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

Perkins had gone into the pilotТs cabin after he had tied Lan-Yu into his seat. The jet had just touched down and was skidding across the ragged earth with breathtaking speed. They were still more than two miles away from the Stardust, when suddenly, about two miles above the spacecraft, a second sun rose.Three pairs of eyes were blinded by the immediate presence of a white hot mushroom cloud whose glowing gases began to flow down along the outlines of an invisible bell.

They were alive only long enough to feel the impact when the jet came to a sudden halt as it slammed into the force field.

And then there was nothing.




CHAPTER THREE


"Perry, Pounder is on the line! And heТs all upset."Perry Rhodan nodded to Khrest, with whom he had just been talking. "If youТll excuse me, Khrest, I donТt want to leave anything undone.""On the line," was obviously an understatement. The connection via Echo satellite was flawless. PounderТs face was clearly visible on the view screen, as if he were looking in through a window. The Asiatics no longer interfered with the reception, a sign perhaps, that they were becoming quite confused.Reg bowed deeply and made a grand gesture toward the screen. "And may I introduce to youЕ the general!"Perry pushed him aside. "General Pounder, reporting with my crew, back from the moonflight. All are well. The Stardust is no longer flightworthy because of technical troubles. Your orders have been executed. The scientific results of our expedition will be forwarded to Professor Lehmann."

The general gasped. His gasp was fully audible halfway around the world. "Rhodan, have you lost your mind? Will you explain why you landed the Stardust in the Gobi Desert? Did remote control fail? You should at least have tried to reach the ocean."

"I landed here on purpose, General."

"What?" PounderТs face resembled an overripe tomato. "What do you mean, on purpose? Rhodan, youТre not trying to tell me thatЕ""IТm not trying to tell you anything, at least not what you seem to believe. IТll try to explain.""IТd like to know what there is to explain," Pounder roared. "Destroy the Stardust at once, with the automatic destruct system, and surrender to the forces of the Asiatic Federation. Is that understood?"An icy glint became visible in Perry eyes. "I understand you perfectly sir; but I will not follow your instructions."

"You will not what?" Pounder presented a frightening sight. His face had turned a shade darker still. Reg ducked down involuntarily, as though afraid that the head on the screen would suddenly burst. "Major Rhodan, I am ordering youЕ""May I inform you, sir, that I am no longer a major and therefore no longer under your command," Perry said calmly. "As you see, I have removed my insignia of rank. If you will permit me, I shall explain everything once and for all."

Professor LehmannТs face abruptly appeared beside PounderТs. There was curiosity in his expression. "Rhodan, are remains of an atmosphere present in the moon craters and perhaps traces ofЕ?""Silence!" shouted the general, and shoved the scientist aside. "Speak up, Rhodan." He stroked his chin. "And youТd better be convincing, because your words will decide whether or not weТll have a war on our hands within the next ten hours. The Asiatic Federation is absolutely convinced that the Stardust is a strategic outpost of the United States, established very much on purpose. Unless this Сstrategic outpostТ has been given up by tomorrow, diplomatic relations will be severed. I donТt need to tell you what that will mean.""Has it gone so far already?" Perry whispered, fear in his voice. "Then, indeed, every second is precious. Now, listen carefully, General. We landed as planned on the moon and discovered there the remnants of an extraterrestrial civilization. What it is in cannot tell you in detail now, but a few indications will be sufficient for Professor LehmannТs peace of mind. The moon has never been inhabited, but long ago the exploratory vessel of an interstellar race landed there. It is untouched and contains an arsenal of weapons with which one could destroy not only Earth, but our entire solar system. Death rays and force fields, gravity neutralizers and antineutron screens that can prevent any nuclear reaction and, whatТs more, hand weapons of an effectiveness that you can hardly imagine. You will realize, General, that we could scarcely hand such tremendously powerful weapons over to any nation on Earth."Suddenly PounderТs voice turned cold sober."But you are in Asiatic Federation territory. You landed there, and since this conversation is being monitored, all the world knows now what youТve found on the moon. Expeditions will begin, and a race will determine who gains possession of ultimate power. It would have been better if you had remained silent.""I want the world to knowХ Perry replied. "And no one will land on the moon unless I so desire. DonТt worry, General. Neither the Asiatics nor the Russians nor you will obtain those weapons. These weapons are in my hands. I shall take care that no one starts the war that will destroy us all.""You?"

In this one word were hidden such contempt and disbelief that Perry turned red with rage. He stepped forward and glared coldly at the general "Yes, I. Please understand the politics have failed. For decades you have tried to prevent the hot war. Threat followed threat. Conference followed conference. Not only are the Eastern Bloc and the Asiatic Federation to be blamed, but the Western Bloc as well. No one would give in. Everyone kept rearming. Today, everywhere on our globe guided nuclear missiles are poised in readiness. The push of a button will launch them into the sky. Automated guidance systems will steer them along their course. But even before they can reach their goal, on the other side retaliatory missiles will blast off. Almost simultaneously the nations on both sides of the world will cease to exist. We have faced this ghastly vision already for decades now. No one is capable of banning the danger. Only a precarious balance of power has thus far prevented the war. But woe if one or the other side became too strong! In order to live in peace, they would have to destroy their opponent. In order to live in peace, that is, they would have to die in war! You would do this yourself, the same as the Asiatics would. Can you understand at last why none of you must ever gain possession of the Stardust, as long as we have the extraterrestrialЕ""You would perform the greatest service to your own country if youЕ""If I would bring these weapons to Nevada Fields, is that what you mean? YouТre wrong, General. The Asiatic Federation and the Eastern Bloc would immediately feel so threatened that they would have to decide to launch the slaughter of the Western Bloc. The end of our civilization would come. No, I persist in my plan, whether you approve of it or not.""And what plan is that?"

"I will form a neutral third power between the Eastern and Western blocs. We have the ability to render harmless any nuclear warhead launched. Any atomic weapons will be safely disarmed at great altitude, as if they were simply fireworks that had fizzled. I will repel any attack on the Stardust, from whichever side it may come. I willЕ"Perry stopped talking. There was a noise behind him, and he turned around. Reg had grasped Clark G. FletcherТs sleeve as he burst into the broadcasting room."DonТt listen to him, General!" Fletcher shrieked hysterically. "HeТs gone mad! The Arkonides, with their degenerate ideas, have made him lose his mind. I refused to land here. He threatened me with a gun, General. Rhodan is a renegade!"Perry had given Reg a signal to let Fletcher finish his speech. Now he approached him, putting his right hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, Fletch. The General can hear what IТve got to say to you. Perhaps I would act the same way if I were in your position, but IТm not. You can leave the Stardust at any time you wish. IТm holding no one back. But first confirm for General Pounder that weТve found these weapons on the moon, these weapons with which we can control the whole world. DonТt tell him anything else. Only that."Fletcher hesitated. He looked into RegТs threatening face. In the technicianТs hand was the silver rod of the psychoradiator. Perry looked at him almost kindly. The intensely interested face of Pounder was staring at this scene from the screen.Fletcher nodded. "ThatТs right. Rhodan can destroy the world if he wants to."He hung his head, turned around, and went out into the corridor.

Perry breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the general. "Together with you, sir, the heads of state of the Eastern Bloc and the Asiatic Federation will also hear my words. I want first of all to state the situation as follows: The realm of the Third Power may be very narrowly limited from a geographical point of view, but donТt let yourself be fooled by that. Respect my wishes and take care not to let your mutual mistrust drive each of you to a point of no return. The Stardust is not an American military base. That ought to be clear by now. Neither did she land here to become the willing prey of the Asiatic Federation. The Eastern Bloc should now bury its hopes of becoming the third party who will profit by the discord of its two adversaries. Now, apart from that, you can always reach me on this frequency, and should I have anything further to say, IТll do so by the same means. IТm very sorry, General. Perhaps you will understand me one day. For the time being I can only ask you to forgive me."Pounder confronted the steel blue eyes. Then he nodded slowly. "I will try, Rhodan. One can only hope, by God, that Mercant does the same. You know him as well as I do." A bitter smile flashed across PerryТs face. He knew the meaning of this warning, but nothing frightened him any longer. Mercant was, after all, nothing but a human being. And human beings were no longer a source of awe for Perry Rhodan.

Washington to Peking:

"Contact with the Stardust has been established. Commander Rhodan claims to have come into possession of incredible weapons, which had been abandoned on the moon by an alien civilization. We no longer have any influence on future events. We urge you to reply."Peking to Washington:

"Video conversation between General Pounder and Rhodan was monitored by us. His claims incredible and too farfetched. The ultimatum is still in effect. You have seven hours."

Moscow to Washington:

"We concur with the opinion of the government of the Asiatic Federation and regard the American military base in the Gobi Desert as a threat to world peace. In the event of armed conflict, however the Soviet Union will remain neutral."

Moscow to Peking:

"We concur with the opinion of the government of the Asiatic Federation, and regard the American military base in the Gobi Desert as a threat to world peace."



Washington to Moscow [idem Washington to Peking]: