" Perry Rhodan 0044 - (36) Man and Monster" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

The comedic antics, the clowning, the sidesplitting slapstick was truly sick humour in its medical sense:
Hyper Euphoria. A synthetic тАШhighтАЩ or boisterous abandon, an involuntary, unconscious descent into a
vertigo of uncontrollable mental impulses where arms and legs flailed aimlessly about and gaping mouths
were impelled to utter infantile babbling or shriek out in raucous song. Vaguely akin to some sort of
rapturous enchantment, it was actually a dangerous plunge into the bottomless abyss of madness.

Rhodan observed the wild dancing, singing and caterwauling of his afflicted men with helpless despair.
Serious men, clear-thinking galactonauts, technicians and highly qualified scientistsтАФall reduced to
incoherent lunatics. To the man, all 700 had forgotten all duties of their service or command.

There had to be a causeтАФsomethinghad turned them into what they were now: piteously helpless
victims. "Do something!" Rhodan was heard to groan. "Just dosomething ."

Biologist Janus van Orgter could only bite his lips. Toxicologist Tina Sarbowna had lost all of her
calloused and haughty sarcasm; now she was happily human again, a woman with feelings, a female
scientist humbled by lack of specific knowledge. Her thin figure appeared to be bowed under the weight
of her grey mane of hair. As though in a trance, she stared into the wardroom of madness before her.

TheTitan тАЩs Medical Chief, surgical genius Prof. Kaerner, considered for one brief moment the thought
of brain surgery, then hastily rejected it. Operations were out.

Kaerner could not help; no one could help!

Rhodan thought:there were his best men, dancing, raving and howling because after landing on the
planet Honur they had allowed themselves to be deceived, because they had merely taken into
their arms those enchanting and fascinating little animals, just to take pleasure in their funny
chatter. Who would not have taken to their hearts these small creatures, less than a foot long,
who had the outward appearance of dainty little bears? No one had been immune to the
temptation to scratch the soft fur of the curious little nonues, otherwise known as Hono bears.

When the little fellows would stretch out their pink paws or wrinkle their comical noses, the coldest heart
of the toughest noncom would melt like butter. But the nonues had turned out to be a bit too precious.
They couldnтАЩt help it, of course, that their delicate pelts exuded a microscopic secretion: no living
creature is responsible for the attributes given to it by Nature.

The 700 men of the super battleshipTitan had simply had a piece of tough luck, thatтАЩs all. In a factual
sense they were guilty themselves for their own poisoning or infection, because on strange worlds one
shouldnтАЩt touch or for that matter consume things unless very carefully examined beforehand.

On the other hand, these considerations had forced Perry Rhodan into a self-analysis. He accused
himself bitterly. He, who held the chief responsibility, had even recommended to his men that they should
acquire some of the lovable bears from the natives of Honur, more or less as good luck mascots. It went
without saying that a little diversion could be used on board a super-battleship that measured close to a
mile in diameter and mounted ordnance consisting of the most frightful weapons of annihilation in the
galaxy.
Instead of diversion, however, the advent of the small mascots had an opposite effect. The wholly
blameless little bears had been put to evil use by unknown forces. Somebody had gone to very special
pains in order to eliminate theTitan тАЩs crew by very extraordinary means. The basic principle of
destruction was ManтАЩs love of animals; the harmless creatures had been converted into weapons.