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

"We assure you once again that the United States government knows nothing of an American military base in the Gobi Desert and that the crew of the Stardust has been asked to surrender. We propose an immediate emergency session of the heads of state."

There was no reply to this note.



The seven precious hours began to pass swiftly. In Asia the towers. of the continental launching platforms were turning toward east and toward west. Monsters of silver glittering steel shone menacingly in the glow of the searchlights. Men scuttled back and forth, and then it became quiet again.

One could see the same picture in the defence installations of the Western Bloc.

The Eastern Bloc aimed its deadly atomic weapons so that they faced the four corners of the Earth.

In each of the three parts of the world, a man was sitting in a room deep underground, in front of giant control panels and electronic computers. He was connected to the command posts by video screens. His hand rested quietly on the table, close to a red button.

This button seemed to wink ironically and say, "Well, go on! Why donТt you push me? Are you afraid someone else will do it too? Or do you fear that the end of the world will come if you push me?"Three red buttons, each an invitation to Inferno!

Khrest was sitting up in bed, leaning back against the messhall wall upholstered with cushions. Eric Manoli had given Clark Fletcher an injection that put the astronomer into a deep sleep. Reg was now in the centre with the doctor, monitoring radio traffic. Every half hour he informed Perry of what was going on in the world.

Gradually Khrest began to grasp the implications of his arrival on Earth, even though its populace did not realize that he had come.

He nodded slowly. "It is incredible, Mr. Rhodan, that your race can stand this mental stress. You tell me that your world has already existed for decades in such a tense atmosphere, where the touch of a single button could unleash wholesale destruction. Why has not someone arisen and put an end to such an intolerable state of affairs. Why have they not formed a universal government? Why have they not pooled their weapons stockpiles as a protection against possible extraterrestrial aggressors?"

Perry Rhodan sighed. "Your question isnТt easy answered, Khrest. If we had an answer, we wouldnТt be living constantly between life and death. Perhaps there canТt be an answer, as long as mankind is convinced of being alone and unique in the solar system. One will respect only a more powerful force; but each of the two great nuclear powers on Earth is just as mighty as the other. (The third one plays only a subordinate role.) Everyone knows that if war breaks out, the annihilation of both adversaries, and probably the rest of the world, is the inescapable result. Only this knowledge has heretofore prevented a catastrophe.""I am beginning little by little, to understand the problem. When my race was still young, they were confronted by the same difficulties. For more than 200 years they lived in fear of total destruction. Then a warrior insect people from the outer reaches of the galaxy found us and attacked us. In less than half an hour both opposing governments had formed a coalition and successfully conquered the common enemy. However since the danger remained ever-present the coalition survived as well. Thus we became a single race and began our evolution toward maturity."

Perry Rhodan slowly nodded his head. Into his eyes came a hard glint. "Although IТve never heard it before, your story is nothing new to me. ItТs the only logical solution to those problems which evolve whenever intelligent creatures discover the ultimate weapon. You will understand now why IТm acting the way I am, why I have to act this way. ItТs not pleasant to be considered a traitor by oneТs own friends and superiors. But if I give in to sentiment, the world will be lost. Your weapons would fall into the hands of one of the power blocs, and they would destroy the other. But before it could succeed in that, its opponent would release a suicidal vengeance. No, I see my way clearly ahead of me, Khrest. Your problem is the answer to my questions. You want to get well; all right, IТll help you with that. You want electronic replacement parts; IТll obtain them for you. You will again be able to take off in search of the planet of eternal life. Perhaps you will forget us. But IТll me your brief presence here to bring peace to our world. A peace with the help of power, with force. ItТs no longer possible otherwise. Only the fear of the great powers in the face of a still greater one will bring them to their senses. I believe you will be able to help me with it.""Whatever is in my power will be done. For the time being, though, it does not look as though your actions are successful. The ultimatum will expire very shortly, and what then?"

"Thora must intervene. The force field and the gravity neutralizer apparently did not convince the Asiatics that theyТre dealing here with gigantic extraterrestrial inventions. My people in the West, On the other hand, believe that we intend to deceive them. Therefore, something must happen that will make it clear to all parties concerned, with a single stroke, how really strong the Third Power is. Your ship is on the moon, Khrest. What can you do from there, to make all mankind understand its grave danger? Could you, perhaps, loosen the Rock of Gibraltar from its foundation, and let it fall into the ocean 1,500 miles away? Or could you move the Statue of Liberty from New York to Peking or paralyse worldwide radio communications?""I could do all of those, and it would be good to give mankind such a dramatic exhibition. Think it over and inform me of your decision. I would suggest that we use an energy beam, choose a centrally located but uninhabited area, and warn all humanity. Say that in about two hours, that would be three hours before the ultimatum expires, you will burn into the desert a funnel with a diameter of 30 miles. But emphasize that the second time around, you would use this ray in populated areas, should your wishes not be respected. That should be enough to convince them."

Perry smiled coldly, but behind his apparent heartlessness there was hidden a genuine concern for the future of mankind. He knew that no argument would ever be sufficient to bring the guardians of diverse ideologies into agreement. Only a shock could accomplish this. And he was ready to administer the required shock therapy to the world.

"I can believe that. Do you think Thora will help us with this?"

"Whether she wants to or not, she has to. In her arrogance toward the lower races, she forgets that once upon a time we too were in the same stage of development, level A to D. That was perhaps our most productive period. We were young and enterprising then. We loved everything new and advanced. How different all this has become today! We have degenerated and become self-satisfied. Total standstill. HmmЕ To be quite frank, Rhodan, sometimes I have odd ideas when I think how much we resemble each other in a physical respect. Your mind blended with our own, your youth combined with our knowledgeЕ we could conquer the universe!"PerryТs eyes lost their hard cast. His gaze went off into the unknown distances that could be spanned only by eternities. Quite unconsciously, his hands clenched in fists, then opened again. With lightning speed a vision of the future revealed itself before his eyes.ЕHuman beings and ArkonidesЦone raceЕ The spirit of enterprise and the quest for adventure would be coupled with age old knowledge and amazing technology. Faster than the speed of light, spaceships piloted by men and women eager for Conquest would penetrate into the farthest reaches of the galaxy, finding new worlds, founding colonies and new empires. Interstellar trade would bring indescribable wealth, and perhaps a great galactic civilization would result. A new race would develop.Khrest seemed to guess what was going on in PerryТs mind. He smiled a wise smile. "We are only at the very beginning, Perry Rhodan. You are the representative of mankind; I am the representative of the Arkonides. You need our help; we need yours. An alliance of sorts, it might be called, born of mutual necessity. but later on I can imagine the product of a coalition of reason and the common advantage. Is Earth perhaps the planet of life that we are looking for? Every rejuvenation means a new life.""At first we must prepare the beginnings, Khrest. Then we can continue to talk about it. This world, which can bring you the complete recovery of your health, contemplates its own destruction. Hatred and fear, pettiness and egotism, intolerance of diversity of opinion, rigid defence of traditional maxims, all this had led to the current situation. Formerly it was the fear of God that forced man to conduct himself properly and allowed him to become civilized. Today the same result can be achieved only by material force and fear. All right then, Khrest. Ask Thora to direct her energy beam onto North Africa, onto the northern part of the Ahaggar Mountains. IТll send out a warning to clear the area at once, but as far as I know itТs as good as uninhabited.""This demonstration should not fail to be effective," promised Khrest. "But emphasize in your warning that this is one of the more harmless demonstrations we can deliver."



The radio receiver of Lieutenant DurbasТs desert patrol picked up an array of disquieting broadcasts from all over the world, but all frequencies were suddenly overlaid, with overpowering loudness, by an unknown broadcaster. In vain did the radio operator try to adjust his apparatus. Even when he turned it down as low as possible, Perry RhodanТs voice could still be heard as far away as 200 yards."This is Perry Rhodan speaking for the Third Power on Earth. Since the world is preparing for war and the end of civilization is therefore close at hand, I shall try to give you a last warning. This is to demonstrate that I can annihilate at a momentТs notice that nation which dares to launch the first nuclear warhead. Exactly 115 minutes from now there will appear in the Sahara, north of the Ahaggar Mountains, a crater thirty miles in diameter. This phenomenon will be caused by the action of an energy ray that has its point of origin on the moon. All persons now in that area are advised to remove themselves as far as possible from the centre of the target. As soon as the demonstration has ended, all the world powers will have three hours to reconsider their points of view. That is all."The radio operator stared, speechless, at his radio set. Lieutenant Durbas, who had risen and come toward him, did the same, he too stared at the radio, speechless.

"What in the world was that?" Durbas asked finally.

"Perry Rhodan, isnТt that the moon pilot who landed in Asia? HeТs supposed to be collaborating with the Asiatic Federation, or so they say. They also talk of new weapons that heТs brought back from the moon." The men of the desert patrol gathered indecisively. Their full track vehicle stood in the shadow of an oasis. The driver looked toward the east."Over there are the mountains. Are we far enough away from it?"

Lieutenant Durbas made a gesture of annoyance. "You really believe that nonsense, Hassan? An energy ray from the moon, ha! What next?"

The radio operator shook his head thoughtfully. "There must be some truth to the matter, Lieutenant. IТve heard the news. They say that this Rhodan has a bell of pure energy surrounding his spaceship. Even atom bombs have no effect on it.""Old wivesТ tales! ThatТs all! You canТt believe everything people say, especially where the yellows are concerned. Melt a crater into the desert? What nonsense! What do you hear from Fort Hussein?""IТll get in touch with them right away."Hussein advised them to heed the warning.

"All right," sighed Durbas, and looked longingly at the shaded oasis. "Then letТs retreat farther to the west. This old tracker will make about twenty-five miles an hour. That should be enough."Fifteen minutes before the announced demonstration they were lying behind a deep ridge, looking expectantly toward the east. They wondered about the many airplanes that suddenly appeared and began to circle high above. Nearby, the helicopter of the Eastern Information Centre landed with its communications equipment. Beside it the television relay station of the Asiatic Federation stood peacefully. But from the Americans, nothing was to be seen. Perhaps they were stationed farther to the north.

Another ten minutes.