Under the Stars of Druufon Read online

  “Excuse me,” said Rhodan and bowed slightly to the sphere. “I'm happy to meet you, Harno. You know the reasons...”

  I know them, came the silent answer before Rhodan could finish speaking. You need help against the Druufs—as you call them. The mental communication suddenly ceased. Slowly the sphere raised into the air from Everson's hand and floated in front of Bell's face. It remained hanging there while Bell stared at it with large round eyes. What is a ventriloquist? was the question in all minds.

  They all looked at Bell, whose hair stood stiffly on end like red bristles. Rhodan's rather short and stocky number two man became terribly embarrassed when he noticed everyone staring at him.

  Rhodan came to his aid. “You must excuse him, Harno: he didn't mean to be offensive. He thinks one of us is acting as a telepathic ventriloquist—in other words, he doesn't quite believe in you. He'll change his mind in time.”

  The sphere drew back and floated up to the ceiling. It seemed to suddenly change its color and become noticeably larger until it reached a diameter of half a meter. Now it shone in tones of white.

  And then, on the cloudy surface of the sphere, a color picture appeared.

  At first the image could not be clearly made out, then it was as though someone adjusted the focus of a television set. The picture grew sharper and more distinct.

  Bell cried out and pointed at the sphere. “No...! It isn't possible!”

  They all saw it. There was no real reason to be so excited, for there were many people who had droll Venusian badgers as housepets. They were easily tamed, scrupulously clean and obeyed every word.

  The badger lay on a sofa and slept. Around its neck it wore a red collar with gold lettering. The name could be plainly read.

  “That's Wutzi!” exclaimed Bell, completely unnerved. “Good lord! How can Wutzi show up half life-size on that ball up there? Yes, of course it's Wutzi! I certainly know my own room in Terrania...”

  No one said anything. Only gradually did the meaning of what they saw penetrate their consciousness. Up on the floating sphere could be seen something that was taking place at that same moment 6,562 light-years away. Harno, the mysterious spherical being, had responded to Bell's challenge and demonstrated his ability.

  “Well?” came a squeaky voice with an undertone of malicious joy at Bell's embarrassment. “What do you to say to that, Fatty?”

  It was Pucky the mouse-beaver. Grinning, he displayed his single incisor tooth, which showed that he was in a good mood. He usually was when his bosom friend Reggie had in one way or another come to grief.

  Rhodan looked up at the ceiling. “That's enough, Harno. I think now that our friend Mr. Bell believes you are who you say you are. Now I'd like to talk with you.”

  The image on the sphere disappeared as it sank slowly from the ceiling to rest close to Rhodan. The sphere remained in its large size and did not shrink any. It was still as white and as dully shining as any of the vidscreens on the wall.

  I could show you the end of the universe just as well, came the usual thought impulses. There need only be someone here who is thinking of it intensely. The subject was abruptly changed. Thank you, Rhodan, for not forgetting me. If I am capable of many things which are riddles to you and seem to be all powerful in your eyes, I too am limited by and am subject to the laws of nature. Together, perhaps we can overcome them. Or at least those which are not forbidden.

  “Forbidden?” asked Rhodan, suddenly believing he could feel the icy breath of a cold wind blowing through the room. “Forbidden—by whom?”

  He was not any more surprised when he did not receive an answer.

  The silence was interrupted all of a sudden by Atlan. “Harno, haven't we met before?”

  I know you, Admiral of the old Arkonides, was the telepathic answer. The last time I saw you, however, your uniform was authentic.

  Taken aback, Atlan looked down at his colorful admiral's uniform, which had been manufactured in a Terran workshop as an exact duplicate of the old Arkonidean costume. He chose not to ask any further questions.

  Pucky was still grinning. He seemed to he enjoying himself immensely.

  Rhodan's voice was serious when he said: “I think we are all introduced, now. You know why I sent for you. I need your help and advice in the struggle against the Druufs. Are you familiar with them?”

  I know of them, Rhodan. They don't look like you do, although the resemblance was greater a million years ago. At that time, their time-plane was separated from ours and it was difficult to encounter them. In the past few thousand years, the overlappings have constituted a great danger which, however, will not endure for much longer. By that time, the respective rates of time will have synchronized; but that alone will not alleviate the mutual penetration of the two planes. It is as if two vast star-clusters are in the process of side-swiping but each will soon go off in its own direction. Some of the individual stars will collide but then peace will return and each cluster will remain undamaged by the other. Do you understand my thought image, Rhodan?

  “Our scientists have pictured it in a similar manner,” said Rhodan slowly. “In any event, we were not aware that the danger is lessening.”

  It is—seen from a relative viewpoint. Why do you wish to attack the Druufs?

  Rhodan hesitated. “They're forcing their way into our universe and trying to use the overlapping zones to their own advantage. Whether intentionally or not, they have depopulated entire worlds. They endanger our existence.”

  I promised Harnahan that I would help you if you should ever be in need of help, Terran. I will keep my promise. Your second opponent is the Robot Brain on Arkon. The struggle against the Brain is substantially more important than the one against the Druufs. Two mighty interstellar empires can be united only when the Brain is put out of action.

  “You're getting a little ahead of things,” said Rhodan reproachfully. “First the Druufs—then we'll see what has to be done. In any event, you've given us a sample of your ability, Harno. May we then count on you serving us as a television eye? I'm asking no more than that.”

  The sphere changed its color again and became black.

  I am Harno, the televisor.

  Then the incomprehensible being was silent.

  Rhodan knew, however, that he could depend on Harno.

  “Half an hour ago, I mentioned a plan to Bell that I would soon like to put into action,” he began, looking at the mutants. Colonel Everson and Atlan turned their attention to him; they had understood that it was best to ignore Harno for the time being. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. That's an old saying that's still good today. The Regent of Arkon is our old enemy. The Druufs are warring against it. Therefore, we shall ally ourselves with the Druufs.”

  Col. Everson's mouth popped open as though he wanted to ask something but he nevertheless said nothing. Atlan smiled knowingly. Even John Marshall, leader and best telepath of the Mutant Corps, did not understand. Rhodan had shielded his thoughts.

  “Not really, of course—it'll only appear that way,” Rhodan explained, deciding not to keep his men on tenterhooks any longer. “There will soon be an opportunity to demonstrate our friendship to them. Then, while we're treating with the Druufs, we'll also be strengthening and reinforcing our base in their system. The 13th planet of their system—called Hades by us—is in a favorable position. A mountain was hollowed out and outfitted with a transmission and receiving station for a teleporter device, among other things; teleportation is of course how the base gets its supplies.

  “Col. Everson! See to it that the Drusus, Kublai Khan and light special cruiser California are made ready for takeoff. Further instructions will be forthcoming shortly. John Marshall and the mutants will accompany me along with Atlan, Bell and...”

  “...And Pucky!” piped up the mouse-beaver.

  “...And Harno!” Rhodan continued, unruffled. Only then did he turn to the mouse-beaver. “Aren't you one of the mutants, too?”

  Pucky grinned, please
d, not seeming to be at all offended. “I had almost forgotten that people keep mistakenly thinking of me as a human,” he remarked by way of an excuse. “Sounds like we've got the whole gang going on this one. It's gonna be lots of fun!”

  “I wouldn't be quite so optimistic,” said Rhodan earnestly. “Before us is a mission that is anything but a vacation trip. As the old saying goes, we're on our way to beard the lion in his own den.”

  “Well, so what!” squeaked Pucky depreciatingly and hopped out of the Command Center.

  It was all the same to Pucky, just as long as there was an adventure to be had.

  • • •

  Lt-Col. Sikerman had turned over command of the light special cruiser California again to Marcel Rous, who had been promoted to captain, and once more had taken over the Drusus, which was to be the flagship of the operation. For his part, Col. Everson commanded the Kublai Khan. Rhodan, Atlan, Harno and the mutants were all aboard the Drusus.

  The California, 100 meters in diameter, seemed like a tiny ball next to the two super battleships, each 1,500 meters in diameter, as they raised weightlessly from the ground and soared into the sky.

  On the surface of Myrtha 7 below, the camouflage slid back over the subterranean base of operations. Then there was nothing to be seen but a level expanse of ground and sparse vegetation. Even a suspicious observer would not suspect that one of the largest Terran military bases of all could be hidden away there.

  As the three ships increased their speed, the planet sank perceptibly into the depths of space. Imminent was a spring through hyperspace of more than 22 light-years, yet their spring would not be detected by any structural sensors. Recently all Earth ships had been equipped with the newly-developed wave dampers which swallowed up all disturbances of the space-time continuum caused by a hytrans. Moreover, each ship had at its disposal a matter-transmitter which enabled men and supplies to be sent over great distances as long as an appropriately tuned receiving unit was at the other end.

  Sikerman sat at the controls of the gigantic Drusus, standing with the Kublai Khan and California in constant audio-video communication. Rhodan, Bell and Atlan at the same time were in the control room of the Drusus for they knew the Regent's fleet would quickly notice their appearance in the vicinity of the rent in space.

  Just under the ceiling, small and unobtrusive, floated Harno.

  With John Marshall the mutants had taken up quarters in the small wardroom, where they passed the time playing 3-dimensional chess, In comparison with old-style chess, it was a terribly complicated game. Here the playing field was not a two dimensional square but a cube. Instead of the once common 64 squares there were 512. Each player no longer had just 16 pieces: now he had eight times as many. The cube was held aloft by controlled gravobeams and the pieces were manipulated by remote control.

  Seen for the first time the game would be confusing by virtue of the large number of pieces floating in the transparent cube. Because the addition of more than one playing level increased the game's possible variations, 3-D chess was more than eight times more complicated than old-style chess, seen from a purely mathematical standpoint. It took much knowledge and skill to bring a game to an end within a few hours or days.

  On the other hand, most of the mutants were telepaths. Even when they shielded their thoughts during a game, their opponents almost always found a small breach in their mental defenses and so learned their intentions. However, if anyone thought such brain espionage would make the game easier or even influence it to one's own advantage, he would have been disappointed. The slight help one thereby gained was too insignificant to matter in the face of the game's complexity.

  Pucky had been watching the game for awhile but grew bored. It would be half an hour before the three ships had attained the speed necessary to go into transition

  He waddled out of the wardroom and down the corridor. Then with a short spring he teleported himself into an out–of–the–way part of the ship where he found an unoccupied cabin. He leaped up on the bunk, thinking to treat himself to a little nap in this quiet spot.

  He curled up and closed his eyes. If he did not shield his mind from the thoughts of all the men aboard, he never would get any rest. It hummed like a beehive in his mind. Into his consciousness penetrated every single thought impulse from every intelligent creature aboard— and Pucky was magnanimous enough to count humans as intelligent creatures. It was an unholy confusion. But since each 'transmitter' broadcast only on its own individual frequency, one had only to tune the 'receiver' appropriately to isolate certain impulses and bring them in loud and clear. Pucky decided he was not so tired as he had first thought. He was having fun picking out bits and pieces from the welter of thought impulses around him.

  ...I shouldn't have treated Betty like that and...

  Pucky moaned, shocked. Why did men have to think of nothing but women— even here, more than 6,000 light-years away from Earth? As if there were nothing else to think about!

  He continued to listen, changing the 'frequency'.

  ...they got some great women in Terrania...

  Lord, that was the fat cook of the Drusus. He must be in the middle of a chat with his assistant. And what were they talking about? Of course...

  Pucky sighed and listened some more.

  ...if that floating volleyball will ever be able to help us, then I'm a monkey's uncle...

  Pucky did not moan nor did he sigh. Rather, he sat up straight with a start as if something had bitten him.

  That had been Reggie! Pucky had by chance tuned in to his 'wavelength'. And as usual, Bell was concerned with Harno, of whose ability he did not yet seem very convinced.

  That wasn't right at all, Pucky considered. Hadn't Harno already given red-haired Reggie an astonishing demonstration of his powers? Pucky had to grin when he thought of the stupid expression on Bell's face during the demonstration—poor Reggie couldn't figure out what a picture of his tame badger-pig, Wutzi, was doing on Harno's outer surface.

  And now he still had his doubts!

  Pucky suddenly stopped grinning. He leaned back against the wall, concentrating intensively. Harno! Can you hear me? Please answer if you do. Harno! This is Pucky...

  He had not really expected so quick a reply, so he was all the more surprised when a powerful thought impulse interrupted him.

  Yes, Pucky—I hear and see you. Why do you close your eyes when you speak with me?

  The mouse-beaver sat up straight again and looked around in shocked amazement. But he was still alone in the cabin. No sign of the sphere.

  When I close my eyes, it's easier for me to make telepathicontact. You don't have any eyes, Harno, so perhaps you can't understand. How do you see without eyes, anyway?

  Harno laughed. The incomprehensible being really could laugh, even though one only 'sensed' the laughter in his own consciousness.

  There are many creatures who see without eyes, speak without mouths and hear without ears. The universe is full of wonders when one knows where to look. I like you, Pucky. Where do you come from?

  Pucky swallowed self-consciously. “I like you, too,” he said aloud and full of feeling. “Can we be friends, Harno?”

  Certainly, Pucky. Are we not already?

  “Can you come here to me?”

  Unfortunately, I cannot teleport myself. Solid matter is a hindrance I cannot penetrate without causing a disturbance. You can come get me.

  “I'm on my way,” Pucky announced, somehow glad that Harno could not do everything. He slid down from the bunk, concentrated and sprang.

  To his sorrow, he scared no one with his sudden appearance in the control room. Bell looked up and grinned.

  “Ever think of going on foot like a normal person?” he said.

  Pucky grinned happily back. “Firstly, I'm not a person, and secondly I don't see how it concerns monkeys' ankles anyway.”

  Bell's lower jaw sank, giving his face an enormously comic aspect. “What did you say?” he demanded, shocked.

/>   Pucky did not pay him any further attention. Instead he turned to look up at the ceiling where the sphere was floating, small and motionless as before.

  “Aren't I right, Harno? Shouldn't we call Fatty over there Uncle Monkey from now on? Didn't he say he was a monkey's uncle himself?”

  “This beast is a mental peeping Tom!” Bell cried angrily. “You can't even think around here without being spied on...!”

  Rhodan looked away from the vidscreen, looked past the discreetly smiling Atlan and raised his index finger threateningly. “Be quiet now! Transition in 20 minutes! Don't you have anything better to do than arguing?”

  Pucky pointed at Bell. “He started it! Next time he shouldn't make bets like that telepathically—not even with himself!”

  Bell's face resembled an overripe tomato that seemed on the verge of bursting. He gasped for air, yet could not get out any words. Had he not such a temper, his spats with Pucky would not have affected him so violently; but when he began to get wound up...

  “Let's go, Harno,” twittered the mouse-beaver sweetly, stretching out his paw. The sphere sank from the ceiling into the tiny hand. “I hope you won't be affected by the dematerialization.”

  I am curious about that myself, came the answer that all could perceive. Spring!

  “See you later!” said Pucky, concentrating. “So long, Uncle Munkle!” Then he teleported.

  The last they saw of the mouse-beaver was a happily shining incisor tooth.

  • • •

  The hypertransition ran smoothly and without complication.

  As the universe and stars became visible once more, the radar scopes automatically began to scan nearby space. Operating on the basis of the

  hypercom, they functioned faster than light.

  The results came through.

  “Sizable formation of fleet vessels ahead, 25 degrees to the right. Flying diagonally away from us. No danger of collision. Hole in space 0.2 light-hours ahead. Scattered individual ships ahead moving in various direction. They should be visible on the vidscreen now.”