Action Division Three Read online

  Richard stepped back, not knowing why he suddenly felt proud of his accomplishment. Perhaps it was because of Dynah's presence here. At any rate he waved a hand toward the opening and looked at her as though to say: this I have found for you. Go in and have a look!

  It was thus that Dynah made the discovery that was actually to his own credit. Hesitating slightly, and reaching her hand back as if she wanted him to hold it, she stepped into the opening in order to peer around the receded panel of stone. Richard saw her bend forward so that she could see what was inside.

  As she seemed to stand there motionlessly, he asked himself what she could be looking at so long. He finally took hold of her hand and was about to pull her back when she suddenly turned to him. In the light coming from the interior he saw that her face was flushed with excitement.

  "Down there!" she blurted out. "Dick-that glass...!"

  8/ CRACK IN THE WALL

  Relay 14 to Ghama Station: Terra advises raw material only is of interest. Plenty of finished product samples on hand. The top order is to proceed with caution. Over...

  Ghama Station to Relay 14: Thanks for advice. So far not possible to proceed. Over and out...

  • • •

  Ron Landry would have preferred very much to send another kind of answer but the intergalactic hyper-communications channels were not intended for the mere transmission of emotions.

  When Larry Randall got to see the dispatch he laughed bitterly. "They don't have any idea of how things look down here," he declared.

  "How could they?" muttered Ron. "If I ever get hold of this Silligan character he'll learn a thing or two! I've seldom seen anybody pull such a crazy stunt as he did."

  Larry shrugged. "I don't know. In his place I'd probably have done the same thing."

  Ron turned slowly and irritably. "That's just it," he grumbled. "Everybody thinks he has to be his own hero. He ought to know that Terra never leaves its people in the lurch-so far, not in a single instance."

  Larry looked at him in wonderment. "Hey now, that sounds pretty solemn, like scout's honor and cross my heart! But I still don't know if I'd bet on it if the chips were down."

  Ron made an impatient gesture. "It's one of the keystones of our politics. For the least solitary Terran caught in a space emergency, if necessary an entire rescue expedition would be sent out. That's Perry Rhodan's personal policy. He thinks that's the only way to make the Springers keep their hands off our ships-or anybody else who might be against us. Rhodan's serious about it and I think the whole idea is excellent. It makes any such situation quite simple: if you get into a bind somewhere, just don't do anything more than you have to, to stay alive. You just wait and rest assured that at some time or another a Terran ship is going to show up to get you out of the jam."

  Larry nodded but was still disconcerted. "You know you're pretty convinced of all that."

  "Completely."

  Larry thought about it for awhile and then shrugged. "Well, OK-but a man has to get used to such a setup. So far, Terrans have always had a habit of taking care of themselves directly, to the best of their ability. I can't condemn Silligan for his actions."

  Ron stood at the window with a glass in his hand. "Frankly, I can't either," he admitted. "But that big hero move may cost him his life... as well as that of the girl he took along with him. I can't leave Warren Teller and his men swimming around down there for the rest of eternity. Sooner or later they'll have to attack. And if by that time Silligan and the girl haven't shown up it may be L.S.T. (curtains) for them."

  Larry pondered this for a moment. "Alboolal is also down there, isn't he?" he asked. Ron nodded. "Yes. According to the description, it must be him."

  "Well, what's to be done with him?"

  Ron shrugged. "Teller's been instructed to keep an eye out for him," he answered. "If Silligan and the girl still show up in time there'll be no room for Alboolal and he can lie in the bed he's made for himself. And even if the other two can't be found, Teller and his crew are going to have their hands full just getting the rest of the prisoners out of there when the city starts to break up. So there'll be no time to go chasing after Alboolal."

  "But you can find out before that where he's hiding, can't you?"

  "Only if he's in our line of vision. The whole city isn't under glass, you know."

  "Well, the same would go for the prisoners. If Teller can't see where they are he won't be able to rescue them."

  Ron smiled. "Quite right. That's why, when Teller gets a clear signal to make his thrust, hell only wait until he catches sight of the main group of prisoners.

  • • •

  Richard's first impression when he looked beyond the stone slab was one of blinding brightness and terrible heat. But then his eyes began to get accustomed to the brilliance and he could make out a few details. He was looking down into a vast chamber and could now see that the light and heat were being generated by a sluggish stream of molten material that emerged from an opening in the wall and was apparently pouring into a carefully engineered circular basin in the foreground. There it apparently cooled down and lost its brilliance. And finally the stream came to a kind of water-filled trough, into which it flowed with a loud hissing and boiling. Richard couldn't quite make out whether it was really a trough down there. He had an impression that the Ghamese had bored a hole in the side wall and permitted a small quantity of sea water to enter. But that part wasn't important. Of prime importance was the fact that the hot-glowing mass of molten fluid was going through an amazing process. Although it only cooled down to a dull red color in the water, when it came out on the near side of the trough it was no longer molten but merely emerged in a plastic state and pushed out onto the dry floor. At that point it gradually broke into pieces which then ceased to move. The whole effect made it seem as if the strange mass of material had some kind of life of its own.

  Moreover the pieces that had cooled down were glassy and transparent-in fact they became increasingly transparent in proportion to their proximity to Richard's point of observation. It was amazing to see how indistinct the outlines of the individual pieces were which were closest to his position. In fact, finally he was not sure whether some of them could be seen at all. Richard was convinced that there were probably more pieces somewhere in the foreground that were completely invisible.

  He was sure that Dynah was right. They had chanced upon the secret production workroom where the famous Ghamese glass was made. It was the same glass they used to protect their city from the sea, so transparent that outsiders could not detect the presence of it.

  A couple of Ghamese natives were running about down below, apparently oblivious to the heat. They monitored the process of the molten flow through the water trough. Beyond that it seemed that they had nothing to watch out for. What emerged on this side of the trough was finished, perfect glass.

  Richard started counting. Down below were 11 Ghamese natives, altogether. From his position he couldn't quite see the entire room. It could be that more of the natives might be in the vicinity, which would of course be a disadvantage. It was bad enough to have to face the 11 fishmen that he could see. He had no weapons and although they didn't either, this made little difference since they were numerically superior.

  He subjected the place to a critical inspection. Beyond the stone slab the way led downward rather steeply while at the same time expanding outwards and with a rising ceiling. It opened outward into the chamber something like the large end of a funnel. The chamber itself was empty except for the 11 Ghamese, the trough in the ground and the molten flow of the glass. There was no possibility of finding concealment anywhere.

  But in spite of this they had to go down there. There was only one way to gain freedom and that was to capture one of the Ghamese and force him to tell them where they could find a submarine lock and a boat. In Richard's mind a plan was forming. It was simple because it was born of necessity rather than strategy. He had no time for protracted thinking just now and besides the p
lan seemed to offer a reasonable chance of success.

  He stepped back and looked at Dynah. Even as he was searching for words to say, however, she anticipated him.

  "Don't try to give me the news that I'm to stay here and watch, Dick. I'm going with you!"

  He tried to tell her, anyway. That is, he was about to but she still cut him off.

  She pointed around the slab into the chamber. "Now we're going to go down there together and if anybody gives us trouble he'll catch it from us-OK?"

  • • •

  Ron Landry looked at his watch.

  As if that meant anything, thought Larry dejectedly. They've disappeared and will never show up again-unless their corpses float to the surface.

  Ron extracted the compact micro-transceiver from his pocket and flipped it on. "Barsch to Forelle," he said while calmly using the code names. "Come in, Forelle."

  There was a small period of waiting until the usual crackling was heard in the receiver and then a very distant-sounding voice answered: "Forelle to Barsch. I can hear you."

  "What's the story an Silligan and the girl?"

  "Haven't the foggiest, Barsch. No sign of them yet."

  "And the others?"

  "Not visible at the moment. But I know where they're hiding."

  "Good! Now listen carefully, Forelle. You may attack as soon as you see fit. We can't hold off any longer because of Silligan and the girl. That gives you room for two more. Watch out for the Springer and bring him along if you can."

  "Roger! I'll attack as soon as possible and bring the Springer with us."

  "Good. That is all..."

  • • •

  Warren Teller observed his surroundings thin one of the giant eyes. At first he had been forced to grin at the idea of making such practical use of these eyes; in other words, actually using them for what they were normally intended: vision.

  But by now his grin had faded. He knew that if he were to make the attack according to orders he would be depriving two humans of their last chance of rescue, as long as any possibility remained of their survival. Teller had second thoughts about the principles behind Terran politics. Actually there was nothing basically wrong with waiting until Silligan and the girl could show up somewhere. That way all five of the castaways could be rescued all at one time and nobody would be hurt by the action except for the bearded Springer. Because the Ghamese were accustomed to the water. If their city should crumble to pieces around them they would be able to get to safety by merely swimming away.

  But no-it was not permitted to wait that long. Operation Ghama had to be accelerated. It was necessary to prevent the Springers from getting a firm foothold on Ghama and to provide that on the other hand the Terran representation here would become more solidly established. And all this must be accomplished without causing the natives to become stirred up or uneasy. They would have to know as little as possible about the procedures and events involved.

  Necessarily, to fulfill such a requirement, certain sacrifices would have to be made-even if it meant two human beings. Warren Teller had no doubts at all that the people who had set up these ground rules knew what they were about. It was clear to him, therefore, that something of paramount importance was involved in this operation, some kind of advancement which could not simply be bypassed for the sake of a lieutenant and a girl.

  Nonetheless he was sorry for the two of them, wherever they might be, and although he could have attacked at once because he knew precisely where the other prisoners were located, he still waited until the latter could be spotted again.

  He had turned on the infra-red indicator and the interior of the city took visible form on his receiver screen. He could see the Ghamese waddling around in that strange plaza-like chamber and he could also make out the five native guards standing in front of the door where the prisoners were being held. At the moment the bearded Springer was in there with the Earthmen because he probably was trying to get information from them. He could also see the 20 or 25 Ghamese who stood on guard around another door, armed with clubs and similar implements. It was the door thin which Silligan and the girl had disappeared. The fishmen were obviously waiting for the two to return thin this exit again but they had also most likely posted guards at a number of other places.

  Teller asked himself what would happen when he and his four companions attacked the city. Certainly it would fill the Ghamese with such terror that not even a command from the Springer would be able to keep them from seeking salvation in flight.

  Teller was interrupted in the midst of such thoughts by a movement on the viewscreen. The five sentinels in front of the prisoners' cell suddenly stepped aside as the door opened and four figures emerged. The attention of all the Ghamese in the plaza turned to these four. Principally by the size of the physique, Teller could make out which one was the bearded Springer. According to the Carolina's passenger list, the three Terrans were: Lyn Trenton, an Earth-liaison official on Arkon; Ez Rykher, an Oregon farmer who had won a trip to Arkon in a contest; and Tony Laughlin, crew member of the Carolina.

  Warren could identify them clearly although at present he was more than a kilometer removed from them, in fact one km down in the depths of the sea where his dark surroundings could hardly be reached by the light of day.

  He knew that this was the moment that his orders were meant for. Now he was compelled to attack!

  He picked up his microphone and issued orders for a forward thrust.

  • • •

  For some unknown reason, Ez Rykher was the first one to see the giant fish. The attention of the Ghamese was concentrated completely on the small assemblage consisting of the Springer, the five guards and three prisoners who were just now crossing the plaza chamber. The Springer named Alboolal had threatened to transfer the prisoners into the darkest dungeon hole in Guluch if they didn't tell him of their own accord the things he wanted to know. He was particularly keen on getting information with regard to a certain new kind of translight spacedrive he had heard about. It was apparently something that had been developed in Terran shipyards during the past few years. Nobody could tell him anything about it. Of course Lyn Trenton and Ez Rykher knew nothing about the secret at all. Tony Laughlin had naturally heard about it but he was unable to go into any of the details because he knew very little and understood even less about them.

  Alboolal had taken their reticence to be a ruse and he was now proceeding to make good his threat. The prisoners were about to be transferred to a deeper part of the city.

  Ez Rykher was just pondering over their dismal prospects when he spotted the fish monster. He came to a stop, causing Lyn Trenton to bump into him, and this in turn brought the latter's attention to what was out there. He looked through the glass wall of the plaza and also espied the beast.

  "Glord!" he exclaimed.

  The guards behind them noted that two of the prisoners had come to a stop, so they tried to prod them forward. It was purely curiosity that caused them to turn and also behold what lurked beyond the glass.

  "Li-i-idi-o-o-ok...!" came their wild, lilting cry.

  The whole place was alerted. All of the Ghamese whirled around to look. Nobody paid any more attention to the prisoners. Ez Rykher was still rooted to the spot as he stared at the beast and now he noticed suddenly that four more of the monsters came shooting from the right and left to take up a position beyond the large window.

  An instinctive panic spread thin the ranks of the Ghamese. With a clamorous yelling and shrieking they fled to the exits of the plaza and even the guards forgot their duties. They gave the Springer one last fearful glance and then they too began to run. At the exits a hopeless confusion developed.

  The Springer had grasped the situation immediately. He had also come to a stop but he aimed his energy weapon at the prisoners. "Don't any of you get the idea that this is a chance for a break," he warned them menacingly. "Get going now! Those Lidioks don't mean a thing to us!"

  But the Lidioks appeared to be of another
opinion. In unison they thrust forward toward the glass wall and rammed against it with incredible force. Under the impact the heavy glass surface produced a tone as of a mighty bell that tolled in the deeps of the sea. The whole city trembled under the shock. The cries of the Ghamese who were crowding the exits cut off abruptly for a few seconds, only to break out more clamorously and more panicked than before.

  The Springer moved faster, appearing now not to be quite so sure of himself.

  The five Lidioks turned around to withdraw some distance from the glass but then they turned back and made a new concerted attack. Ez Rykher remained where he was even though Alboolal threatened him with his weapon. Forgetting to breathe, he watched the second attack. A shock ran through him as the monsters came thundering against the glass. He breathed again in relief when they swam away again. But then he noticed the big crack in the glass wall that ran sharply downward from ceiling to floor. Water was shooting in at various places, sending sharp, hissing streams far into the plaza.

  The Springer began to run. He didn't care any more about his prisoners. All of a sudden new spacedrives and other secrets mattered far less to him than his life, because that was now what it had come to.

  The Lidioks assembled for a third attack.

  This time they'll make it through, thought Ez Rykher. And behind that wall are 20 atmospheres of pressure!

  9/ JONAH AND THE WHALE

  Ghama Station to Relay 14: Forward operation in process. Silligan and Langmuir apparently lost. Over...

  Relay 14 to Ghama Station: Welfare of Earth takes precedence over private emotions. Over and out...

  • • •

  When this answering dispatch came into Ron Landry's hands he uttered a curse in bitterest anger, even though he had to admit that basically the men on board relay ship 14 were right.