The Secret of the Time Vault Read online

  Kekeler was the chief of the war-loving Sichas who lived in the mountains of Ferrol and had always gone all out for the unity of the planet. Despite his age and his seemingly grouchy behavior, he was very devoted to Rhodan and would've sacrificed his life to help him rout out the lizards.

  "The enemy's getting nervous," Kekeler said calmly. "The actions of our resistance groups have already caused two of the Topidian military bases to be vacated. Since then they've been occupied by the official military forces of the Ferrons. The achievement's great. The news trickles through to us only slowly, so I'm not able to give a long and detailed report, but I know that the days of the enemy on Ferrol are numbered."

  Rhodan nodded approvingly, then looked at Bell, who was waiting impatiently for his chance to speak.

  "And how about the mutant corps, Bell?"

  "They're driving the lizards crazy!" The words fairly burst out of him and he looked around triumphantly. "They're shooting at each other! - making life difficult for each other, don't get along with each other anymore! I'm planning a show that'll finally finish them off. It'll be beamed directly to Topid via TV so that the Despot can participate in it in person. Such an interesting TV play he's never seen before!"

  "I wouldn't doubt that," Rhodan agreed. "But you mustn't exaggerate, under any circumstances. We'll discuss further details tomorrow. All the mutants will be at your disposal then. Your actions must be impressive but must give no dues as to their origin - that's very important. I'd like to mislead the Topides.

  "I'm returning to Rofus now. Bell, you'll accompany me. Kekeler, you make all preparations for tomorrow's action. To confuse the Topides even more, a squadron of my space fighters will arrive here today. They'll keep the surveillance forces of the enemy busy - our opponents mustn't be given any time to think."

  Rhodan and Bell returned to Rofus via matter transmitter. It never ceased to be a strangely macabre experience to enter the wire cage, adjust the instruments and release the mysterious mechanism. Nothing seemed to happen. One simply stepped out again a few seconds later, but in the meantime had passed through many millions of miles in a dematerialized state. The transmission was through a super-ordinate paraspace, a dimension that required five-dimensional thinking in order to understand it. This mental ability the Ferrons didn't possess, therefore-

  Rhodan sighed as once again his reflections led him to this point. Anyway, the Thort had promised him definitely that he'd be able to talk undisturbed with Lossosher, the leading scientist of the Ferrons. The sage old man was a member of the council of ministers and was known as one of the wisest heads of the present generation.

  "It'll depend on our conversation with Lossosher," Rhodan said to Bell, "what course your performance will take tomorrow. However, I'm afraid that the Thort's set certain limits for the scientist. But with the telepath Ishy Matsu present, I'll be able to get brief data. You know, I'm sure, that she's been trained to the extent that she can transmit thought information to nontelepaths. So right while Lossosher's talking to us we'll have the opportunity to know whether he's lying or not. We'll even know what he's thinking in reality at the same time, should he lie to us."

  "Stupid situation," grumbled Bell, as they drove by electricar to the temporary palace of the Thort. "We help these guys and they distrust us."

  "We must try to understand that," Rhodan said in defense of the Ferrons. "What we want to find out from them concerns an age old historical event that survives only in their tradition. It's something that's been handed down through generations and I assume that details are no longer known. But I know that this event which took place thousands of years ago has something to do with the matter transmitters, and must have been both of a pleasant and disagreeable nature at the same time. The Thort will make every effort to keep me from finding out about it in detail - if indeed there are any details at all to find out about."

  "You mean to suggest that somebody once upon a time made a present of the matter transmitter to the Ferrons?"

  Rhodan nodded.

  "That's exactly what I meant to say. And I'd like to know who did it."

  The car came to a halt and the two men got out. Ishy Matsu, the dainty Japanese girl, awaited them as prearranged. And ten minutes later they were already seated opposite Lossosher.

  The old scientist nodded pensively.

  "The great Thort reported to me what it is that you wish to know. I admit it's a delicate subject, but our common fight against the Topides has made us friends and we ought not to have any secrets from each other. The Thort's given me permission to tell everything I know about the origin of the transmitters."

  "Thank you," said Rhodan, and listened inside himself. Ishy communicated with him: He speaks the absolute truth.

  Rhodan continued: "I realize that the Thort expresses great confidence in us with his willingness to cooperate. The transmitter's a puzzle because it demonstrates with its technical execution alone the incredible genius of its constructors. I'd like to know why the present-day Ferrons are no longer capable of building new transmitters. The Thort gave me some plans before my flight to Sol but they were worthless; they merely contain some clues pointing to a certain secret."

  Lossosher replied, "The Ferrons have never been able to build the transmitters by themselves." This news came as no surprise to Rhodan. "It was an alien race, to whom we once were able to render a great service. They made a present to us of a large number of mysterious instruments and included the instructions for building them. But we're supposed to be able to build transmitters only when we've reached the necessary technical and ethical maturity. Therefore the plans themselves are in a vault in the Red Palace on Ferrol, protected by five-dimensional locks and a five-dimensional force screen. It's entirely impossible to penetrate this vault unless one is capable of thinking five-dimensionally and can thus find the keys to it. These are the precautions taken by the race that made this precious gift to the Ferrons. Thus the might of the transmitters can never be misused, for only those can construct them who have the required maturity."

  Ishy, unnoticed by anyone but Rhodan, telepathed to Perry: He is still speaking the absolute truth.

  Wishing certain conjectures confirmed, Rhodan asked without hesitation, "Who were these strangers?"

  Lossosher smiled kindly and his gaze wandered off into the distance. It was as though he wanted to look back thousands of years in order to conjure up once again the events of the past.

  "At that time we didn't have space travel yet and we stood at the very beginning of our history. But we realized we weren't alone in the universe, for we received visitors from outside. First, a gigantic sphere landed here, but the exact story got lost through the ages - today we no longer know what really took place. The encounter was without consequences; the strangers left us again and never returned. That must have occurred between ten and twelve thousand years ago. We surmise that the first visitors from space served as models for some of our gods."

  "Very similar to conditions on our home planet," whispered Bell, but no one paid any attention to him.

  "Then came the second visit," the Ferronian scientist continued. "It differed in several respects from the first. The most important thing probably was that the visitors didn't come of their own free will but made an emergency landing on Ferrol. Through that, as a consequence, came about a contact that probably had never been intended. The ship of the strangers, a gigantic cylinder, smashed to pieces in the mountains of the Sichas and was destroyed by fire, the survivors abandoning it just in time. Almost all of the travelers were saved. Our ancestors, who initially thought them to be the gods who had landed here previously, received them hospitably and later brought them the raw materials they requested to build a mysterious apparatus which would make it possible for them to return to their homeland. You're right, if you guess these to be the matter transmitters. The strangers knew no other way out, for all their radio instruments and other means of communication had been destroyed during the catastrophe. Then, one d
ay, the strangers disappeared."

  "And the transmitters remained behind?"

  "Yes. But earlier, the leader of the unsuccessful expedition enlightened our Thort of that day. They originated from our system and came from a planet beyond Rofus that is orbiting around Vega. It must therefore have been the tenth planet. They were at the beginning of their space era and this was one of their first bigger expeditions. Our ancestors understood very little of technical things but sensed that what was happening would at some future date be of great importance and so they made records that have survived to this day. Hence our exact knowledge of these events."

  The thought crossed Rhodan's mind that the Thort had pretended they knew hardly anything at all today of the events of that time. He must therefore have changed his opinion.

  Ishy reported that Lossosher was still speaking the truth.

  "The leader of the expedition made a gift of the strange instruments to the Thort and also gave him the exact construction plans, which our leader at that time placed in the Red Palace under the precautionary security measures of which I previously told you. Then the strangers from space disappeared and all that remained was the memory and the transmitters."

  The scientist fell silent. Rhodan waited, but when nothing further was volunteered he said: "What do you know today about those strangers that live on the tenth planet? If I'm not mistaken, you can fly there any time you wish. I can't remember your ever mentioning that this planet's inhabited."

  "It's not inhabited, indeed, and according to our explorers, there never has been any life on the tenth planet. It seems the strangers weren't telling us the truth there."

  That was a startling revelation, and Rhodan didn't conceal his disappointment. "Then you're not sure at all that they originated from this system? Very regrettable. I was most eager to meet the builders of these matter transmitters in person. Too bad. Aren't there any clues where they really came from? What did they look like?"

  "Our historical accounts tell nothing about that. Obviously, they must've resembled us or you. And hints ..." Lossosher hesitated for a moment.

  He's deliberating if he's permitted to tell you about this, signaled the Japanese girl.

  Rhodan and Bell were waiting.

  "Well, there is someone, but I'm not sure that he'll want to help you in this matter. During all these years that the aliens had to stay here on our planet, much against their will, not a single one of them died, though there were many among them that looked quite old. When our forefathers wondered about this mysterious longevity, they simply explained, 'to be able to live longer than the sun.'"

  "We have something to go on there." Rhodan nodded, satisfied. "We can judge from that, if nothing else, that they could live to a ripe old age. I wonder, though, why they never visited Ferrol again. They certainly had plenty of opportunity during these thousands of years."

  "I quite agree with you there," replied Lossosher. "I've often wondered about that, but I've never been able to figure it out. There seems to be no logical explanation. Just two possibilities might be considered: either the strangers originated from another system and never returned to the Vega sector, or their race fell victim to some catastrophe. There's a slight clue in our legends. The leader of the expedition is supposed to have said once to our Thort: 'We live longer than the sun, but the sun itself wants to prevent us from doing so.' I don't know how to interpret this remark."

  Bell was about to say something, but he caught Rhodan's warning glance just in time. Bell remained silent.

  Lossosher believes that the strangers emigrated from the tenth planet, came Ishy's mute message.

  Rhodan beamed a thought in her direction: In that case, the explorers should have found remnants of their civilization on the tenth planet, Ishy

  What a puzzling story! Highly developed living beings had existed at some time on the tenth planet and yet not the slightest trace had remained behind. That was most unlikely, for even the smallest nations will leave traces of their presence that can be detected as much as fifty thousand years later. And these aliens, apparently immortals, capable of space travel and five-dimensional thought processes - no, it was impossible that they should've vanished without any trace ...

  But where had they gone to? Where were they now?

  Rhodan rose quickly. "I'm very grateful, Lossosher, for your valuable hints. I know you're just as interested as I to find an answer to all these problems. Therefore I suggest that as soon as we've chased the Topides from this world, you accompany me on a trip to the tenth planet. Both of us together might find some further clues, let's hope."

  "It'll be a great honor for me," the scientist assured him, shaking Rhodan's outstretched hand. "An old dream might come true for me this way." He shook hands with Ishy and Bell, and continued: "According to our exploratory flights to the tenth planet, you shouldn't encounter any difficulties either, particularly since your ships fly so much faster than ours. I don't think the gap between Rofus and the tenth planet will present any special problems there."

  For a moment Rhodan stood there, startled, but he smiled quickly with an air of assurance.

  "Oh, certainly not," he said, and shoved Bell through the door. "Most definitely not, Lossosher ..."

  4/ THE GREATEST MYSTERY OF THE UNIVERSE

  The Topides were preparing everything for the landing of the special envoy ships due to arrive from the home planet. Meanwhile Perry Rhodan made his first serious attempt to steal the plans for the construction of the matter transmitters. He had to obtain these plans to forestall unpleasant future surprises.

  He was accompanied by Tako Kakuta and Ras Tschubai, the teleporters. The secret one-man transmitter transported the three men inside the Red Palace. Wuriu Sengu had made a sketch for them showing the way to the hidden vault. Oddly enough, the Japanese seer had failed to penetrate the walls of the crypt with his eyes. He couldn't see through its walls. For the first time his eyes met an obstacle that couldn't be changed structurally and thus become transparent for his special eyesight.

  But at least Rhodan knew the location of the crypt.

  They had to proceed very cautiously. The palace was bustling with activity. The teleporters executed lightning fast jumps and first scouted out each path to enable Rhodan to make his way unimpeded by any danger. They mostly used secret passages within the thick walls, but more than once they had to cross corridors and wide halls. This wasn't always without risk.

  Finally they reached the lower and less busy zones of the gigantic palace. Then they entered an area that was below the ground.

  Tako Kakuta returned from one of his jumps. "There's a corridor ahead of us that makes a sharp turn and then opens into a large hall. According to Sengu's sketch we should find the vault in the middle of it. I'm afraid you'll get the surprise of your lives."

  Rhodan didn't ask any questions. He followed the Japanese, while the African covered the rear.

  There was no door at the end of the corridor. It suddenly widened to a very large room, a hundred and fifty feet by a hundred and fifty. The ceiling was roughly fifteen feet high.

  They used their searchlights, trying to pierce the dark vault. But the bright light cones met only dark, bare walls. It took a few seconds for Rhodan to establish that the subterranean room was empty. Puzzled, he examined again Sengu's sketch. Both friends looked over his shoulder.

  "That's right - it must be this room. The vault's supposed to be in the middle." Rhodan looked up from the drawing. "I can't find it here. Maybe Sengu made a mistake and there's still another hall a bit lower."

  "I'll have a look," Ras volunteered, and vanished instantaneously. A little while later he reappeared, obviously bewildered. "No, we're directly above solid rocks here. There are no other empty chambers below this level here. The vault we're looking for can't be above us. That means it must be here. But where? Sengu undeniably saw the vault, therefore it cannot have become invisible all of a sudden. After all, it was the only thing that Sengu failed to make invisible, be
cause he couldn't penetrate it with his eyes. That would be a paradox."

  "Maybe," Rhodan began to ponder aloud, staring at the opposite wall. "Maybe just what appears to be a paradox " happens to be the truth when you think in a five-dimensional manner."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "Our seer Sengu is capable of altering the atomic structure of matter in such a way that it becomes transparent for his eyes. With the exception of the vault, which is surrounded by a five-dimensional screen. It remained visible to his eyes. Therefore it must be right here, beyond a doubt. But we can't perceive it. That means, for us, who aren't seers like our friend Sengu, it remains invisible. I bet if Sengu were here with us, standing where I am now, and using his 'normal' eyesight, he couldn't see anything either."

  "I don't understand that," admitted Ras Tschubai.

  "To be frank with you I can't understand it either too well." Rhodan smiled. "Let's walk over to the spot where the vault's supposed to be."

  They advanced a few steps and then ran into the invisible obstacle. Rhodan, who'd walked slowly, hands held out in front of him, didn't seem to be surprised. He just chuckled to himself, as if he hadn't expected anything different.

  "I thought so - A mirror effect that's turned into solid matter. A solidified vision. That's great - but incomprehensible."

  Tako gently stroked the smooth surface of the "nothingness."

  "But there's nothing to be seen. Just like air ..."

  "Sengu's eyes couldn't penetrate this 'nothingness,' and neither can our eyes. We just imagine we can do it, that's all. The mirror effect changes from every visual angle we try to look at it, and that gives the impression that we can see the opposite side of the room. Ras, walk over to the other side of the room, please, then tell me whether you can see us or not. But be sure to steer clear of the vault; make a wide circle around it."

  The black man walked along the wall and stopped when he arrived at a spot directly opposite Rhodan and Tako. Between them was the invisible "nothingness". They couldn't see each other.