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  Bell looked closely at the observation screen. In the background the submarine was clearly visible after emerging from the water. The Antis walked over the rocky bank to the waiting spaceship. They carried many objects which appeared to be personal property of the priests or valuable equipment. Two Antis carried a stretcher.

  "What is that?" Bell inquired.

  Rhobal turned around. When he looked at Bell again his face was irate. "That is Thomas Cardif, Rhodan's son! We would never have believed it possible that a father could mistreat his son so viciously. Look for yourself...!"

  Bell was able to catch only a short glimpse of Cardif's face because he was too quickly carried away. But he clearly recognized the traitor's hated features, soft and devoid of character as he remembered them. The eyes of the invalid patient were firmly closed. They had probably administered a sleeping pill to protect him from the pain of the transport.

  Once again Cardif escaped his well-deserved punishment. But Rhodan's life and health were more important. Cardif would not escape justice forever even if he cheated his fate this time.

  Rhobal stepped in front of the camera again. "Make your arrangements to pick up the impulse trigger before we go into transition. The green button must be depressed to defuse the bomb." He eyed Bell coldly and with undisguised satisfaction. "Goodbye, Terran! If we see each other again I will remember your generosity."

  Without waiting for a reply he turned his camera off but Bell was still able to see him since the long-range cameras of the Ironduke were already trained oil the island. Rhobal left the portable transmitter behind and boarded the vessel of the Springers as the last of the Antis.

  Minutes later it lifted off and soared with blazing speed into the stratosphere toward the waiting cruisers of Terra's warfleet.

  • • •

  Capt. Torsin hesitated no longer when he received the order.

  The entrance to the fortress had been left open by the Antis. Torsin cautiously steered the U-boat into the tunnel until it passed through the waterlock to the basin inside the rock.

  Guided by the beam of their electronic instrument they quickly found the radio room. Rengall knocked at the locked door. When he failed to receive any answer he became worried. He instructed his teammate to call the U-boat which, in turn, contacted the Ironduke.

  Bell, who had continued to watch Rhodan without interruption, informed them: "He must have passed out—he isn't moving. He's sitting with his head resting on the table. Break down the door if you have to!"

  Capt. Torsin passed the information along. Rengall, who had meanwhile inspected the lock, motioned his mate not to use his explosive. "That won't be necessary. This is a magnetic lock. We'll have it open in a jiffy..."

  While talking he manipulated the lock with skilled fingers. It was obviously not the first lock of this kind he had cracked. In his career as a Solar Security agent he had been trained to handle locks of every type extraterrestrial races employed.

  The door suddenly gave way without a sound. Rengall would have tumbled into the room behind it if Lt. Wagner had not caught him.

  Rhodan sat slumped on a stool. Only the fact that his folded arms which supported his head were on the table kept him from sliding to the floor.

  They lost no time taking him back to the submarine.

  The ship of the Springers was met halfway by several of the cruisers and then escorted with the same speed. Complying with their agreement, the impulse trigger was ejected through a hatch and then recovered without difficulty by one of the cruisers. An officer pushed the green button on the metal box and the bomb was defused.

  Without being molested the ship of the Springers went into transition with 250 Baalol priests and the purported Thomas Cardif aboard. The body auras of the Antis were activated just before the manoeuvre, causing the exact starting point and intensity of the transition jump to be veiled. The ship traversed hyperspace, its destination unknown.

  When Bell received the news he finally heaved a sigh of relief but only seconds later a powerful explosion shook the ocean from beneath. A mountain of water gushed to a great height; big boulders were hurtled through the air and a fountain of fire barely missed the Ironduke. The fortress of the Antis had been blown up.

  Bell never knew for certain whether the detonation had been set off too late or it had been their intention to let Rhodan reach safety first. Of course he did not have the slightest inkling that the false Rhodan had rigged the time fuse to go off after he had been led away.

  Fortunately neither a spaceship nor a U-boat had suffered any damage. Bell ordered the submerged units to return to the fleet ringing the planet and then instructed the commander of the cargoship to bring back the U-boats.

  As far as he was concerned, Mission Okul was finished. Little did he know that it had just begun.

  • • •

  Soon after the Ironduke landed, almost at the same spot where the Antis had embarked on the ship of the Springers, the first hyperradio call from a relay ship came in, reporting that the Springers had willingly surrendered the entire stock of Liquitiv stored in their depot upon verification. All requirements of Terra could be met for weeks to come. The threat of revolts was abated although they had gained only a postponement. Bell felt certain that the other depots would not raise any difficulties either.

  10 minutes later the U-35 emerged in the river and tied up at the rocky bank next to the abandoned submarine of the Antis. It was a suitable spot because the primeval forest had not been able to take root on the stony surface.

  • • •

  The preceding hours had been a strain on Thomas Cardif's nervous system such as no other man had ever experienced before. As he felt Rhodan's knowledge flowing into his brain and the personality of his father taking over, he began to realize the enormity of his task. It was not enough to evaluate Rhodan's memory, he would have to act consistent with it. He had to know how Rhodan would behave in certain situations and be ready to emulate him. Since he also took over Rhodan's conscious thoughts together with his memories and knowledge, he would be able to do it automatically as long as he managed to shut out the last vestige of his own mind at the moment of decision. But to keep this last reminder of Thomas Cardif was indispensable unless he were to be completely changed into Perry Rhodan and know nothing about Cardif's plans.

  The Antis had the expertise to leave only just enough of Cardif's own image to enable him to carry out his scheme. At the same time it was also too insignificant to be detected by telepathic or parapsychological probing because it was shrouded and isolated by the content of Perry Rhodan's brain.

  The operation caused Thomas Cardif to go through a coma before he awakened again as Perry Rhodan. Surgeons had slightly altered his face and cut the scar of a wound into his forehead. He was given injections to change the color of his eyes to the perfect shade of grey of Rhodan's. A few small wrinkles contributed to make him an indistinguishable impersonator of Rhodan and the same surgical methods were applied to turn his father into the son.

  However there remained one risk that defied total elimination and Rhobal had expressed it when he accompanied the false Rhodan to the radio room. "We have never performed an experiment like this before, Cardif. Therefore we have no way of knowing how the coexistence of two divergent minds will be affected by an extended duration. Remember that we had to make Rhodan's personality predominant for reasons of security. Although your personal memory is smaller, it is also very vivid. We can only hope that it will remain the dominant factor."

  "Do you mean that I could actually become Perry Rhodan?"

  "It's possible his mind could conquer yours."

  Cardif replied icily, "Then that is a risk I have to take. Did you send the Morse signals?"

  "Yes. The Terrans believe you have escaped and this will make our ruse more creditable to them. Our performance must have been very convincing."

  "You bet it was, Rhobal!"

  The conversation with Bell took place a few minutes later. The co
nditions were negotiated and then implemented while Cardif played the role of the unconscious Rhodan, a job which was more difficult than he had presumed. It was not only necessary to restrain his own thoughts but he had to watch Rhodan as well. In order to avoid mistakes he delved into the memories of Rhodan. It was the simplest way to maintain the façade and to persuade eavesdropping telepaths that it was the real Perry Rhodan.

  The critical point came when the team sent out by the U-boat came to get him and broke down the door to the radio room. He pretended to have fainted. He kept his eyes closed and let his body slump. Then they carried him to the submarine and put him on a bed where he was immediately examined by a physician. When he moaned he was given a sedative injection. He fell asleep but woke up in time to witness the landing of the U-boat at the island.

  He recognized Reginald Bell by his voice but he was considerable more worried by the presence of John Marshall. The telepath was dangerous and Cardif decided to continue faking unconsciousness and leave the thoughts of Rhodan free rein.

  His fate was hanging in the balance when he was wheeled into the medical department of the Ironduke and put on the examination table. He blotted out the residue of his own mind and encapsulated it in the alter ego of Perry Rhodan. Keeping his eyes closed, he tried to relax. He submitted to the check of his brainwaves, cardiogram, blood sample and the analysis of all his organs' functions. What puzzled the experts most, however, was the state of his mind. They consulted in low voices but Cardif understood every word and became aware that his condition provoked serious doubts. He was shaken by a sudden fear that his plot would quickly be doomed to failure due to the pedantic habits of the physicians.

  He remained quiet and listened to the whispered conversation. "...doubtlessly the effect of a tremendous mental shock," somebody he didn't know lectured. "He must have been so severely interrogated in a hypnotic trance that it damaged his brain."

  "Are you trying to say that Rhodan is mentally disturbed?" another voice interjected.

  "No, of course not. It was simply an excessive but temporary shock. We have neither the means nor the specialists on board to prescribe the proper cure. We must see to it that Rhodan will be put at once in the care of a special clinic."

  "Shock? By questioning him under hypnosis?"

  "Precisely!"

  Somebody entered the room. Cardif cautiously peeked through his eyelashes and recognized Bell. However their eyes met and he realized that it was too late to play being unconscious now. He moaned and pretended to wake from a deep sleep.

  "He's coming to!" one of the physicians exclaimed.

  Bell stepped closer. "Perry, can you hear me? Do you recognize me? Nod your head if you can..."

  Cardif nodded, making it look as if it required the last ounce of his strength.

  "He recognized me!" Bell cried with a gasp. "If he recognized me he can't have lost his memory." He bent over Cardif's face and studied it. This was a decisive moment. If a discovery was possible at all, it had to come now. Nobody knew Rhodan better than Reginald Bell, his oldest friend. He knew every pore of the familiar face. "Are you in pain, Perry? Say something, please!"

  Cardif made a weak effort to smile and looked as if he were about to depart from this vale of tears. He played his part to perfection although his deception might not have been quite so successful if both 'Rhodans' could have been seen together. There was no direct comparison.

  "Thank you, Reggie!"

  "That's better," Bell exclaimed happily. "Now you're talking! Who crowned you with that thing on your forehead? Was it that bum Cardif? Well, he was able to take it on the lam this time but mark my words, I'm going to catch up with him and make him pay for his treachery."

  "Yes," Cardif-Rhodan agreed feebly.

  The physicians shunted Bell aside. "The patient needs rest," one of them explained. "It isn't good for him to exert himself too much, sir."

  "Alright, if you think it's best." He turned back to Cardif. "I'll be back later. The best thing you can do now is sleep."

  Cardif tried to raise his head a little. They had undressed him and his uniform was hanging on a hook in the white wall. This was rather convenient for his next act. "Reggie...! Over there!"

  Bell stood still and followed the direction of Cardif's raised hand, pointing to the uniform.

  "What is it? Your uniform? I'll have it cleaned right away, Perry. It doesn't look very neat anymore..."

  Cardif shook his head and twisted his face as if suffering excruciating pain. It was obvious that it was difficult for him to speak but he also seemed to have trouble concentrating his thoughts. "In the tunic... at right..."

  His voice was barely audible but Bell understood what he tried to say so painfully. He walked over to the tunic and began to search its pockets. In the right hand pocket he touched a flexible object which aroused his curiosity. He took it out and saw that it was a narrow plastic strip which was inscribed with letters and formulas in the language of Arkon. Bell did not grasp their meaning but surmised that it must be of special importance. He walked back to Cardif's bed and said: "Take it easy, Perry. Is this what you want?" He held the strip in front of Cardif's eyes. "What is it?"

  This time Cardif spoke the truth. "It's the formula for the antitoxin to... Liquitiv! The Antis were careless enough to talk about it. Cardif had the formula... and I stole it from him." He groaned in pretended pain. "He didn't notice it."

  Cardif had added a lie to the truth. Surrendering the formula to the Terrans was a calculated trick he had thought up and which was designed to gain the confidence of the Earthlings. He figured that he would allay all doubts about his identity—if anyone should harbor them—by presenting the life-saving formula. So far he was apparently not yet tainted by suspicion. He even managed to fool the telepaths. What he thought was buried under the formidable mask of Rhodan. Notwithstanding the fact that the remnant of Cardif's personal character was effectively shielded in his body, he figured it could do no harm to nip any calamitous conjectures in the bud.

  "Antitoxin!" Bell exclaimed in astonishment. "Will it really cure the scourge of Liquitiv?"

  Cardif nodded. Bell put the plastic strip in his own pocket, bent over Cardif and planted a resounding kiss on his bloody forehead. "You really outdid yourself, old boy! I'll say Hi for you to Deringhouse and tell him to get out of here. The sooner we get back to Earth the better it will be for you."

  Bell straightened up and walked to the door. There he paused and admonished the physicians, "Take good care of him, gentlemen! Let him sleep. It's the best medicine for him!"

  Cardif began to breathe easier after Bell had left. He knew that he had just passed the severest test under the eyes of Bell who had taken him for Rhodan without questioning his identity for a single moment. Now he was reasonably safe until the Ironduke returned to Terra. Not much could happen during the flight. They would put him to sleep and watch the normal functioning of his organs, including his brain. But he would not be subjected to a radical treatment before they reached Terrania. Until then Reginald Bell was in command.

  The revolts on Earth ebbed away as Liquitiv became plentiful for the time being. In the meantime the laboratories would work full blast to produce the antidote. Cardif knew they could achieve it because he had handed them the formula. This furnished the most indisputable proof that he was Perry Rhodan and nobody would dare to challenge his credibility.

  Sir John Rengall...? Well, he had been given the task of arresting Thomas Cardif but all he had accomplished was saving Thomas Cardif and believing that he had rescued Perry Rhodan.

  Cardif felt a slight vibration when Deringhouse started up the engines of the Ironduke. The island sank into the ocean of Okul and the planet soon faded away in the sea of stars. Thomas Cardif closed his eyes and smiled.

  "He's getting better," one of the physicians whispered with a sigh of relief. "He'll pull through his ordeal."

  Yes, Cardif mused, he's going to make it. He, Thomas Cardif, was a superb actor who could
fool the most critical audience he had to face.

  • • •

  Even more persuasive was the antidote Cardif-Rhodan had obtained for the suffering Earth.

  In a novel and marvelous collaboration with the Aras, the galactic medical scientists, Terra succeeded in setting up the high capacity production of the antidote in the incredibly short time of 27 days. The Allitiv was fabricated in the form of capsules not only on Terra but also on Aralon and six of their other planets.

  The output of the pharmaceutical plants increased from day to day and the fastest ships of the Great Imperium rushed the Allitiv capsules to the addicted victims of Earth. But for many people the cure came too late.

  Those who had indulged in taking Liquitiv longer than 10 years were beyond help. It was impossible to regenerate their damaged nervous systems. They languished for a long time as pitiful creatures, serving to all others as a handwriting on the wall.

  But the others—the lucky ones—had to pay a horrendous price for their health. The cure was often accompanied by a debilitating fever of the nerves. Although the fever, when it occurred, could usually be controlled in individual cases, whereas the vasomotoric paralysis connected with it often defied the treatment of the best experts of Terra and the Aras. The vasomotor nerves, controlling the opening of the blood vessels and the blood pressure suddenly failed to function without prior warning and nothing could be done to stimulate them again.

  However all those who survived the abominable affliction—and their numbers were in the billions throughout the worlds of the Solar Imperium—did not forget to whom they owed their lives: Perry Rhodan, the most illustrious of all Terrans.

  And the alter ego of Perry Rhodan smiled. An ominous smile.

  SEEDS OF RUIN

  Copyright © 1977

  Ace Books

  by arrangement with Arthur Moewig Verlag