" Perry Rhodan 0039 - (31) Realm of the Tri-Planets" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

well-armed as the mightyStardust II left behind in their own solar system as the backbone of the defence
armada stationed there.

"If they want to, they could blow us sky high," Col. Freyt murmured in a choked voice. Freyt acted
officially as Commander of the 2800-foot-high, 600-foot-wideGanymede .

Rhodan slowly turned away from the observation screen. Freyt looked into a tense face.

He looks haggard, Freyt thought, feeling considerable apprehension. If Rhodan lost his nerve the
hitherto relatively mild inconvenience of their imprisonment could change into a dire dilemma.

"Who arethey? " Rhodan inquired.

The tip of FreytтАЩs tongue flicked over his lips. He looked a little uncertain. "I mean of course the robot
brain in control of Arkon, sir!" be confessed.

"Then youтАЩve used the wrong expression. Generally speaking, it seems to me there are still quite a few
erroneous ideas around concerning the present situation. ItтАЩs senseless to characterize the action of a
gigantic machine by the concepts of right or wrong. How could a robot differentiate between them if it
never makes a value judgment. Only logical and practical factors exist for it. But logical conclusions are
very seldomтАФand then only by pure accidentтАФidentical with what is considered тАШrightтАЩ by humanity. Do
you follow me?"

Rhodan looked around. No, they didnтАЩt quite understand it. However everybody aboard theGanymede
knew that they were held down by powerful energy fields on the spaceport of Naatral. The flight to the
home of the Arkonides Khrest and ThoraтАФbegun with such hopeful promiseтАФhad ended in failure.
They never managed to get beyond the orbital path of the fifth planet.

"Of course I donтАЩt wish to say I consider this desolate desert land our final destination," Rhodan added
with a faint smile. "Look down there, gentlemen! The Naats are marching to the waiting ships where
theyтАЩll be assigned by robots according to their abilities. WeтАЩre witnessing the downfall of a highly
civilized race, the people of Arkon. ItтАЩs rare that wars are won by letting other people do your fighting.
The Great Empire faces a battle of life and death. ItтАЩs remarkable that the old Arkonides already foresaw
this degeneration a few thousand years ago and took precautionary measures. They had the technical
knowledge to build a gigantic machine and program it in such a manner that it began to act independently
at the critical moment of acute peril. The Galactic Council of Arkon has been circumvented. What weтАЩre
experiencing now has been originated by the machine. WeтАЩve already learned enough about the noble
families of Arkon to know that theyтАЩve reached a point where they can do no more than get upset over a
trampled flowerbed. As a result theyтАЩve been written off by the robot brain."

"Do you realize what this means, sir?" a man from the math team interjected.

A shadow came over RhodanтАЩs eyes. "IтАЩm afraid I do. There are terrible times ahead. The robot will
strike hard wherever it suspects a transgression of the EmpireтАЩs laws. The programming of the machine is
ancient and the data are based on anachronistic conditions. Thus the robot will try to intervene in the fate
of the Galaxy with the outdated policies of expansionism and colonial rule. It could happen that entire
worlds would be annihilated for trivial causes. The machine has all the requisite power. The fleet of the
Imperium has been taken out of mothballs and practically over night put back in action."
"So we arrived just at the right moment to get in on the fun," Reginald Bell snickered. "May we learn
how you propose to get to the main planet of Arkon? This beastly machine can let us starve in midair."