"002 The Third Power" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

"And if that were the case?"
"Inasmuch as you have already trespassed on our territory, we would have to
forbid that."
Perry smiled. "Well, now youТre getting to the heart of the matter. YouТre
really less concerned with helping us than with claiming us for salvage. Very
well thought out. But We have not landed here to become your prisoners."
Roon felt ready to lose his temper, but a warning glance from the major was
sufficient to calm him, and he regained his composure at once. The major seemed
to have some strange influence over the leader of the army.
"Who said anything of the Sort, that we might wish to limit your freedom of
movement? But of course, we will have to examine your rocket, to make certain no
photographs were taken over Asiatic Federation territory."
"We have even photographed the whole Earth from the moon. Do you want to forbid
that, too? DidnТt your moon rocket take any pictures?"
The two shared a quick glance.
"Our moon rocket was destroyed shortly after take-off, through sabotage. Or
havenТt you heard?"
Perry was honestly shaken. He had always considered the conquest of space to be
the task of mankind as a whole. He knew that the barriers between nations would
fall only when there far greater barriers of space forced them to. For him there
existed no differences of race and nationality; for him there were only human
beings, Earthmen. Even to his enemy, if he had one, he would not have begrudged
a successful flight to the moon. Thus it was a heartfelt sentiment when, on
impulse, he stepped toward the marshal and offered his hand.
"IТm very sorry, but I had no idea. Saboteurs?"
Roon overlooked the hand extended to him. "It canТt be explained any other way.
Our most capable scientists made an inspection of the rocket before takeoff and
could find nothing wrong with it. Yet at an altitude of about sixty miles, the
ship disintegrated completely."
"There are a thousand possible causes for such a failure," stated Perry, and
slowly let his hand drop. "You have no evidence of sabotage."
"A hireling of the Western Bloc had concealed himself on board the ship and
tampered with the reactor."
"Rubbish," Perry said sharply. "You canТt excuse your own failure with such
rationalization." He was quite annoyed with the insulting suspicions of the
Asiatics. He noted that Roon was not Chinese but had possibly come from India or
Indonesia. "No one from our side would have the least interest in preventing
your flight to the moon; but thereТs no sense in talking about it any more. What
do you want from us?"
For the first time the major addressed Perry. "Did you land here voluntarily?"
he wanted to know.
The question was directly to the point. Perry decided to answer in the same
straightforward fashion. "Yes. We could just as well have landed in the Sahara
or in the United States."
"And what made you land here, of all places?"
"We have our reasons. In the future, I must ask you to regard this domain as the
frontier of a neutral power, even though it is situated in your sovereign
territory. You donТt need the desert; therefore, this wonТt cause you any
economic inconveniences. We assure you that we shall respect your borders and
make no intervention in your internal affairs. We shall even undertake direct