A World Gone Mad Read online

  That's all we need—these pests running loose in the valley! This was the content of the Springer's mumbling in the foreign language. And he added in Intercosmo: "I'll have to give the chapex new instructions or we'll be falling over these brainless breeders."

  As he continued walking Pucky followed him with his mind sensors and learned that the Springer's name was Borator, that he was the technical supervisor of the project and the only Springer on the premises.

  This had its advantages. Now that Pucky paid attention to the Springer he had no trouble following and analyzing his thoughts. The necessity of separating and evaluating a stream of mixed impulses was eliminated because there were only the thoughts of one Springer present and all else was silence in the valley.

  Pucky had to find a good place to hide from where he could listen in on what was going on without being seen. He slowly got up again. His side was still hurting him. Only by exercising great restraint was he able to refrain from paying the brute back in kind for his cruelty. He saved his revenge for another day when he would make the Springer rue his mean act. That much he promised himself to soothe his bruised feelings. He would zoom this Borator 100 feet up in the air and let him dangle there for a whole day. And then...

  The sound of steps interrupted his Puckish vision of the future and sweet revenge. A work chapex walked past close to him with a fixed stare, without paying any attention to him. There you have it, thought the mouse-beaver; the robots were more humane than intelligent beings. At least the chapex left him alone.

  Behind a stack of boxes Pucky found a safe hiding place where he didn't have to worry about being surprised. Most of the boxes would have to be removed before he could be detected and he was sure to notice it even when he slept.

  Now that he was settled in relative comfort he began to concentrate on Borator. He had no trouble perceiving Borator's thoughts and could thus 'hear' what he told the robots. The latter's answers however remained incomprehensible because Pucky was unable to pick up the positronic impulses without special receiving sets. Nevertheless he learned a few things which were of the greatest importance to Rhodan and his plans.

  In particular he gathered that the gigantic space cruiser in the tunnel was scheduled to be finished and ready to start in about six days.

  This was precious little time considering bow much had to be done meanwhile. Pucky decided not to lose another minute. He concentrated on the control tower of the Stardust 30 miles away and took off.

  He materialized in Bell's lap of all places.

  2/ THE SPRINGERS ARE COMING

  Exactly 20 light-hours away from the star Tatlira, twelve 600-foot-long tubular-shaped ships returned from hyperspace into the normal universe.

  The 13th ship stood apart from the others. It was 300 feet longer than the rest but also looked like a tube with rounded ends. Along the bull were round illuminated portholes behind which distorted shadows of monstrous proportions moved.

  Monstrously distorted...?

  Commander of the Fleet Topthor, a figure weighing more than half a ton, bulked behind the controls of his Command Center. He was only five feet high and his girth measured nearly 15 feet. In other words, he was about as broad as he was high. His shiny head was bald and he wore a reddish beard trimmed in the fashion of the Springers.

  Observation screens lit up and depicted the stellar system the fleet was approaching with the simple velocity of light.

  Topthor's powerful hands rested on a plastic sheet covered with alien letters. The document was the reason he took a hand again in the affairs of others. It was his duty and his profession.

  Topthor's clan—or Mounders as they were generally called—had taken on the task of the fire brigade, so to speak, in the community of the Galactic traders. They didn't trade merchandise, their business was war. If there was a conflagration anywhere, they were called in. They were also riding shotgun for other ships and received remuneration from the clan that requested their protection.

  Never in his life had Topthor feared an enemy or turned tail—except once. When he tried to attack a planet called Terra his forces were almost annihilated by Perry Rhodan's spherical battleship.

  Topthor had made a resolution never to tangle with Perry Rhodan again. Not that he was a coward but he valued his life.

  He smiled grimly when he thought about Rhodan. The Earthling was far away and not mixed up in the present affair. He faced a different enemy on Goszul's Planet—a disease. He only had to take care that he didn't become infected. Everything else was strictly routine. The rebellious natives would be punished, the contaminated robots and technical installations loaded into the hermetically sealed storage rooms of the ships and then he would supervise the transport of the new battle cruiser to its destination.

  Topthor was still smiling when he picked up the letter and read the succinct text:

  To Topthor, Commander and Patriarch of the Clan of the Mounders. Goszul's Planet has been put in quarantine. Disease of paralytic outcome. Incurable. Technical installations must be salvaged. Natives in rebellion and subject to draconic punishment. Secret battle cruiser to be delivered after completion with co-ordinates XXM-17. Governors and supervisor of shipyard must remained behind. By order of all Clans, Etztak.

  Topthor put the sheet back on the table. The observation screen above it now distinctly showed the small yellow light of the sun Tatlira which was surrounded by several dots of light.

  The planets.

  One of them was Goszul's Planet.

  Topthor leaned forward and switched on the communicator which connected him with the Command Centers of the other 12 ships. A pictoscreen which was subdivided into 12 areas began to glow. In a few seconds a face appeared on each of the squares. All looked expectantly at him.

  They were without exception oversize Springers. Thousands of years ago when the Springers still inhabited planets, before they started to live permanently on spaceships, the clan of the Mounders had chosen a world with extremely strong gravitation. The result was that generation by generation physical changes had occurred which facilitated their adaptation to their new environment. And so the clan of the Mounders was created.

  All twelve Springers wore the same stylishly trimmed beards and had clever but cold and wary eyes. Their lips were pressed together like a red line. Nothing of their bulky bodies could be seen on the screens.

  Topthor couldn't suppress a fleeting smile as he looked at the faces of his commanders. He knew that they weren't afraid of the devil himself but were frightened to death by the mysterious and incurable disease. Frankly he had a queasy feeling about it himself but was loath to admit it.

  "We're near our goal," he began in his sonorous, imposing tone which had already caused many a patriarch to increase his offer of payment for protection voluntarily. "You know what the purpose of our mission is and that it'll be far from easy. Our first task will be to occupy the construction site of the spaceship installations in order to prevent an attack and possible destruction of the ship by the natives. I don't understand what these primitive natives can do against 100 fighter robots but Etztak has warned me not to underestimate them. Our second job will be to secure the robots and dismantle the equipment." He grinned half-heartedly. "I find it very strange that Etztak thinks of his profit last. It makes me wonder."

  One of the listeners gesticulated and showed his agreement with Topthor. Indeed Etztak's attitude was highly suspicious and warranted closer examination.

  Topthor turned to the commander. "Yes, Rangol, what's on your mind?"

  "Is it possible that we underestimate the Goszuls? In my book they were rated as peaceful primitive indigents without ambitions. Their technology is outdated and far inferior to ours. I don't understand what made Etztak flee before them..."

  "You forget about the pestilence," Topthor reminded him. "The thought of it doesn't exactly make me jump for joy either. You can lose your memory."

  "And you want to land there in spite of it?" another asked.

&
nbsp; "We've the special permission from the Council of the Clans. Our protective suits will guard us against contagion. Moreover we'll first deploy our robots who will do the most difficult and dangerous work for us. We're also expected to make sure that nobody leaves the stellar system."

  "I thought the Goszuls have no spaceships," somebody interjected.

  "That's true—but orders are orders. Apparently there must be some ships available to them besides the one we're supposed to take over. Be that as it may, we're going to blockade the system and we'll keep in close touch with each other. Only two ships will touch down on the planet: Rangol and myself."

  Rangol didn't look very happy. The distinction elated him not in the slightest but he remained silent. It wasn't advisable to antagonize Topthor.

  "Any questions?"

  There were none.

  "Alright," Topthor concluded. "Our navigator will give you the new co-ordinates. We'll separate in four hours. All radio stations will be permanently tuned in on reception. That will be all!"

  The 12 faces faded from the screen as he disconnected the viewer. All further communications were conducted by the navigator from the radio room.

  Topthor leaned back and looked with narrowed eyes at the planetary system of Tatlira which he was approaching at the speed of light.

  Not without trepidation he asked himself what was in store for him there.

  • • •

  When Pucky mentioned in his report he had eaten grass to convince the robots he was harmless Bell was bowled over with laughter. He couldn't stop guffawing and, given enough time would eventually have choked. This however was not the case.

  Pucky's voice suddenly became shrill. "Do you believe it was so much fun for me too? If you don't quit gloating about my predicament I'm going to teach you another lesson, you red-haired bully! Well?"

  His 'Well?' sounded so full of expectation that Bell quickly became apprehensive, remembering similar situations when he always had come out on the losing end. After all, he was only normal and had no telekinetic talents. He gasped for air, stopped roaring and panted painfully: "Don't take it so hard, Pucky! And what happened then? Did the robots fall for it and believe you were a bunny?"

  Pucky nodded gravely. "Something like that. Anyway I managed to get through the chain of sentinels to enter the plant. A certain Borator is in charge of the project. A Springer."

  This bit of news came as a surprise.

  "So we won't deal exclusively with robots," Perry Rhodan contemplated. "This won't make our job easier but it shouldn't complicate it too much. We'll first have to take care of Borator before we start putting the 130 robots out of action as inconspicuously as possible. We should be able to accomplish this by using our new reprogramming impulse device. Unfortunately it permits only individual application. Therefore we'll be forced to get close to one robot at a time to change its programming. If the others get wind of it—and they're sure to notice it—we'll be in trouble."

  "I'm still in favor of a surprise attack with a few pursuit ships to wipe out the robots," Maj. Deringhouse interjected. But his remark failed to elicit any response from Perry Rhodan.

  In any case it would have been quite useless because at that moment a red signal lit up at the intercom. A buzz sounded and the hitherto dark screen came to life. The worried face of Lt. Fisher who was on duty in the radio room appeared on the videoscreen.

  Rhodan depressed a button to make the connection. "What is it, Fisher? Anything important? I'm holding a meeting and..."

  "It's very important, sir! Our structure sensors have registered transitions in the immediate vicinity of the Tatlira system. It looks as if the fleeing Springers have returned."

  For a second Rhodan seemed stunned. Then he got hold of himself. I'm hardly inclined to believe this, Fisher. Verify the exact number and position of the transitions. Report the result to me at once."

  "Very well, sir!"

  The connection between the Command Center and the radio room remained open. Since Rhodan seemed unwilling to embark on fruitless speculations, Pucky continued his report. However it was unavoidable that he attracted less attention than before. Everybody's thoughts were distracted by the sudden appearance of the spaceships nearing Goszul's Planet.

  Who were they and what did they want?

  Lt. Fisher didn't keep them long in suspense. "There are 13 ships, sir! Length about 600 feet, typical shape of Springer units. They entered from hyperspace at a distance of about one light-day. The intensity of the space structure disturbance indicates a transition of more than 3000 light-years. They're approaching the Tatlira system in a closed formation at the speed of light. I'll report again later."

  Rhodan stared at the others. "They're Springers, after all! I don't get it. Perhaps they could be others."

  "Definitely," Bell said in a tone of great assurance. "I'm sure that Etztak's people are fed up to the gills and wouldn't even dream of coming back. Besides they've caught the disease and can't remember a thing."

  "Anyway they had time enough to send an expeditionary force to intercept us. We don't know yet who's coming and what they're after."

  Pucky suddenly called out in a shrill, excited voice: "The spaceship! They came to get the spaceship that's almost finished!"

  Rhodan couldn't hide his surprise. "You could be right, Pucky. But weren't the robots supposed to launch the ship on a course for which the co-ordinates have already been fixed? Come to think of it, Pucky, were the robots to leave with the ship or will they have to stay behind?"

  "I don't know. I didn't have enough time to find out."

  "It would be very important to know this. If the robots were ordered to leave Goszul's Planet in the new battle ship it could be the reason for the arrival of the fleet. Presumably they want to prevent the robots from carrying out their orders since the Springers are anxious to contain the disease on Goszul's Planet. But it really wouldn't make any sense. If the Springers assume that the carriers of the disease can be deposited on metal they must also believe that the whole ship is contaminated. I can't help thinking that somewhere there's a worm in the apple."

  "I relish worms even less than germs," Pucky chirped bravely. "But I'm willing to dig out the worm for the sake of the cause."

  Rhodan smiled. "This can be very simple or very difficult. The Springers' mentality is quite different from ours. We could be in for a disappointment if we learn the truth behind it. Just a minute, there's the radio room. Yes, Fisher, what's the matter?"

  "We've picked up some radio signals. They haven't been deciphered yet but they resemble those of the Springers. I'll have the text in 10 minutes unless it's a secret code."

  Bell put a finger on his nose, a sure sign that he was thinking hard. Rhodan looked at him with curiosity while Pucky bared his incisor and grinned unabashedly. A thoughtful Bell struck the mouse-beaver like the funniest joke.

  Bell kept everybody in suspense.

  "Well?" Perry Rhodan nudged him.

  Bell looked up. "Something just occurred to me," he announced to his eager listeners. "If a fleet of the Springers: is in fact heading toward this planet and if they don't know that we're here, we better start considering if it wouldn't be advisable for us to bide somewhere. The question is only where. A transition must be ruled out because it would give away our presence. The hangars at the edge of the spaceport are too small. Well, what can we do? Sink into the earth?"

  His audience looked surprised. Bell had bit the nail on the head. They were sitting here debating their course of action without considering the fact that the former owners of this world were returning in 20 hours with an unknown scheme for retaliation. So far the Springers still believed they were only up against a disease and the natives. It was Rhodan's intention to maintain their illusions.

  "In the subterranean hangars is room for the three cruisers," Rhodan said. "I'd prefer to have them close by even in the Springers land here. We've ways and means to keep them out of the hangars in case they want to investigate what
's inside. A mere hint of pestilence will suffice for this purpose. That leaves the Stardust for which no hangar is big enough around here. Out in space it'd soon be detected by the sensitive instruments of the Springers."

  Rhodan paused for a few moments in deep thought. Then he suddenly turned to Ralv. "You probably know all about this planet." The native nodded hesitantly. "Good. Can you tell me how deep your oceans are?"

  Ralv looked dumbfounded since he didn't understand what Rhodan was getting at with his question about the depth of the ocean.

  But Bell had grasped the idea at once. "You want to submerge the Stardust in the ocean!" he marveled. "I'd never have thought of such a simple idea. That'll be wonderful; I always wanted to do deep sea research!"

  "You won't get much of a chance to do that," Rhodan disappointed him.

  Meanwhile Ralv had consulted with Enzally and Geragk. "About 20 miles from the West Coast lies a deep trench. Its mean depth is about 10,000 feet."

  "That's perfect," Rhodan answered. "If the Stardust is under 7500 feet of water nobody will be able to detect the ship. And it won't make a bit of difference to the crew whether they're surrounded by water or empty space."

  Pucky waddled across the Command Center and planted himself before Rhodan. His tooth glittered provocatively but his brown dog eyes looked faithful and gentle as always. "Do you think I'm a fish?" he squeaked reproachfully.

  Rhodan smiled indulgently. "Your flat tail could make me think you're at home in the water," he teased. "It's amazing that you come from a world where there's hardly any water. If it makes you feel better, nobody has said that you'll be sunk with the Stardust . On the contrary, I need you very much here on land."

  Bell broke in. "What are we going to do? The three cruisers will be out of sight in the subterranean hangars and the Stardust will dive into the water. So far so good. But what about us?"