"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0002 - (1b) The Third Power" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

The face of the operator had disappeared, and another face became bible. It was the White House Press Secretary. "General Pounder?"

"Speaking." The general nodded briefly. Mercant bent slightly forward to include himself within the range of the camera. "Mercant is also present."

"Thank you. The reply from the Peking government has arrived. This reply is of such a strange nature that we have decided to undertake nothing further without first consulting you. Is your recorder running?"

Pounder pressed a button concealed beneath the rim of his desk. "It is now."

"Well, then, please listen. Our request to Peking was as follows:



СWashington to Peking. Would like immediate permission to send a board of inquiry to inspect the wreckage of the lunar rocket Stardust, which has crash-landed in your territory. Inasmuch as this is an exploratory vessel, no diplomatic obstacles should stand in the way. We expect your consent.Та"The reply was just received. Here it is :



СPeking to Washington. Consent refused. The government of the Asiatic Federation considers the intended establishment of a Western base in our territory to be in blatant defiance of all previous agreements. There can be no doubt that this was not the crash landing of an alleged moon rocket. The crew has rejected a rescue unit and deployed a new device which renders human beings weightless. Unless your government issues a command for this military base to surrender itself, undamaged, at once, it will be destroyed by the division of our army that has surrounded it. We will give you two hours.Та"Well, these are the two communiquщs. What do you have to say to that, General Pounder?"

The whole face of the Director of the Space Explorations Centre lit up with radiant excitement. "Thank heaven the Stardust managed to land undamaged! Damn good luck! Rhodan and his men are alive. And weТve reached the moon. We were the first to land on the moon. Magnificent!""Very gratifying," commented the Press Secretary, "but at the moment IТm far more interested in your opinion with regard to the Asiatic communiquщ. What does it mean, a weapon that nullifies gravity? Was there equipment on board the Stardust of which we have not been informed?""Nonsense. Nullification of gravity! We have conducted experiments in that area, but they remain unsuccessful. The Asiatics are trying to bluff you. They only want to let the Stardust vanish, thatТs all."Mercant interrupted. "Do you have any confirmation that the moonship landed without damage?"

"None," replied the Press Secretary. "If we did, it would probably have been through your office, Mercant. WeТve informed Peking that we are unfortunately not in communication with the Stardust and that we therefore cannot intervene. The ridiculous assertion that the lunar rocket is an American military base has been sharply denied. So far we have received no replyЕ . Wait a moment! Peking is calling right now. Hold on, please. IТll arrange for you to listen in."The face of the Press Secretary disappeared from sight, and although the screen remained blank, Pounder and Mercant could understand every word spoken in the room some 2,500 miles away. Unintentionally, they became witnesses to the beginning of a development that could very well mean the end of the world, unless some miracle happened.

"Washington speaking. We are waiting, Peking. Over."

"Peking speaking. You have not complied with our request. Your base in the Gobi Desert has likewise refused to permit an inspection, whereupon a division under the direct command of Marshal Roon was given the order to destroy it. Although you are undoubtedly very well informed about what happened, we still wish to describe briefly the events that followed.

"Our tanks advanced and about one and a half miles from the landing site encountered an invisible obstacle. Following the perimeter of this transparent wall, we found that it extended in a circle around the Stardust, enclosing an area a bit in excess of seven square miles. A certain Rhodan refers to this circle as the Сterritorial boundaries of a new and neutral powerТ Our tanks withdrew and opened fire on the base. Our shells detonated far from their goal, as if the invisible wall also extended upward, enclosing the grounded rocket like a protective bell. Our scientific advisors are of the opinion that the base is surrounded by a force field. Thus, the base may be unconquerable. We wish to point out, first of all, that we consider the presence of the Stardust a threat to world peace and that inevitable consequences must follow unless appropriate action is taken. Should this base not be eliminated, or should it not surrender to us, within the next twenty-four hours, we shall regard all diplomatic relations between the Asiatic Federation and the United States as dissolved. We await your reply. No further communications will follow."Pounder looked at Mercant. His complexion seemed less healthy than it had been hardly ten minutes ago. Even the defence Secretary had exchanged his bland smile for a few lines of worry.

"Force fields," he murmured. "We know nothing of this. I must say, Pounder, your scientists really know how to keep quiet about something."

"DonТt talk such nonsense, Mercant. I know as much about a force field as you yourself. The Asiatics are calling a bluff, thatТs all. TheyТve been looking for an excuse to get rid of their nuclear warheads, and now theyТve found one."Mercant leaned forward. "Are you telling me that you donТt know anything about this Сbell of energyТ around the Stardust and that you also donТt know anything about a new device to counteract EarthТs gravity?""Nonsense, both of them! Nothing of the kind exists. IТve already told you that the Asiatics are bluffing.""Hello?" The Press Secretary had come on again and interrupted their conversation. "YouТve listened in, havenТt you?""Of course," confirmed General Pounder. "That is absolutely the greatest nonsense that I have ever heard, and I would suggestЕ""General, even greater nonsense can result from this. Namely, war. We must prevent this under all circumstances. Please try, at all costs, to contact the Stardust Mercant can assist youЦand then find out what they meant by the force field. Lehmann will certainly know what to do. WeТll be expecting your reply before expiration of the ultimatum given us by the Asiatic Federation.""Will do," snarled Pounder, who had absolutely no idea how he could accomplish this. "IТll get in touch with you in time."The screen grew dark.

Mercant sighed. "If Major Perkins doesnТt send us some word pretty soon, weТll really be in a bad spot. Now, I suggest we get in touch with Lehmann. Is that all right?"Pounder barked a number of commands into one of his phones. Moments later a tall older man entered the office. This was Professor Lehmann, Director of the California Academy of Space Technology and supervisor of the scientific project Moonshot. There was admittedly no expert greater than he in his field. Indeed, in an occasional candid moment General Pounder could even be persuaded to confess that Lehmann was the spiritual father of the Stardust.

With a somewhat astonished expression, the professor addressed the two men. "You wanted to see me?"

Pounder nodded. "YouТve probably met the bloodhound Mercant. A formal introduction will be unnecessary. IТd like to save myself a long story, so just listen to what has happened." He manipulated controls under the desk until sound emerged, followed by a buzz, with further noise ensuing. "The tape," Pounder explained, as if demonstrating a new invention. "Occasionally it saves a lot of trouble."While Professor Lehmann was, by means of the recorded exchange, informed of what had occurred, Mercant sat innocently in his chair, already lining up his mental chessmen and working out future plays. If Perkins succeeded in making contact with Rhodan, provided, of course, that the latter was still in the Gobi Desert and had not yet become a pawn of the Asiatics, as he presumed, then the whole affair must soon be explained. There were several possibilities:

The Stardust had landed on purpose in the territory of the Asiatic Federation. That meant that Rhodan was a traitor. But it was equally possible that she had been forced to crashland and was now being dismantled by the Asiatics, who only pretended to have encountered opposition. This-and Mercant was convinced of it, was nothing but a preparation for a subsequent broadcast that would say the defences of the Stardust had suddenly collapsed and the ship had been destroyed in the process.

Then there was a third possibilityЕ but this was too fantastic for serious consideration. Despite his love for animals (he had once been observed to pull a worm off the hook of a most surprised fisherman and carefully place the worm in the earth) Mercant was a terribly sober and pragmatic person. His life consisted solely of facts, reports, and regulations, never of suppositions.And yetЕHe did not have an opportunity to finish his thought. The episode on the recorder had concluded. General Pounder jutted out his chin and looked at Lehmann. "Well, Professor, whatТs your reaction to that? Do you believe Major Rhodan is a traitor?""Traitor? Who came up with that crazy notion?"

Pounder glanced at Mercant with a significant expression. "That was merely a rhetorical question, Professor. I am much more curious to learn your opinion of this force field concept andЕ and the other thing.""Nullification of gravity, is that what you mean? Both are nothing short of fantasy, impossible with the means presently at our disposal. The Asiatics have concocted a fine fairy tale there, in order to find a suitable pretext for keeping the Stardust. IТll wager that tomorrow we discover the ship has been destroyed and therefore cannot be returned to us.Mercant nodded in agreement. "Very well done. A splendid analysis. If IТm going to retire, IТll recommend that you become my successor.""Not interested. IТd rather fly along to Mars. Well, at least we know that the landing of the Stardust occurred without any serious damage. The ship is safe; otherwise, this smokescreen manoeuvre would be uncalled for. If we could only find out the cause of it all, our questions would no longer remain unanswered. If only we had a good intelligence agency, weТd have no problem."This apparently innocent remark found its mark. Mercant turned red. In an instant his mild expression collapsed. A steel hard expression arose in his eyes. Without bothering any longer with the grimacing General Pounder, he rose to his feet.

"The last word hasnТt been said. YouТll be surprised," he threw at Lehmann. "YouТll be surprised how well our intelligence agencies are operating. General, please call me the minute you hear from Washington. Goodbye, gentlemen." He slammed the door behind him.Professor Lehmann, quite surprised, looked at Pounder. "WhatТs the matter with him? Since when is Mercant so sensitive?""YouТve hurt his professional pride." Pounder grinned, obviously very pleased. "Serves him right. Why does he have to treat everyone who isnТt a fellow bloodhound like half human beings? Well, now we are undisturbed. Tell me, Professor, whatТs your honest opinion? We agree that Major Rhodan is above suspicion, do we not? What really did happen in the Gobi Desert?"Lehmann bent forward. "Perhaps we should phrase our question differently and ask, What really happened on the moon?"

Pounder stared at him, incapable of reply.