"052 Fortress Atlantis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

2/ A TROUBLED RHODAN

We flew about 20 kilometres till we reached the landing place of the Drusus. I had already seen the upper curvature of the super-battleship shortly after we had taken off but I was quite wrong to believe we would reach it in a few moments.
The mountain of Arkonide steel didn't seem to come closer. The perspective illusion was so perfect that I soon gave up guessing how far away it was. The gleaming bluish giant sphere slowly grew bigger till it towered above us although we flew at an altitude of 500 meters and when we approached it within a few hundred meters I was unable to take in the entire curvature of the Drusus with a single glance.
We landed and drove about 800 meters underneath the spaceship standing on tower-like telescopic supports, till we reached the lower airlock.
I struggled to keep my composure but apparently didn't quite succeed. Capt. Gorlat, who knew very well that such colossal ships did not exist during my time in the Arkonide fleet, tried to weaken my morale. "The flagship of the Solar Fleet, sir," he remarked casually. "The Drusus measures 1500 meters in diameter. It's been put in service only a few months ago. When it starts to fire its guns, worlds will perish."
That remark still disturbed me after walking through a perplexing maze of corridors and numerous armoured bulkheads to the centre of the gigantic ship.
Metre-thick round hatches of Arkonide steel slid open. Then came an air chamber and behind it 2 double doors again. In the pressure chamber I noticed the shielded conductors for the powerful forcefield projectors which could also block the Command Centre in case of extreme emergency.
It was astounding what the Terranians had accomplished since the time when Rhodan reached the Moon in a frail atomic rocket. Now they built super vessels which had no equals in the entire known Galaxy.
Our largest units had been those of the Imperium class but they measured only 800 meters in diameter. Of course Rhodan had used a psychological ploy by summoning me to the Drusus of all places. He could have just as easily met me in the red government palace. I even strongly suspected that they deliberately led me around through the titanic labyrinth in order to impress me with its size.
The Command Centre was a huge hall with an arched ceiling, observation screens as high as a house and an amazing array of instruments most of which were familiar to me because they had been taken over directly from the Arkonides. However there were also numerous other instruments of new designs which I had never seen before.
Rhodan had assembled the officers of the Drusus in the Command Centre and he gave me a reception worthy of the Imperator of Arkon himself. He stood at the end of the long line of silently saluting officers. They had keen and bold faces, these outstanding, energetic Terranians whose ancestors I had known as wild and primitive men of the Stone Age.
"Caution, psycho-trick!" my extra-sense warned. "They want to demoralize you."
However there was no need to warn me. I was already depressed by a feeling of inferiority in view of the demonstration of the super-battleship to an experienced space officer like myself.
I walked down the line of men all unknown to me and greeted them by touching my cap several times. I felt humiliated by this show of might and excellent discipline and Rhodan knew exactly that I would be sensitive to such a display. At this moment I had to seek strength from the knowledge that I wore the emblem of the Arkonide Fleet on my chest.
These symbols had already been carried by the pioneers of my venerable people to the far reaches of the Galaxy at. a time when Rhodan's ancestors still gaped obtusely at our swift exploration cruisers' I had worn the same insignia myself when I first landed on the uncivilized Earth where dirty men had thrown themselves into the dust before me.
However these sentiments passed quickly. When I came to the grey-eyed Chief of the Solar system and paused in front of him, I had already regained my self-control. My smile expressed true scorn and I didn't have to put on an act to hide my deeper fears.
Perry Rhodan was bareheaded and I, therefore, removed my cap and threw it to the Captain of Defence who was following me. Rhodan was as tall as I was but I was about 20 pounds heavier. However I had already experienced how terribly fast, resilient and strong this lean-looking man really was.
Above all he had a keen mind like a rapier. He seemed to guess that his little ploy had been only partially successful and he began to laugh softly as his officers stood in line stiff like wooden dolls. "Good morning, Arkonide!" he said in a deep sonorous voice. "I suppose today is the first time we meet in our official capacities, right?"
He wrinkled his brow and looked at me with amusement. My inane pride reared up again and I had trouble suppressing it. "Hello, barbarian," I replied condescendingly. "That's true. The last time we met you were lying on the floor at my feet and I held the tip of my sword at your throat. I felt sorry for you."
A burly, broad-shouldered man with fire-red hair bristles took a deep breath. He stood next to Rhodan and wore the glittering insignia of a general. Apparently he was trying to find some appropriate words. As I haughtily looked down on him Rhodan introduced him with a grin: "This is Reginald Bell, Security Minister of the Solar Imperium and Chief of the Solar Space Patrol."
"Well, well," I said. "Pleased. I believe I've read something about you in the Encyclopaedia Terrania but I don't know what. Please excuse me!"
The red-haired one uttered a peculiar hissing noise and stomped away with clenched fists, making me chuckle. Reginald Bell had been Rhodan's companion on his early ventures into outer space.
Rhodan presented his officers one by one. Some studied me with curiosity, others with suspicion and a few showed signs of respect. My photographic memory easily retained all the faces matching the names. It would enable me to surprise them later by addressing them correctly.
When the little ceremony was over they returned to their daily routine. A lieutenant colonel by the name of Sikermann shouted orders in a booming voice and the men, most of whom were quite young, were dismissed.
I was alone with Rhodan. At first we faced each other silently, each knowing that the other would not give in. We were like fire and water and yet we had already formed ties between us that could no longer be denied.
He pointed to some comfortable chairs near a drink dispenser and we sat down. I soon noticed with growing anxiety that the Drusus was being prepared for a takeoff. A deep rumble came from somewhere and machines started up.
I thought he would begin talking about these unmistakable noises. However the tactics of this man were not transparent and he chose to pursue another avenue for his attack. "If you leave your sub-oceanic pressure-sphere near the Azores again, please see to it that the automatic defence installations are turned off. Your robots almost destroyed one of my cargo subs."
He looked at me with a candid smile and I could feel my heart pound.
"Okay, let's not fool each other," he continued in a more serious vein. "We know where you've been keeping yourself. You've probably slept a few centuries in that steel dome. Since we've made an agreement on Venus, I've taken care not to interfere with your shelter."
It took me a moment to realize that I was once again obligated to Rhodan. "Thank you!" I gulped.
"Oh, never mind," he dismissed it. "I can imagine that you've collected quite a few souvenirs down there. The technical installations are of no interest to me. It can't be better than what we've got already. When you came to Earth 10,000 years ago, Arkon didn't have any more than it has today."
I closed my eyes, distraught. He had discovered my last retreat where I had spent so many years in a biomedical deep-sleep.
"I don't wish to annoy you," he went on with an earnest expression. "It's time we put our cards on the table. I've got troubles, Admiral!"
The frank revelation ended my inner turmoil. It was senseless to pull the wool over Rhodan's eyes. He obviously knew all my secrets. Instead a warm feeling of compassion overcame me and my natural impulsiveness gained the upper hand. "Troubles?" I repeated.
He looked at me quizzically. "Yes. They've seen through my game of hide & seek. A Galactic trader recognized me and informed the Robot Regent of Arkon in whose existence you refuse to believe. However this is not as bad as the fact that mysterious and weird forces are at work in the inhabited Galaxy. They're a menace to mankind as well as to your people. We must stop trying to put each other down."
I was still confused. Rhodan spoke the truth. I could feel it. My logic sector didn't contradict me.
Before I could reply he leaned forward and said with emphasis: "Arkonide, listen to me. You've written a petition that you desire to return to your home after being on Earth many thousands of years and that you were stranded because you had lost your ultra-light-speed spaceship. I realize that you've waited impatiently for eons of time until mankind progressed enough to build spaceships. Now that time is here at last. I'm absolutely sure that you'll never do anything to cause us harm. Besides it would make no sense at all."
I couldn't agree more. I had done so much to instil the superior Arkonide knowledge in the human brains by bits and pieces. Not unselfishly, of course! I simply wanted to go home.
"Are you still unwilling to accept my word that your people have degenerated mentally and physically?" Rhodan asked.
His question gave me quite a jolt again. The mere thought was hateful to me and I was loath to draw the inevitable conclusions. "Impossible!" I maintained. "Give me a Gazelle so I can fly to Arkon and convince myself. I give you my word that I'll return."
I could feet that my eyes were blazing. Now the time for decision had come.
"I believe you, Atlan," he answered simply. "But I can't let you go."
"Why not?" I flared up. "You've been recognized, nobody believes the story of your death any longer."
"That's not the point. The Great Empire is being ruled by a gigantic automaton. The decisions of the machine are unmerciful. It is constantly on the search for still active and capable Arkonides who are pressed into service under its command to execute so-called punitive expeditions. The Robot Regent will never let you get away. I don't want to lose you, you see! Terra is now your true home."