The Earth Dies Read online

  "War is always a mistake," agreed Pucky, "but there are also some mistakes that can avoid war."

  The Mounder stared at him without grasping his meaning. Pucky grinned and showed his incisor tooth. "Get going. We haven't got much time. In 2 minutes I want to see both crews together outside. And tell them, while you're at it, that I'm holding an atomic egg in my hand that will crack its shell 5 seconds after I'm dead—in case anybody gets any bright ideas."

  It only took about a minute. Pucky waited in the lock until the Topides and the Springers were assembled together outside on the plateau. Then he stepped into the open airlock and held the atom bomb high over his head as he shouted to them in a shrill voice. "To make it short, Rhodan has sent me. The assignment: to destroy Topthor's ship. Now!" He showed the bomb to them a second time. "Make yourselves scarce, otherwise you'll go up with it. You have 10 minutes. K'pu?—is that understood?"

  They understood instantly. Members of both races scattered out in all directions. Only an unusually small Mounder held back for a moment. He hardly weighed 900 pounds. Before he disappeared into the underbrush, he called back, "Without the ship we don't have any shelter. Are we supposed to die here or is somebody going to pick us up?"

  Pucky shrugged. "You can try building bomb shelters for yourselves," he advised patronizingly. "By the way, where is Topthor?"

  The Mounder hesitated for a few seconds, then turned and disappeared.

  Pucky watched him go while whistling softly to himself, way off key, as he waited exactly 10 minutes. Then he turned back into the ship and searched for the room in which the navigation computer was located. Having found it, he grinned with his incisor tooth and bowed before the positronic monster. He showed the machine the atom bomb and twittered: "Now, you forgetful old think tank, I've brought you something very special to eat. Do you know why? No? Well now, by all the carrots of the universe, there are many who have died in ignorance—so why not you?"

  Carefully Pucky placed the atom bomb on the control console in front of the robot. He held onto it for a few more seconds—and then took a sudden step backwards.

  The bomb lay where he had left it. The red button had sprung outward.

  Pucky dematerialized and within another second stood on a mountain about 3 miles distant from the 2 wrecked ships.

  "3 seconds more," he murmured and eased himself down on his broad hindquarters. "Now!"

  Behind the leafy roof of the forest rose the glare of the explosion, expanding swiftly to the sky and practically causing the red sun to fade momentarily from view. A mushroom cloud rose somewhat more slowly and then everything was over.

  "That bolt-bucket of a computer has spilled its guts for the last time," growled the mouse-beaver and turned in another direction. "And Topthor's thoughts are a little too noisy. He must be over there." On the horizon, the broad surface of the ocean stretched to meet some low lying clouds to the right on a spit of land. "He's talking with Ber-Ka. Who is Ber-Ka?" Pucky resumed his listening and then came suddenly to life. He sprang to his feet, then remained with his head cocked to one side as though this would permit him to 'hear' better. "Now he's also a murderer? That makes my task a little easier. Alright, let's move, old fellow!"

  By "old fellow," Pucky meant himself.

  The first jump brought him to the coast not far from the place where the shore boats were anchored. Out in the ocean lay the steel island. Pucky sharpened his bearings and knew that Topthor was to be found out there.

  The second jump brought him to the main platform on top of the island.

  From this point on the mouse-beaver did not use teleportation. He concentrated on Topthor's thoughts and determined the proper direction. The Springer must be directly beneath the platform in the Topides' communication central. Ber-Ka was already dead and Cekztel was just now answering Topthor's call.

  There wasn't a second to spare.

  Pucky waddled down a staircase and reached a corridor. 10 short steps brought him to a door which stood ajar and he pushed it open cautiously.

  He looked at Topthor from behind and noted that his attention was fastened upon a viewscreen before him.

  Directly in front of him lay the mortal remains of a Topide.

  "That's a mistake!" Topthor was saying. "A great big mistake! You can save your bomb and..."

  Pucky sent out his telekinetic force currents and gripped with invisible fingers the electronic maze of the radio installation. The picture on the screen went blank. Fuses blew. The power failed. And so did the entire installation.

  "Turn around," said Pucky, "but keep your hands off your weapon."

  He watched carefully to see that Topthor complied with his command...

  5/ A WORLD CONDEMNED

  Al-Khor recognized the fact that the Topides had lost all their ships but he still felt duty-bound to continue to distract the Springers from the 4th planet until the bitter end.

  And so it happened that Cekztel experienced an unpleasant surprise when he approached the alleged Earth in a small fleet of search vessels. Out of the hastily built fortresses of the reptiles arose such a powerful counter-fire that the defense screens of a number of battleships collapsed, offering no further protection against the deadly energy beams that rose to meet them.

  Cekztel looked on horrified as almost half of his search fleet was destroyed in the course of a few seconds. He considered himself foolish in so grossly underestimating the strength of the Terranians.

  Added to this was the fact that precisely in this delicate moment Rhodan's spherical cruisers appeared and caused further confusion, resulting in the loss of 3 more Springer vessels.

  The 3rd planet had turned into a fire-spouting inferno.

  The way it appeared—at least these were the thought processes of the Springer patriarch—the Terranians had evidently developed their home world into a subterranean fortress. This might at last be the answer to a puzzle that had caused Cekztel such a headache. He had always been of the opinion that any civilized planet had its own particular facade or card of identity and that was the appearance of its surface. The surface of Terra consisted of a wild, primeval landscape that did not demonstrate the slightest sign of any civilizing process. Did the Terranians live inside their world? Any previous doubts he may have had that he was not dealing with an actual Terra were swept aside by the demonstration of this powerful counterattack.

  His commands hammered into the control centers of the remaining vessels: "Retreat! Retreat! Rendezvous at BK-59hf. Just get out of this place!"

  With an incredible velocity the cylindrical ships of the Springers hurtled out into space and left behind on the jungle planet a group of surviving Topides who breathed a deep sigh of relief.

  • • •

  Cekztel stared at the empty viewscreen and waited for Topthor to come on again but the receiver remained silent. The Mounder failed to reestablish contact.

  The patriarch's ancient brow was furrowed in puzzlement. In a new mood of uncertainty he turned to one of his officers. "What is Topthor trying to tell us?" he said wonderingly. "That Rhodan has pulled the wool over our eyes, that he has played a trick on us? Let somebody explain that to me! Aren't we just about at the point of mopping up this Rhodan once and for all? Haven't we destroyed his fleet and the fleet of his allies? Admittedly Terra is putting up a bitter defense and has no intention of surrendering but where does that get it? The Arkon bomb is going to add another sun to this system! And even if that doesn't serve to wipe out Rhodan, what can he do without a home planet? He can't just live forever in his ship. And if he tries to land on one of our worlds, we'll still eliminate him."

  The officer nodded slowly. "I'd feel better if I knew that Rhodan was dead."

  "That makes 2 of us!" blustered Cekztel, who was angered by these new doubts that plagued his mind. "Believe me, I share the same sentiments with you! But I'll be satisfied first when Terra is destroyed. Terra is the seedbed and breeding ground of this upstart who refuses to recognize our trade cartels and ou
r hard-won commercial monopolies. Look at how the Topides have become our enemies. They were at least halfway neutral until Rhodan succeeded in bringing them over to his side. After we destroy Terra we're going to have a very serious word or 2 with the dictator of those lizards!"

  "Maybe he was forced to take this step?"

  "That may be but we're not sure of it," retorted Cekztel. He narrowed his eyes as he looked once more at the dark viewscreen. "We should take care of Topthor. See that one of our ships picks him up. In the meantime I'll make all necessary preparations for the destruction of Terra."

  The officer acknowledged the order and went into the communications central. There he made contact with a certain Bernda, a somewhat more slender type of Springer patriarch who led a clan known as the 'Seed Merchants.'

  As the trader's crafty face appeared on the viewscreen, the officer announced: "You have an order from Cekztel, Bernda. He wants you to take a trip to the 4th planet to pick up Topthor and his crew. He has made a forced landing there. Apparently his radio gear is knocked out but you'll be able to find him. The planet is entirely uninhabited."

  "Topthor of all people!" groaned Bernda with a pained expression. "He's the one who ruined my business once, when I..."

  "That is of no interest either to Cekztel or myself," interrupted the officer. "You have received the assignment to fetch Topthor. It's important because Topthor has information for us. I hope that you place the welfare of our people above your personal differences, Bernda..."

  "Don't worry about it," answered the thin one. "I know what I have to do. When am I supposed to start?"

  "Immediately! And don't let it startle you if in the meantime you see the 3rd planet turn into a sun."

  "Terra?"

  "Yes, Terra!" replied the officer and he disappeared from Bernda's viewscreen.

  The seed merchant stared a few moments at the empty screen. Then he sighed and shouted his orders. The crew hurried to their stations and prepared for the assigned rescue mission.

  The BERN I was a comparatively small ship, having a torpedo-shaped hull about 250 feet in length. It was not heavily armed but was extremely manoeuvrable. Cekztel could not have selected a better ship than Bernda's for this task. Owing to its business of collecting seeds, herbs and animal-product sources of vitamins, its specialty was to scour the surfaces of unknown planets for signs of vegetation and animal life. This professional activity forced Bernda to use a small, manoeuvrable ship.

  "Accelerate to approximate light speed!"

  After coming about, the BERN I hurtled outward into space and quickly left the Springer fleet behind it. Once they encountered the drifting wreckage of a destroyed ship but no one paid it any attention.

  After the proper manoeuvres and a hypertransition, the 4th planet finally showed up so large on the forward viewscreen that it filled the raster. Bernda had no intention whatsoever of allowing his duty to get in the way of his professional interests.

  When he noted the presence of so much water, he was disappointed. The major portion of the planet was covered with it, which was not very promising. But perhaps on the continent itself he might discover some new life forms that would give a boost to his business. Of course if he were to stumble upon Topthor right off, he'd have to forget about any profitable sojourn here. But Topthor had time. His absence would neither delay nor accelerate the course of things.

  The BERN I more or less pancaked down through the atmosphere and then swept along over the ocean within a few feet of the surface. Isolated islands heralded the nearness of the continent, which soon appeared above the horizon.

  Bernda extended the observation cupola and forced himself into the narrow seat, which would hardly have accommodated Pucky's broad beam. From here he had an unobstructed view in all directions, particularly below him. The auxiliary helm here enabled him to control all movements of the ship from the cupola. A direct connection with the radio room also assured him of continuous contact with the crew, or if need be with any possible escort ships.

  Bernda dedicated himself entirely to his own purposes. With specialized expertise he observed the tall trees of the primeval forests and estimated their value. Trees were always in demand on verdureless worlds and commanded relatively good prices. Especially when it came to such good shade producers as these. Under no circumstances would he miss the opportunity to collect some sprigs and seeds here.

  But still, maybe it would be better to look first for Topthor...

  He chided himself for the thought—but then, considering that he was to be paid some actual cash for this campaign, he was supposed to attend to a modicum of duties. If only he was to rescue somebody other than Topthor...!

  Inadvertently he elevated his gaze and was arrested by a hovering cloud formation that struck him as having a strangely familiar shape. A gentle wind had altered the mushroom formation somewhat, which in the meantime had gained a considerable altitude, but its typical umbrella and the vertical pillar beneath it left no doubt as to its nature.

  Up ahead there somewhere on the continent, an atomic explosion had occurred, and not too long ago.

  Bernda's curiosity was aroused.

  He increased his velocity and arrived above the razed plateau in less than 5 minutes. A large, cone-shaped cavity in the earth gave testimony to the magnitude of the catastrophe that had taken place. The edges of the broad, circular hole reflected a hot, glassy shimmer. Here and there he could see the flicker of small fires in the thick, tropical forest, but they were hindered from spreading due to the smothering effect of the underbrush.

  Bernda had no intention of landing. Why should he expose himself to unnecessary danger? If Topthor had been here, he was now most certainly a dead man.

  But who had set off the explosion—and why?

  Naturally the answer to such questions wasn't immediately forthcoming but perhaps time would tell.

  Bernda turned the ship and glided slowly toward the nearby ocean. For the moment he had dropped the subject of seeds and sprigs and was now racking his brain to try to figure what it was that the atom bomb was supposed to have destroyed.

  He found the answer sooner than he expected.

  He detected a movement below on a rocky plateau. He lowered his altitude immediately and was able to make out a tall, erect figure—green and glistening, with a long, scaly tail.

  A Topide!

  What was one of the reptiles doing here? Bernda dropped closer and was about to order the raygun crews to destroy this enemy when he was suddenly shocked by a new development.

  He saw a second figure. A Mounder. He emerged from behind a boulder and remained standing close to the Topide. Both of them stared upward and signaled to him.

  As though they'd been waiting for this, other Mounders and Topides now made an appearance. They carried on as though a state of war had never existed between them. It was all beyond Bernda's comprehension but he was smart enough not to follow through with his command to the gun positions.

  He landed within less than 600 feet from the weird group and made ready to set foot on the alien world. Understandably he didn't trust this peaceful arrangement out there and he shoved 2 hand-beamers into the belt of his uniform. He also ordered 2 of his officers to accompany him. They, too, were heavily armed.

  The 3 Springers came to a halt at about 20 yards from the airlock of the BERN I and awaited the approach of the strangers.

  "What do you make of it?" whispered Bernda. The officer on his right shook his head doubtfully.

  "Maybe they've crashed here and have postponed the fighting." He did not realize how close his supposition came to the truth. "Why should they stand around and kill each other when they're all together like that? Well, we'll soon know."

  The other officer grumbled nervously. "Nevertheless, they're violating battle orders." His hand was on his gun. "The Topides have been recognized as Rhodan's allies and should be treated accordingly."

  "Let's see it out," warned Bernda softly. He gazed silently at the 2 Moun
ders who approached, accompanied by 2 Topides. He noted that they were unarmed. The remaining Springers and reptiles remained behind by the large rock.

  The delegation came to a stop within 10 yards of Bernda and his 2 men. One of the Mounders forced a smile.

  "That's what I call fast rescue work," he said for openers and he reached out as though to shake hands across the intervening distance. "We were starting to figure we'd have to spend the rest of our lives here. Did you find Topthor and Ber-Ka?"

  "Ber-Ka? Who is he?"

  The Mounder pointed to his reptilian companions. "The Topide commander of the ship we shot down. Unfortunately, the Top 2 was damaged enough in the action to be unable to take off again. We and the reptiles made a truce because further fighting was pointless."

  "I'm sure that Cekztel will be most pleased by this arbitrary conduct of Topthor's," insinuated Bernda somewhat gloatingly. "Where is Topthor, actually?"

  "He and Ber-Ka went off to try to locate the radio station. It's supposed to be somewhere on the coast. On a synthetic island."

  "A synthetic island?"

  The Mounders shook his head stubbornly. "It's useless to explain it to you without giving you a complete story. Give us food and water and then you'll find out everything you need to know."

  But Bernda was far too curious now to accept this proposal. "Answer another question first. Several miles from here we found an atom bomb crater. What happened there and what was destroyed and by whom?"

  "It was Rhodan," the Mounder informed him. "At least we recognized one of his closest aides, a strange creature with brown fur and a short, wide tail. It appeared out of the air, then threw a small atom bomb and disappeared again."

  "And you came out of that alive?"

  "We were given a warning and had 10 minutes to get to safety."

  "And nobody made any attempt to stop this remarkable creature from destroying the ship? I must say that our fleet has something other than heroes in it. And the Topides have nothing to their credit either."