"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0040 - (32) Challenge of the Unknown" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

"Very well, sir!" came the brisk reply, before Rhodan cut off.
Bell sat in the co-pilot seat in front of the navigation controls. Nothing coming from the direction of Arkon escaped
him on the scanner screen. Apparently he was expecting a unit of the Arkonide fleet to appear at any moment.
Thora and Khrest appeared to be uncertain. Colonel Freyt joined them and attempted to learn what be could
concerning the probable nature of the tractor beam that had ensnared the Titan. John Marshall and Tiff carried on a
low-voiced conversation. Pucky was nowhere to be seen: he had probably left the control room inconspicuously in
order to go his own way again.
Rhodan suddenly fired up the propulsion engines which encircled the ship. The giant impulse converters developed
such a thrust that the Titan could accelerate from 375 miles per second to the speed of light within a short span of 10
minutes. The tremendous inertial pressure, equivalent to 60,000 Earth gravities, was not noticeable because of the
automatic field generators. Rhodan slowly activated each thrust unit that was turned toward Arkon.
Bell came to life, swamped by new results. The navigation computer flashed the first new data. The distance to the
red sun Voga was increasing proportionately. Even when Rhodan permitted the impulse converters to work harder,
thus increasing the repulsion force against Arkon, nothing changed. It was as though the Titan's propulsion had
simply been neutralized.
Rhodan frowned, gravely concerned. He threw Bell a quick glance, hesitated a moment, then threw in full power.
Inside the giant sphere the vibration and humming of the wide-open converters increased. It rumbled in everyone's
ears. Everyone's heartbeat became almost painfully audible and seemed to be the pulse of a mighty universe. Under
their feet, the deck began to tremble. The Titan struggled with all its power against the uncanny force that had
gripped her and was now bent on dragging her toward Arkon.
Bell depressed several keys. The navigation computer began to bum and a few seconds later a thin strip of glistening
metal popped out onto the console.
The embossed numerals were clear and distinct.
They were receding with undiminished velocity from Voga. Rhodan shut down the engines. He spoke into the
sudden silence. "The robot brain is stronger than we are. So what now.?"
Col. Freyt then proceeded to demonstrate his reasoning powers. "We have to know whether or not the Titan alone
can be gripped by the tractor beam. In any case, the Ganymede is free of it. If the guppies are also free, we could use
a couple of them to abandon the Titan and go back to the Ganymede."
Rhodan was hesitant. "Granted, that's one way of rescuing ourselves-but at the cost of losing the mightiest ship in
the universe. I still believe that Earth will one day make use of this ship. Should we, then, for the sake of
expediency, just lightly surrender her?"
"What's the use, now that we've fallen into Arkon's power?"
"Nowhere," admitted Rhodan matter-of-factly. "But I don't intend to surrender myself to the uncertain captivity
we've just run away from. Nor do I intend to give up so quickly now. There must still be some way of outwitting
that Brain. In any case, I'm not calling the cards until I can come up with a trump hand."
"A trump hand?"
"Exactly. It'll just have to come to me, somehow."
Freyt didn't answer. He gazed silently at the videoscreen and observed that Voga was already beginning to shrink in
size. The Titan's velocity must have increased considerably. Only a tiny point of light indicated the presence of the
Ganymede.
Suddenly, Tiff said, "Do you think that the robot brain's radiation can be measured?"
Rhodan looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"If its transmission field density can be determined, then at least we'd know if it's only trained on the Titan or if it
has been sent arbitrarily into space and has caught us by mere accident, completely in an unfocused beam."
Rhodan brightened appreciatively and turned to Bell. "What do your instrument's say? I mean in particular the
outside electromagnetic radiometers."
Two minutes later they knew. The tractor beam intensity was measurable. By this means it could be determined
where and when and in what strength the transmitted energy was present. A hurried connection was made with the
Ganymede. A quick investigation revealed that the identical tractor intensity also impinged upon the former Springer
ship but completely without effect.