The Micro-Techs Page 6

  Kulman had the impression that Drog tried his best to keep the Swoon Markas from getting in a word. "Why does Arkon occupy a peaceful world like Swoon and seal it off?"

  "I'm sorry but I'm not at liberty to reveal the reasons. Don't let me keep you from your work. I assume that you're very busy."

  Pucky remained still but there was a spark of satisfaction in his brown eyes.

  "Oh, it's not that important." The Springer bellowed a laugh as if the idea that he was busy was very amusing. "A break can never hurt."

  Markas pushed his way past Drog in an effort to attract attention. He began to speak loudly into the translator which transmitted his communication clearly. "I'm Markas, the scientist in charge of this department. I wish to ask a few questions and would be very much obliged if you could answer them. It has something to do with... "

  Pucky suddenly interrupted him in a shrill voice: "We're not here to answer questions, Swoon."

  Kulman and Sengu were vexed and stared in amazement at the mouse-beaver. Why did he suddenly break into the conversation and why shouldn't the Swoon ask questions? However they remained silent when they caught a glance from Pucky that told them not to interfere. "We're hunting a criminal and your affairs are of no concern to us. Perhaps you'll be kind enough to show us the way to the elevators?"

  Markas was visibly disappointed whereas Drog was so elated that he had trouble hiding his satisfaction. His face beamed as he cast a triumphant look at Markas, which conveyed the idea: Now you can see for yourself how arrogant these imperial emissaries are!

  "As you wish," Markas replied through the translator. He was not only disappointed but also felt deeply insulted. The strangers lacked all due respect and were not worthy of his decent treatment. "If you care to follow me," he added.

  Drog shrugged his shoulders and remarked: "I hope you'll be lucky and find the culprit, whoever he is. You don't mind if I go back?"

  "By all means," Kulman consented. It slowly dawned on him what Pucky had intended with his interruption. The mouse-beaver must have learned something important which he didn't want to discuss in the presence of the Springer. "You may leave."

  Drog walked away. He stooped down and entered the door of the building across the street. His fears were allayed. The Arkonide investigators were too haughty to pay attention to some little Swoon. Markas had been given have to stay much longer on his weird planet which was he would not bring up the subject of the compensator-detector again.

  Markas had already gone ahead to show the visitors to the elevators. "I don't know when the elevators to the surface will be back in operation again but in the meantime you're guests of our city. Waff will take care of you." He seemed to have no further inclination to waste his valuable time on the strangers. "I believe there's nothing left for us to discuss further."

  "I'm afraid you're wrong," Kulman demurred. "I'm sure that our colleague here"—he pointed at Pucky—"would like to ask you a few questions. Right, Pucky?"

  The mouse-beaver nodded and looked around. "Where can we talk without being disturbed, Markas?" He bent down and picked up the Swoon. "You'll have to forgive my bad behavior but I had reasons for being impolite to you in the presence of the Springer. I want to explain it to you."

  "Who are you?" Markas inquired. "You're not a humanoid."

  "Of course not. Even the blind can see that," Pucky chuckled. He pointed to the station with its numerous tunnels. "How about in there?"

  They ducked into the tunnel and after walking a few meters Kulman asked: "What are you up to, Pucky? You don't want to walk all the way to Gorla, or do you?"

  "Do I look like a hiker?" the mouse-beaver taunted him. "I think we'll go up for a breath of fresh air. We're through down here. Markas is our man. He's the Swoon who is responsible for the compensator-detector project. I think he's going to tell us all about it."

  Waff and Markas stared at each other, utterly perplexed. Pucky's words had been duly translated by the machine. Finally Markas stammered: "How do you know... how could you... ?"

  "I'm a telepath," Pucky enlightened him. "Now let's see how we get to the surface."

  In contrast to the teleportation down into an unknown depth the jump to the surface was child's play. In less than two minutes the two men, Pucky and the two Swoons were back in the desert again in the light of the setting sun.

  As they took their bearings, the transceiver on Sengu's wrist began to buzz. The sound fluctuated up and down three times, a sign that the message was very urgent.

  4/ STOLEN PLANS

  The interstellar cargo ship Ramo 7 was skippered by the Arkonide Alban of the Ozol clan. He had traveled these more or less familiar routes already several decades in a cylindrical ship which had been built by the Springers. He was engaged in trade with Arkon and now was on his way to the Swaft system where he intended to pick up some urgently needed micro-electronic parts.

  Alban had not yet visited Swoofon but he knew the strange planet and its odd inhabitants from the Arkonide catalog and the descriptions of Springers who had been there. He was looking forward to his first visit.

  The more unpleasant was his surprise when he was stopped by a spherical spaceship the moment he emerged from a hyperspace transition. Of course he was quite familiar with that type of ship since the Guppies were built like Arkonide models and were units of the Arkonide Spacefleet.

  At first Alban simply refused to pay attention to the command which he considered to be inane. After all he flew under the flag of the Imperium and nobody had the right to challenge him. But when a pale streak of energy crossed his bow, he changed his mind very quickly and slowed his momentum enough to let the Guppy tie up alongside. Forthwith a boarding party stormed aboard the Ramo 7 and demanded to see the Commander.

  Alban awaited the 'pirates', as he called them, in his Command Center. He made a point of putting a raygun in the belt of his uniform, which increased his confidence.

  For a moment he was baffled when he recognized two Springers and an Arkonide who were shown by his men into the Command Center. He felt frustrated by his failure to understand what was going on.

  "What's your purpose in the Swaft system?" the Arkonide questioned in a harsh voice. "Which is your home port?"

  Alban struggled to maintain his self-control. "I'm Alban, Commander of the Ramo 7. My homeport is Arkon 2. Who gives you the right to stop me? Who are you?"

  "We ask the questions, Alban, and you answer them! You'll not be allowed to land on Swoofon. Our action must not be disturbed by anyone. Swoofon is under blockade and nobody is permitted to leave or land on the planet."

  "And how do you justify your action, may I ask?"

  "We're acting on orders of the Regent's representative and can't give you any reasons. Our fleet has been dispatched by Arkon."

  Alban shook his head uncomprehendingly. "I don't get it. I've come directly from Arkon myself where I've been given instructions to exchange my cargo with merchandise from the Swoons. The deal was set a long time ago. And now you forbid me to land. Something is rotten in Karzakjon."

  The two Springers and the Arkonide had the same feeling but they were careful not to show it. The orders of the Regent could not be questioned. "We're in no position to make decisions, Alban. We must ask you to comply with our instructions and to turn back if you wish, you may wait outside the Swaft system."

  "I don't have time for that," Alban stubbornly shook his head. "I'll return at once to Arkon and request an audience with the Regent. I'm going to find out why an important contract like mine can be invalidated without notice. May I ask you to leave my ship?"

  He waited patiently while the three men disembarked. Then he changed his course and performed a transition shortly afterwards. He was so irate that he was prepared to disregard all his misgivings and he was determined to challenge the gigantic brain of the Imperium's Regent for some explanation. He had no intention of pussyfooting with the positronicon.

  • • •

  Time and space relative to d
istance were concepts which had been long ago relegated to the past. five hours after Alban had been intercepted near Swoofon, the Arkonide was already in the reception hall of the Regent of Arkon.

  And before another hour elapsed, the mechanical voice of the hyperradio receiver aboard the Drusus asked to speak to Rhodan. The radio officer on duty contacted the Command Center by intercom and notified the Second Officer since Sikerman was off. Rhodan was not present in the Command Center either because he used the lull to catch some sleep. The short night of Swoofon was ending and a new day dawned in the east.

  When the telecom buzzed Rhodan sensed that he faced a decision. He had expected this critical time to come sooner and he was glad that it was postponed long enough so he could get some rest. "Rhodan speaking. What is it, Maj. van Aafen?"

  "The radio room has received a hyperradio call from Arkon, sir. Do you wish to take it in your cabin?"

  "I'll be over right away, Major. Notify Bell and Khrest in the meantime that I expect them both in the radio room. Tell them to get there as soon as possible."

  He put on his uniform in a great hurry, walked out onto the corridor and took the nearest antigravitor to the circular corridor, entering the radio room 20 seconds later.

  Rhodan walked to the picture screen of the hyper-communication set, which showed the image of the Regent, a tremendous metallic sphere with antennas and screen panels, all anchored in the ground. It was impossible to guess the true size of the huge installation.

  "Tell the operator I'm ready," Rhodan said to the radio officer.

  "Go ahead, sir!"

  Rhodan stepped before the camera to make sure that the Regent could see him too. "You wish to speak to me, Regent?"

  "You've deceived me by asking me to send a battleship as reinforcement for an attack on a peaceful stellar system. I was under the misapprehension that you were engaged in an action against our common invisible enemy from another time-plane. Instead you're interfering with our trade in a tranquil sector. You failed to explain satisfactorily why you request my assistance although your own battlefleet is more than adequate to cope with far more serious situations without my help. I must therefore conclude that you're trying to involve me in something for which you don't want to take responsibility yourself."

  "We've made an agreement, Regent," Rhodan replied calmly. He was glad to see Khrest and Bell enter the radio room at this moment since he preferred to have witnesses present during his negotiations with the robot Brain. "The agreement states that you unconditionally put all your forces at my disposal upon my request. You've merely acted in accordance with the stipulations of our agreement by assigning Talamon's battleship to me but now you imply that I've violated our treaty. How am I to understand this?"

  "You understand it very well, Terranian. Our treaty is restricted to our fight against the invisible ones. It doesn't give you any authority to intervene in the internal affairs of Arkon, which is exactly what you've done."

  Rhodan was disturbed by a suspicious feeling. Why was the robot Brain so anxious that he be kept out of Swoofon? Was it possible that the Regent knew something about the compensator-detector which would enable him to discover the position of Earth despite Rhodan's efforts to keep it secret? Perhaps the Automaton itself had given orders to build this potent device.

  "Our mutual contract was not limited to the invisible enemy, Regent. It was conceived to encompass the entire field of our collaboration. If it is broken in any one of its parts, it becomes invalid in every respect."

  "I don't agree with your opinion, Rhodan. I suggest that we both comply with the terms of our agreement, which was intended to cover only our relations with the invisible foe. I urge you to withdraw from Swoofon and to quit your heavy-handed transgressions against our legal and vital trade. I'll order Talamon to return immediately to Arkon. The Invisible Ones can launch an attack any time and we must be prepared to repulse them. You're aware of the dreadful danger which threatens our Galaxy. Another time-plane wants to impose itself on ours and the various dimensions have already intersected in many places. The Invisible Ones exist in another time. They live much slower relative to us. Nevertheless they constitute an enormous danger and if we don't succeed in defeating them, our very existence will come to an end. Have you forgotten all this, Earthling? Your home world, wherever it is, is periled as much as the rest of us."

  "I'm well aware of the mortal menace we both face, Regent," Rhodan replied coolly, casting reassuring glances at Khrest and Bell. "We've begun to develop a weapon against the Invisible Ones and we believe that we'll be able to penetrate into their zone and to establish contact with them. We've not been idle and I'd not have undertaken our action on Swoofon unless I considered it to be absolutely necessary. Now what is your decision?"

  "You already know my decision. Talamon returns to Arkon and you must leave the Swaft system as well."

  Rhodan nodded slowly. "Very well but first I have to take care of a private matter. As soon as this is done, Swoofon will be made accessible again to all ships and I'll report to you again, Regent. At any rate we've reason to believe that another foray by our enemies will soon take place but I hope it'll be their last one."

  "Private matter?"

  "You heard me," Rhodan said, waving at his radio officer. The connection was abruptly cut off and the picture of the Regent disappeared from the screen.

  Bell clucked his tongue and said: "Aren't you a little rough on the Regent?"

  "With the Regent?" Rhodan asked in amazement. "Since when do you feel sorry for the robot Brain? I remember a time when... "

  "That was long ago but now I find the Regent to be quite conciliatory. After all, his prestige has already suffered badly."

  "Bell is right," Khrest joined the debate. "It could be to our disadvantage some day when the Regent loses his patience and repudiates our agreement."

  Rhodan laughed mirthfully. "But Khrest! You must be joking! It was the Regent who was so anxious to conclude the agreement with us. He's not likely to back out of it now—not as long as the invisible menace from the other time-plane is around. At any rate, now I'm wise to his double-crossing intentions. He wants to find out the position of Terra and uses every trick in the book. I believe his best trick is—Swoofon. Well, let him have his way! He can build his compensator-detector there, for all I care."

  "Aren't you going to destroy the blueprints, Perry?" Bell cried in disbelief after he recovered from his surprise.

  Rhodan shook his head. "No. They'd just draw up new ones sooner or later. You can't stop progress: we all agree on that. Besides a new fact enters the picture. I'm convinced that the Regent was in on the deal and we'll just have to outsmart him together with the Springers and the Swoons. Come with me, Khrest. I've got to ask you a few questions. Reggie; meanwhile you get in touch with Pucky. I want him to return at once with Sengu and Kulman whether they got any positive results or not."

  "Aye, aye, sir!" Bell saluted in an exaggerated fashion and turned to the radio technician as Rhodan and Khrest walked to the Command Center.

  Ten minutes later Pucky materialized in the Drusus with two little Swoons and disappeared again immediately without an explanation to return with Kulman and Sengu. Then he announced triumphantly: "Lt. Puck, mutants Sengu and Kulman, reporting back from their mission, with two defectors from the enemy, Engineer Waff and Chief scientist Markas, director of Project Compensator-Detector."

  Pucky stood on his hind legs before Rhodan, Bell, Khrest and the officers of the Drusus. The two Swoons planted themselves left and right of him like ripe cucumbers, grinning all over their funny faces. They looked indeed as if they were growing out of the metal floor of the Command Center, waiting to be harvested.

  Pucky was startled when he suddenly heard the men break out in hilarious laughter. However he was relieved that it didn't sound mean. It was full of happy abandon. Naturally Bell laughed the loudest and longest.

  • • •

  Markas related his story and the picture began t
o take final shape.

  As was his custom, Khrest sat silently in a corner of the room. Atlan, whose timeless eyes reflected a pensive mood, was next to him. Pucky reclined on the couch with his eyes half-closed and the little Swoon Waff nestled in his arm, watching the meeting with the greatest interest.

  Rhodan, Bell, Marshall and Kulman sat around the table on which Markas stood beside the translator box and answered all questions with alacrity. Although he failed to understand everything that was going on around him and had no knowledge of the underlying facts which so deeply troubled Rhodan, he gave them all the information he had. "... and so we decided to enlarge the vacant part of the big vault in order to use it later on for the production of the detectors. The construction of the factory is going on full blast at present and as soon as the first experimental model has been tested, we'll be ready to proceed with mass production."

  "Where exactly is the area located? I've got a map here of Swoofon's surface." Rhodan showed Markas the map. "This is Swatran, your biggest city. Can you show it to me on this map?"

  The Swoon looked hesitantly at the map. "I hardly know the surface because I spend most of my time underground where I was born. Let me see now, I can orient myself by the subterranean railway lines shown on this map. You said that Kulman obtained the desired information on his trip at this spot?" His tiny arm with the ultra-sensitive fingers moved across the map. "This must be Gorla and here is the rail link to my city. About there"—his arm slid way up north—"the future plant for the detector is situated."

  "Where do you keep the blueprints for the device?" Rhodan asked.

  "In my office, locked up in a safe. Only Drog and I have the key. There are really two keys. He's got one and I've got the other. It takes both to open the safe."

  "You don't trust each other, which is not uncommon." Rhodan pondered awhile. "Do you think it'd be possible to let me have the blueprints for a short time?"