" Perry Rhodan 0116 - (108) Duel Under the Double Sun" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

provoke a military conflict between Arkon and Terra.

But none of these things could explain why my friend was gradually becoming a monstrosity. The
Security Chief of the Solar Imperium, Allan D. Mercant, had informed me that the explosive cell division
was causing uncontrolled growth. He said that Rhodan would increase in height about I cm per day. I did
some calculating. Since our last contact, which even then had only been via spacecom videophone, 51
days had passed. At present the date by earth reckoning was Oct. 20, 2103.

1 wondered what he would probably look like now that wiry Terran who had united humanity and
brought it peace. 51 daysтАФthat meant an equal number of centimetres of growth, in height as well as
girth! Perry must have become a colossus by now.

I lifted a hand to shade my eyes which were dazzled by the light in spite of the automatic filters. The
broad kettle basin containing the ruins of the Anti stronghold was hardly inspiring enough to make me
want to linger here any longer. Also in my present state of mind it was not good for me to brood
intensively over insoluble problems. I was not able to use the one advantage I had gained from all of
these strange events. I still needed the final evaluations of the robot Regent of Arkon.

Slowly I made my way down the steep slope of the basin, taking great care not to stumble and fall. Saos
had a gravity reading of 1.3 and was in general a very unpleasant world. This is why it had never been
settled by Arkonide colonists.

My cruiser lay 100 meters away on the canyon floor. I was the only living passenger. However, the
robot crew was just as reliable as Arkonide personnelтАФin fact perhaps better, I had to confess. The
mental and physical decadence among the Arkonides of the realm could no longer be denied. I was
already toying with certain considerations of which the humans knew nothing as yet. Had it not been for
RhodanтАЩs illness I might have introduced certain steps of negotiation weeks before this. In my position as
the absolute ruler I led a phantom existence. At my disposal were a giant fleet, thousands of colonial
worlds and several hundred million fighting machines of every description but I lacked both true friends
and capable crewmen to man my spaceships.

Within the stellar empire chaotic conditions were developing. It was difficult to counteract uprisings and
revolutions with the robot fleet alone because I could never monitor and supervise the measures taken by
the robot central control, at least not to the extent that it was necessary and desirable to do so. So this
had led to harsh treatment and misunderstandings which had only served to increase colonial anger and
resentment. For some weeks now I had known that my position was untenable. I needed help from the
Terrans under RhodanтАЩs leadership. If he were to use his excellently well trained men, who were in every
respect more alert and active than Arkonides, there was a chance of still saving the weakened Imperium.
If I had been backed up by such personnel it would never have occurred to me to entertain thoughts of
surrendering or even voluntary annexation. But in the best interests of the Empire I had come to consider
this as the best solution.

Khrest, the long-dead Arkonide scientist, had always maintained that by physical necessity the Terrans
would inherit the Imperium. And finally it had come to thisтАФor it might have if Perry Rhodan hadnтАЩt
changed over night. I had known the human race for thousands of years. In laughter and sorrow, in
victory and defeat, I had shared their destinies with them. But I also knew how quickly these intelligent
inhabitants of the third Sol planet could fall into despair and resignation, which happened especially in
cases of serious illness. I had always considered Rhodan to be strong-willed and disciplined but even he
had now gone from one extreme to the other.