WONDER FLOWER OF UTIK
by
Kurt Mahr


ALMOST IMMORTAL

THE FANTASTIC FACES of the Antis are momentarily transfixed by a
rapture of awe and wonderment but the wonderment swiftly transforms
itself into greed.  There before them, floating in a shell of energy,
are 20 keys to Eternal Life!

Thomas Cardif speaks: Feast your eyes on these cell activators waiting
here for you but you will never get them unless I give the mental
order

AND OF

MY OWN FREE WILL!

WONDERS FLOWER HOUR BY HOUR WITH

KAL AL An Anti who is fantasified into a flower RON LANDRY, LARRY
RANDALL and LOFTY PATTERSON Agents of Division 3 Meech Hannigan A
military robot with the status of sergeant, HE or IT The being from
Wanderer with a weird sense of humour Homunk The Wonder Robot Kazek A
Utikan who wants no part of Terrans for the rest of his life Argagal A
Baalol servant turned traitor Parudal A young priest overpowered by
Division 3 agents Okarol The oldest priest in charge of the Hall of
Protective Thoughts, Temple of Truth Col.  Nike Quinto Chief of the
agents of Division 3 Lt.  Nazdek A barricade officer on Utik

A BAROQUE BOUQUET OF ACTION AND EXCITEMENT

PERRY RHO DAN Peacelord of the Universe

Series and characters created and directed by Karl-Herbert Scheer and
Walter Ernsting.

ACE BOOKS EDITION

Managing Editor: FOR REST J ACKER MAN

WENDAYNE ACKER MAN

Translator in Chief and Series C ordinator

CHARLES VOLPE

Art Director

PAT LOBRUTTO

Editor

Sig Wahrman Stuart J. Byrne Associate Translators

WONDER FLOWER OF UTIK

by Kurt Mahr

A Division of Charter Communications Inc.  1120 Avenue of the Americas
New York, N.Y. 10036

WONDER FLOWER OF UTIK

Copyright 1976 Ace Books

An Ace Book by arrangement with Arthur Moewig Verlag

All Rights Reserved.

Original German Title:

Die Wunderblume von Utik

First Ace Printing: November 1976 Printed in U.S.A

ORDER OF THE ACTION

1/ THE UNKNOWN BRAIN

page *

2/ DANGEROUS OPPONENTS

page *

3/ OBJECTIVE: LIQUITIV

page *

4/ DIE, KAL AL  DIE!

page *

5/ VIOLET FLOWER: VIOLENT HOUR

page *

6/ SHOCKING SURPRISE

page *

7/ SUBTERRANEAN DISCOVERIES

page *

8/ DEATH OF AN ANTI

page *

PRO LOG

THOMAS CARD IF the renegade, has taken Perry Rhodan's place as
Administrator of the Solar Imperium and nobody neither Perry Rhodan's
closest friends nor the mutants suspects that a doppelganger is at the
helm.

Although Cardif's behaviour does not live up to the standards expected
of Perry Rhodan, his strange conduct is presumably explained by the
shock Rhodan's mental health has suffered when he was captured by the
Antis.

Thus Cardif the usurper feels triumphant that nobody has seen through
him and feels he can rule to his heart's content.

The question remains, however, how long can he keep it up, because the
Antis, Cardif's supporters and accomplices, can unmask the false
Administrator any time.

Moreover, IT, the non-corporeal being from the planet Wanderer, has
seen through his shameful game and started the counteraction of which
the first phase is THE WONDER FLOWER OF

UTIK.

1/ THE UNKNOWN BRAIN

This conversation took place on the planet Wanderer.  Talking were the
humanoid Homunk and his master, the collective being that ruled
Wanderer.  Due to that particular concept of time that was shared by
the collective being and Homunk, the conversation consisting only of a
few phrases extended over a longer period in terms of Terra's time.

Homunk: I notice that you are extraordinarily amused, Master.  May I
share your enjoyment?

IT: Of course, it's no secret.

Homunk: Thank you.

IT: It concerns the cell-activator which was recently given to a being
who calls himself Perry Rhodan

* * * *

The first time Kalal heard the roaring laughter was when he alighted
from the walk-belt in the small spaceport.  It was so unusual that
anyone dared to laugh in his presence that he whirled around in
indignation.

Behind him on the grey-white synthetic landing pad stood the towering
Springer spaceship on which he had just arrived and a few members of
the crew who were about to disembark to follow the lone passenger, as
well as a few men of the ground personnel who had come to check the
hydraulic landing struts of the gigantic spaceship.  A deep blue sky
arched above the scene and the white sun of Utik outshone itself with a
heat which, to put it mildly, made the sweat pour from his forehead.

However he could not make out who laughed.  With a shrug of his
shoulders he walked over to the automatic car which was waiting for him
a few meters distant from the footbridge.  He took 2 steps when he
heard another outburst of laughter.  When he spun around again, the
scene looked entirely different.

The Springers who had walked down the stairs behind him suddenly stood
as rigid as pillars of stone and stared at him.  The ground crew had
stopped working and gazed at him in fascination.  Kalal was vexed. What
had happened?  A Servant of Absolute Truth might be a very exciting
sight to the ground personnel but why did the Springers have to stand
there goggle eyed

Kalal heard the laughter for a 3rd time.  But this time he was able to
see that it did not come from those staring at him.  The guffaws came
from another source.  But where?

The men who had been working on the hydraulic supports left their jobs.
Their heretofore serious faces, which had looked slightly bored,
suddenly took on a different expression.  Their eyes shone and their
mouths were open in expectation.  The men had stretched their hands
forward as if they were trying to seize something before it escaped
them.  What amazed Kalal most was that they all looked so much alike.

Furthermore he was the object which they tried to reach with their
hands.  They seemed to chase him like a famished hunter after elusive
game.  Kalal was deeply disturbed.  Using his special gifts he tried to
probe the thoughts of the men to learn why they suddenly behaved so
strangely.  However he tried in vain, either because he was too
confused himself to concentrate enough or something else was there to
hamper his efforts.

Whatever it was, he became frightened when the Springers at the foot of
the escalator began to run after him together with the workers, showing
the same enchanted expressions on their faces.  Utterly flabbergasted
and without the faintest notion of the reason for their weird behaviour
he turned tail and ran to the automatic car.  His garments, colourful
to the point of being gaudy and pompous, were badly suited for quick
motions.  He stumbled and came close to falling.  But, hearing the mob
breathing down his neck, he was spurred to leap forward.  He saved
himself by reaching the open door of the car.  Quickly he locked the
door by pushing the button on the armrest and watched in horror as the
men pursuing him so eagerly and blindly bumped against the vehicle,
staggered back and then pressed their faces against its windows.

To the Temple of Truth!  he shouted in sheer panic.

The automatic pilot, a small positronic box with a microphone on the
instrument panel, responded to his instructions.  The car began to hum
and with a sigh of relief Kalal saw the flat smooth ground of the
spaceport recede beneath him.  The raving crowd was left behind.

He had managed to escape the nightmare at the last moment but had
trouble feeling very happy about it.  Although he was relieved for the
moment, his fear returned unabated.  What had happened?

* * * *

A wave of vibrating energy hit Meech Hannigan on his way to the
cafeteria where he wanted to drink a cup of coffee for appearances
sake.  He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and paid no attention
to the apologies of the 2 men who had bumped into him while absorbed in
conversation.  They walked around him as he tried to determine what
aroused him so much and, since he was trained in such things, he
recognized it very soon.

Strong emanations from an unknown brain!  So strong that Meech had no
trouble receiving them despite the hubbub of hundreds of brains in the
heads of pedestrians who were much closer to him.  He was unable to
understand the emanations because he was not schooled for that but he
immediately concluded that the unknown brain was one of those he had
been sent to track down.

He was puzzled that the energy vibrations had manifested themselves so
suddenly.  He would have expected them to be more indistinct at first,
coming from a great distance, and gradually more pronounced.  Instead
they had sprung with a surprising clarity and suddenness from not too
far away.  Meech contemplated it for a moment.  He concluded that the
owner of the remarkably strong brain had advanced in his direction with
unusual speed.  This meant that he had come in an extremely fast
vehicle such as a spaceship.

Whoever possessed that intense brainpower must have just landed on Utik
in a spaceship, Meech decided, probably in the spaceport of Massennock,
the capital of the planet.  Otherwise Meech could not have picked his
brainwaves.  This made his task very simple.  Meech stood at the curb
and hailed the next automatic car which was empty.  The vehicle stopped
and opened its door.  Meech entered and made his destination known to
the automatic pilot: Central Registry!

As the vehicle swiftly and securely dodged the heavy traffic of the
inner city Meech monitored the emanations of the unknown brain.  He
observed that they had become even stronger a few minutes after he had
first intercepted them.  The thoughts which occupied the brain seemed
far from pleasant.  Its proprietor appeared to be in a state of panic.
Then his reception became weaker from which Meech deduced that the
source was moving farther away from him.

It took Meech seventeen minutes to reach the Central Registry.  He put
a palladium coin into the meter of the car and received some change. 
The door opened again and he stepped out on the sidewalk.  As always,
he counted his change and noted that the fare came to 2.40 Lodik.  This
was cheaper than in Terrania.  The rate of exchange on Utik was about
11 Lodik for a Solar and a similar fare in Terrania would hardly have
paid for a trip from Paschek's on 86th Street to the intersection at
3rd Avenue.

Meech rode up on the escalator to the main entrance of the Registry. He
looked at his feet and noticed that the step on which he stood bent
under his weight.  He knew that this would betray him some day. Perhaps
betray' was not the right word since nobody of Utik was likely to care
much whether Meech was really a member of the race he pretended to
be.

In the lobby of the building was an automatic information device. Meech
inquired where the office to obtain information about arriving
spaceships was located and was directed to the 48th floor.  He used the
antigravitor and took it in stride that the artificial gravitational
field at first let him sink toward the basement before it became
adjusted to his weight and lifted him to his desired floor.

The office to which he had been sent was not yet fully automated. There
were several robot machines which dispensed the information requested
by a visitor as it was available.  Since Meech anticipated that the
information he wanted to obtain was not readily available he formulated
his question in a way that the automatons were unable to respond to
adequately.  This caused the robot door attendant to direct him to the
supervisor of the office.

Meech opened the door he had been shown and entered a small room
furnished in good taste and indicating a preference for modern comfort.
He was rather surprised when he saw the supervisor of the office.  He
faced a young girl who studied him with curiosity and obvious kindness.
Meech responded with a faint smile and a polite greeting.  I'm sorry to
disturb you, he added, but out there, he pointed his thumb over his
shoulder, nobody was able to give me an answer.

The girl tossed back her head and made her blond hair swirl.

That happens more often than I care to admit, she said with a cheerful
laugh.  She spoke in Arkonese like Meech.  Those mechs out there still
have a lot to learn!

She pointed to a chair.  Have a seat she said, pausing a little after
the last word and looked questioningly at Meech.

Hannigan, Meech introduced himself quickly as he sat down.

Hannigan, the girl repeated.  That sounds like the name of a Terran.

That's what it is, Meech replied.  I am from Earth.

Oh how interesting!  Her eyes widened and she leaned forward over her
desk.  You must tell me a little about Terra, Hannigan.  I've never
been there.

Meech noticed that she made no attempt to inquire about the purpose of
his visit.  She was anxious to engage him in a conversation.  It was
not the first time he had experienced similar situations.  Whenever his
job put him in touch with women, they were attracted by the good looks
of his regular features.  At first he enjoyed playing the game and
taking a girl out for the evening.  But sooner or later the moment
inevitably arrived when the girls realized that he was not the man they
had expected and since Meech had learned how deep their disappointment
was he refrained from making more than one date.

Moreover, he was pressed for time and could not afford to dillydally on
his job.  He was forced to play it cool.  I'm sorry to disappoint you,
he said with an apologetic smile.  Although I was born on Terra I was
brought to Utik as a small child and I don't know

Oh, I see, the girl interrupted him, frustrated.  You don't know Terra.
Well, what can I do for you?  43 minutes and 20 seconds ago a spaceship
landed at the spaceport of Massennock, Meech explained tersely.  I
would like to know where it came from and if it brought any passengers
to Utik.

The girl stared at him in amazement.  43 minutes and she murmured.

And 20 seconds, Meech added.

Wait a minute, she said, shaking her head.

Meech watched her push several buttons in a panel on her desk,
selecting the desired information.  He listened to the hum of the
positronic databanks, from which was emitted a printed card.  The girl
took the card and studied it.  Meech noticed that she had a quizzical
look.

You are right, she replied slowly, to the second.

Meech regretted that he had stated the time with such precision.  This
could make him look suspicious.  Which ship is it?  he asked
politely.

Loral #87, the girl replied.  It is a cargo ship but it had one
passenger.

Meech knew that he was not allowed to ask more questions.  She was not
authorized to reveal the names of passengers.  He got up.

A Springer ship, he murmured.  Thank you.

Don't mention it, the girl dismissed with a gesture of her hand and
returned to the work which Meech had interrupted.

Meech felt sorry for her.  It wasn't easy to be a woman on Utik for
evolution had taken a strange course.  The inhabitants of the planet
were descendents of Arkonide immigrants.  Eons had caused the men to
become baldheaded passive specimens whereas the women remained more or
less true to their origin.

Thus Meech could feel pity for this girl but his brain was programmed
to disregard expressions of sympathy when it clearly interfered with
his task.

Outside, Meech stopped an automatic taxi with the intention of
returning to the spaceport, some 30 kilometres out of the city.  After
travelling about only 5 kilometres, his car turned into a street and
came to an abrupt halt.  Hundreds of people milled in the path of the
unmoving vehicle, jostling each other while shouting madly.  Meech was
startled by the spectacle but saw no reason to believe that the
commotion had anything to do with his mission.  Therefore he had no
objections when the automatic pilot turned around and tried its luck in
a different direction.

The car managed to make some headway but after another kilo metre on an
adjacent street the scene was the same.  The autopilot realized the
futility of his efforts and inquired whether the passenger agreed to
continue the trip by air.  However Meech had become suspicious in the
meantime.  He told the pilot to stop and wait, paid his fare, and got
out.

He was quickly engulfed by the crowd that blocked the street.  Excited
men and women started to talk to him simultaneously so that Meech could
only hear part of their words.

Did you hear already ?  a beautiful, exotic plant the fragrance is
exquisite incredible

Meech Hannigan's nature precluded preconceived judgments.  He had no
inclination to laugh just because something appeared to be senseless.
Therefore he listened to the disconnected phrases and used his ability
to combine them in a comprehensible picture.

The disturbance in the streets of Massennock was apparently caused by a
flower that had recently arrived at Utik aboard a spaceship.  The
descriptions of the plant which he received from numerous men and women
did not coincide in all details but they all agreed that it was a
magnificent flower with a wonderful and irresistible scent.  According
to these tales its aroma carried in the air from the spaceport to the
inner city, a distance over 30 kilometres.  Meech classed this
information as most remarkable and unheard of.

What impressed him most was that none of those who spoke to him had
seen this mysterious flower.  They had only sniffed it.  Nonetheless
they were unanimous in describing the colour as violet with a bright
yellow centre in the blossom.  There were only some differences about
the shape of the leaves and the size of the plant.

Meech inquired whether the scent of the flower was still in the air.
Although his question was answered in the negative it was quite obvious
that these people would walk to the end of the world if they became
convinced that the flower could be found there.  He tried to learn as
much as he could and then returned to his taxi, ready to continue his
trip to the spaceport by air.  The aerocar followed a path high above
the excited surging mass of people until it reached its destination
after a few minutes.

It was impossible to find a parking place at the spaceport.  All access
was choked by enormous crowds except where an effective blockade, in
the immediate surroundings of the landing and launching pads for
spaceships, had been set up.  Meech noticed clear signs that the
personnel of the spaceport was also affected by the extraordinary
turmoil.  Before long he could see that the confusion of the frantic
mass of people gave way to some semblance of order and that solid
throngs began to move in one direction toward the east.  Somebody
seemed to have informed them where the miracle flower was to be found.
Meech was also anxious to follow the indicated direction.  He was no
longer too certain that this disturbance of the peace of Massennock had
nothing to do with the purpose of his mission and, methodical as he
was, he decided to get to the bottom of the matter.

He instructed the autopilot to head east.  As they skirted the edge of
the huge landing field he studied the tall cylindrical fuselage of the
Springer ship on which he surmised the individual with the strong
mental aura had arrived.  It showed the name Loral 87 on the tip of the
vessel in an angular version of the Arkonide script.  Meech reflected
that it might be a good idea to pay a visit to the ship as soon as
possible.

A few minutes later he came to a different conclusion.  He noticed that
the emanations of the strange brain became more pronounced again,
indicating that he was getting closer to it.  Although he was wary of
jumping to conclusions he had no reason to consider it a mere accident
that the direction in which the impassioned throngs advanced was the
same in which he approached the mysterious brain.  There had to be a
connection and it didn't take much longer before he could determine the
nature of this connection.

The aerocar passed over the complex of pyramidal, conical and cubical
buildings comprising the Baalol Temple of Massennock.  Meech definitely
perceived that his reception of the other brainwaves grew weaker the
farther he left the temple behind.  He ordered the autopilot to turn
around to the temple and quickly observed that the throbbing masses of
bodies now converged from all sides on the temple complex.  The miracle
flower, the possessed mob believed, must be hidden inside the temple.
At the same time Meech came to the conclusion that the source of the
powerful emanations he perceived was also in the confines of its
walls.

Meech had fulfilled his main task.  He had come to Utik to keep an eye
on the activities of the Baalol sect and report to the chief agent at
Terrania if anything unusual happened in connection with the Baalol
cult.  He regarded the appearance of the miracle flower and the
unusually active brain as significant events which had to be reported
at once and decided to return to his apartment in the city.  He gave
the autopilot his address and flew back to the house.  He took the
antigravitor up to the floor where he lived and carefully closed the
door of his apartment behind him before sending his message to Terrania
on the telecom-transmitter which was incorporated in his body.

Having done so, he began to wait, knowing that he would soon receive an
answer.

* * * *

After Kalal, the High Priest of the Baalol cult, arrived at the Temple
of Truth he was still haunted by infuriating outbursts of laughter
without knowing where it came from.  But gradually a suspicion took
shape in his mind.

One of the lower priests came to inform him that an ominous seething
mass of visitors had surrounded the walls of the temple, demanding to
see the miracle flower.

Kalal did not have the slightest idea what miraculous flower he was
talking about.  But at the same time as he received the message, he
heard the raucous laughter again.  Enraged and frustrated, Kalal was
forced to assume that the persons convulsed by the weird laughter knew
something about the miracle flower that had been kept from him.

* * * *

At this moment a telecom message was sent from Terrania to a certain
agent on Utik with the request to return to Terra with the first
convenient ship.  The message was coded.  Although it contained about
50 words, the impulse signals of the code were transmitted in 132
microseconds.  The receiver of the message did not require the usual
deciphering device to unscramble the message.  He understood its
meaning as it was sent and without conversion.

Half an hour later the robot Meech Hannigan booked a nonstop flight to
Terra at the spaceport of Massennock which was now cleared of the
frenzied crowds that had besieged it earlier.  He signed the ticket
with his proper name: Mitchell Hannigan.  He was called Meech' only
because his vocal chords had a faulty timer which caused the vowel i to
be pronounced long e instead of short i .  This minor speech defect was
then considered an inconspicuous asset in his type of work and it was
therefore decided not to go to the trouble of changing the timer.

2/ DANGEROUS OPPONENTS

IT: The activators are not exactly what the opposing side expected from
them.

Homunk: This means.

IT: This means that they do not accomplish the purpose which activators
are designed to fulfill.

Homunk: Do they achieve anything at all?

IT: Yes, of course !

* * * *

Ron Landry's first thought after landing on Utik was that the old man
could have done better than sending him here.

The same thought had already occurred to him several times during the
preceding 38 hours.  This job simply held no attraction whatsoever for
Ron.  Colonel Quinto had prepared him with the aid of hypnotic machines
for the task that awaited him on Utik.  Although he enjoyed the
privilege of having specialists assigned to his mission, he would have
preferred to be sent somewhere other than Utik, which seemed to be
infested with elusive individuals who commanded incomprehensible ESP
powers.  Moreover, Ron's task had not been succinctly outlined.  He was
supposed to gather information.  This was rather vague and it could
involve him in too many situations from which he might find it
difficult to extricate himself if left to his own resources.

It was small comfort to him that Capt.  Larry Randall and the new agent
Lofty Patterson had already arrived on Utik to assist him in his
investigation.  He simply was not carried away with enthusiasm for his
mission and that was that.

Sgt.  Hannigan knew his way around the city.  He hailed an automated
taxi and took his superior to a hotel in the centre of the city.  Then
Ron Landry sent him out again to collect information about the Baalol
Temple.  Six days had elapsed since the robot sergeant had left Utik
and it was necessary to check the current state of events.

Meech returned an hour later with a stack of newspapers, microfilm
cassettes and newsreels.  The reports revealed that the government
officials of Massennock had become concerned with the strange spectacle
around the Baalol Temple.  None of the observers that were dispatched
had been able to find his way back.  They had questioned the priests of
the temple about the reason for the constant commotion but they seemed
to have no explanation.  The enchanted masses continued to besiege the
gates of the temple, which had to be locked for the first time since
the temple existed.  The priests had the greatest difficulties leaving
the temple by air because the deluded citizens tried to reach the goal
of their desires by air as well.  Only a protective screen, which the
priests had erected around the temple complex, prevented the buildings
from being invaded in a few minutes.

The police of Massennock had been called in to disperse the crowd.  But
instead of following orders they had thrown away their weapons and
joined the siege of the temple.  The surroundings of the temple for a
radius of 25 km resembled a field of fervent pilgrims.  Since all
regular channels of communication of Massennock had broken down, nobody
knew what the insane hubbub was all about.  The result was a state of
helplessness and vacillation.  Rumours had been heard of a miracle
flower hidden in the Temple of Truth but nobody was willing to believe
such gossip.

Ron's hope to use the information for devising a plan was disappointed.
He became resigned to the fact that he had to conduct a personal
investigation on the spot.  After a thorough study of the available
information he lost no more time in starting his inquiry.

* * * *

The authorities of Massennock had at last taken steps to draw a line
one-kilo metre behind the outer fringe of the people in the thrall of
the temple's occupant.  Nobody was allowed to cross the barricades
without a special permit.

Although Ron Landry did not have this permit he expected to encounter
little trouble.  In one of the streets where curious onlookers, stood
around and talked in groups, Meech Hannigan approached the police
cordon.  Five policemen guarded the street crossing, at a distance,
from an incredible mass of people all trying to get into the temple.

Ron and Meech walked past the chattering groups.  One of the policemen
stepped forward from the line of guards and announced in his native
Arkon dialect: You can't go any farther.  The street is blocked.

I can pass, Ron replied tersely.  Where is your superior?

The policeman was awed by Ron's firm attitude.  Lt.  Nazdek!  he called
out in a loud voice so that the officer turned around and looked
questioningly at Ron.

My name is Landry, Ron stated.  Major of the Terranian Fleet.  Here is
my identification!

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small shiny badge.  The
lieutenant had only to glance at it to know who the visitor was.
Everybody in the Galaxy, whether a citizen of the Solar Imperium or
Arkon, was familiar with the purple P-Badge and knew that he was asking
for trouble if he refused to grant its possessor what the P stood for:
Priority.

Of course you may pass, Major, the lieutenant replied with a snappy
salute.

I trust you keep this confidential, Ron smiled.

He motioned to Meech and they crossed the intersection.  Ron turned
left.  The idea of entering the danger zone did not appeal very much to
him.  The high walls of the buildings offered little cover.  From what
Ron was unable to say at the moment.

In contrast to the street on the other side of the intersection, the
windows of the buildings were closed and empty.  The houses appeared to
be deserted.  The general excitement seemed to have lured everybody to
the street and the temple.

Meech suddenly stopped.  Ron missed the sound of his steps and turned
around, puzzled.

There is somebody Meech said quietly.

Ron knew that Meech didn't mean just anybody when he said there is
somebody.  He looked around.  Where?  he asked.

In the next house or the one adjacent to it, Meech replied.  Between
the 10th and the 15th floor.

Ron avoided looking in the indicated direction.  He had to make a quick
decision.  He knew that there were no native mutants on Utik persons
whose paranormal abilities could manifest themselves in mental
emissions which could be perceived by Meech.  Whoever emitted such
vibrations on Utik was not of local origin.

Arkonide mutants were rare and terrestrial mutants were not present on
Utik.  Thus it had to be a total stranger or an Anti, a priest of the
Baalol cult.  It suddenly dawned on Ron that there was more to this
mission than he had assumed so rashly.

They were waiting for him!  It took him only a second to make a plan.
Let's keep walking while you watch that fellow, he decided.

The 2 men pretended to walk leisurely down the street.  It would have
appeared to an observer that the pair was engaged in a casual
conversation.  Once in awhile one or the other feigned a smile when he
said something but the conversation appeared to be rather boring.

He doesn't move, Meech said, shaking his head as if he disagreed with
something.

There was some noise from the end of the street.

I would like to know what he's up to, Ron inquired in a louder voice,
raising his eyebrows.

I can't read his thoughts, Meech grinned.  I would guess he's simply
watching us.

He was about to add something but at this moment he received again the
same emanations of the mysterious brain he had registered for the first
time 6 days earlier when he was at the spaceport of Massennock.  Meech
determined that the emissions originated from the northeast direction
where the Temple of Truth was situated.  He wanted to point it out to
Ron Landry but something interfered.

* * * *

The scent permeated the street like a cloud of indescribable sweetness
and insatiable desire.  Ron stood still, deeply enthralled, raising his
head and sniffing the air.  The fragrance evoked visions of an
exquisite flower, beautiful beyond belief, which grew somewhere, almost
within his reach.  From the very first moment Ron was convinced that
his life would never be happy unless he could behold the flower.  He
knew how delicate and fragile it was.  It could perish at any time.

What a horrible thought!  Yet the flower could be preserved and it was
worth preserving.  If they all joined their efforts to care for it, it
could be kept from withering away.

That was what he had to do!  He must see the flower and do his share to
nurse and protect it!

He spun around and slapped Meech on the shoulder, full of enthusiasm.
We want to see the flower, Meech!  he exclaimed in a loud voice.

Something clicked in Meech's brain.  As a robot Meech was capable of
overcoming the worst shock of surprise in an infinitesimal fraction of
a second.  He nodded impassively and agreed.  Yes.  That's a good idea.
Let's go!

Ron walked ahead.  Suddenly he was in a big hurry.  They soon
approached the dark wall of agitated people but Meech paid little
attention to it.  It was easy for him to keep up with Ron and
concentrate his mind at the same time on the brain of the alien who
lurked in one of the buildings of the street.  Now it began to move.
Meech noticed clearly that it followed them.

The apartment buildings were connected by long corridors which ran from
one street to the next, enabling a person inside the building to follow
a man walking in the street across a whole block.

Meech had quickly adjusted himself to Ron's changed behaviour.  His
fleeting surprise was mainly due to the fact that Ron had fallen under
the influence of the obsession so far behind the wall of people.  The
susceptible zone of radiation from the uncanny brain extended almost to
the line of policemen at the intersection.

He had already taken into consideration the fact that Ron Landry would
lose his power of reasoning like everyone else as soon as he entered
the threshold of the interference zone.  He was fully prepared to
rescue Ron from the dangerous region, by force if necessary, if the
situation called for a retreat.  No human being could resist the
strength of a robot.

Matters were complicated by the presence in one of the empty houses of
the person under whose surveillance they had come.  As far as he was
concerned Meech had no prearranged program and he had to react to the
best of his ability at the spur of the moment.

Ron reached the conglomeration of single-minded people who choked the
streets in a solid mass by the tens of thousands so that nobody could
move another step.  Ron had no intention of letting this deter him.  He
seized the first 2 baldheaded men by the shoulders and pushed them
aside.  Let me through men!  he clamoured in a loud voice.  We have to
see the flower and tend it.

One of the men he had shoved out of his way was too perplexed to say
anything but the other one gabbed Ron by the neck and tried to pull him
back.  Hey, you!  he shouted angrily.  You can't do that!  We have all
been waiting here for hours to get a little closer.

Approving noises could be heard from all sides and Meech got ready to
fight, fearing that Ron's brash ways would get him into trouble.
Meanwhile Ron had whirled around and shaken off the hand of the hotly
protesting Utik citizen.  If you can't figure out a way to get in, my
friend, he grinned, that doesn't mean that I'm that foolish.

With these words he gave the baldheaded man a hard push and sent him
reeling back into the crowd that had supported his challenge in unison.
Now they screamed in a general confusion and before the disturbed mass
of people realized what happened Ron slipped through between the
spectators with Meech closely following on his heels.

From now on Ron had hardly any trouble.  The news of the incident had
spread fast and everybody preferred to squeeze together just a little
more to make room for him rather than provoke his ire.

In this manner Meech followed his boss till they reached the next
street intersection.  The block of apartments on the left ended at the
intersection and whoever had followed them through its corridors would
have to decide what to do next.

Meech decided to give him an opportunity.  The street to the left of
the intersection seemed to be less crowded than the one straight ahead.
Meech took Ron by the arm.  Over there, he whispered.  It will be
easier to get through.

Ron obligingly turned left and Meech guided him along the facade of the
apartment block.  The throngs thinned out a bit and 20 meters beyond
the intersection the street was fairly empty.

Ron hastened forward in long strides but Meech knew that he wouldn't
get very far.  The unknown brain was now very close and judging from
the intensity of its emanations it must have conceived a plan.  Meech
was ready to take defensive action although he did not think he would
have to intervene in the imminent incident.

Ron approached the luminescent escalator steps leading from the street
up to the portal of the house without diverting his eyes from his path.
Only when he heard a sharp voice did he stop and turn around.

Don't move, you two!  said the voice.

The man who stood at the open portal looked quite normal to Meech.  He
was dressed in the unimaginative fashion of Utik and the only thing
that made him look different from the other Utik citizens was his bushy
hair and of course the short-barreled ray gun he held in his hand.

Meech did not know how Ron would react.  He had to watch for 2 things,
namely what Ron would do and that the stranger would not get a chance
to shoot.  He stood so that he could see both Ron and the stranger from
an angle and slowly raised his arms.  To his relief he noticed that Ron
followed his example after hesitating a little.

Come up here!  the stranger ordered, waving his weapon.

Meech stepped on the escalator moving up to the portal.  He did not
have to look back as he felt that Ron was close behind him.

The stranger stepped aside and allowed Meech to pass through the
portal.  Since he had to take his eyes off Meech it was clear to the
robot that somebody else was behind the portal to give him a reception.
Thus he was not the least bit surprised when he was hit on the head
with some kind of a club as soon as he entered the semi-dark lobby.
Meech was totally impervious to such old-fashioned tactics but he knew
what was expected of him.  He groaned painfully, fell to his knees and
slowly toppled over so that the impact of his heavy body would not
shake the hall too much.

As he lay on the floor he watched through the slits of his eyes as Ron
received the same treatment.  There was only one difference: Ron was
really knocked unconscious.  4 men appeared from the depths of the
lobby.  Two of them carried thin rods of plastic metal which they had
used to knock out Meech and Ron.  As they came closer Meech became
aware that their brains also had the special power to emit frequencies
to which his sensory equipment was attuned.  However their emissions
were considerably weaker than those of the brain of the man brandishing
the ray gun and Meech took it to be the reason that he had not noticed
them sooner.

Take them upstairs!  the man with the weapon instructed them.

Meech was unable to see him because he lay with his back to the portal.
But he realized that the time had come to take some action.  If they
tried to lift him they would notice how heavy he was and probably draw
the right conclusion which would not be helpful at all.

He observed that two of the strangers picked up Ron and carried him to
one of the grav-shafts in the back.  Meanwhile the other two tried to
tackle him.  Meech felt how they seized by his head and legs and heard
one of them groan and exclaim, appalled:

I swear by the Sign of Truth!  This guy is as heavy as if he were made
of stone!

The other 2 men at the shaft and the man at the portal were startled
and came closer out of curiosity.  Ron was left behind, lying on the
floor, and this was what Meech had waited for.  He wanted to have Ron
out of the way if it came to a fight.

Meech jumped up in a sudden move.  As he flung his massive body against
the 2 men who had tried to lift him up, he swept them off their feet
and hurled them to the floor.  Even as he leaped to his feet and
whirled around, he saw that he had guessed right.  The stranger with
the ray gun had reacted with lightning speed.  He had swung his weapon
around and Meech could look down the ugly black hole of the short
barrel.  But the 1/100th of a second which the finger of an organic
being requires to pull a trigger are an eternity for a robot.  Faster
than anyone could perceive, Meech drew up his right hand and discharged
the shock beamer whose muzzle was under the tip of his index finger.
The body of the stranger shook violently; then he uttered a cry,
stiffened and slumped to the side, dropping his gun which clanged on
the smooth stone floor.

Meech flung his outstretched arms back again and turned toward the last
2 fighters, who had grasped the situation and lunged toward him with
their rods as he had correctly anticipated.  Meech parried their blows
and struck their foreheads.  Without a sound they fell flat on their
backs and remained motionless.  Then he whacked the 2 porters who
wanted to carry him away again, to make sure that they wouldn't get up
too soon.  Thus the quick fray was over and Meech cautiously looked
around to see if any other dangerous opponent lurked in the vicinity.

The brains of the 5 unconscious adversaries were now muted and Meech
received the muffled ramblings exuded by the crowd waiting outside.  It
was almost drowned out by the strong vibrations of the mysterious
stranger which he had first picked up after his landing on Utik six
days earlier.  Meech was now convinced that this stranger exercised the
magic attraction which enthralled the multitudes in the streets of
Massennock's suburb.

There was nobody else in his immediate proximity.  The 5 stunned men
lying on the floor were the only force that had opposed him.  It didn't
take Meech long to figure out what he had to do next.  He had 5
important prisoners who had to be removed to a safe place and an
unconscious boss who had to be withdrawn before he awoke, from the zone
of overpowering and debilitating influence where A people believed they
had nothing else to do but to tend a miraculous flower and guard it
against inclement weather.

All this had to be done without attracting much attention.  Meech
needed a large automatic vehicle but it was impossible to get it in
this section of the city behind the blockade.  As the apartment house
where he was, extended all the way back to the intersection guarded by
the policemen under Lt.  Nazdek, he would have to drag Ron and the
prisoners to the other exit and give Nazdek a sign to send him an
automatic car.

The main corridor ran from the lobby to the other encl.  Meech went to
work at once.  He took Ron and one of the strangers under the arms and
pulled them along, letting their feet slide on the floor.  Meech
estimated it would take him about 5 minutes to reach the other end of
the building.  Since the effect of the shot from his shock gun would
last at least 2 hours, it would be safe to leave the other 3 prisoners
unattended in the meantime.

3/ OBJECTIVE: LIQUITIV

IT: they give me pleasure and entertainment.

Homunk (after brief reflection): May I ask in what way?

IT: A cell-activator works in close-conjunction with the carrier of the
brain as the form of energy which is used for the continual
regeneration of cells is related to the mental energy produced by the
average brain.  It is therefore, from a technical point of view, not
difficult to consider the activator as an amplification.

Homunk: I understand

* * * *

Kalal realized that he was virtually done for.

Whatever had happened to the people outside the solid temple walls,
there was no doubt that it was caused by the device implanted in his
chest.  Kalal had already carried the device for quite some time and
did not know why it had failed to affect the crew of the spaceship
during his flight but he was nevertheless certain of the matter.

The goals of the Baalol cult could not stand, especially at this time,
public attention and scrutiny.  Kalal knew that he would forfeit his
position and perhaps even his life if the High Priest learned of his
misfortune on Utik regardless of whether he had done anything to
deserve it or not.

He had tried to remove the device from his chest but neither he nor the
Ara specialists in the temple succeeded.  The cell activator had
penetrated the tissue of his body till it reached a place close to his
heart.  As if guided by diabolical intelligence it had selected a spot
where surgery was unthinkable, would imperil his life.  Subsequently
the High Priest had urged leaving the device in place but destroying
its function.  The Ara physicians had conducted a thorough examination
and determined that the activator had taken over a substantial part of
his body blood circulation and that its destruction would lead to a
fatal stagnation of his flow of blood.

As this alternative remedy had to be ruled out as well, Kalal was
forced to live with the infernal gadget and suffer the indignity that
everybody rushed up and sniffed at him, stroked him and poured water on
him whenever it was handy.

Furthermore he was aware that the enemies of the Baalol Cult had
already heard about the riotous conditions on Utik and reliable
informers had reported that two Terranian agents had arrived several
hours earlier to pry into the cause of the peculiar events.  On Kalal's
orders a priest and a group of disciples had been sent out to meet the
Terrans and to capture them as soon as they entered the influence zone
of his implanted device and their normal reflexes became incapacitated.
Kalal wanted to find out to what extent the hostile powers had become
suspicious.

However it was already an hour since he last had heard from the priest
Doosdal, and Kalal began to fear that something had gone awry with his
plan.  Yet there was still one ray of light left for him due to the
fact that neither his priests and their disciples nor the Aras had been
subject to the hypnotic influence of the activator in these confusing
circumstances due to their special mental attributes.

He was prepared to take the consequences if Doosdal failed to return in
the next few minutes.  Kalal faced the danger that one of his priests
would jump to the conclusion that Kalal's presence endangered the goals
of the Baalol Cult and that the High Priest had to be killed in order
to eliminate the source of their troubles.  Kalal had no illusions and
assumed that before long somebody would consider that very idea.

There was only one solution for escaping his fate: flight!

* * * *

Stop babbling that nonsense about a flowers!  Larry Randall bellowed
angrily.  I don't want to see it.  Come back!

He was Lofty Patterson's superior.  But Patterson, the little old man
with the grey hair and mischievous eyes that now looked so pensively,
did not move an inch.  I must see it, Captain, he insisted.  You can't
forbid me to look at it.

Larry was in an unpleasant situation.  Lofty stood only 2 meters away
from him but somewhere in these 2 meters lay the barrier which
separated the possessed from the normal people in the city.  We
ventured too far ahead, Larry decided.  What was he to do next?

A few of the guards of the police blockade were posted far behind them.
They had permitted Larry and his companion to pass without hindrance
just as Ron Landry and Meech Hannigan had crossed the line at another
place a few hours earlier.  Larry had seen the closely huddled mass of
hypnotized people more than a kilo metre away from the policemen and
had not believed that the border of the danger zone was that close to
them.

Now he knew it, to be sure, but he would have preferred to learn it in
a less drastic demonstration.  Lofty turned around and was ready to go
on.

Lofty!  Halt!  Larry shouted.

Patterson looked back over his shoulder but refused to stop.  Larry
drew his gun and pointed it at him.  He had no intention of shooting
but he thought it was a good opportunity to find out to what degree the
hypnosis impaired sound human judgment.  He called another warning to
Patterson, who merely looked around at first.  But this time he saw the
weapon.  He paused and turned around.  You are not going to shoot me,
sir!  he wailed in a high-pitched voice.

Yes I will!  Larry declared firmly.  I have given you an order and you
refuse to obey me.  We are on a military mission and you are subject to
martial law.

This was farfetched nonsense but it seemed to impress Patterson.  He
took a reluctant step in the direction of Larry and it was plain to see
how difficult it was for him.  Why do you forbid me to look at the
beautiful flower?  he continued to grumble.  It is so gorgeous, so
exquisite and fragrant

What does it look like?  Larry interrupted him.

Before Patterson could answer he suddenly quivered.  He seemed to have
been jarred by an electric shock although he had touched nothing except
the pavement on which he stood.

How does what look?  he asked puzzled.

Larry's eyes widened.  Well, the flower you were talking about.

Patterson stared at him as if he doubted his sanity.  I?  I was talking
about a flower?  Then he noticed the gun in Larry's hand.  What is
that, sir?  Why do you ?

Larry dismissed it with a wave of his hand.  He understood what was
going on.  Patterson was no longer under the hypnotic spell.  Something
must have happened at the moment to the source from which the hypnosis
originated.  Larry put his weapon away and watched the crowd that had
gathered farther down the street.  However he was unable to detect any
change.

He waited till Patterson joined him again, a baffled look on his face.
The people jamming the street failed to budge.  They had turned their
backs to Larry and seemed to wait only for the moment when they could
push ahead to reach the object of their desire.  It was perfectly
obvious that they were still caught in the hypnotic spell.

At first it appeared to be very confusing but Larry soon figured out
what must have happened.  Whatever created the mechano-hypnotic
influence, its effect seemed to be limited to a circle with a certain
radius.  Whoever was inside the well defined circle was held in the
sway of a constant hypnotic power.  At the periphery of the circle,
however, the effect was nullified from one centimetre to the next.

The periphery of the circle ran across the street and Patterson had
crossed its perimeter.  Now the circle had shifted its position and the
critical border had moved farther down the street somewhere between
Patterson and the mass of people.  This meant that the thing that
radiated the hypnotic effect had moved.

Larry was almost convinced that this, observation was a proof of Meech
Hannigan's theory that the obscure radiation emanated from a living
being and that this individual presumably resided in the Temple of
Truth, the branch of the Baalol sect on Utik.  The person must have
moved inside the temple; perhaps he merely walked from one room to
another so that the borderline of the hypnotic zone shifted enough to
release Patterson.

Patterson remained sceptical although Larry tried to explain his
theories to him on the way back.  He had no recollection of the few
minutes during which he had been deprived of, his free will.

They passed without trouble the cordon of police posted at the
intersection.  Larry was now taciturn.  He searched for a new
inspiration.  And as Patterson summoned an automatic car, Larry was
struck by a promising idea.

* * * *

Kalal's position was as yet unchallenged and he was still able to
request a vehicle without being required to state a reason that the
High Priest had to leave the Temple at the moment of a crisis.

He admonished his subordinates to keep a sharp eye on the activities of
foreign agents at Massennock and anywhere on Utik.  Then he boarded the
vehicle waiting for him in the inner courtyard of the temple.  He
pushed the starter button as the light signal on the panel showed that
the protective screen surrounding the temple complex had been lifted
for his departure.

The vehicle ascended in a steep curve.  Kalal ordered maximum
acceleration as dozens of automatic aero-cars were waiting beyond the
protective screen for the moment when the barrier between them and the
marvelous flower they sought down in the temple was finally lifted.
Several of them had pressed against the boundary of the screen with
throttled engines and Kalal saw their crafts plunge in a tailspin
toward the ground of the temple before the pilots realized what
happened and pulled their machines up, barely avoiding a crash.  Kalal
had hoped to take advantage of the resulting commotion to slip through
the waiting squadrons but was quickly disappointed.  He carried in his
own body the indestructible activator, the source of the trouble in
which he had been involved for days, and the people who had been
waiting for hours and days to fondle the exotic flower observed that
their precious idol was about to elude them.

The reception of the mechano-hypnotic radiation was very strongly
directionally oriented.  The hypnotized receiver knew at any time at
which angle the object of their adoration was located and Kalal was
unable to divert his pursuers from their goal.  The ring of his
enchanted adorers closed in on him with frightening rapidity and he was
forced to slow down in order to avoid a collision with the raving
maniacs in hot pursuit.  He saw their faces behind the windows of their
vehicles, goggle-eyed and open-mouthed, their noses pressed flat
against the glass in their anxiety to watch every movement of the craft
which contained the coveted flower.

He was 200 meters above the roofs of the temple when he realized that
he had no chance for escape.  They were all buzzing around him, barring
his way to freedom.  Only the air behind him was still free and he did
not hesitate to use the only way open for his retreat.  He turned his
machine around as fast as he could and plummeted downward.  This time
he did not have to be afraid of a collision.  In falling he gave the
signal to open the protective screen again.  He kept going without
bothering to waste time assuring himself that they had responded to his
signal as, in his desperation, he no longer cared whether he dived into
the protective shield and smashed himself to death.

But luck had not yet completely abandoned Kalal.  His craft passed the
zone where the barrier would have normally been and he landed on the
courtyard again.  By the time his pursuers had grasped the new
situation, the screen had closed again before their noses.

Kalal climbed out with trembling knees.  A few priests came from the
portal of the great temple pyramid to meet him.  They walked up to him
and bowed slightly.  Not low enough, however, to show the respect due a
High Priest.

Kalal sensed that his hours were numbered.

* * * *

Larry moved the figure of a flimsily clad girl from one square to the
next and said with a smile: That's what will happen to you if you are
always so careless as this.  You'll get married!

His opposing player at the game was startled.  He took his hand off his
chin and stared at the board.  Larry saw his lights glow after the
initial annoyance.  He gesticulated and exclaimed:

Not yet, my friend!  Not yet!  This is the Men's Club, where I will be
safe.

I would like to know how you are going to do that, Larry murmured.

There.  I am making a pass at this wench with my lady-killer and she
will fall for him and leave me alone.  He pushed the small figure of a
man forward.

Larry sneered.  That's going to cost you something.  This is your last
lady-killer and from now on your gentleman will have to sidestep all
amorous escapades.

Kazek, his short baldheaded partner, stroked his pate.

Indeed, he admitted.  How can I get into the Men's Club from my
position?

Larry leaned back.  That's what I told you.  You have to be more
careful.  It doesn't matter what your next move is, you will be married
after the following one.

Kazek studied the board awhile and decided to take the game less
seriously.  He picked up the figure with which Larry had cornered him
and gazed at it in amusement.  It wouldn't be such a bad idea, come to
think of it.  Alas, it's only a game.

He put the figure in a box on the table beside the board, gathered up
all the others and filled the box.  Then he folded the board and got
up.  Come with me, he said to Larry.  I owe you a round of Zintschka.

That's why I played so astutely, Larry contended.  I didn't want to pay
for the Zintschka.

He glanced around Kazek's bar, which was still as empty as when he had
entered it.  A few sullen old men sat at one of the tables and sipped
the lukewarm coloured drinks which came from bottles whose labels
stated in fine print Made from synthetic fruit .  The old men ignored
Larry and he was glad of it because the less Kazek was distracted the
better it was for his purpose.  The first time he had come to see Kazek
he had bragged that since his arrival on Utik he had already learned to
play

Marriage so well that nobody could beat him at the game.  Kazek had
fallen for his boast and challenged him to a game for a round of
Zintschka.  That Larry had really won was more due to Kazek's
inattention than Larry's skill.  At any rate he had accomplished his
purpose.  In a carefully calculated conversation he had created a
feeling of friendship and familiarity in Kazek as if he had known him
for years.  Each Terranian agent had in his repertoire dozens of such
conversations whose wordings were scientifically worked out by
psychologists.

The effect became apparent in the amiable manner of Kazek as he poured
the Zintschka for Larry.  He put the 2 glasses on the table, slapped
Larry on the shoulder and said: Enjoy it, my friend!  You really are
one of the best players I have ever seen.

Larry thanked him for the compliment, raised his glass and took a sip
of the light blue, strong smelling drink.  Not bad, he acknowledged.
Then he looked up and winked at Kazek.

To be perfectly honest I would have to say though that awhile ago I
drank something that was even better than, this.

Kazek was very curious.  I suppose they have good drinks at other
places too.  What was it?

I can't remember the name, Larry replied slowly, winking an eye so
unmistakably that Kazek understood clearly that he did not wish to
mention the name.  It was sold in tiny bottles and the stuff was very
expensive yet I was glad to pay the price.

This was the critical moment.  Kazek was listed as a dealer in Liquitiv
in the police reports of Massennock.  Liquitiv was a type of liqueur
which contained a narcotic drug.  It had been recently introduced and
marketed throughout the Galaxy by the priests of the Baalol Cult.  All
normal human beings became addicted to its use after drinking it 4 or 5
times at the most and then became physical and mental wrecks at the end
of 12 more years.

Many planets had already had extremely serious difficulties in
combating the Liquitiv addiction problem.  On Utik, located on the
border of the stellar cluster M-13, practically on the doorstep of the
Arkonide motherland, the traffic had not yet reached extensive
proportions.  When the danger of the pernicious drink had become known,
the authorities had prohibited its sale and the few addicts had been
put away in institutions.

If Kazek's character fitted the description of the police report he
would swallow the bait.  How much did you drink of it?  Larry heard him
inquire.

Oh, only 2 bottles.  I would have liked to get more but I had to move
to a place where the stuff was not available.

Kazek nodded thoughtfully.  Liquitiv, wasn't it?  he asked.

Yes, exactly!  Larry exclaimed.  That's the name.  The Baalol people
were selling it, weren't they?

That's the rumour one hears, yes, Kazek admitted hesitantly.

Larry smacked his lips as if he relished the memory of a tasteful
pleasure.  Then he inquired: I wonder if they still have some.

Now Kazek pretended to have lost interest.  Who cares?  There is a law
against handling that stuff here on Utik.

Yes, I know.  But sometimes you can get around such technicalities.
I've earned a lot of money recently and I'm willing to pay a good chunk
of it for a few drops of Liquitiv.

Kazek gazed at him dubiously.  Larry studied his eyes and saw a glint
of greed in them.  He had not been mistaken.

Would you take the chance?  Kazek whispered.

Larry raised his eyebrows.  What do you mean?

Well Kazek turned his hand back and forth, the priests are said to have
a lot of the liqueur in stock and they are supposed to sell it even
today to their favourites.

And who are their favourites?

Larry could see that Kazek struggled with himself.

I'm one of them, for instance, his host finally replied.

I have done them many favours in the past and they are always glad to
show their gratitude if it's possible.  I think they would let me have
some Liquitiv if I were to ask them.  But I would have to go and get it
myself and the price has gone up since the police enforced the
prohibition.

Larry nodded, pleased.  Sounds great, he said.  Where do you pick it
up?  At the temple?

Yes.

Do you have free access?

I wouldn't call it free access, Kazek replied haltingly, but the
priests have to be careful too, Although they are very powerful and the
police can't do much to them.  However they have to uphold their
reputation and don't want it to be public knowledge that they are
selling Liquitiv.

Hm, Larry muttered, and asked after a pause: You can take me with you,
can't you?

Kazek raised his arms and spread his fingers.  It's unthinkable, he
said excitedly.  I can't do that.  The priests only trust me alone.

But I've got the money, Larry insisted.

Yes, that's true, Kazek admitted.

And without money they won't give you the stuff.  Of course you could
pay for it yourself and I can reimburse you when you hand me Liquitiv.
Wouldn't it be simpler if I pay you 20% more and go with you?

I am willing to try it, Kazek finally consented with a sigh.  You are
really putting me on the spot.  I'm afraid that the priests will be
annoyed with me but I'll take a chance for your sake.

And for the sake of money, Larry added, preferring to make things
clear.

At this point their conversation was interrupted.  Larry felt the soft
hum of the device he wore on his wrist.  Somebody wanted to talk to him
and that he used the micro com indicated that he was in a hurry.  It
could be Patterson, who stayed at the hotel, or Ron Landry.  He quickly
arranged another meeting with Kazek for 2 days hence.  Then he left the
inn, took an automatic taxi and answered the call on the way.

It was Ron Landry's voice that came from the little speaker on his
wrist.  Something important has happened while you were gone, Ron
explained.  We have to talk about it.  Let's meet

They set a time and place.  Larry confirmed the arrangement and decided
to go to Patterson's hotel and pick him up as he had half an hour
before the appointment.

He was gripped by a strange feeling of excitement, now that things
began to fall in place after a long period of uncertainty.

4/ DIE, KAL AL  DIE!

Kalal sensed their coming.  He was unable to read their thoughts
because they shielded them from him but he could figure out for himself
what they were thinking.  They did not come with friendly intentions.

They stopped outside the door and one of them asked: May we enter,
Revered Master?

The visitor let only this one question slip through the screen of his
thoughts.  Kalal understood the request and tried to use the opening to
probe what was hidden in his mind.  But the priest was too cautious and
did not betray his thoughts to Kalal.

Come in, my friends, Kalal answered tiredly.

The door opened and 5 men entered the room, among them Argagal, the
oldest of the priests of the 4th degree on Utik, who had made the
request at the door.  They lined up in a row and made the ceremonial
bow to Kalal, who remained in his chair.

What brings you to me, my friends?  This time he spoke the words in an
impassive voice instead of thinking them.

Revered Master, Argagal replied, we beg you to preside over the Main
Assembly, which has been convened.

Kalal was alarmed.  They had already called for a session of the Main
Assembly!  There were only 2 regular procedures for holding the
meeting.  Either the High Priest or a priest of the 2nd degree could
convoke the Assembly or the entire community of lower priests living in
the temple complex called for such a session.  It took only one of them
to decide against the meeting of the Main Assembly to keep it from
being seated.  But if everybody had voted for it there was no need to
ask the permission of the High Priest.  The Assembly had to take place
with or without the consent of the Abbot of the temple.

Kalal could not remember a single time that a Main Assembly had been
called by the priests.  Some extremely serious matters must have caused
the priests and their lower disciples to take such an unusual step. And
even then he would have expected them to request his permission to
convene the Assembly.

However Argagal had neglected to do this.  The Assembly would commence
without Kalal's consent and he was only too well aware what it implied.
He rose from his chair.  After he had recovered from his initial shock
he managed to say in a friendly tone:

Let's not waste any time.  I am ready.

Argagal and his companions turned around and left the room.  They led
Kalal through the broad main corridor of the temple pyramid to the huge
assembly hall, where Kalal went without a moment's hesitation to his
seat at the centre of the table reserved for him as the presiding
official.  He glanced at the faces of his subordinates who stood
attentively behind their chairs and looked up at him.  He saw that none
was absent except those who were engaged in a special mission.

The Main Assembly has been convened, Kalal declared in a brittle voice.
I request a statement announcing the purpose of the session by those
who have called for the meeting.

The priests took their seats, except Argagal, who remained standing.  I
have applied for this consultation, Revered Master, he responded
calmly.  The reason is the precarious situation which threatens our
temple on Utik.  The menace is caused by the mysterious device you
carry in your chest, Revered Master.

Now the accusation was out in the open.  Kalal realized his chance at
once.  He was surprised that Argagal had failed to state his case more
cleverly.  If he continued to phrase his attack as in his first
important sentences, the Assembly would end with a severe reprimand for
him.

Argagal sat down.  As presiding High Priest, Kalal did not have to rise
from his seat as he answered: I am keenly aware myself of the danger
connected with this foreign body in my chest.  But even if there were a
possibility of removing it, I would not be allowed to permit it because
the High Baalol himself gave it to me.

He looked around but was not very pleased with what he saw.  Heretofore
he had not yet revealed that he had received the activator from the
hands of the High Baalol.  He had been certain that this disclosure
would allay all doubts in his listeners and convince them that the
instrument must remain in place and its carrier should suffer no harm
because of it.

However this was apparently not the case.  The priests and their
disciples still glowered at him and his explanation had failed to
impress them.

Argagal rose from his chair and began to speak again.  If you allow me,
Revered Master, I would like to submit a supposition.

Kalal nodded.

The High Baalol, our most sacred master, has conferred this device on
you for a specific purpose.  Obviously it cannot accomplish this
purpose for some reason such as a faulty construction.  Instead it has
the effect of placing our existence on Utik in grave jeopardy.  I am
sure that the High Baalol would immediately change his mind about the
inviolability of his gift if he knew the terrible predicament it has
created for us.

Kalal furrowed his brow in anger.  This is utter speculation, he
rebuffed him furiously.  Nobody has the right to put thoughts into the
mind of our most sacred Master or words in his mouth he has not spoken.
It would be presumptuous of us to make a decision without his
judgment.

For the first time Argagal displayed a scornful malicious sneer.  May I
inquire, Revered Master, how the High Baalol can make a decision if he
does not know the facts of our circumstances?

We will present the facts to him as soon as I determine that the proper
time has come, was Kalal's reply.

Isn't the danger critical already?  Argagal asked.

How dare you make rules for me?  Kalal roared.

Far be it from me to make rules for you, Revered Master, Argagal
retorted calmly.  However we have all witnessed that you violated an
integral principle of our faith: you have put your personal welfare
above the tenets of Absolute Truth.

Kalal jumped to his feet.  He knew that he could not let him get away
with this accusation unless he admitted defeat.  You will suffer the
penalty for your lie, Argagal!  he shouted.

You will be deprived of your rank and will have to start again at the
bottom as a priest of the 10th degree!

I don't believe so, Argagal defied him.  You were the one who gave
instructions to remove the device from your body or destroy it.  And
now you claim that it is impermissible to touch the device because the
High Baalol has placed it in your personal care.  How do you reconcile
these contradictory attitudes of yours?  Isn't it proof that my
criticism is valid?  You fear for you life, Revered Master.

Kalal remained speechless for a few seconds and Argagal used the
opportunity to press his charges.  I did not wait for the time when you
will have overcome your fear enough to make a report to our most sacred
master about the ominous conditions on Utik.  I have already approached
the High Baalol myself and humbly requested his instructions to
authorize me to take such measures as to avert the imminent peril we
are facing.

Kalal turned pale.  Now he understood the reason Argagal did not bother
to lay the groundwork for his opening attack more carefully.  He had
sought the advice of the High Baalol and probably received the desired
instructions.  Kalal had no illusions that the High Baalol would spare
his life if it appeared that the ambitious goals of the Baalol cult
were in jeopardy because of him.  What was his answer?  Kalal asked,
barely able to speak for fear.

The High Baalol, Argagal answered in a thunderous voice, denounced your
disobedience because you failed to inform him without delay and he left
the decision of how to deal with your negligence to the judgment of
this assembly.  We all know that the diabolical device you carry in
your chest can neither be removed nor destroyed in its place.  It will
continue to work and attract legions of ecstatic people to the temple.
The denizens of the Galaxy will become suspicious and we will be forced
to drop our plans, since they can only be carried out under the veil of
secrecy.  Your implanted device must be silenced at all costs and the
only way to accomplish it is by killing you.  Since there exists no
alternate choice in this dilemma, I hereby submit a motion.  The
Revered Master Kalal, found guilty of crass disobedience by our Most
Sacred Master, shall be put to death to prevent the external influence
instilled in his body from disrupting our goals for the world of the
future.  I request the assembly to take a vote.

Kalal slumped in his chair, unable to utter a word.  Since he had
failed to initiate the official vote, Argagal took over the procedure.
He heard merely a disagreeable din in his ears and regained his
comprehension only when Argagal announced in a clear voice: The vote is
unanimous.  The Revered Master Kalal shall be put to death!

Kalal slowly rose from his seat.  He knew they would not take very much
time to execute his sentence.  His life was at stake and he would
defend it as dearly as possible.  He would have to devise a quick
strategy and he swore to the Absolute Truth that he would make them rue
the day.  The decision restored his courage.  The colour returned to
his face.  The priests had risen from their seats for the vote and now
stood at the table, staring at him.  Kalal took his time scrutinizing
their faces one by one as if he wanted to imprint them indelibly in his
memory.

You will never kill me!  The High Priest exploded defiantly in a voice
bursting with the savage fury he had suppressed inside.

* * * *

The room was small and modestly furnished, typical for the Terranian
Trade Mission on Utik.  The flat widespread complex of buildings
contained numerous such rooms and no outsider could have suspected that
it concealed deep underground technical installations which made the
Trade Mission an effective operational base of Division 3 of the
Intercosmic Social Development Aid and thus a base for Nike Quinto's
men.

Meech Hannigan had taken his boss and the 5 prisoners to the Trade
Mission.  The hazardous transport had been carried out without
incident.  Ron Landry soon recovered but failed to remember the strange
interlude inside the blockaded zone.  The persistent droning in his
head made it rather plausible that Meech Hannigan's story conformed
with the truth beside the fact that it was unthinkable for a robot to
lie to his superior.

Ron Landry insisted on interrogating the prisoners without delay. Since
they were unwilling to part with the requested information voluntarily,
they were taken to the secret subterranean premises and questioned
under the influence of a mechano-hypnotic generator.  Even this machine
proved to be rather unsatisfactory.  The leader of the group, Doosdal,
resisted its influence completely and only one of his subordinates,
Zaleel, was unable to shut out the suggestion of the hypnotic generator
with his own mental power.  Unfortunately he was not one of the most
knowledgeable Antis.  What he revealed was not too helpful but it was
enough to enable Ron Landry to give a short report to Nike Quinto and
make some necessary preparations for his next step.

After the interrogation he got in touch with Randall and Patterson and
they were now in the soundproof office and engaged in an exchange of
information about their experiences before discussing Ron Landry's
planned measures.

Of course Zaleel was unable to tell me what type of radiation Kalal
sends out, Ron related.  But according to his statements and our own
observation it can hardly be different from the mechano-hypnotic
generator we use downstairs.  If it really involves the same principle
of operation we should have no trouble shielding ourselves against the
emanations of the High Priest by wearing a helmet designed to prevent
the penetration of the hypnotic rays he is propagating.  Our
technicians are already working on it here at the Trade Mission.  We
should be able to test the helmets tomorrow.  By then I also expect to
have an answer to my report from Terra.  I think Nike Quinto will give
us further instructions instead of leaving the whole job to our own
judgment, Ron grinned.  In any case, it seems to be an excellent idea
to use the innkeeper Kazek, whom Larry has already persuaded to
accompany him, to get into the temple and investigate what's going on
in there.  I feel that this should be done under any circumstances and
I assume that Nike Quinto's instructions won't interfere with this
approach.

Larry pondered his proposal without looking at Ron.  First we will have
to test the helmets, he warned.  Unless they are effective the attempt
would be futile.

It's clear that we won't undertake this task without adequate
preparations.  Our situation is much too vulnerable since we have to
face the dangerous paranormal powers of the Baalol Cult adherents.

Larry looked up.  What are you going to do with the prisoners?

We'll let Nike Quinto decide that, Larry replied, getting up.  Now
let's get some sleep.  The nights are very short on Utik.

* * * *

Larry was right.  Things were moving fast.

On Terra, Col.  Nike Quinto immediately contacted his highest superior,
Solar Marshall Allan D. Mercant.  Marshall Mercant advised him to
avoid, as long as possible, involving the Administrator of the Solar
Imperium, Perry Rhodan, in the troublesome Utik affair.

Marshall Mercant started the wheels of galactic diplomacy rolling by
calling Arkon on hyper com  The August Imperator was deeply concerned
about the disturbing events on Utik since the planet was only a stone's
throw from the centre of his realm.  He nevertheless agreed with
Mercant's argument that it would be preferable to withhold the
information about the strange events, on Utik from the Solar
Administrator because his present mental condition would make it
tantamount to launching an unpremeditated attack resulting in the
instant destruction of the planet.  Atlan agreed to blockade Utik with
his fleet so that Perry Rhodan could be dissuaded from taking any hasty
steps in case he learned accidentally about the trouble on the planet.
Marshall Mercant had another reason for his request: he was firmly
convinced that the Baalol priests had not intentionally caused the
turmoil on Utik.  They usually preferred to work clandestinely and were
probably upset themselves by the baffling conditions prevailing on Utik
which certainly did not fit into their scheme.  Something must have
gone wrong as they were unable to leave their temple.  He expected them
to call for help if their situation worsened and became critical but
Atlan's blockade would keep all help from reaching Utik.

After his conversation with Atlan, Mercant got in touch with Nike
Quinto again and informed him about the imminent arrival of the
Arkonide fleet in the Utik sector.  He gave Col.  Quinto a free hand in
issuing orders to his agents on the planet.  Mercant's directions could
be summarized in a few terse words:

I don't care how you do it but I want to see results!

* * * *

They had ordered Kalal to go to his private quarters and wait for them.
He had complied with their demands because he considered it dangerous
to provoke their suspicions by a show of premature recalcitrance.

He hurried back to his room and laid down on the cot where he had slept
since the day of his arrival.  He tried to relax and concentrate his
mind on the vital task he confronted but had little success.  He was
uncertain as how to proceed in the matter, worrying about his ability
to serve as a victory against 10 strong men in a showdown.  His doubts
made him feel panicky and the panic prevented him from preparing
himself for his defence.

Gradually he managed to regain the calm he needed.  He felt his fear
diminishing and when he closed his eyes he was able to see the 10
priests who had already begun to concentrate their minds on the lethal
thought.

This was the method used by the followers of the Baalol cult to kill
their condemned victims.  Ten priests of the 4th degree joined in a
mental concentration creating such enormous power that nobody could
resist it or hardly anybody.  At the moment when they reached the peak
of their concentration the 10 unified brains proclaimed the command of
death.  They infused their thought into the brain of the condemned man,
whose will would break under its force, leaving him no choice but to
obey the command.  His brain ceased to function and he died of a
stroke.

Kalal saw clearly how they stood there with closed eyes thinking of him
and his death.  He was frightened by their steadily intensifying
cerebral power with Argagal in the lead.  A wave of hostility and
mortal peril poured into Kalal and he knew that he would have had to
surrender to the hypnotic flat if he had been caught by surprise.

Argagal's mental power reached a certain magnitude at which it stopped
growing.  Kalal believed he could feel how Argagal silently pressed the
hands of his 2 neighbours to indicate that he was ready for the climax.
He perceived the quickly increasing efforts of the other brains to
attain the level of Argagal's mental energy.

Kalal lay motionlessly without noticing the sweat streaming from his
pores.  Nor did he hear the low hum of the climate control system.  But
he saw the 10 priests clamouring for his death as distinctly as if the
solid walls separating them from him did not exist.

He held his breath when the last of the 10 priests had gained total
control of his mind and the mighty swell of co-aligned thoughts
converged in his head.  Now!

Die, Kalal!  Die!

It reverberated in his head like an agonized cry and made him utter
similar screams of anguish.  An invisible power lifted him from his cot
and hurled him to the floor, where he remained writhing and shrieking
violently.

However he also could feel the pain he suffered as he hit the floor and
it was proof for him that he was still alive.  He had repulsed the
onslaught and remained victorious victorious over the combined awesome
power of 10 mighty brains.

He opened his eyes.  His head was racked by terrible pains and he had
trouble recognizing his surroundings.  The terrible throbbing gradually
subsided and he was able to sit up after awhile.  Suddenly he realized
that the thoughts of the 10 priests bent on killing him had vanished.

The mental shield he had created around himself had proved effective.
It had withstood the impact of the murderous command and hurled it back
to its source.  The brains of the 10 priests had been totally exhausted
by the lethal effort.  Bereft of their normal mental resistance, the
rebounding mental energy had created havoc among the senders, Although
it was divided among 10 recipients.  The deep quiet indicated that all
of them had been knocked unconscious.

The realization of the immense power with which his brain was endowed
revived his spirits.  He was no longer troubled by his fears and
indecision.  Now he knew exactly what he had to do.

This wing of the temple was empty, giving him a good chance for his
escape.  However, he had not yet determined where to turn.  Obviously
it was still too risky to venture outside and face the crowd of his
admirers who would follow him wherever he went.  The priests would only
have to watch the hubbub to know where he was.

It would be better to stay inside the temple and find a good hiding
place in the labyrinth of corridors and secluded corners of storage
rooms deep down below the ground where the ritual articles and other
equipment were kept without which no Baalol temple could exist.  The
layout was the same in all temples and Kalal figured he could easily
evade any pursuers in the maze.  There was also plenty of food in
stock, something even a priest of the 2nd degree required if he had to
wait for a few weeks.

Kalal got up and went out into the corridor, which was deserted just as
he had expected.  He took an antigravitor to go down to the 15th
subterranean level where huge machines were humming and vibrating.  He
entered a narrow corridor and came to a door behind which the strong
telecom-transmitters were located that were used by the Baalol priests
to communicate by supralightspeed frequencies with the other temples,
the Springers and the High Baalol in the far reaches of the Galaxy.

It occurred to him that he could use the transmitter for his own
benefit, too, and he decided to send a message to summon help.  He lost
no time in putting it to work.  He prepared a message in the code used
for radio communication with the friendly nation of Springers.

FRIENDS!  KAL AL ON UTIK REQUESTS

YOUR ASSISTANCE.  EXTREMELY URGENT!  PLEASE COME AT ONCE!

He punched the message in a plastic strip and inserted it in the
transmitter.  Then he hesitated a few seconds, wondering whether he had
chosen the right words, before he pressed the release.  Control lamps
lit up, there was a click and a whir as the transmitter began to
operate.  Kalal made sure that it functioned properly before leaving
the room.  Upstairs they would know at the same moment that somebody
had activated the transmitter.

Kalal had to be on his toes and keep moving to slip through their
fingers.

5/ VIOLET FLOWER: VIOLENT HOUR

Homunk: If I understand you correctly, the activator can form a certain
thought in the brain of its carrier and he never becomes aware of it.
Then the activator amplifies the mental frequencies and emits them over
an enormous range.

IT: That is right.

Homunk: The radiated thought has the power of dominating the brains of
the receivers and conjures images that have no foundation in reality.

IT: Exactly.  It can be hilarious fun.  For instance, On Utik at the
edge of stellar cluster M-13 a man

* * * *

Well, did you have any trouble?  Larry asked in such a casual tone as
to express his real opinion that such difficulties were out of the
question.

A great deal of trouble, Kazek insisted nervously.  So much in fact
that the whole business hardly pays as far as I am concerned.

Hardly, Larry grinned.  But it will show a little profit and that's why
you will take me there, won't you?

Kazek sighed in resignation.  It's only because I took a liking to you,
he muttered.  I really won't make any money on it.

Hardly any money, Larry persisted in a soothing voice.

Why don't we leave now?

Kazek put on a cloak.  The sun was setting and it had been a hot day.
The streets retained much of the heat and only a citizen of Utik would
worry about catching a cold at such a warm temperature.  Kazek was
about to hail an automatic taxi when Larry dissuaded him.  We don't
need it, he advised.  I thought it would be better if we used a private
car for this occasion and so I brought my own.

Kazek had no objections.  They rode up to the roof of the tall building
where Larry had parked his car.  They got in and before Larry started
the motor he inquired: Did the priests give you permission to let me go
with you?

Kazek looked at him, astonished.  Of course.  I wouldn't take you if
they didn't.

Larry skipped a remark, asking: Did you go to the temple to obtain the
permission?

Kazek shook his head.  They have a telecom in the temple.  It's not
listed in the public directory but I know how to call them.  Why do you
ask?

Larry started the car.  You heard about the shenanigans going on for
days in the northeast section of the city where the temple is.  The
police blocked off the entire area.  I wondered how you got through.
But, as you say, you didn't even have to go there.

Kazek grinned slyly.  Don't worry about the police, he replied
disdainfully.  I'll take care of everything.  The police are men too
and a man will always be a man.

It was a common saying on Utik.  A man is a man!  implied that if one
paid enough money to a man he could do anything.

Larry nodded and drove the car down to the street.

Turn southeast, Kazek said, to the Avenue of Ancient Heroes!

Larry looked at him, surprised.  Southeast?  he questioned.

The temple is north of here!

Kazek nodded, unperturbed.  Did you believe I would simply drive up to
the temple and knock at the door?  It's one of those things that make
the police a little too suspicious.

Larry did as he was told.  After making 2 right turns he entered the
flow of traffic on the Avenue of Great Kings, leading south to the
centre of town.

Kazek did not notice that Larry pushed a button underneath the
instrument panel, which activated a signal beamer.

* * * *

Meech and the sensor instrument received the signal simultaneously.
There they go, Meech announced, pointing in the direction indicated by
the mechanical rangefinder of his artificial brain.

Ron Landry had observed the short impulse as the peak of a green flash
on the oscillograph.  Almost instantly the integrated computer ejected
a slip locating the position of the signal emitter.  Ron started the
car and entered the traffic line.  Patterson sat next to him, watching
alertly.

They received the signal at intervals of 20 seconds.  The points of
emission formed a line stretching along the Avenue of Great Kings in
the northeast of the city toward the Avenue of Ancient Heroes.  Ron was
baffled.  Where in blazes is he going?  he muttered.  The temple is in
the opposite direction.

Patterson shrugged.  The shortest way isn't always necessarily the
best.

A few minutes later the string of signals had reached the Avenue of
Ancient Heroes where it turned east.  Ron steered his car into a faster
lane, endeavouring to shorten the distance to the car he followed as
quickly as possible.

* * * *

Larry saw the big car pass him on the left, turn to the right side of
the street and stop.  He followed it and parked behind it.  Half a kilo
metre farther down the street all traffic had come to a standstill. The
police were stationed at the next crossing beyond which the hypnotized
mass of people besieged the Temple of Truth.

Why do you stop?  Kazek asked, astonished.

I was afraid they might follow us, Larry replied.  I got a second car
so we can change cars.  If somebody followed us, we can throw them off
the track.

It sounded reasonable to Kazek.  You shouldn't have bothered, he
murmured, although he was quite impressed.  Life must be quite exciting
in your country if you go to such fantastic lengths to protect yourself
from imaginary pursuers.  I'm sure there isn't a man in Massennock who
shows enough interest or energy to snoop about our business unless a
policeman finds out we want to get some Liquitiv.  In that case he
would be required to intervene.

Larry laughed but Kazek failed to notice the derision in his laugh.
Kazek had paid no attention to the big car as it passed and stopped at
the side of the street a few seconds earlier.  Now he looked at it and
saw how large it was.  It seemed to be empty and Kazek had no reason to
be suspicious.  You must be flush, he said appreciatively, if you can
afford a second car that big.

Larry shrugged his shoulders.  They left the car and Larry stayed close
behind Kazek.  When the door of the other car automatically opened,
Kazek jumped back, uttering a startled cry.  Larry caught him in his
outstretched arms.

Wha what ?  Kazek stuttered.

Get in!  Larry encouraged him calmly.  The positronic lock is attuned
to my individual radiation and it opens automatically as soon as I get
near the car.

Kazek was not completely convinced but entered the car since Larry
pushed him from behind and left him no choice.  That was the moment
when he realized with great distress that the vehicle was not as empty
as he had believed.  He flinched for the second time as he saw 3
strangers getting up from the floor of the car but Larry Randall kept
shoving him forward with irresistible force.

Come right in, Kazek!  Patterson called out cheerily.

We've been waiting for you.

Without further resistance Kazek slumped into the soft rear seat.  It
took quite awhile before he recovered from his shock.  Then he realized
that one of the strangers knew his name and that the man who wanted to
buy the Liquitiv had betrayed him.  He looked utterly disgusted as he
turned to Larry, who sat down next to him.  You didn't keep your
promise, he reproached him angrily.  You ought to

Take it easy!  Larry interrupted him.  Don't jump to conclusions. These
3 gentlemen are only interested in buying a few doses of Liquitiv just
like myself.  You can do 4 times as much business with us.

Kazek was far from persuaded.  You don't seriously believe, he
contradicted him, that I can simply walk into the Temple of Truth with
4 customers?

Why not?  Ron replied instead of Larry.  The priests are not giving the
Liquitiv away.  It's a business with them.  So they should be glad to
get 4 customers at the same time.

Kazek reflected a little and came to the conclusion that the business
was too risky.  Let me get out and go home, he demanded, or

Or what?

Or I'll call the policemen up front.

Ron laughed in his face.  First of all I would like to know how you can
leave this car without our consent and, secondly, it would be
interesting to see what you want to tell the police.  Are you going to
report that you wanted to sell us some Liquitiv?

Kazek realized that his situation didn't leave him much an
alternative.

We don't want to cause you trouble, Ron explained.  You can make your
deal when you get us into the temple.

The priests are going to wring my neck, Kazek murmured.  His tone
sounded sincerely worried.

Don't let the priests scare you, Ron advised him.  We will tell them
what really happened: that we've forced you into this.

Kazek's face brightened.  In that case, he agreed, let's go on!

Ron nodded, satisfied, and started the car.

* * * *

Half an hour later they arrived at a complex of one-story office
buildings and old sheds.  They were the premises of the Massenathik
Transport Co.  which Kazek said was their destination.  Massenathik was
the abbreviated contraction of 2 names, Massennock and Rallathik, the 2
most important cities on Utik between which the Transport Company
operated.  Behind the buildings was a small landing field where a few
wide-bellied cargo rockets were stationed.

The buildings seemed to be deserted.  The complex was dimly lit by
several lamps but all windows were dark.

Meech Hannigan had meanwhile figured out that the Transport Company was
located exactly 26.4 kilometres southeast of the Baalol temple.
Therefore they had no reason to be afraid that they could be caught by
surprise in the hypnotic influence zone.

Meech carried the helmets.  Ron and Patterson had tried them out the
previous day.  There was no doubt in their minds that they were
extremely effective and that they absorbed virtually all of the
bewildering radiation driving the people crazy.

Where do we go from here?  Ron asked.

Kazek pointed to the rocket.  Over there, he replied.

Ye Gods!  Patterson cried out in amazement.  He wants to fly to the
temple!

Kazek shook his head and gave Patterson a sad look.  No, of course not.
Come with me, I'll show you what I mean.

They crossed the yard formed by the buildings and entered the landing
field.  In the dim light of the lamps they saw several scorched areas
on the ground which had been left by the engines of the starting or
landing rockets.  The rocket pointed out by Kazek also stood in the
middle of such a scorched spot.  4 triangular stabilizing fins extended
from the potbellied body of the vehicle ending in hydraulic landing
struts on the ground.  Judging from the way the movable parts were
extended from their cylinders, the rockets were not loaded.  Ron bent
down and noticed some traces of corrosion on the plastic metal surface.
Obviously the supports had not been moved for a long time.  The rocket
had not been flown for several years, he surmised.

Ron further noticed that the rear end of the rocket's body touched the
ground and reflected that the particle stream of the rocket's engine
could have no lift effect unless an exhaust channel was built into the
ground underneath.  All in all, it looked like a peculiar vehicle and
Ron was ready to believe that the rocket served some unconventional
purpose.

Kazek stopped at one of the stabilizing fins and opened a
well-concealed lid.  Ron saw 2 buttons behind it and Kazek pushed one
of them, causing the hatch at the bottom of the rocket to open
silently.

Go in!  Kazek directed them.

Meech was the first to enter.  Larry and Patterson followed him.  Ron
insisted on following Kazek since he still entertained some doubt about
the honesty of his intentions.

As the rocket stood on safe ground, Meech was able to open the inner
hatch while the outer hatch was still open.  The passage behind it was
illuminated by several weakly shining lamps.  The corridor lead to an
elevator shaft and Kazek told them that they had to use it to get to
the temple.

They watched that the 2 hatch doors closed properly behind them.  Then
they entered the grav-shaft and descended deeper into the ground.  Ron
was not surprised that the shaft extended far below the body of the
rocket, as he had already guessed from the shape of the vehicle that it
probably camouflaged the entrance to a subterranean corridor.

However he was quite amazed by the corridor itself.  He had already
assumed with regret that they would have to walk 26 miles to the
temple.  Instead he found that the lower exit of the grav-shaft opened
into a fairly bright tunnel equipped with 6 conveyor belts half of
which were running in opposite directions.  The outer ones were hardly
moving faster than the speed of walking whereas the inner belts moved
about 3 times as fast.  Between the 2 triple rows as well as along both
walls were strips of solid ground.

Ron looked down the tunnel, shaking his head and murmuring to Larry
Randall, who stood at his side: I would like to know what kind of
merchandise has been flowing over these conveyors.

Without further hesitation they stepped on the belt.  Meech Hannigan
took the lead again.  He quickly changed to the adjacent belt and his
companions followed him.  Moving along at the speed of about 129
kilometres per hour on the belt, which seemed to follow a straight
direction to the temple, they expected to arrive in the vicinity of the
temple in about 2 hours.

Meech passed out the helmets.  They put them over their heads, ignoring
Kazek's astonished glances.  Ron had decided not to give Kazek a helmet
and to let him cross the threshold of the hypnotic zone without
providing him with this protection.

After a few minutes they reached the borderline.  Kazek couldn't help
the feeling that something was going on that escaped his understanding.
He didn't know why everybody except Hannigan stared so curiously at
him.  To his questions he received nothing but evasive answers.

Ron Landry had already spread out his arms when Kazek suddenly jerked
and threatened to fall off the moving band.  Ron caught and held him
tight.  But Kazek wriggled and kicked.  He started to scream: Let me
go!  I must see the miracle flower!

What flower?  Ron asked innocently.

The miraculous violet flower!  Haven't you heard about it?

No, Ron replied.  Where is it?

Up ahead, Kazek exclaimed, pointing into the tunnel.

Then what's all the fuss about?  That's where we are going.

But it's not fast enough.  If we run on the belt we'll get there
faster.

Ron motioned to Larry, who held the 4th helmet.  Before Kazek could
resist, Larry had pulled the round capsule over his head.  Ron pushed
it down and locked it tight.  Then he released Kazek.

At first Kazek acted as if he wanted to dash around Larry, Patterson
and Hannigan and run away.  But he suddenly changed his mind.  It was
amusing to see the expression of utter confusion on his face.  Finally
he looked helplessly at Ron.  I I wanted to go somewhere just now.  But
where ?  he stuttered.

Patterson chortled gleefully.

You wanted to go and see a violet flower, Ron explained.

A violet flower?  Where?  I don't know anything about a violet
flower!

Ron waved his hand.  Forget it.  I didn't understand you either.

Kazek kept asking a few more questions without getting a satisfactory
answer.  Then he turned again in the direction they were going.  He was
bothered by an uncanny and oppressive feeling.

For Ron and his companions the interlude had been very instructive.  It
proved that the extraordinary radiation emanating from the priest was
also effective below the ground.  This raised the question for Ron of
whether the hypnotic power which penetrated the massive layer of earth
would be so strong in the proximity of its origin that even their
helmets would be unable to absorb it.

In that case their situation would be fraught with peril, as it was
doubtful that the robot Meech Hannigan could bring 4 frenetic people to
their senses without applying excessive force.

6/ SHOCKING SURPRISE

IT: is believed by many people to be a fabulous, beautiful, fragile,
fragrant flower which has to be treated with extreme care so it can be
preserved.

Homunk: This is indeed a very amusing comedy.  Does he know what causes
this weird result?

IT: I guess he is smart enough to figure it out sooner or later.

Homunk: Then he will try to get rid of the activator and destroy it.

IT: That he cannot do.  Removal of the activator would mean his death.
Moreover, I believe he is beginning to realize that the activator also
endows him with an advantage not to be underestimated.

* * * *

For the first time since they tried to kill him Kalal found time to
ponder his predicament.  He knew that his operation of the telecom had
put them on his track and the search for him was probably already
underway.  But most of his pursuers would be lower priests of the 7th,
8th, 9th, and even 10th grade who had not yet learned to shield their
thoughts properly.  Kalal would have no trouble noticing their approach
and acting accordingly.

At first he had accepted as a matter of course that he was able to read
the thoughts of the lower priests from a certain distance.  Now that he
had gained a few minutes for quiet reflection, he began to question the
phenomenon.  He recalled other occasions when he had tried to probe the
thoughts of some priests without the slightest success.  His attempts
were frustrated even by a priest of the 10th degree.  All of a sudden
it presented no difficulties whatsoever.  What was the reason for the
change?

Also the method he had used to save his life from his executioners took
on a strange significance.  Where did he get the courage to hope that
he could resist the hypnotic command of 10 priests of the 4th grade?  A
hypnotic command issued in unison by 10 well-trained brains normally
shattered the resistance of priests of the 2nd or even 1st grade.  The
only one who was impervious to the power of other brains was the High
Baalol himself.

But he was not the High Baalol.  What had made him think he could
exercise such tremendous power and live to enjoy his success?

Kalal was a man devoted to logical analysis.  He contemplated the facts
in the order they had taken place and recognized that the presentation
of the cell-activator by the High Baalol was the crucial point of his
life which had triggered a chain reaction as soon as he had set foot on
Utik.  It was responsible for the ensuing terrifying experiences, his
condemnation as well as his lucky escape.  It was no accident that the
turmoil on Utik followed immediately his acquisition of the
cell-activator.  There was a casual connection.  The activator created
the confusion.  But what about his new mental achievements?  Were they
also due to the activator?

Kalal knew nothing about the principle and the mechanics of the
activator but he had observed the effect it accomplished and he had
studied enough of the science of mechano-hypnosis to conclude that the
activator was somehow integrated in the activities of his brain.  He
was astounded that he had given it so little thought before and blamed
it on the excitement which had taken possession of him after his
arrival on Utik.

The more he considered his experiences the more certain he became that
the activator was also responsible for the heightened capacities of his
mind.  This realization took his breath away.  The activator had raised
his talents beyond the capabilities of the first-degree priesthood. Now
he was more powerful than the High Priests in charge of the major great
temples who numbered no more than 20 and were regularly called in by
the High Baalol for all important consultations.

Perhaps his gifts exceeded at this moment already the might of the High
Baalol himself!  The thought seemed to be sacrilegious for no more than
a second.  Then he began to cherish it and soon conceived a plan.

As soon as he succeeded in escaping from his hiding place he would go
to meet the High Baalol and test his true mettle.  The High Baalol had
given Argagal a free hand when he complained about the danger the
presence of Kalal inflicted on Utik.  He could not be considered his
friend.  The ingrained attitude of all Baalol servants made it
unthinkable to refuse obeisance to the High Baalol but the knowledge
that he conspired in the killing of Kalal tore away the last shred of
his unquestioned loyalty.

Kalal became intoxicated by his plotting.  He imagined himself as the
victor and taking the place of the High Baalol.  He would punish all
those who had turned against him and inaugurate a strict regime which
would attain the political goals pursued by the Cult of Absolute Truth
much earlier than the present High Baalol was capable.

He was so fascinated by his scheme that it took him considerable time
to realize the tremendous obstacles he would have to overcome in order
to gratify his desires.  Even where the High Baalol sided there were
not only priests but a multitude of ordinary citizens who would be
attracted by his appearance and chase him, sniff and pour water or
fertilizer over his head as soon as he got close to them.  The High
Baalol was already alerted and he would know his opponent could be
found at the centre of the riots when he returned after escaping the
death sentence on Utik which had been imposed on him with the
accusation of breaking the laws of their cult.

Under such circumstances the High Baalol would not find it very
difficult to eliminate his foe before he had a chance to determine
whose mental powers dominated the other.

Kalal's enthusiasm sank from exhilarating height to the depth of
depression from one moment to the next.  With all his ambitious plans
he had forgotten that the activator not only enhanced his mental powers
but also produced highly detrimental complications.

The same moment he became conscious again of this drawback he heard
once more the roaring laughter that seemed to come from nowhere.  It
was as if an invisible being found pleasure in his desperation.

Kalal hated the unknown being and cursed it viciously.

* * * *

A few minutes after they had put the helmet on Kazek, Meech reported
that he received a profusion of various mental radiations.  He asserted
that he clearly distinguished one coming from a certain priest who was
responsible for the mass-hypnosis spreading out in the streets of
Massennock.  It stood out as the strongest of them all.

In the meantime Ron Landry had learned from Kazek how he gained
admission to the temple itself.  Kazek reported that the tunnel was
closed by a portal where the temple area began and that only those who
knew the password were allowed to enter the portal.  Kazek claimed that
he had made frequent visits and that he was always received by one of
the priests.  No, I never saw anyone except the one priest, he replied
to Ron's question.

Ron was satisfied.  Unless there were other security installations
which Kazek had failed to notice, a single priest presented not much of
a danger even if he had the advantage of the special paranormal gifts
of the Antis.

Moreover, Ron's previous apprehension about the growing magnitude in
the proximity of the hypnotic source dissipated as they approached. The
helmets repulsed any noticeable infiltration.  In the course of 2 hours
there had been no increase and Ron was confident that he had no more
reason to fear its debilitating interference.

Soon they were able to discern in the dim light of the tunnel the
portal barring the entrance to the temple zone.  Meech changed over to
the slower outside belt and then stepped on the firm ground.  Landry
and Patterson followed him and stopped at the wall on the right.  Larry
and Kazek jumped on the centre strip as planned.  The portal consisted
of 2 panels which opened at the centre.  Thus the priest would first
see only Kazek and Larry, whom he expected after Kazek's announcement.
Only after the doors had opened far enough would he be able to notice
the other three.

A luminous button in the right half of the portal served as a doorbell.
Kazek pressed it 1 short, 2 long and 3 short causing a gong to resound
in the tunnel in the same sequence.

After a few tense moments of waiting the portal began to hum and a
small slit appeared in the middle.  It grew quickly and bright light
poured out from the opening.

Landry, Patterson and Meech held their weapons ready to shoot when the
robe of a priest became visible.

* * * *

Kalal was suddenly startled.  They were here!  A whole bunch of them
and not very far away.  It was foolish to let his mind get so absorbed
with the future.  He should have noticed his detractors sooner.

He jumped up and listened, receiving thought patterns from numerous
directions.

He must be somewhere around here.  We have searched almost all the
other places.

Kalal realized he had made a mistake remaining too long at the same
spot Constant moving was his best chance.  He should have gone where
they had already searched and he decided to do just that if it wasn't
already too late.

Cautiously he opened the door of the small room where he was hiding.
The corridor was empty.  There was no sound except the steady hum of
the energy conductors which ran along the ceiling like old-fashioned
heat pipes.  However the corridor turned around 2 corners a few meters
away from the door and Kalal was afraid he could not run away without
being seen by his pursuers.  He felt their thoughts from a short
distance and shuddered to think that one of the higher priests lurked
somewhere, shielding his thoughts so effectively that Kalal could not
pick them up despite his activator.

He was in a trap.  He retreated to the small room again, hoping they
would fail to inspect it.

It was merely wishful thinking.  No more than a minute passed since he
had locked the door when he received a flood of thoughts from the
corridor that were inquisitive and persistent.  Their brains were
filled with amazement about the feat he had accomplished in the temple
when Argagal and the others tried to kill him.  It was the first time
he heard the reaction to his counterattack and he was as astonished as
the men whose thoughts he registered.

His prowess is enormous!  He killed 3 people at one fell swoop and none
of the others will ever be able to become more than a priest of the 4th
degree.

Perhaps they won't remain priests at all, another one thought.  Paolol
babbled incoherently after he recovered from the first shock and the
physicians believe he has suffered permanent damage.

It's too bad about Argagal, the first man thought He was such an ardent
priest.

The other priest remained silent.  Kalal noted to his surprise that
only 2 members of the search team were outside his door, which raised
his hope again.

Let's take a look in here, one of them suggested.  I'll open the door.
Be careful when you look in!

It seems like an unlikely place to hide, the other priest replied
mindlessly.

Kalal took up his position 2 meters behind the door so that both of
them could see him when the door opened.  He counted on the element of
surprise when they suddenly confronted him and he relied on his
advantage, as they were only priests of the 9th or 10th degree.

The door creaked open.  One of the subaltern priests leaned forward to
look into the room.  When he saw himself standing face to face with
Kalal he uttered a terrified scream and jumped back.  His companion
remained outside in the corridor but Kalal noticed with satisfaction
that he turned pale as death.

This was the moment Kalal had waited for.  The horrendous power of his
transformed mind assaulted the stunned victims like a ferocious beast
at the moment of deepest panic.  The 2 priests were never a match for a
priest of the 2nd degree.  However this battle was already decided the
instant it began.

Moaning painfully the 2 young priests collapsed on the floor in
convulsions.  Kalal watched as they struggled to the last moment
against his attack, their weakening minds fighting to retain their own
will and their thoughts vainly trying to repel his thrust.

Suddenly they gave up and Kalal's fierce mental force broke through the
gap in their defence, raising havoc in their minds till the storm had
flooded the dam protecting the control centre of their lives.

Only after Kalal became aware that he was wasting his power on dead
brains, he let up his concentration.  The High Priest relaxed with a
sigh in the knowledge that his cranium contained plentiful reserves of
power to subdue more of his adversaries.

However none were in sight.  The thoughts he perceived came from a
distance which was too far to present any imminent danger.

Kalal cast a last look at the 2 corpses.  Then he turned left and
walked down the corridor.  He paused for a few seconds at the corner,
probed for any thoughts in the vicinity and cautiously peeked around
the bend.  His way was free.  He walked a few more meters and came to a
wider corridor which was also quiet and deserted.  Kalal recalled that
he had felt a torrent of thoughts from this direction half an hour
earlier.  He took it as an indication that this part of the basement
had already been searched so that it was relatively safe at this
time.

Now he began to wonder why the Springers whom he had called for help
before he went into hiding in the subterranean maze of installations
had failed to respond to his plea.  Maybe they had landed already some
time ago and the priests in the temple had managed to persuade them
that Kalal was not worthy of their assistance in his rescue.

This was not only possible, Kalal concluded in retrospect, but much
more probable.  It was more reasonable to assume that their story had
convinced the Springers and that they were sent home by the priests
with an apology instead of being permitted to find Kalal down below and
free him without their interference.

He had to find another way and he hit upon a new idea the moment he saw
that luminous red arrow on the wall of the corridor.  At first the idea
seemed horrendous but the more he thought about it the more useful it
appeared to be, especially because Kalal was now secure in his
knowledge that the activator endowed him with awesome mental powers.

He resolved that it was the way to his freedom and became determined to
follow it.

* * * *

Before the priest was able to see them, Ron and Meech jumped together
in a high leap across the slow moving belt to the high velocity
conveyor near the centre of the tunnel which carried them the last
meter to the stupefied priest.

Randall and Patterson acted in concert, following previous orders. They
rushed behind Ron and the robot to the bright side of the portal. Larry
gave Kazek a strong push that carried him along through the portal.

Ron had figured correctly.  The portal seemed to have a cerebrally
conditioned servomechanism which the priest either consciously
activated or triggered by the terrified shock he experienced in his
brain.  In any case the portal closed much faster than it had opened
before.

Now Ron took time to study the priest and his environment a little
closer.  The man standing before him with a pale, frightened face was
dressed in a fine robe.  He looked young and inexperienced.
Nevertheless Ron was not inclined to underestimate him.  He was an Anti
and Antis were dangerous.

The section of the passage they had entered seemed to hold no further
surprises.  The transport belts disappeared in the smooth floor at the
right side of the portal and emerged again on the left side in the
opposite direction.  They ran through a narrow slot underneath the
portal back into the tunnel through which they had just travelled.

The young priest finally recovered from his shock.  He turned to Kazek
and tried to make his voice sound furious.  How dare you bring more
people in than we allowed you?  You intruded by force and you must be
taken to the High Priest with your companions.  He will mete out your
punishment.

Ron seized the trembling Kazek by the shoulder and pushed him aside.
Holding the gun in his hand he declared with a chuckle:

I'm the man to whom you must talk, my boy.  Our friend Kazek is totally
innocent of our little caper.  We forced him to lead us to this
place.

The priest waved his hand in a disdainful gesture.  That doesn't change
the facts, he stated in a firmer voice.  You forced your way into the
Temple of Truth and for this you will have to answer to the High
Priest.

Ron shook his head.  We couldn't care less about appearing before your
High Priest, young man, he replied.  But we would like you to show us
the catacombs of your temple.

He knew only too well that the priest would turn down his request with
a sarcastic, haughty smirk.  The Anti scrutinized each of the Terrans
and finally the still-quivering Kazek before he said: I regret that I
cannot comply with your wish.  We are not set up for conducted tours of
visitors.  He was obviously determined to put an end to the useless
conversation and continued in a sharp tone: Instead I'm going to take
you now to the Abbot of the temple.  It's up to him to make a decision.
Follow me!

Without waiting for their reaction he turned around and started to walk
along the corridor.  Ron didn't budge.  He knew the priest had superior
mental capabilities but because he looked so young he probably had a
low rank, still a long way to go before he learned to master the full
panoply of paranormal tricks.  Ron believed he knew how far he could go
in opposing the young man.

He felt the painful, pulling sensation in his head as the priest walked
away without looking back and he realized that the Anti tried to force
his will on him and the others.  He gave them the hypnotic order to
follow him without resistance and forget the thought of flight.
Although Ron estimated that it would take the priest quite some time
before he succeeded in imposing his will on them, he decided that the
time to act had come.  Stay where you are!  he shouted to the priest.
We have 2 guns pointed at you.

The priest kept walking but his steps became slower and hesitant.
Finally he stopped and turned around.  Challenging Ron with his eyes,
his face expressed supreme confidence.  So what?  he asked defiantly.

You should understand this language, Ron said sternly.

Stop trying to take over our brains.  We don't want to be hypnotized by
you.

The young Anti remained unshaken.  I'm not trying to take over your
brains.  I gave you a hypnotic order and you must obey me.  That is
all.

At the same time Ron felt the tug in his brain growing irresistibly. He
glanced at Larry and saw his face beginning to twitch.  Kazek began to
whimper.

Alright!  Ron countered.  The word crackled like a pistol shot in the
corridor.  You refuse to understand me but I'll explain to you what's
going to happen in a minute.  We have trained 2 weapons on you.  One is
an ordinary energy gun and the other is an old-fashioned revolver which
shoots solid bullets.  You've got 10 seconds to drop your hypnotic
controls.  Otherwise you get both weapons at once.

The body of Parudal, the young priest, suddenly sagged.  His total
collapse was in sharp contrast to the arrogant behaviour he had
exhibited.  He was shaken by fear.  The strangers, whoever they were,
knew his secret.  He was vulnerable as all other Baalol priests were
with the possible exception of the High Baalol himself.  Each priest
had the paranormal ability to surround himself with 2 types of
protective screens, one shielding him from the effects of energy rays
and the other from material projectiles.  These shields made them
virtually invulnerable since no weapons of other descriptions were used
in the Galaxy.  There was only one circumstance which could prove fatal
to a Baalol priest.  He was not in a position to surround himself with
both screens at the same time.  It would have caused the overloading of
his brain's para-mental appendix and led to a complete breakdown.  He
was either able to protect himself from the rays of a contemporary
energy weapon or against the bullets of outdated relics.  Though he was
capable of alternating between the 2 shields within 1/100th of a
second, the one feat he could not accomplish was warding off the co
rdinated concentrated firing of 2 different guns.

It was the most cruel of the surprises Parudal had to experience since
he began doing business with these strangers.  He had been convinced
that Kazek and his unknown friends would never reach the temple in a
normal state because the entire region was pervaded by the hypnotic
radiation emitted by Kalal's cell-activator.  Only because they had
been so certain that midway Kazek and his customers would start chasing
the violet miracle flower instead of Liquitiv, had they been given
permission to enter the temple.  It was strictly against their rules to
admit strangers.

Now Kazek and his companion had not only intruded in the temple but
they had also brought 3 other men with them, one of whom seemed to know
exactly what he was after.  He was apparently oblivious to the
radiation from Kalal's activator and the shining helmets they all wore
destroyed his hypnotic power.

So far Parudal had been able to cope with his setbacks and managed to
conceal his surprise.  Now he realized that the strangers knew other
secrets too, one of the most important among them the vulnerability of
the presumably almighty Baalol priests.

His equilibrium was shattered.  Who who are you?  he stammered
incredulously.

7/ SUBTERRANEAN DISCOVERIES

Homunk: It must be due to the interaction between the activator and his
brain, is it?

IT: Quite right.  His thought processes are magnified in consonance
with the mechano-hypnotic impulse generated by the activator.  In his
present state this man can perform superhuman feats.  However he is
bound to use his gifts the way I have predetermined and he will suffer
the consequences.

Homunk: Is a person with his character not capable of applying his
special gifts for a noble purpose?

IT: No.  He is ambitious and unscrupulous.  Such a man is ruined most
quickly by the temptation to abuse dominant powers.

* * * *

Kalal could feel the extraneous power pulsing rhythmically in his
brain, a sign that he was getting close to the place of danger.

Ahead of him, at a distance of about 30 to 40 meters, was the Hall of
Protecting Thoughts.  He knew that he would be safe if he succeeded in
reaching it and gaining admission.  The place he approached was the
inner sanctum of the temple.  What happened inside made the Temple of
Truth the safest place on Utik as it did, by the same token: all the
other Baalol temples on the surface of whatever planet they were
located.  There was no other generator that intertwined mechanically
and mentally produced energy in such an effective combination as was
done in the Hall of Protective Thoughts.

Naturally the room in which the protective shield was generated was
ringed by a scatter field and Kalal had to fight his way through the
perilous zone.  He had to strain his brain continuously and concentrate
his thoughts on his goal with increasing intensity.  Disregarding
anything else, he closed his eyes to keep from being distracted by the
sight of his surroundings.

His freedom was at stake and the goal was worth the most strenuous
effort of every fibre in his body.  Once he saw the whites of the
Protectors' eyes he would have won the game.

* * * *

Meech Hannigan carefully took his bearings.

His mechanical brain registered amazement when he noticed the
disturbance occurring somewhere ahead and farther down from him.  The
preponderant vibrations from the priest, whom he suspected to be
responsible for the hypnotic frenzy of the people outside the walls of
the temple, had grown much stronger.  At the same time certain other
effects that had earlier remained on the periphery became more
pronounced.  They seemed to swell at the same rate as the radiation
from the priest.  Meech had the impression that the thoughts of the
priest acted in resonance with other frequencies which did not appear
to emanate from an organic brain.  However Meech could do no more than
speculate about the nature of the phenomenon because he knew as little
about the matter as Terra's scientists who had created him.  He
reported his observation as well as his speculations to Ron Landry.

Where is it located?  Ron asked tersely.

At a forward inclination of about 60 , Meech replied.

Ron spun around and shot the question at the young priest:

Who's down there?

Parudal shook his head and bit his lips.  Ron pointed the barrel of his
weapon at the priest and Meech, who watched every move of his boss, did
the same.

Parudal shook his head a second time.  You can prevent me by force from
hauling you before the High Priest, he replied, but you can't compel me
to commit treachery.

Ron lowered his weapon.  Your fanaticism would be worthy of a better
cause, he responded coolly.  Then he turned to Patterson.  You know the
direction.  See if you can find the way.

They resumed their advance along the corridor which continued to run in
a straight direction and was lined with doors on both sides.  They were
easy to open but showed only storage rooms with shelves full of various
supplies.  It was probably the place where they kept the Liquitiv drug
which Kazek would have received if matters had not taken a different
turn.

Scratching his head, Patterson muttered: This won't lead us anywhere.
We must look elsewhere.

Meech gave them a running report regarding the direction from which he
received the mental vibrations.  It seemed that the unknown priest
hardly moved from his spot and that each step brought them closer at
least in the horizontal plane.  The angle Meech quoted kept getting
steeper and steeper till they finally found themselves on a spot
vertically above the origin of the radiation.

Patterson's eyes scanned the environment.  Ron observed that he
frequently cast guarded glances at Parudal, who failed to notice them.
Patterson had a special ability of reading thoughts in other people's
faces which was tantamount to the functioning of a telepathic mind.  He
convinced himself by a final look at the priest and exclaimed: If the
entrance to the lower levels is not within 10 meters of here, I'll walk
in space all the way to Terra!

Since Patterson was so certain, they began to scour the walls minutely.
Ron noticed Parudal's face looked more and more worried.  The young
priest had been exceedingly troubled by his harrowing experience and
was no longer able to conceal his apprehension.

Parudal apparently believed that he could not prevent the detection of
the secret entrance by normal means since Ron felt the coercive tension
in his brain again.  It was so strong that Parudal must have put all he
had in a last ditch effort to keep the intruders from carrying out
their illicit plans.

With slow deliberation Ron turned to the priest and pointed the barrel
of his revolver at Parudal's chest.  Meech followed Ron's movement with
his thermobeamer like his shadow.

Ron warned in a low menacing tone: If you try this once more you will
be a dead man.  I have no intention of putting up with your
interference.

The intense pain instantly ceased its pull, on Ron's brain.  Parudal
realized that his opposition was futile.  He looked so depressed, so
pitiful, that Ron was certain he would no longer cause any trouble.

Patterson had not taken part in the incident but continued his search.
Suddenly he uttered a jubilant cry, diverting Ron's attention from the
priest.  Patterson waved to his companions and pointed to the wall.
here!  he exclaimed.  There is a line as thin as a hair running up and
down the wall.  It doesn't look like much.  Wait, I found a second
crack.  It must be a door!

Ron glimpsed the expression on Parudal's face, confirming that
Patterson was correct.  They tried to open the door, which was easier
than they had expected.  The perfect fit of the door, rendering the
seam virtually invisible, had obviously been considered sufficient
camouflage by the Baalol priests.  The mechanical lock of the door was
no different from all the others.

Larry was the first to go into the room behind the door.  He took one
step and threw his body back, shouting an angry curse.  He managed to
gain his balance again after spinning violently around.  Then he stared
in disgust at the dimly lit hole gaping behind the door.

Without a word, Ron took a bullet out of his pocket and threw it into
the opening.  As he had guessed, the bullet floated slowly down as if
it had to pass through molasses.  An antigrav shaft, he explained.
Let's go down!  We don't have any time to lose.

Meech was the first to enter the shaft.  Ron followed, dragging the
priest along.  Behind the priest came Patterson, then Kazek, who was
still scared out of his wits, and finally Larry.  The door to the
corridor closed as soon as Larry passed its threshold into the
antigravitor.

After floating down 50 meters Meech observed that the emission came
from a horizontal level.  It's getting incredibly strong, he added,
alarmed.

Ron and Meech probed the wall of the shaft and quickly found a seam
framing a door which presumably lead to a lower level of the
underground installations.  Ron opened the door and saw a corridor
which resembled the one they had left.

They told the priest to leave the shaft.  Kazek, Patterson and Randall
followed and Meech took his bearings once again.  Then he pointed to a
row of doors in the opposite wall of the corridor.  Ron felt certain
that the way to their goal lay behind one of them.

He was about to open the first door when Parudal, the young priest,
uttered a half-choked cry behind him.  He whirled around and before he
understood what had happened he saw Parudal lying motionlessly on the
floor and staring with wide-open eyes at the ceiling.  Ron rushed to
his side and detected the almost imperceptible breathing of the priest.
Parudal was still alive.  A brain concussion caused a severe spasm and
the horrified look in his lifeless eyes, he surmised.

Ron was at a loss for an explanation of the accident.  He suspected
that Parudal's collapse was connected with the overpowering radiation
which Meech registered uninterruptedly but he had no proof of such a
link.

He decided to let Parudal lie where he had fallen and continue his way
without him.  He turned back to the door and tried to open it.  However
at this moment a thunderous clap reverberated from the walls.  Ron felt
the floor shake under his feet and had trouble maintaining his balance.
Dust and stones poured down from the ceiling.

Patterson was hurled against the wall and clung to it for support.  His
face looked stunned with surprise.  Kazek bawled like a baby.  Larry
ducked and peered anxiously into the corridor.  Only Meech had
maintained his composure.  The transmission is gaining in intensity, he
stated calmly.  Then he added as if obliged to make a personal remark:
I don't know what will happen if it gets worse.  There is a tremendous
buildup of energy going on.

Ron dismissed it with a wave of his hand.  It doesn't matter, he
decided.  We must push on.  The guy we want to catch can't be very
far.

He managed to open the door on his 3rd attempt.  A bright hall extended
deep inside and Ron believed he could see shadowy movements in the
background.  Tightening his grip on his weapon, he shouted: He's up
front.  Let's go, men!

At the same moment a 2nd explosion ripped through the foundations of
the building.  Ron and his men leaped into the open hall and when the
thunder diminished they could hear the walls of the corridor collapse,
bringing with it an avalanche of dirt and rocks.

They faced the possibility of being cut off from the outside world, Ron
realized with concern.

* * * *

The free flow of their protective thoughts suddenly encountered an
obstacle which prevented the normal unhindered propagation to which
they were accustomed.

Somewhere another vibration caused an interference.  At that particular
spot the protective thoughts were wiped out and rendered ineffective.

The brains that were the source of the telepathic waves were not
unaware of the disturbance.  They had no explanation for the
interference and were unable to counteract it.  In conjunction with the
machines surrounding them in the Hall of Protective Thoughts they were
responsible for the inviolability of the sacrosanct temple and the
slightest detraction diminished the necessary degree of their
concentration.

Disseminating their steady flow of protective thoughts as always, they
tolerated the fact that they were eliminated at one spot, knowing that
their effectiveness was not reduced above ground.

What they failed to comprehend was that their thoughts were intercepted
by a hostile intelligence.

* * * *

For Kalal, the whole world was nothing but a red-hot fireball.  He had
closed his eyes but the image formed behind his lids and consumed
Kalal's mind with the heat of its glow.

He thirsted for a pause and fought the urge of stretching put on the
floor to rest.  But in the farthest recess of his brain, where still a
tiny spark of his analytical mind flickered, an inner voice whispered
that he would seal his fate the moment he relented his drive.

He had no choice but to go forward if he wanted to attain his freedom.
He strained his thoughts to project a picture of the conditions inside
the Hall of Protective Thoughts.  He forced his brainwaves through the
solid walls to obtain a glimpse of the huge generators which produced
the protective field and the transformer which modulated the thoughts
of the keepers of the guard so that they became immersed and amplified
by the strength of the field.

Kalal had to assimilate the whole picture before his mental eye.  He
endeavoured to see it through the blazing sphere behind his eyelids as
he strained to infuse his thoughts into the transformer.  If he proved
to be strong enough he would eventually be able to shut down the
operation of the machine and deflect the thoughts of the protectors
back to their own brains.

Kalal felt his whole world changing into a state of flux and he sensed
the awesome power of the opposing forces which would collide in a
physical explosion when they reached the climax of the battle, bringing
down the walls and ceiling of the temple.  He was not deterred by fear.
If he did not win the struggle it mattered little how he died.

Kalal paused for a second in order to save his brain the colossal extra
burden of moving his legs while he concentrated on his goal.  It
brought an instant result.  The fireball before his eyes lost its
blinding glow and he was able to see the machines in the Hall of
Protective Thoughts.  He saw not only the machines but also the faces
of 5 priests sitting in front of the transformer, transmitting their
brainwaves to the machine thereby converting them in a formidable
shield which made the temple virtually impregnable.

* * * *

Only the oldest of the 5 sentinels could later remember anything at all
about the catastrophe during the rare moments when his mental
derangement improved a little.

He had some recollection of the interfering frequencies which all of
them had noticed but disregarded because they considered their task of
protecting the temple of paramount importance which could not be
neglected for whatever reason.  They even remained unperturbed when the
extraneous thought became so powerful that it obliterated the metal
power of the protectors, making them totally useless in their
proximity.

This had been their mistake.  They should have interrupted the flow of
their thoughts and investigated the cause of the disturbance.  Had they
done so, the transformer probably would not have suddenly terminated
its operation.  Instead its control passed from one thought to another.
The others never knew what happened.  They were either instantly killed
or fell into a coma.  Only Okarol, the oldest one, possessed a mind
that was strong enough to resist the murderous onslaught for a few
seconds.  He recognized the thoughts which struck his brain.  They were
the same he and the others had thought all the time but were suddenly
rejected by the transformer: We strengthen the shield!  We protect the
Temple of Truth!

They had put so much fervour in their thoughts that their energy, after
the process of conversion by the transformer magnified the effect of
the machine a thousand times, far beyond the mechanical capacity of the
whole apparatus.

Now their own thoughts were flung back at their brains.  They had
contained so much mental power that they could throw back the strongest
enemy from the walls of the temple.  The same power was now reversed
and easily erased the minds from which the thoughts had originated.

Okarol's final thought before everything went dark around him was the
vague realization of the cataclysm that had occurred.

* * * *

Ron jumped out of the way when the wall next to him broke apart and
crashed with an earsplitting noise to the floor.  Gasping for air, he
stopped at the edge of the debris and helped up Meech, who had been
knocked off his feet by the falling rubble.

The dirt slid down from behind the wall and filled the hall.

Larry!  Lofty!  Ron called the names of his 2 friends, but he heard
nothing except the rumbling of the sliding soil.  Randall, Patterson
and Kazek were either trapped behind the wall or buried under the
debris.

It would have been hard for Ron to decide what to do next had it not
been for Meech Hannigan who was intent on carrying out his mission as
quickly as possible.

Look ahead, sir!  Meech called out.  That must be him!  A single man!

Ron spun around.  The light in the hall was glaring, blocking out more
of the view than it revealed.  However he glimpsed the dark shadowy
figure of a man who staggered in the brightness as if he were drunk.

The intensity of the radiation has passed its climax, sir, Ron
reported.  All other sources of radiation have apparently been
eliminated and only that of the man over there is still active.

Ron reasoned that Randall and Patterson were either safe or in a spot
where he could not help them with his bare hands even with the
assistance of Meech.

Meech was already on his way.  With long strides he advanced through
the undamaged part of the hall with Ron following as fast as he
could.

They came to a rotunda where 5 men in the ornate vestments of the
Baalol cult were grotesquely sprawled on the floor.  The walls were
lined with machines whose purpose was not immediately apparent to
Ron.

He studied the frozen faces of the priests and their dilated eyes. Then
he glanced questioningly at Meech.

Meech shook his head.  No sir, he's not among them.  I think this is
his handiwork.  His brainwaves are now coming from out there.  He
pointed to the opposite wall

We'll stay on his track, Ron decided.

Ron was vexed by the abstruse aspects of the conditions surrounding him
that caused walls to collapse and the earth to slide down.  He had no
idea why and how these men were killed or paralysed.  He could only
speculate that supernatural forces were at work that eluded the grasp
of ordinary minds and felt irritated by the frustration.  He lacked
Hannigan's dispassionate ability of relegating inexplicable phenomena
to a memory bank where they could remain until somebody offered a valid
explanation.

Now he had a man to hunt.  This was a tangible job which he found much
more to his liking.  He rose to his task and ran to the door.  He
wanted to get out away from the crumpled bodies with the lifeless faces
and, blank eyes.

He rolled the door to the side.  Ron was unable to see what was behind
it.  He was bodily lifted up in a burst of radiance that hurt his eyes
and made him scream in anguish.

* * * *

Kalal had observed that he was being followed.  At first he believed it
was only one man because he received only the thoughts of one person.
When he discovered that 2 people were in hot pursuit, his complacence
was momentarily shaken.  He realized he had to get rid of them by hook
or crook.  The sudden appearance of a man whose thoughts he failed to
register confounded him.  After his fight to the finish with the 5
protectors he had little of his power to concentrate left intact.

Nevertheless he had taken a stand.  He hid behind the door at the other
side of the rotunda and waited till his pursuers opened it.  The
imminent danger had a salutary effect on him, arousing his will and
power to concentrate again to the degree necessary to combat 2 such
tenacious opponents.

The door slid open and he brought his power into play.  He felt a jab
of pain in his head, which made him realize how much he needed a rest.
He resolved to seek it as soon as he was free.

Kalal registered with satisfaction that his fierce attack had
overwhelmed the spirit of the man opening the door and put him to
flight but when he realized that the other one failed to react to his
brain power he was thrown into a panic.

Instead of responding to Kalal's attack as he had hoped, the other man
acted in a manner that made the situation untenable for Kalal.

* * * *

Meech Hannigan had grasped the situation much quicker than an organic
brain could have done.  He heard Ron scream and saw him stagger.  He
also observed the motionless figure in the semi-dark of the corridor
and knew what he had to do.

Ron fell to the floor, dropping his revolver.  Meech instantly leaped
to pick it up, holding his own weapon, the heavy thermobeamer, ready to
shoot as before.  From the moment that Kalal sprang to his mental
attack to the first shot of Meech less than a second elapsed.

He fired 3 quick shots from the revolver.  The sharp cracks were
accompanied by the zing of the searing white beam of the thermogun.
Meech heard a wild scream and let up the pressure on the button of his
beamer.  His mechanical eyes were not blinded by the glare of the
energy discharge.  He saw the fleeting shadow of Kalal running away
from the corridor and heard the distant sound of his feet.

Meech turned his attention to Ron, who had already raised himself up on
an elbow.  Puzzled, he stared at the robot.  What what happened?  he
rasped.

He was waiting for us, Meech replied.  He probably wanted to knock us
out but I chased him away.

The functioning of Ron's cool mind was not very long impaired by the
incident.  He gritted his teeth and jumped up.  Let's go after him or
he'll get away!  he urged.

Meech sprinted into the corridor.  The nimble speed with which he moved
his metallic frame, containing several times the mass of a human body,
was amazing.  Ron had trouble staying on his heels.

There was no sign of the priest they pursued.  Although Meech believed
that he had wounded him, he seemed to have moved faster than it was
possible for a robot.

The long corridor was uncannily quiet.  It finally aroused Ron's
suspicion and he remembered the gravshaft which Patterson had detected
on the other side of the rotunda.  He wondered whether they had run
past a well-concealed door in their headlong rush after the fugitive.

He pointed it out to Meech, who immediately suggested they turn back
and search the walls of the corridor.

It took them 10 precious minutes to find the door to the antigravitor.
They pushed it open and floated up as fast as they could.  Ron was
keenly aware of the fact that they were on their way to the far more
dangerous areas of the temple above ground.

They soon discerned a spot of light at the upper end of the shaft and
Meech recognized from a considerable distance that the shaft terminated
out in the open and that bright spot was caused by the rays of Utik's
sun which in the meantime had begun to shine again.  But Meech had no
way of knowing what to expect in one of the courts of the temple where
the shaft probably ended.

Many things had happened on the surface of Utik since they had ventured
into the subterranean regions of the temple.

8/ DEATH OF AN ANTI

Homunk: Do you follow the events on Utik constantly?

IT: Of course.  It amuses me too much to break off even temporarily.
The activator is an excellent communication device.

Pause.

IT: As I look at it, however, the events do not exclusively serve my
pleasure.

Homunk: You are making me curious.

IT: It confirms my theory again that the Terrans will inherit the
Arkonide Imperium.  It won't be long till they rule the Galaxy.  It is
a unique spectacle to watch the determination of four Terrans in their
successful struggle to conquer a congregation of mentogenetic Baalol
priests.

Loud laughter.

IT: Do you see the trouble their leader is having now?

Homunk: No.  It takes me a little longer to perceive the picture. Would
you

IT: He is trying to free himself from the arms of a woman beseeching
him to tell her the secret of where she can find the blue miracle
flower after it disappeared.

* * * *

The large courtyard was jammed with people, rending the air with cries
and wailing.  There was not a Baalol priest in sight.  The men and
women in the jostling crowd were all citizens of Utik.

Meech and Ron had trouble leaving the grav-shaft.  Some of the noisy
mob saw them climb out of the antigravitor and descended on them with a
slew of questions.  They tried to out-shout each other but all Ron
could get was that they were anxious to follow their miracle flower,
which had vanished somehow for some reason.

The protective screen must have collapsed, Ron said to the robot They
got in but the priest beat them by a nose.

Meech raised his head and searched the sky.  Ron knew what he was
looking for.  The priest could not simply have run away on foot because
the mob would have caught him.  The temple had a fleet of automatic
cars and probably some high-speed aircraft.  In the confusion the
priest must have been able to take one of them and flee.

I can see several specks in the air, Meech finally said to Ron, who was
jostled by the inquisitive crowd.  They are heading north at great
speed.  He could be one of them.  The others are probably flown by his
admirers from Utik who are trying to save the flower.

Ron pushed hard against the screaming swarm around him.  We can't let
him get away, he shouted.  There must be another machine somewhere in
this temple which we can use to go after him.

Meech nodded eagerly.  I hope I won't lose sight of him, he replied in
a loud voice.  I can now barely receive his radiation.

He stepped in front of Ron and began to force their way through the
agitated mass of people, across the courtyard.  A hysterically weeping
woman besieged Ron, pleading with him to tell her where the miracle
flower had been taken.  She clung tightly to Ron and he lost valuable
time in gently extricating himself from her grip because he was afraid
to hurt her.

They passed through a narrow walkway between 2 windowless rectangular
buildings and entered another courtyard which presented the same
picture.  It was filled with a milling crowd of possessed souls.  There
was no sign of the Baalol priests who seemed to have retreated to
safety inside the temple buildings.

However there was one welcome difference: several automatic
transporters could be seen above the heads of the crowd.  They were
empty and seemed only to wait for the taking by the Terrans to continue
their chase.

Meech had to apply his superior strength only till they reached the
centre of the courtyard.  At the midway line a radical change occurred.
The din suddenly abated and all became quiet.  The people stopped
shoving each other and stood still with astounded expressions.

It didn't take long for Ron to realize what had happened.  The hypnotic
zone emanating from the strange priest had the range of a 25-kilo metre
radius.  The moment the fleeing priest had surpassed the critical
distance, his victims ceased their yearnings and cries.  They were free
again but the inhabitants of the zone to the north would feel the
influence now.

Ron and Meech took advantage of the opportunity.  They were able to
cross the yard more quickly.  When they reached the row of vehicles
they climbed into the nearest one.  Ron felt relieved to see that it
was apparently a vehicle the Antis had bought on Utik with whose
operation he was familiar.  He started the machine and went, straight
up above the roofs of the temple buildings, scanning the view to the
north.

He recognized the foothills of a mountain stretching beyond the
northern horizon of the city.  He had studied the geography of Utik
before he had left Terra and knew that a vast desert covered the
northern land of Utik to the far coast of the continent.  It was an
immense territory of sand and bleak hills, with dry riverbeds.

The priest could not have picked a worse place to hide.

* * * *

Kalal found it impossible to breathe easier.

The wound he had suffered at the hands of the mysterious stranger was
more painful than dangerous.  It hampered him very little but he was
deeply disturbed by the thought that the stranger obviously knew that
the Baalol priests were vulnerable to the simultaneous shooting of
projectiles and energy ray guns

The 2 men were apparently Terrans and he feared that the secrets of the
Baalol cult were already known on Terra.  He tried to put the dreaded
thought out of his mind because he didn't know the answer to his
question.  He had to look ahead.  He was on his way to the desert after
he managed to get rid of the mad flock of natives who had tried to
waylay him in their aircraft hovering over the temple.

He approached the steep mountains at the rim of the desert where he
hoped to find refuge in one of the inaccessible gorges.  After a few
days the excitement would, have died down at Massennock and he would
have time to find a safe way to make good his final escape.

Kalal, who now steered his craft manually, started to climb in order to
survey the terrain a little better.  Suddenly a flash caught his eye.
He was terrified when he recognized that the tiny shimmering point was
a craft suspended in air in his own course.

Knowing he was in a defenceless state, he was gripped by panic.  His
brain no longer generated the necessary power to create an impregnable
protective shield and his flying machine did not have the mechanical
equipment to produce the protective field which he could have
reinforced with his own mental power.

Kalal had no alternative but to flee.  He steered his machine in a
precipitous downward curve.  The mountains rushed at him with a
horrendous speed.  A dark gorge opened before him and Kalal chose it as
the best place to hide.

As he plunged into the black gap, holding the controls in a tight grip,
he cast an upward glance.  His heart almost stopped when he saw that
the other machine was already so close to him that he could see the
heads of the 2 occupants in the window.  The aircraft was hurtling down
at a faster rate than his own and was about to enter the gorge farther
to the north.

Kalal estimated the distance and believed at first that he had a chance
to reach a hiding place before his opponents caught up with him.  But
he realized that his pursuer manoeuvred more skilfully and swifter than
he anticipated.  The machine suddenly veered and dived toward him at a
steep angle so that Kalal realized that it was their intention to ram
him.

Kalal's cool reasoning began to prevail again over his panic.  He kept
his craft on the same course till the last moment.  But 2 or 3 seconds
before the threatened collision he pulled his control stick back as
hard as he could.  His craft was severely shaken by the sharp jolt. The
fuselage groaned as if it were about to be shattered but the nose
obediently lifted and Kalal shot high up and away over the strangers'
machine.

However he had failed to judge his enemy's strategy correctly.  By
concentrating his attention solely on the approaching vehicle he had
failed to see the overhang jutting out from the stonewall at his right.
His enemy had expected him to perform his manoeuvre.  His machine
ascended on its evasive course for a couple of seconds, when Kalal saw
a black shadow looming over his head.  He made a desperate effort to
steer his craft away but it was too late and he slammed into the
overhang with a thunderous crash.

He had pushed his craft to extreme velocity and the impact smashed the
cabin of his machine.  He was thrown out as the wreck bounced down the
slop of the mountain.

Kalal was knocked unconscious yet he was lucky.  He rolled down the
steep slope but before he was flung out into the abyss he was caught by
a narrow ledge at the rim of the gorge.

Although the 2nd impact was quite severe it was not fatal to Katal.

* * * *

Half an hour later Meech reported that the signals he received from the
priest became stronger again.  Ron wanted to say something in reply but
before he could open his mouth he heard a buzz from the receiver he
wore behind his ear.  He listened, electrified.  Raising his left arm,
he spoke into the mike.

Grasshopper.  Who's speaking?

Grasshopper, he heard Larry Randall's voice.  We can see you.

Larry !  Ron shouted with cracking voice.  How did you get out of that
mess?  Where is Lofty?

We're all here!  Larry replied cheerfully.  Lofty is sitting next to me
and Kazek is lying on the floor, still shaking in his boots.  I'll tell
you everything else later.  Right now we have more important things to
do.  We almost caught up with the guy and he must see us any minute.

Which guy?

The Anti!

Get him and hold him for us!  We'll be there as fast as we can.

OK.  That's what I wanted to do anyway but we'd better keep radio
silence now.  It might be possible for the Anti to intercept our
calls.

Right.

Meech had already searched the sky and discovered Larry's aircraft on
the blue horizon.  Then he also noticed the dark spot of the priest's
machine against the background of the mountain.  He was able to observe
the initial manoeuvre which Larry executed to intercept the fugitive
but he and Ron learned what really happened only after Larry broke the
radio silence and gave them his next report which he concluded with the
words:

We are now exactly over the spot where he crashed.  He must have made a
pact with the devil he is still moving!

* * * *

A short distance above the spot where Kalal's vehicle smashed against
the overhang was a place where Ron could land his machine.  During his
approach he had already noticed a crevice forming a chimney in the
mountain wall which would give him fairly easy access to the rim of the
gorge.  Ron was determined to save the priest in order to get the
information he wanted about the weird events that had taken place on
Utik the last few days.  Therefore he decided to go down through the
crevice to reach him.

Randall remained up in the air, circling over the gorge where he could
keep a close watch over Ron and the priest.  Ron let Meech climb out
first to make sure that the vehicle stood firmly on the narrow ledge.
Then he followed the robot and they climbed over the precipice and down
through the crevice leading to the rim of the gorge.  Meech went first
and waited at the bottom of the crevice till Ron joined him.

Meanwhile the sun stood high in the sky.  The bare stone reflected its
scorching rays and the air-shimmered in the unbearable heat.  Ron
shaded his eyes with his hand in order to see better.  Below him, no
more than 15 meters away, lay the Anti in a little trough that had
broken his fall.  His expensive robe was torn and dusty.  His face was
smeared with blood and he seemed to have broken an arm, to judge from
the awkward, unnatural angle it stuck out from his body.

However the man was still alive.  Ron saw him rise up on his knees and
peer up the wall.  Ron reached for his weapon.  He didn't know how the
Anti would react.  Maybe the fall had not robbed him of all his
courage.  Ron wanted to call out that he had come to help him but it
was in vain.

A force was thrust against him.  It was invisible but he felt its
formidable power.  He was thrown back and lost his balance.  His feet
slid from under his body and his back hit the wall.  He began to slide
down the steep slope and realized in helpless horror that nothing was
between him and the abyss that could stop his deadly plunge.  He saw
himself slide past the Anti and sail through the air after going over
the edge.

* * * *

Kalal no longer was able to think rationally.  He didn't know whether
there was still some hope for him or not.  Yet he was furious.  He saw
the 2 strangers, whom he had already encountered at the temple, emerge
from the crevice.  When he noticed the shining helmets on their heads
he realized how they had protected themselves against the hypnotic
influence of his activator.

Kalal hated them.  It had been his burning desire to vanquish the High
Baalol so that he might rule in his place.  These two spoiled his
ambitious plans.  He had to kill them even if he perished in the
attempt.

He concentrated for the last time in his life, then struck his final
blow.

* * * *

Reacting instantaneously, Meech leaped.  His desperate jump took him
over the edge of the abyss and he dropped almost the full length of the
wall.  Through split-second thinking he was able to throw himself in
Ron's path and catch him in his arms only 2 meters from the brink of
the yawning chasm.

But Meech had to do more to save the life of his boss.  He was aware
that the Anti was still a danger to be reckoned with and he acted to
eliminate it.  With Ron's revolver in one hand and his own thermobeamer
in the other he blasted the enemy with both barrels.

This time he was not content with firing 3 shots.  He emptied the drum
of the ancient weapon and saw that the priest slumped down again.
Although he stopped moving, Meech had the impression that he was still
alive.

Ron recovered from his sudden brush with death.  Blast him!  he cursed,
gnashing his teeth.  He almost made me break my neck!

He got up and they both went over to the Anti lying in the trough.  One
of the bullets from the revolver had hit Kalal in the chest.

However they noticed something beside the wound, a slight welt between
his ribs as if some operation had been performed beneath his skin.  Ron
touched the spot with his hand but desisted when Kalal began to moan in
pain.

The Anti opened his eyes.  They looked vacant.  His vision seemed to be
blurred.  He tried to raise himself up but reclined again and was quiet
for awhile.  Then he gasped: Curse the High Baalol at Trakarat!

They were Kalal's last words.  His body shuddered and he died.

* * * *

Col.  Nike Quinto took his time to review the Utik mission with his men
now that the case was solved.  The interrogation of the 5 prisoners
captured by Sgt.  Hannigan on his first foray into the hypnotic
influence zone, Nike Quinto stated, and the examination of the dead
priest established beyond a doubt that one of the cell-activators of
the kind the Solar Administrator has recently received from the planet
Wanderer was the cause of the tumult.  It was only 1 out of 20.  These
cell activators as the name implies, activate the body cells of the
person who carries it and his life becomes virtually indestructible.
Why this one has performed in such a different manner remains a matter
of conjecture.  It could have something to do with the peculiar sense
of humour the being on Wanderer possesses or it might be due to a
faulty construction.  We will learn more about it when we find out how
the other 19 men fared who recently obtained the activators.

He paused and studied the notes lying on the desk before him.  He
breathed audibly as if he had trouble making sense out of them and his
rosy face was covered with pearls of sweat.  He mumbled something about
his high blood pressure and that he regarded all long lectures as an
imposition.  He finally resumed his conclusions in a high but calm
voice.  The weird case of the comatose priests and the corpses in the
subterranean rotunda has been elucidated by the induced willingness of
our prisoners to confess.  The Baalol priests have erected a protective
fence around their temple by electronic generators.  However this
shield was not sufficient for their purposes and they reinforced it by
using the well-known mentogenetic powers of their brains.  They keep a
constant guard in each of their temples, who has only one assignment:
he must project his protective thoughts, as they are called, on the
defence screen to augment its impregnability.  You probably can deduce
from my awkward choice of technical expressions how little I understand
of the subject.  Anyway, Kalal who was finally hunted to death was
obviously trying to escape from his own brethren.  Why, we don't know
for certain.  Perhaps they wanted to do away with him because he
imperilled the temple and he objected to sacrificing his life.  This is
one guess.  Whatever it was, he fled into the catacombs of the temple
and then knocked out the 5 priests guarding it with their uniform
thoughts.  It must have been a telepathic struggle of colossal
magnitude.  Gentlemen, you too have felt the mechanical effects of the
devastating clash of their mental energies.  Kalal also managed to
escape the frenzied mob that stormed the courtyards of the temple after
the collapse of the protective screen but you eventually sealed his
fate.

Quinto wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to remember something
else.  Well the case might have become even more complicated.
Apparently one of the Baalol priests summoned help from the fleet of
the Springers.  They responded to his call shortly after Kalal's flight
and 30 Springer ships arrived at Utik.  However the Arkonide fleet had
already formed a blockade around the planet and the Springers were
turned back in a fruitless intervention.  Now the Utik affair is
finished as far as we are concerned and I don't expect it to have any
diplomatic sequels.  So far it has not even come to the attention of
the Administrator and we have no reason to concern ourselves further
with the Baalol temple on Utik.  Those people will be too busy
repairing the damage they have incurred to think up more trouble for
us.  The 5 prisoners will be released.  They have all responded well to
our mental therapy and will be sent back after the administration of a
memory block.  Any questions, gentlemen?

Yes sir, Ron Landry spoke up.  I would still like to know how Capt.
Randall managed to get out of the ruins where he was buried in the
temple.  Things have been too hectic till now to hear the full story.

Nike Quinto raised his finger.  Well, Capt.  Randall, would you tell us
about it?

There isn't much to report, Larry began.  The walls collapsed all
around us but we were never in serious danger.  At first I didn't quite
know what to do.  Then Patterson had an idea.  He glanced
appreciatively at the grey-bearded veteran.

He assumed correctly that the man we were chasing would try to reach
the surface in his effort to escape us and that instead of following
Ron and Meech, which was made too difficult by the mass of rubble that
cut us off from them, he suggested we turn back and see if we could use
the grav-shaft to go up and intercept the fleeing man.  It took us a
few minutes to break through to the antigravitor.  The shaft ended in a
courtyard and we came just in time to witness the flood of enthusiastic
people bursting into the yard.  We had to pull back to a safe place in
order to keep from being swept away by the avalanche.  The surging
bodies quickly concentrated in a circle and when we ventured closer
again we saw that the priest was at the vortex of their movements. They
sprinkled him with water, fondled him and acted silly to their hearts'
content.  However the priest could not be deterred from his goal. 
Soaking wet, he elbowed his way through the people caressing him,
determined to reach the row of vehicles parked in the background. We
got there before he did and without being noticed by him.  There were a
lot of other transporters in the air above the courtyard and his eyes
were probably too full of water to see us.  We took off in one of the
aircraft and you know the rest.

Nike Quinto nodded in assent.  What happened to Kazek?  he inquired.

We dropped him off at his restaurant on our way back, Larry laughed.
He's been cured of Liquitiv as well as dealing with Terrans for the
rest of his life.

Quinto chuckled.  Very good.  Any more questions?  He studied the faces
of the 4 men.  Well then, I recommend that you go home and take a good
rest.  It will do wonders for your blood pressure even though it
doesn't bother you as much as me.  Don't laugh, Sgt.  Hannigan, take my
advice, it will do the plasma in your generators good!

He dismissed his listeners with a wave of his hand.  Ron Landry and his
men got up, saluted and went to the door.  But their boss wouldn't have
been Nike Quinto if he had not called them back at the last moment and
hinted at their future assignment.  By the way, one question has not
yet been solved and some day we may be called upon to answer it: who is
the High Baalol and where is Trakarat?

* * * *

Homunk: Have you now lost further interest in Utik?

IT: Only in the events on Utik.  However we have given out 21
cell-activators.

Homunk: Do you expect to get great fun out of them?

IT: Of course.  Now take a look at Veevee, for instance where a High
Priest of the Baalol cult feels called upon to preach working together
with Terra in brotherly love.  I can picture with delight how this is
going to rattle the brains of his flock of faithful!

THE SHIP OF THINGS TO COME

AURIS OF LAS-TOOR would not be interrupted and she continued in Perry
Rhodan's defence:

The situation can't be what Gonozal VIII represents it to be in his
Imperium.  It can't be true that Rhodan has betrayed his friend the
Imperator!  There must be misunderstandings here or circumstances must
be involved which we are not able to judge at this distance.  From my
own position I must warn you: do not grant Imperator Gonozal VIII this
assistance immediately!  Use diplomatic subterfuge if you have to!  It
is the duty of the Ruling Council to find out the cause of this
terrible misunderstanding between the Arkon Imperium and Perry
Rhodan!

I'd like to say personally, right here and now, that Perry Rhodan is
not capable of the treason which the Arkonide accuses him of!  A man
like this Terran who places such high value on each individual human
life must also know what it means to have friends!  Honourable Ruling
Council, may the wisdom of the gods and the insight of the great ones
among our people be with us today and lead us to a correct decision!

Will Auris' impassioned appeal succeed or fall on deaf ears?

The answer will be learned next time in

CALLER FROM ETERNITY

by Kurt Brand