The technician nodded,
Betty Toufry and John Marshall entered the room. Rhodan inquired: “Have you kept in touch with Pucky?” “Yessir. Pucky, Ras and Tako are ready to teleport. As soon as the ship reacts positively to your command signals, they’ll jump back to the Sirius.”
The Sirius followed the harvestship at a close distance. Any change of course would be registered instantaneously. The structure sensor was turned in on the ship. Rabotax could go thru a transition. There was no danger of losing Rab. The first of the 2 planets it was supposed to visit was less than 100 lightyears from Arkon, a distance which could be traversed in a single jump.
“Ready!” Pearls of sweat rolled from the forehead of the responsible technician. He knew how much depended on the faultless functioning of the transmitter he had repaired without getting a chance to perform a test.
Rhodan looked at the picture screen. “Go ahead!” The technician pushed a button and activated the transmitter. The impulses of the symbols were beamed to the harvestship. They were received by the radio center of the robotship and transmitted to its commander Rabotax.
2 anxious minutes elapsed after the message had been repeated 3 times. Then came the answer.
Rabotax confirmed the instructions and the robot reported that it would take off in exactly 2 time-units to fly to, the 2 assigned planets and then stand by at the position requested.
Rhodan felt relieved and the technician wiped the sweat from his brow. However it still remained unclear how long 2 time-units would last.
“Betty, tell the 3 teleporters to come back now. I believe everything is working out alright.” Betty made contact again and informed Pucky of
Rhodan’s request. She listened a few seconds before she reported: “They are going to jump into the Command Center because they are more familiar with its location.” She paused again for a few moments and announced: “They’re here, sir. The harvestship is now unoccupied.”
Bell could barely conceal his disappointment that he had to wait a little longer to behold the grotesque bloated figure of the mousebeaver. Altho he didn’t feel tempted to laugh at the swollen girth of Ras and Tako, the sight of Pucky would tickle him to death and he already savored his unrestrained mirth in delighted anticipation.
It took about 3 more minutes till the harvestship began to soar out into space. Rhodan was suddenly beset by some twinges of doubt. Was he deceiving himself? What if the harvestship vanished without a trace in the depth of space and he couldn’t find it anymore? The possibility could not be entirely ruled out in spite of the structure sensor. However his optimistic confidence regained the upper hand. Pucky had lauded Rabotax. It would carry out the orders he had given it. It was pure nonsense to doubt it.
It was unnecessary for the Sirius to follow Rabotax. It was clearly apparent on the observation screen that the ship steered straight to the prescribed point of transition, where it dematerialized a few minutes later. Then Rhodan would have to wait only 15 or 20 minutes to receive the report that it had arrived at its destination from the units of his spacefleet which were stationed at the goal.
Rhodan turned to the technician. “That will be all for now. Take the transmitter safely back to Terra. Some day we’re going to need it again.” Then he tapped Bell on the shoulder and said: “Now it’s your turn. They’re waiting for us in the Command Center. Marshall, prepare the infirmary for our patients. They should start the treatment of the 3 mutants today.”
Bell overtook Rhodan and ran down the corridor. He was in such a hurry that Rhodan and Betty couldn’t keep pace with him. Betty smiled faintly but said nothing. Rhodan had a hunch that she enjoyed a secret which she wanted to keep to herself but he thought no more of it when they entered the antigrav elevator and floated up to the Command Center.
Bell was about 20 meters ahead of them when he reached the door to the Command Center and opened it. As soon as the panel started to slide into the wall recess, he squeezed himself thro the crack. He took a deep breath and put his hands on his ample hips. Suddenly he gasped.
“Hi, fatso!” Pucky greeted him.
Bell didn’t even notice that Rhodan and Betty entered the Command Center. With bulging eyes he stared at Pucky, Ras and Tako. His red hair stood straight up and he didn’t seem to trust his eyes.
“What’s the matter, fatso?” Pucky asked in his most cheerful tone of voice, parading before Bell like a peacock. “Did you swallow your tongue?” Facing Bell and scrutinizing him, he taunted: “If I’m not mistaken you must have gained a few pounds since I saw you last. You’ll be busting your britches, fatso.”
With gaping mouth Bell gasped for air like a fish out of water. “What… the devil-?!” was all he could stutter.
Rhodan laughed uproariously and grabbed the nearest chair. Several officers watched the scene, trying to disguise their amusement. Betty was still smiling. She had already told Rhodan in a few words what had happened. Pucky had been careless about shielding his thoughts and had given away his secret. But Betty was not one to spoil his fun. She was pleased to see Pucky tease Bell and relished that he got his comeuppance.
Ras went over to Rhodan. Passing Bell he patted him on the shoulder and commented: “Don’t take it so hard, old boy. Nextime we’ll take you to the harvestship.”
Tako grinned in a friendly manner without adding any barbs of his own. He was as slim as before his adventure. None of the trio had gained as much as one gram. The treatment of Rabotax had performed miracles.
Bell pierced Pucky with his eyes. “You… it can’t be!”
The mousebeaver waddled toward Bell and patted his belly. “If you keep this up, no girl will look at you anymore, fatso,” he said in a grave voice. “Look at me! You’ve got to watch your figure a little. Don’t eat like a pig! Take me, for example… but it really wouldn’t make much difference anyway, fatso. I doubt that a girl would bother to look at you even if you were thin.”
“As if they were looking at you!” Bell groaned, imploring Rhodan with his eyes.
Rhodan merely shrugged his shoulders and grimaced wryly as if to say: You asked for it… don’t look at me! “Of course they do!” Pucky crowed, sticking out his
chest and showing off his enviable figure to Bell. Then he pranced to the door and announced to his enraptured audience: “Now I’m going to get something to eat. I’m hungry.”
Pucky headed straight for the kitchen of the Sirius and began to devour all the fresh vegetables he had fancied during his absence.
Bell pleaded with Ras in stunned incredulity: “How did you do it? I thought that blubbermoss made you fat.” “The harvestship had some equipment for defatting us
painlessly. We didn’t find out what they used it for originally but it certainly served our purpose. We were reduced to our former weight within one hour.”
Bell was goggle-eyed and didn’t know whether to believe Ras or whether he was in on a conspiracy against him.
“It’s like getting under a shower and feeling a blast of air,” Ras amicably continued to deliver the information. “You just get under it in the nude. That’s all there’s to it.”
“Only one hour?” Bell asked dubiously.
After Ras reassured him Bell left the Command Center dejectedly and without another word. Once he was in the corridor they could hear him mutter till he was out of earshot.
“So much for that,” Rhodan cleared his throat, trying his best to be serious again. “Pucky stole the show from Bell again. Ras and Tako, please report to me in my cabin after you have undergone your medical examinations. Betty, I wish to thank you for your valuable assistance on this mission which we now have concluded… or will conclude in 10 more minutes at the most.”
He walked to the door of the adjacent radio room and almost bumped into an officer when he opened it. “Hyper-radio call?”
“Yessir, from the Ohio. Just a short message.”
“What does it say?”
The officer read it from a piece of paper: OHIO, POSITION XB23 Z13 REPORTS HARVESTSHIP ARRIVED AS EXPECTED AND COMMENCED HARVEST. ‘
Rhodan put his hand on the officer’s shoulder and said, highly pleased: “Thank you, Davis. This is excellent news. Confirm the receipt!”
He nodded and returned to the Command Center. “Course Arkon 2!” he ordered the chief pilot.
Later, when Pucky, Ras and Tako submitted their detailed reports, Bell attended the session. He seemed to have swallowed his pride and didn’t show his disappointment. However he was more pensive than usual and paid little attention to the discussion. When they touched the topic of the defatting shower again he perked up from his brooding and his face assumed a vivid expression.