All at once Rhodan"s look became hard as steel. "Lieutenant Puck!" The "y" was omitted from his name and the mousebeaver knew all too well what that meant. Now he could no longer help Marshall. He stiffened slightly and answered: "The contents of the ampoules have a lethal effect on people of the Arkonide race. The Aras don"t know why. They still have not been successful in discovering which agent in the compound causes brain activity to cease functioning. They have discovered, however, that some intelligent animal races up to level C and we Terranians become suggestors as a result!"
"Then if we were fortunate, we might perhaps find an Ara toxin in Mr. Artun"s apartment which turns a human into a hypno after injection. Pucky, if I were you I would have a look in Artun"s apartment."
"OK, boss. I"m to go? Good, I shall vanish!" The last squeak of the mousebeaver was still heard when he had already teleported himself away.
Rhodan was alone again with Marshall. "John," he asked, "do you still think my son has a chance?"
Marshall sensed that now he was not together with the Administrator of the Solar Empire but with the person Rhodan-with Thomas Cardif"s father.
"John, tell me what you thought just now, please!" As he spoke, Rhodan had gotten up and walked over to the chief of his Mutant Corps. "Tell me, John, and don"t consider my feelings. I didn"t try to read your thoughts."
John Marshall was breathing heavily. "Mr. Rhodan..." A pause in which a question flashed through the telepath"s head. How many decades had it been since he had addressed Rhodan as "mister"? He did not answer his own question, however, as it was erased by Rhodan"s request, "Does Thomas Cardif still have a chance to liberate himself from those disastrous entanglements? If Perry Rhodan were not his father, I would say "Yes!"
"But Marshall, I don"t hate him like he hates me!" Rhodan desperately cried.
"I know that, sir," Marshall hesitantly replied, his voice steady. He did not avoid the steely glance of his boss"s grey eyes. "Perry Rhodan, you have always been hard on yourself. You had to be in order to meet your own standards and you will have to be in the future, otherwise..."
"Otherwise, Marshall...? Say it. You must say it now!" The person Perry Rhodan pleaded and ordered at the same time.
"I will say it, boss. But then I will never speak about Thomas Cardif with you in this way again. Never again."
"You will have to be hard in the future, too. Otherwise you will not be the Perry Rhodan who can show humanity the way. And therein lies the tragedy for you and Thomas Cardif. You both have the highest price to pay."
John Marshall got up. Slowly he turned away. Slowly he went towards the door. He left behind Perry Rhodan, the loneliest person in the Solar Empire.
Quietly the door snapped shut.
3/ MISSION: FLY SWATTER.
c.o.kaze, patriarch of a Springer clan and the only Galactic Trader that Perry Rhodan knew from the days of the New Power had become a politician. Only he did not realize it; he still considered himself a merchant whose entire efforts were directed towards increasing the wealth and economic power of his clan within the Springer race.
c.o.kaze had landed on Archetz, the 5th planet in the Rusuma System, with the greatest secret of the Arkonide Empire. His fleet of more than 1,000 cylindrical ships occupied one-third of the s.p.a.ce harbour of t.i.ton, the capital of the Springer world.
Only 44 light-years from Arkon, this system belonged to the centre of the globular star cl.u.s.ter M-13, the foundation of the Arkonide Empire.
But an enormous rift between Arkonides and Springers had arisen millennia before that: not only did the process of degeneration by the Arkonides progress unceasingly, the schism between them was apparent in the fact that the Springers almost exclusively used the Intercosmo language and were barely still in command of Arkonide. The fact that the Galactic Traders were born in s.p.a.ceships and ended their life there bore further witness to the differences.
They were celestial wanderers, whereas the Arkonides were planet people and had to have ground under their feet.
Still, the Springer world of Archetz was not contradictory to the life habits of the Traders. The planet Archetz, had been the jumping-off place for this dynamic people many thousands of years earlier. And it had never forgotten that they had taken off Archetz, to create an absolute trade monopoly in the Galaxy.
Archetz, an oxygen world resembling Earth with 1.19 gravos of gravitational pull, almost 100 kilometres bigger than the Earth in diameter and illuminated by the yellow Rusuma sun, could almost be compared with the war planet Arkon 3.
There was not one city left on the surface of Archetz. Even t.i.ton, a sea of houses sheltering 12 million people, lay 3,000 meters deep. An amazing network of ultra-modem traffic arteries brought t.i.ton within a half-hour"s reach of any point on the planet.
The surface of this world was one single industrial centre. But even this impression was deceptive, for almost 4/5ths of their heavy industry lay below the surface and the newest factories had just been completed in the 11,000 meter-layer.
Archetz was a world of superlatives and the main base of all ships of the numerous Springer fleets. If it was in any way possible, they returned to Archetz to undergo any necessary repairs.
Whatever Arkon had discovered in s.p.a.ce travel technique in the last 10,000 years soon became the possession of the Springers. They had created their own moral code, finely tailored to their own benefit. By unrelenting action in the worlds of the Galaxy, with no regard for blood or tears, they had increasingly established their power. But the Galactic Traders had one plus on their side which far outweighed their hard, unrelenting drive: intentional or not, they, who had only thought of trade, profit and economic power, had also become the culture bearers. And with their expansion over the Galaxy they had planted the first trace of civilization on newly discovered planets for the Arkonide Empire.
But Archetz was their point of origin; they always returned to Archetz. It provided everything desired by hundreds of thousands of cylindrical s.p.a.ceships and their crews.
This world, on which strangely enough other races seldom landed, was hardly known to peoples other than the Galactic Traders; the mighty industrial potential the planet represented was unknown. The Milky Way was totally oblivious to the financial metropolis of Archetz.
When the topic was money and accounts, the Springers only spoke of the bank. It occurred to no one to say: Bank of the Galactic Traders in t.i.ton on Archetz. There was only one such inst.i.tution; not even Arkon could boast of the likes. But Arkon knew about it, only it never spoke of it because the mighty Arkon itself at the height of its power had secretly feared this financial giant.
Patriarch c.o.kaze, having landed in the c.o.kaz 2 close to the ma.s.sive reception building of the s.p.a.ce harbour, while his clan fleet had set down to the north, entered the bank of the Galactic Traders with his family members and Thomas Cardif.
Silently the group made its way through the large crowd in the lobby. c.o.kaze knew his way around here. He headed for the small antigrav lift which was hardly used by the general public.
Eight Springers and one deserter, an officer of the Solar s.p.a.ce Fleet, were carried downward. They had to wait in a sumptuously furnished room. The bank clerk who had inquired about the wishes of Patriarch c.o.kaze had left with the remark that Atual and Ortece would hardly have time to receive them.
The Springers were still silent and Thomas Cardif, who felt no tension, admired these silent people.
A door in the side wall opened silently. Someone looking typically Springer in a toga-like yellow robe approached c.o.kaze.
"Patriarch?" the Springer queried, slightly bowing his head.
"Atual?" c.o.kaze countered in a questioning tone, repeating the head movement.
"Ortece is expecting us."
c.o.kaze nodded as if he had antic.i.p.ated nothing else. But only the richest clan head among the Galactic Traders could think like that. He followed Atual, turning back after a few steps to look at Thomas Cardif and motion to him. "You stay at my side, Arkonide!"
Atual heard him. Surprised, he tamed around. When greeting them he had only looked at c.o.kaze but now he saw Perry Rhodan next to the Patriarch!
"Why that is Rhodan, Springer!"
The Patriarch laughed uproariously, pushing Thomas Cardif towards Atual.
"He does have something to do with Rhodan, Atual! Here, have a look at Rhodan"s son whose mother was a princess of Arkon!"
Atual, a head taller than the Patriarch, bald-headed, which was a rarity among Springers, sharply examined the Terran. "Rhodan"s son?" he said as his critical gaze fell on c.o.kaze. "I think Ortece and I will not be able to keep our daily schedule today."
"That"s something one never knows with you bank people," c.o.kaze grumbled. Atual, head of the Bank together with Ortece for the past 31 years, did not respond to this insinuation by the Patriarch. A little while later the Springers and Cardif were seated opposite these two powerful men.
"We have heard your dangerous report, too, Patriarch, and we were astonished that you would get involved in that game," Ortece (unlike Atual, of delicate build) reproachfully told the clan chieftain.
"That is why I have come to you," c.o.kaze quickly stated. "Rhodan"s son is sitting next to me. That should give you something to think about. And you know that I have come directly from the Solar System. I cleared it completely before Arkon"s robot craft could cause any difficulty when they suddenly appeared in Rhodan"s power sphere."
"c.o.kaze, you are wasting many words. We have no time for that!" the undistinguished-looking Ortece insisted.
"You will have plenty of time for me soon. I am sure of that, Ortece!" c.o.kaze replied with a slight edge to his voice. "What I just said has surely escaped your attention: I cleared out of Rhodan"s sphere with all of my ships before Arkon"s robot s.p.a.cecraft could give me any trouble! Ortece, the clan of Patriarch c.o.kaze has never voluntarily cleared a world occupied by its ships! But Arkon"s ships that suddenly appeared in the Solar System had Terranians on board as commanders..."
Ortece interrupted once more. "You have spoken better on other occasions, Patriarch! We will have to take our leave soon to negotiate with the committee about a loan to the Gutha world..."
c.o.kaze leaned forward towards Ortece. "You will cancel that. You will stay here with Atual. For a measly few billion do you want to miss the opportunity of letting Springers take the place of Arkonides? The Great Coordinator has no more say. A certain Atlan is ruling the Empire! Who could have aided that unknown usurper in outwitting and eliminating the Great Coordinator? Is the question necessary? The son of that man is sitting right there-Perry Rhodan"s son. With a handful of men Rhodan managed to instate Atlan as ruler over us all." c.o.kaze stopped short and stared at Ortece. "Well?" he curtly prompted.
Ortece fanned out his fingers in boredom. "We are finance men, Patriarch. Any time we enter a negotiation and are expected to provide money, we are presented with doc.u.ments, not pumped full of words. I believe that we have no more to say to each other."
Ice-cold, the clan head answered sarcastically: "I believe it would be most appropriate for you to familiarize yourself with the most recent reports, Ortece!"
That sounded like an ultimatum. Atual started then threw his colleague a meaningful glance.
Ortece remained objective. Calmly he responded: "The news you are referring to is known to us. Is it news to you that the money market reacts instantly to any political shock, c.o.kaze?"
"Is it known to you that the Aras have invited me to join the Council of 10 on Aralon tomorrow? Very well, then. If you as Galactic Traders are not willing to invest in the great trade empire, then I will have to ally myself with the Aras. But now I believe that we have really spoken enough!"
An hour later the Springer group along with Cardif were once again on board the c.o.kaz 2. The Patriarch had uttered no opinion on the fruitless conference in the bank. He was reading the dispatches that had meanwhile arrived, then handing them over to Thomas Cardif. He had realized by now that he could not use this young Terran as a means to an end. This deserter of the Solar s.p.a.ce fleet was not the man to allow himself to be exploited. It had been his suggestion to inform the entire Galaxy over hypercom of the change of government on Arkon after he had comprehended what great opportunities for the Galactic Traders the Patriarch saw in this secret overthrowal.
At first the risk involved seemed too great to c.o.kaze but he could not disregard Cardif"s forceful arguments.
"Broadcast the news on continuous hypercom!" Cardif had fanatically insisted. "Repeat the dispatch over and over again that Atlan is the new ruler of the Great Empire. Hammer away at the Milky Way with it, c.o.kaze! Don"t fly back to Archetz right away. Stay in s.p.a.ce with your fleet and fan the flames from there!
"You will trigger off a s.p.a.ce hurricane and the Galactic Traders will arise against this usurper, Atlan, and sweep him away!
"But don"t wait too long, because you don"t want to possess a mere torso. You want to take the place of the Arkonides and possess the entire celestial empire M-13 in its full breadth! That"s why you must be able to strike when the first colonial races attempt to separate from the Confederation of the Great Empire!
"Atlan will furnish proof that he is the new ruler. He has to do that if he doesn"t want to plunge into destruction with eyes wide open. And, faced with the approaching calamity, he will thus furnish you the proof that he has taken the place of the Great Coordinator. Once he has done that, c.o.kaze, the Galactic Traders will also be Arkon"s ruler!"
c.o.kaze, the richest clan chieftain of the Springers-c.o.kaze, old and experienced, cunning and expert at business, unscrupulous and wily when need be-c.o.kaze was appalled by the demonic hatred of this young Terran.
He could see through him!
c.o.kaze suddenly began to fear Thomas Cardif! The Old Man who had never had any qualms about forcing his will upon newly-discovered worlds populated by intelligent beings, coercing them into signing a trade agreement with his clan-this same man now realized who Thomas Cardif was and he was compelled to realize that there was no turning back for the Galactic Traders.
Thomas Cardif had hitched them all to his wagon in order to destroy his father by means of a revolution in the Arkon Empire!
Horror-stricken, c.o.kaze had asked the young man: "Thomas Cardif, who are you?" And what had he heard? What had he seen? He had heard him laughing and seen him straighten up. He witnessed the proud retort: "I am an Arkonide, Springer!"
At that time-it had all happened only a few days previously-c.o.kaze had shaken his head. "You are no Arkonide! The likes of you has never been an Arkonide! If there were only a thousand of your kind in the Great Empire you would roust us out to the star caves!
"But you are no Terran, either, Cardif! You are playing with worlds, with world empires, in order to... Cardif, you are doing this to destroy Rhodan! For that reason only! I can"t stand to look at you any longer, you monster!"
But then the Patriarch later entered the young man"s cabin on his own initiative, the young man he had called a monster in a moment of deepest distress.
That is Rhodan himself, c.o.kaze thought as he entered and was met by the same penetrating gaze that he had encountered when faced with Rhodan at their last talk in Terrania.
"Well? Is the storm turning into a hurricane by now, Springer?" Cardif casually inquired.
"Not yet. But the Aras have called for the third time and urgently requested my freight s.p.a.ce. That is so unusual that it can only mean that they want to negotiate with me."
Cardif with a mocking smile for the Patriarch said: "c.o.kaze, you won"t earn anything in this deal for the Great Empire if you don"t secure your weak position on all sides. What are your 4000 ships anyway? What does your bank account matter? What good is your knowledge that the positronic computer has been replaced by Atlan? Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing as long as it is simply listed one after the other.
"Capitalize on it!" Get in contact with the most unreliable colonial peoples. Negotiate with everyone about everything but don"t risk your neck in the process. In politics it is very exposed. And don"t forget that directly after the storm the hurricane must follow, otherwise Atlan will withdraw the battle fleet from the Druuf front and you will have the war you don"t need at all!
"After all, you don"t want a burning empire. You want a ripe fruit to pluck and pocket. Springer, you must see to it that the pocket is big enough for the fruit! Have you understood me?"
c.o.kaze had the impression that Cardif had spoken without any forethought. But when he was alone again in his own cabin he realized that there was no discrepancy in Cardif"s suggestions.
c.o.kaze summoned the c.o.kaz 3 and c.o.kaz 4. Both ships moored alongside him. A connection was made which allowed them to board the other ships without requiring s.p.a.cesuits.
The three strong hypercom stations were working continuously. c.o.kaze began to spin his web. He did not notice that he was doing exactly what Cardif had suggested, gathering power-political power!
Meanwhile he was still located deep in s.p.a.ce with his ships and Arkon was over 6,000 light-years away. That, too, had been a suggestion of Cardif"s As the 3rd day ended, the Patriarch had laid his mines everywhere. More than 900 Springer clans stood behind him; the Aras were still urgently demanding the freight s.p.a.ce of his fleet. Through patriarchs of other clans or through trade agencies of the Traders on colonial worlds he had established contact with them.
"Don"t expose yourself that much!" Cardif repeatedly warned and c.o.kaze himself sometimes failed to comprehend why he listened to the young man"s suggestions. He didn"t understand himself but he knew that Rhodan"s son was superior to him in this area.
Now they were sitting together in the big cabin. The gathering storm was clearly taking form!
The hour was drawing ever closer in which Admiral Atlan would have to speak to the Great Empire from Arkon 3 if he did not want to idly stand by and watch the downfall of his enormous celestial realm.
But the Bank of the Galactic Traders on Archetz did not call back. Still c.o.kaze winked cheerfully at Thomas Cardif.
The mines were laid; they only had to be detonated. The Patriarch had the detonator and it was thanks to Cardif that he now had the power which would compel Ortece and Atual to their knees!
New dispatches arrived. Wheat was already separated from chaff. They were only read by c.o.kaze and Cardif. The eldest sons of the Patriarch were mere stand-ins. They did not show how they felt about the role that had been forced upon them but that Thomas Cardif was not their friend was an open secret in the c.o.kaze clan.
One person was unconcerned about it: Perry Rhodan"s son. He knew that he was the stronger but he was clever enough not to flaunt his strength. Time after time he made a point of demonstrating that he was merely the Patriarch"s adviser and all his advice confirmed it. After critical examination it was impossible to ascribe any but unselfish motives to Cardiff.
But he was not Perry Rhodan"s son in vain. And though he did not possess the irreproachable character of his father, he did possess the intuitive know-how to supervise a project from its inception to finale, never forgetting to calculate on unexpected incidents.
He actually acted without reflection; he acted from intuition.
"Springer, shouldn"t we acquaint Atual and Ortece with the new facts? After all, the Aras are the second largest family-nation in the Arkon Empire next to you Springers and the Council of 10 has inquired again in one of the last dispatches when you will arrive on Aralon."
"Isn"t it still too early for that?" c.o.kaze"s eldest son dared to ask, earning a sharp reproach from the Patriarch. A moment later c.o.kaze ordered a connection with the two bank directors.
Many minutes pa.s.sed until Atual"s face appeared on the screen in c.o.kaze"s cabin. The chieftain took no time for any preliminaries. "Atual, I am now speaking in the name of 857 patriarchs, in the name of 126 different shipyards, in the name of heavy industry and weapon production. I am speaking for all the heads of the Mounders. After this I am sending a messenger with the necessary doc.u.ments by which all of the aforementioned are closing their accounts completely. The doc.u.ments will indicate where the funds are to be..."
"As you like, Patriarch," Atual interrupted, unaffected. "We are awaiting the doc.u.ments." He nodded lightly and switched off.
Behind c.o.kaze"s back there was unrest among his sons. No one had reckoned with failure. Springer bankers just seemed to have peculiar natures.
The Patriarch"s gaze faltered. Thomas Cardif was smiling with relish. At that instance he was Perry Rhodan, with the slight discrepancy of his albino-reddish Arkonide eyes.
"Don"t you want to have the doc.u.ments brought to the bank, Springer?" Almost in the same breath he added: "We should inform the Council of 10 on Aralon of our arrival."
But the clan chieftain was not completely adrift in young Cardif"s wake. "We shall let Ortece and Atual wait until evening. Let them think we are just bluffing. They will be all the more willing to drop their reserve and I... I could make some connections in the meanwhile!"
c.o.kaze proved his stature, that he was rightfully the richest Patriarch in the Arkonide Empire. He knew how to conduct negotiations; the ability to endow his words with an air of unequivocal trustworthiness must have been an inborn trait. Time and time again he had instructed his sons that by using tactical lies everything could be lost but riches never gained.