He had already sought cover and I had meanwhile changed my position too.

Rhodan seemed to be anxious to finish me off with a well-aimed energy blast.

Of course he had realized that the downed spaceship was useless and so he had concentrated his fire on it and destroyed what was left of the wreck, thereby depriving me of an excellent cover.

His action had created an extremely unfavourable position for me to battle out our duel.

I had to make strenuous efforts to evade the exploding debris. It was only commonsense that I endeavoured to keep the wreckage exactly between myself and Rhodan in order to avoid his blistering barrage.

I became aware too late that he had put me in a bad spot and it dawned on me that this cool-headed tactician had correctly anticipated my reaction.

The lump of metal which had once been a magnificent spaceship smouldered on a straight line between us. Since I was still close to the ruins, it obstructed my view of Rhodan as well as the steel dome.

It didn’t take me long to find the only possible solution. If I judged my opponent correctly, he had started to rush toward the hemispheric pressure dome as soon as he had finished the job of destroying the ship.

I had already wasted 10 seconds since my frantic retreat from the ship when it hit me what he was up to and I hesitated no longer. Maybe I had miscalculated his intentions. If so, I would be cut down by the withering stream of fire from his impulse-beamer the moment I reared my head.

I took a firm grip on my weapon and got up on my knees to look for a vantagepoint.

I found it among some boulders on a little mound where I could be assured of a good view.

I sprang up and dashed forward. 1 ran as only a desperate man in mortal danger can.

As I leaped around the molten heap blocking my view, I saw the other man in the distance.

Perry Rhodan had behaved exactly in the manner which had occurred to me a little too late.

Breathing hard, I threw myself down into the sand. As I averted my eyes to glance at the white-hot metal, he had already taken action.

I swallowed a curse and gave in to my instinct that told me to look first of all for a good cover. It meant that I had to run a distance of more than 600 feet and that Rhodan would also gain an equal distance in the same time. He couldn’t do more because he was no faster than I.

Although he had come through the transitions in much better shape than myself, this had not much to do with the purely physical condition. The hypertransition shock affected the nervous system. I had seen the strongest men miserably collapse from the shortest space-jumps.

My mind performed this assessment with great acuity while I was on the run and keeping my eyes peeled for the best possible cover. However I gave my main attention to Rhodan who darted across the mostly flat desert like a sprinter.

It was a colossal effort to run that fast with quite a heavy spacesuit but so far we were still fresh and agile. Both of us tried to outguess each other’s intentions. What if we really anticipated the actions of the opponent and thwarted all efforts at a feint?

Now my extra-brain sent the impulse: Drop to the ground, take a deep breath and shoot! He’s exposed and vulnerable!

Of course this would have been one way of tackling him. Rhodan had not once bothered to look around. It was a very risky gamble on his part.

Nonetheless I didn’t want to stop and open fire. I knew my limits and was afraid to miss the target as my pulse was beating fast and my hands were too shaky to aim straight.

To pull the trigger was simple enough but scoring a hit was a different story. If I missed my first shot, he was sure to seek cover somewhere behind a pile of sand and I would have been caught out in the open where it was much too hopeless.

Who could tell which one of us would get the better chance? I gave him the benefit of doubt and continued running.

If he was so careless as to give me enough time to reach the boulders on the high ground I had already spied, I would be in a much more advantageous position.

I stepped up my speed and was astonished how far 600 feet could stretch. My lungs wheezed as I stumbled up on the little knoll and fell down between 2 huge boulders.

It was hard for me to understand why my body acted up like this after such a short run in spite of my vigorous exercises. Red spots were dancing before my eyes. It took a few precious seconds before I could see clearly again.

Now I was no longer inclined to miss my target intentionally. Rhodan was now my enemy. If he reached the dome before me, I was lost beyond doubt.

The base was likely to be well equipped. There were probably radio transmitters in the dome which he could use to summon help. Once he was inside and put an energy screen around it, I was completely at his mercy. If nothing else he could let me die of thirst in this wasteland, barren of all vegetation, since I had only 2 quarts of water in my backpack.

If I succeeded in gaining access to the building before him, the situation was simply reversed. Thus the alternatives were clearly staked out: it was a matter of life and death.

I raised my thermo-beamer, ready to shoot. It was unnecessary to adjust my gunscope. The fast thermo-beam followed a straight path unaffected by gravity or air resistance.

When he came into my crosshairs, I estimated his speed and figured that I needed only a lead of 3 feet.

I braced the barrel of my weapon on the rocks and, allowing for the proper angle, I pulled the trigger.

I heard a muffled roar and felt the repercussion of the gun as the muzzle was briefly jiggled up after the ray shot out.

I missed the running man by a hair and burned a fiery crater in the ground next to him. Rhodan was tossed to the side and fell on his face.

If I had better anticipated his instantaneous reactions, I could have avoided the error I now made. It took me 2 seconds till my blinded eyes zeroed in again on the target.

Precisely after this short interval Rhodan bounced up so suddenly that I was unable to stop my fire impulse. My beam came in low and cut a searing furrow through the sand on the spot where he had lain motionlessly.

I pulled the trigger once more, hoping for better luck, but my target had already vanished. He had found a cover where I was unable to see him in spite of my higher vantagepoint. To make things worse I didn’t even know where he was hiding out.

I listened with bated breath. He was about 400 meters away, not much of a distance for my energy gun with its precise telescopic sight.

I switched off the transmitter of my radio and turned the receiver on to full volume. I listened carefully but could hear nothing except normal static. I assumed Rhodan had also cut off his own transmitter and probably was trying to pick up my breathing too.

I smiled a little but I was soon disturbed by a sudden thought: how was it possible that Rhodan had escaped injury from my first shot? It had almost struck him and should have wounded him seriously. Now it came back to my memory that these spacesuits were equipped with the latest field generators and that in the heat of battle I had forgotten to activate it.

I almost lost my temper. My unpardonable blunder made me angry with myself. The energy shield was probably not able to withstand a full hit but could fend off the effect of a grazing shot which normally would be lethal. I quickly remedied my earlier neglect.

The control light on my chest went on, showing that everything worked perfectly. The slight shimmering was hardly noticeable.

When I checked the dial, I became alarmed. How could I have already used up 24 kilowatt-hours in the short time after the landing?

With rising apprehension I searched for a possible defect somewhere in the circuit but stopped at once when I heard a click in my helmet speaker and tried to tune in to the sender. However I couldn’t do it by ear. It was very unlikely that Rhodan operated with a highly concentrated directional beam. He probably broadcast in all directions. I meticulously checked the setting of my helmet antenna; it was not attuned to a directional signal.

Now it clicked again and Rhodan’s breathing was audible. It sounded much too calm and regular to me.

I could see in the reflection of my faceplate that my lips were drawn in a broad grin. If this jester thought he could drive me out of my mind with such transparent psychological tricks, he was on the wrong track. I had to admit though that the idea of deceiving the opponent about one’s physical condition was worth trying.

"Hello, Arkonide, can you hear me?"

It sounded terribly loud and I instantly turned the volume down. Then I began to breathe very smoothly and flicked the switch of the transmitter. "I hear you, barbarian! What do you want? To beg for mercy? I’ve got you squarely in the sight of my gun. I’m going to give you 2 minutes and then I’ll move my finger."

Rhodan’s burst of laughter made my lips twitch in anger. He was aware of the fact that I had not yet located his exact position.

"You poor sleepyhead," he replied in a gentle tone. "On my mission to Arkon I’ve handled a hundred people like you all at once without trouble."

His provocative words threw me into a furious rage. He knew where I was vulnerable. I had to change my mental attitude and assume a posture of disdain so I could laugh off such verbal attacks. This was difficult for me because it was contrary to my character and tradition. However it helped considerably that I realized he was using such abusive language only for a deliberate purpose. He wanted to demoralize me.

This sobering thought restored my ability to respond unhampered by my emotions. Regrettably I had already hesitated too long with my answer.

Rhodan laughed again but I broke in calmly: "Save your breath, barbarian. If I spare your life here it’s only to put you before a court of the Arkonide Empire."

This was a bold statement designed to divert him in the desired direction and this it did.

"That’s very interesting. Are you a cosmic agent of the Empire?"

I was nothing of the sort but it was none of his business. "What do you think?" I countered warily. "Although we deplore the fact that we’ve discovered 50 years too late that your presumed death was a deliberate sham, now that we’ve caught up with you and your puny planet-state which you’ve the impudence to call Imperium, we’re going to settle accounts with you, barbarian!"

Rhodan laughed uproariously and this time there was sincere relief in his voice. I realized I had made some mistake although I did not yet know what it was.

"Arkonide, nobody in the Empire can possibly know how the years in our calendar on Earth are counted."

"Is that so?" I scoffed.

"You didn’t come directly from the 3 planets, you daydreamer. You’ve read in our books all you know about my imputed death and our progress and it isn’t enough to fool me."

He disconcerted me seriously. Of course he had learned from Gen. Kosnow in what form I had first appeared among his people. "Never mind how I’ve found out about you. All that matters is that I’ve cornered you."

"Would you be willing to take orders from a robot and live like a slave under his yoke?"

I was deeply upset. It was cruel of him to make such unworthy suggestions.

"Well, would you?"

I gnashed my teeth at the revolting thought.

He heard the sound and relented his verbal attack. "Well then, Arkonide, you’ve made it perfectly clear. Anyone reacting with such disgust and surprise can’t have been in Arkon lately. Your Arkonide Empire has been subjected for many years to the absolute rule of a positronic robot and even your Serene Highness, the Imperator, has to dance to his tune."

"That’s a rotten lie!" I shouted in a fit of fury.

"You can’t see it, but I just shrugged my shoulders. I can’t help you if you won’t take my advice. Anyway I know that you’re a harmless loner. Would you care to tell me your name?"

"I’m Atlan, Admiral of the Great Empire, technological scientist of the highest order, specialist in high-energy research and cosmic colonization. I’ll make your solar system one of our provinces, barbarian!"

He was silent for awhile and I was happy that he knew with whom he dealt.

"You sound mighty proud, august Arkonide!" he replied sardonically. "My beloved spouse used to speak in the same haughty tone. What does the name Thora of the Zoltral clan mean to you?"

"I know the name from our history books," I lied.

"She has married me, an Earthman, and has borne me a son. You must admit that an Arkonide woman of her high rank must have had very good reasons for it."

I bit my lips. This was a development beyond my comprehension and I preferred to remain silent.

"Alright, think it over, Atlan! That’s your name, right? Listen to me, Atlan!"

I caught myself smiling sarcastically. Now the solemn moment would come when he asked me to surrender my arms.

"Thora consented to our marriage because the Great Empire is now in abject distress. Her arrogance had become anachronistic and the distinction between our races obsolete. Please accept my offer to surrender as an honourable prisoner!"

"Prisoner!" I exclaimed, outraged.

"Naturally. You don’t believe I can let you fly to Arkon so that you can inform the first person you meet there what happened on Earth after it was supposed to have been destroyed. No way! Be sensible and come out—hands up!"

I rejected his insulting demand. "I want to be your friend, not your prisoner, barbarian!"

Rhodan laughed softly. "Isn’t it very strange, Atlan, that you can call your friend a barbarian?"

I looked angrily at the spot where he was hiding; he had seen through my bluff. "Be glad I don’t call you monster!" I replied with a growl.

He kept quiet after that. It was a strange duel. Finally he spoke calmly: "If you refuse to surrender, I’ll be forced to destroy you. I would regret it very much but you leave me no other choice."

"Try it!"

"I will. We only have enough water for a few hours and our micro-reactors will last no more than 72. This planet is far removed from Earth. We call it Hellgate because of its terrible climate. Have you looked at the temperature outside yet?"

My head spun around. Suddenly I realized why my spacesuit consumed so much energy and I noticed the red light of the climate control, showing that it was overloaded. The outside temperature was 265°F. No wonder the 200 meter run had exhausted me so much: my protective suit was working at the limit of its capacity.

Now I also became aware of the pain in my lungs. The air I breathed was much too hot. The inside thermometer showed a temperature of almost 110°F.

My people were not the kind to perspire very much. Nonetheless I felt myself breaking out in sweat. This planet was a veritable furnace. It was much too close to its sun which heated it horrendously.

"Well?" Rhodan asked.

He had unexpectedly handed me a psychological weapon. "Splendid!" I uttered, great satisfaction seemingly in my voice. "A pleasant temperature, barbarian. I’ve always been freezing cold on your icy world. You ought to know that Arkon’s gigantic sun is much hotter than yours and I was born and raised in its warmth. I’ll be fresh as a deyzig (* An Arkonian aquaflower noted for its long lasting freshness even when plucked.) when you drown in your own sweat or die from dehydration."

He called me stupid and I grinned at my own reflection. "I’ll make you a proposition, barbarian. Surrender to me and you won’t get hurt. If you’ve any sense at all, you…"

"It’s not worth an answer," he interrupted me. "Very well, Atlan. From now on it’s war between us. I mean business."

"Suits me, ape man! Don’t waste your water. You’ll have swallowed your 2 quarts soon enough. Do you know it’s 265°F out there? Just right for me. Would you like me to give you a quart of water? Atlan is fair, barbarian. I can spare it."

Rhodan fell silent. I knew I had touched a vulnerable spot. My arguments were irrefutable. It was true that Arkonides were accustomed to much higher temperatures than Terranians. Fortunately he didn’t know how long I had lived on Earth and that I was long ago organically acclimatized to its temperatures.

My throat felt parched and this only after one hour in the sun. I peered wistfully around the rocks before me. There was shade on the other side but Rhodan could have seen me there.

Fiery rings were dancing before my eyes.

"Okay, I’ll take you on," I heard his voice once more before switching off. I did the same and a silence filled with despair took over. The barren world of sand and stone called Hellgate looked like an ocean without shores.

I looked up at the sky and wished it were night, when it would be cooler. Finally I moved away from the hot stone and turned off my energy field in order to conserve current. The little thermal transformer was nearly breaking down anyway and the protective screen was useless against the short waves of the sunrays.

Not a sound from over there. Rhodan didn’t dare leave his cover and so we began to he in wait for each other. It was the beginning of pure torture.