhodan appears we'll rake him with a concentrated energy bombardment Even his energy screen won't withstand such a barrage. And don't let yourselves be distracted any more by those two cruisers."

  On the one hand the patriarch was right but on the other he did not know that it would have been quite easy for the two cruisers to carry out heavier attacks and even to destroy one or the other of the Springers' ships. But the two cruisers had merely carried out Rhodan's instructions when they left it at simply feigning attacks.

  It wasn't Rhodan's intention to give a warning lesson to the Springers by involving them in a normal battle: he planned to deal them such a blow that they would give up any future ideas of ever trying to interfere again in Earth's affairs.

  And that's why he had needed time to obtain the new weapon from the planet Wanderer, that strange artificial world which existed in another dimension and that had been created by a being representing the spiritualization of an entire race which had thus become immortal. The Planet at the Edge of Eternity, Rhodan had once called it—and probably had hit the nail right on the head with that name.

  Etztak knew nothing of this planet that existed as a vague legend among the races of the galaxy. Nobody knew whether or where it really existed. But Rhodan knew the planet. There he had received a biological cell shower from the Immortal which arrested in him and also in his friend Bell the natural process of aging. Every 62 years, however, this procedure had to be repeated.

  And then the Immortal, that incomprehensible being, had given Rhodan the new weapon he wanted in order to ward off the attacks from the Springers.

  Etztak began to vaguely guess at all these facts now and he was overcome by a first feeling of insecurity. Had he underestimated his foe? But Rhodan was only an Earthling, a member of a race to be considered underdeveloped if measured by galactic standards. It had not been too long since they had first ventured out into space. Only thanks to the technological means supplied to them by the Arkonides, who had become shipwrecked on the Moon, had these Terranians been able to make a giant leap ahead. But could such a leap replace the natural course of evolution over the span of thousands of years?

  Etztak doubted that but still the feeling of insecurity remained in him.

  • • •

  The Stardust , Perry Rhodan's gigantic spacesphere, completed its transition and materialized in normal space. More than 1750 light-years had been traversed. Rhodan felt the pains of rematerialization gradually leave his body and his clear mind of awareness take over again. Beside him, Reginald Bell was moaning and groaning, as if somebody were taking out his appendix without an anesthetic. It was a matter of principle for Bell to carry on like that at all transitions; it had become a bad habit. No wonder, then, if Rhodan paid no attention to his friend's laments.

  Had their calculations been correct?

  Rhodan sat up and stared at the picture screen. He saw a confusion of stars and he knew at least that he no longer remained in the vicinity of the planet Wanderer. However it was impossible to ascertain right away with the naked eye whether the Stardust had exactly reached its destination, for planet Wanderer had also covered an unknown distance while they stayed on it.

  "Are we there?" asked Bell. He tried a smile which failed miserably. "Strange, there we were on the Immortal's planet just this very moment it seems, and now..."

  "Up ahead I can make out the double star of Beta-Albireo," Rhodan interrupted his friend. "Distance about two light-hours. Our emergence from hyperspace was probably already registered by Etztak. He most likely will have taken measures accordingly. Let's not forget that he has been forewarned, even if he must be racking his brains in vain as to what this new weapon is really like."

  "Won't he be surprised when he finds out!" said Bell. "Two tele-transmitters capable of teleporting any matter over any distance. This means we can smuggle atom bombs aboard their ships—and they can't do a thing about it."

  "Don't forget, if they direct all their fire power in a concentrated attack against our protective screens we can't withstand such an onslaught. They aren't quite as defenseless as you would wish. It will all depend on whether we can be faster than the Springers."

  "Even if that Mounder Topthor has warned them, we have nothing to fear," prophesized Bell, who was quite surprised to see that Rhodan seemed to be suddenly lost in thought. Apparently his mentioning the name of Topthor had brought some memory up in Rhodan's mind. "What's going on, Perry?"

  "Topthor!" said Rhodan. "I almost forgot about him."

  "So what?" Bell shook his head. "I don't understand. We have wiped out five of his ships and therefore have nothing to expect from him—no more hostile actions. He has only three ships left now."

  "That's exactly it!" Rhodan frowned. "Remember the way it was? He must have followed us to the Planet of Eternal Life. And that was possible only provided he jumped from the same spot we did. But we didn't come from the Beta-Albireo system but from Earth. That means he now knows the position of Earth. And I'll bet anything he's returning there again. If he's bent on revenge we have nothing to ward off an attack of his three battleships."

  Bell had forgotten to grin. "Sounds positively scary. And you're probably right. What can we do now, Perry?"

  Rhodan kept staring at the picture screen. He was facing a difficult decision. Up ahead Tiff was waiting to be rescued. The second planet must surely have become hell for Tiff and his little group—Rhodan was convinced of that. Pucky could not be expected to hold the Springers at bay indefinitely. And the two cruisers under Maj Nyssen couldn't keep on forever feigning attacks. Etztak was bound to see through the whole swindle sooner or later. And if he should then make up his mind to carry out his threat, Tifflor and his band would be lost.

  On the other hand, Topthor might meanwhile attack Earth with his three gigantic battleships. Rhodan didn't dare send a warning message now to Col Freyt—he was afraid to give away his position. And no doubt the Springers were capable of intercepting his radio message. Rhodan hesitated only briefly, then decided to do two things almost simultaneously.

  He switched on the intercom. "Attention all hands! Attention weapon center! We're undertaking another transition. Distance two light-hours. After rematerialization hold the teletransmitter ready for immediate action. Keep ready two fusion bombs. Exactly 20 seconds later a new transition to Earth. Await further orders. That's all for now. Thank you."

  Bell was moaning. "Here we go jumping again! We haven't had a chance to recover properly from the last one!"

  "No time now to pamper ourselves! Attention, transition will take place in 60 seconds."

  The metallic voice of the robot counter began calling out the seconds.

  "30... 29... 28..."

  Rhodan remained stiffly in his chair. His right hand grasping firmly the lever which connected him with the armament center. Close to it was the firing button of the tele-transmitters. As soon as the Stardust would rematerialize, it would change itself into a death-dealing monster.

  Etztak was smart enough not to let himself be distracted by the renewed assault of the two cruisers Terra and Solar System . Only one of his ships was ordered to return the fire.
Whereupon the cruisers withdrew, as Etztak had expected them to do.

  No, this time Etztak could no longer be fooled. He was on his guard. He was waiting for Rhodan. The space rupture sensors of his giant 2,100 feet long battleship were running at full speed. Suddenly they registered something.

  At a distance of barely two light-hours a transition was just taking place. A ship must have returned from hyperspace into normal space, for the rupture occurred in a negative direction. The positronic brains began to work and a few seconds later Etztak had the result in his hands. At a distance of exactly 118.38 light-minutes a ship which had leapt across 1749.89 light-years had returned into normal space and rematerialized.

  That could only be Rhodan!

  Once more the alarm signal raced through the ships. All ray cannons were ready to shoot. The protective screens were erected. Etztak ordered his ships to take up positions so that any suddenly appearing enemy could be taken under crossfire from all directions. And then the space rupture sensors registered a second transition: this time in a positive direction...

  ...and in this same instant Rhodan was in their midst!

  The giant sphere with its 2400 feet diameter had more mass than Etztak's entire Fleet combined. The ship's awe-inspiring size paralyzed the Springers for a few precious seconds, seconds they could never make up.

  One of the Springer ships detonated before any of them had a chance to fire a single shot. It detonated without any apparent reason, melted before the horror-struck eyes of old Etztak and left nothing but a cloud of radioactive dust which spread out in all directions. Nobody had any inkling that the teletransmitter had teleported a medium-sized atom bomb right inside this ship's munitions storage hall, where it had been caused to detonate.

  Etztak opened fire. Beamed energy rays flashed from all available cannons, hitting the protective energy sphere which surrounded the Stardust . For the time being these rays were deflected without causing any damage. The Stardust's generators produced sufficient energy to compensate for the extra strain.

  And then, exactly 15 seconds later, Etztak's second ship exploded.

  Almost five seconds passed before Etztak could open his blinded eyes—just in time to observe Rhodan's Stardust disappear again. He had hardly gotten over his shock when the two cruisers renewed their attack. Major Nyssen was acting on instinct when he saw Rhodan go into action. He realized that the new weapon had been found and he believed that this was the beginning of a general assault.

  The Solar System pounced on a ship of the Traders fleet which had been standing off to one side. It belonged to a smaller category and Nyssen knew that it contained mainly storage holds and was not so well equipped with arms. Its energy screens were accordingly less powerful. The cruiser's concentrated barrage breached the protective screen and tore open the port side of the freighter.

  But not enough time remained for Nyssen to complete his work of destruction. The Stardust vanished as fast as it had come. No radio message, no warning, nothing. The mighty battleship had appeared like a ghost and like a ghost it had plunged again into the abyss of the universe. Nyssen gave the order to retreat. A thoroughly confused, and for the moment helpless, Etztak was left on the scene of the swift space battle.

  In less than 20 seconds he had lost three of his ships.

  • • •

  Topthor sat in his supra-dimensional chair like an enormous clump of meat. He was staring at the picture screens. The constellations of the stars crystallized from the void and offered a familiar, welcome sight.

  Yes, indeed, the transition was a success.

  Before Topthor's three ships stood the solar system whose third planet was causing him so much trouble. A quick manipulation and he had established communication with the other two ships. "Grogham, get in touch with our fleet. The eight battleships ought to be staying on the other side of this sun. We'll meet 10 light-hours away from here on a line formed by the sun and its outermost planet. Be ready for a video conference in two hours."

  "I'll take care of it," promised Grogham, the acting commander of the convoy fleet. He, too, was a Mounder and weighed some 1200 pounds. "In two hours. Are we going to destroy the third planet, Topthor?"

  "In case these crazy Terranians don't accept our offer they'll pay dearly for it. Rhodan is quite busy elsewhere, trying to tackle Etztak. We have plenty of time.

  This is where Topthor was greatly mistaken but of course he could not know otherwise. The same instant he was speaking these words, three of Etztaks ships were annihilated. And while he had not yet finished what he was saying, Rhodan was once more slipping into the fifth dimension in order to make the far distant leap to Earth. Rhodan was clever enough to materialize 20 light-hours distant from Sol and without any further transition he flew with the simple speed of light into his own solar system. This greatly reduced the risk of being detected by enemy forces.

  Unnoticed he reached Earth and landed in Terrania the capital of the New Power. Colonel Freyt was quite astonished to see his boss so soon again. He suppressed a snide remark that Rhodan had failed to inform him of his arrival via hyper-radio for it was obvious that Rhodan was very much pressed for time. The Stardust , with Reginald Bell aboard, remained on the landing field—ready to take off at a moment's notice, Rhodan alone had rushed by car into the control center located under the protective energy dome, in order to place Earth on red alert. A few brief radio communications with the pertinent offices the world over had sufficed to combine all authorities in a common action.

  They were prepared.

  And they were waiting...

  • • •

  "It would be totally senseless," Topthor pointed out and looked at the commanders of the other 10 ships for approval, "if we were to attack without issuing a warning and to annihilate Terra. What good would a destroyed planet be if on the other hand its inhabitants could be very useful to us?" The 10 bearded men on the picture screens nodded their huge heads in agreement. "It makes much more sense if we start negotiating with them. Rhodan is currently in a system 320 light-years away, trying to cope with Etztak. He might even get the better of him since he has the new weapon. As far as we personally are concerned this would mean no great loss to us, even if we would lose Etztak's clan as a future source of income. If on the other hand we should gain a strong foothold meanwhile on Earth, this would afford us the opportunity to establish there a new and profitable Springer colony."

  "And Rhodan?" someone asked.

  "Rhodan?" A broad grin spread across Topthor's bearded face. "Won't he be surprised to return here after a victorious battle with Etztak and learn Earth has changed ownership during his absence!"

  Grogham cleared his throat. "I'm afraid you are underestimating these Earthlings," he interjected.

  Topthor looked him full in the face and stopped grinning. "Are you serious? We have here 11 ships, the best battleships in the universe. And what has Rhodan to offer? Nothing!"

  "Don't forget he has a new weapon now!"

  Topthor wasn't any too happy to be reminded of this sad fact. And particularly to be reminded by Grogham how Rhodan had destroyed five of his ships in no time.

  "If we should run into any difficulties we can always get in touch with our base," he relented. "Anyhow, I'll try to seize control of the Earth. We'll approach the planet to within a distance of ten light-minutes and then I'll take up radio communication with them. We'll soon find out how Rhodan's people are going to react. I'm certain they have nothing to confront us with."

  This time he received no reply.

  The fleet, consisting of 11 ships none less than 900 feet long and armed to the teeth, set course for the sun and sped toward the still tiny-looking star at the speed of light. Shortly before he reached Jupiter's orbit Topthor slowed down and cautiously approached Earth. But all his caution was in vain. Satellite spies had observed and reported his approach. Rhodan had been warned. After having made the necessary precautions and preparations Rhodan returned to the Stardust and went to Bell in
the command center.

  "Well, what happened?" Bell wanted to know.

  "I have instructed Col. Freyt to transfer to us any radio calls he might receive from the Mounders. I shall answer these calls in his name. They must not find out that we are already here and are expecting them."

  Two hours later the little red control lamp lit up. Topthor had made contact with Earth without knowing who he was talking to.

  Rhodan permitted himself to assume a pseudonym. A few manipulations and they were ready not only to talk but also to see each other. It didn't matter that this was a televideo communication. Rhodan knew Topthor but the latter had never laid eyes on Rhodan himself. The huge figure of the Mounder was most impressive but the sight did not frighten Rhodan. He knew him—and also his weaknesses. "Terra here," he announced himself in a matter-of-fact voice. "You have called us?"

  Topthor's face expressed surprise at the lack of surprise his call had apparently caused. "We wish to enter into negotiations with the Terranians," he said in the purest interkosmo with a slight accent. "The mighty clam of the Mounders has some proposals to make to you."

  "We are listening."

  "Who am I talking to?" inquired Topthor and looked Rhodan straight in the eye.

  Without as much as batting an eyelid Rhodan's glance locked firmly with that of the Mounder. "Col. Freyt, substituting for Perry Rhodan, head of the New Power, Peacelord of the Universe."

  "What is the New Power?"

  "The power that represents all Earth."

  "I'd like to talk to Perry Rhodan in person."

  What a sly fox, thought Rhodan, while Bell, out of the tv camera's range, was grinning derisively. He wants to find out if we have any idea...

  "He is unavailable for the moment," said Rhodan. "What do you want from us?"

  "Do you know who I am?"

  "Quite a monster, as far as I can judge from here," countered Rhodan.