"Perry Rhodan 040 - Challenge of the Unknown" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

Half an hour later, when they took the lift up to the command centre of the Titan, Colonel Freyt was waiting for them. He seemed to be very agitated about something. Thora and Pucky sat on a couch in one corner; the tender hand of the Arkonide woman moved loving fingers through the fur of the mouseнbeaver, who grunted his satisfaction at even intervals and appeared to have forgotten all of his problems. When Rhodan and his companions entered, he straightened up and swept Marshall with a brief surveillance, sounding out his thoughts.
He chirped casually, "You report first, John. I have time." And he lay back and closed his eyes. Thora was left no recourse other than to resume her previous activity.
Rhodan greeted Freyt but signalled him off when he wanted to talk. "Wait, Colonel. First I have to ask Marshall some questions. During our little journey into town we didn't dare because we were under telepathic surveillance. Well, Marshall, what is your impression of the Zarlt? Does he speak the truth?"
"You're going to be surprised-he speaks the truth. He did not withhold anything from you and in no instance did he lie."
Rhodan seemed to be disappointed-and on the other hand not. "Good. Then we know where we stand. The Zarlt wants power over the decaying Empire. Since his people are more energetic and capable than the race of the Arkonides, there would presumably be no particular disadvantage to speak of-yet in spite of it all I have second thoughts. The Zalites are basically of a provincial mould; I don't know if they can learn to think in cosmic terms. In rulership of the Empire they see only their own advantage. Am I right, Marshall?"
"Correct. I have the same impression. But don't you think they might change for the better, once they have the responsibility of such power?"
Rhodan smiled. "Never! Anybody who is accustomed to restricted provincial thinking won't change from one day to another into a cosmopolitan. Oh, of course it's possible-but I have an uneasy feeling about this. If I only knew what it was that keeps me from trusting the Zarlt... In my presence he did not he to me, that is true. And yet it seems to me that what he said was not what he thought..."
"I was able to monitor him," defended Marshall. "He said exactly what he was thinking."
Rhodan shook his head. "Strange, really very strange." He looked at Colonel Freyt. "Well? What's eating you? Has something happened?"
"Plenty!" complained Freyt, his face darkening slightly. "My men have lost their marbles-some of them, anyway."
"Huh?"
"Yes. Admittedly harmless stuff but anyway I don't get it. They do nutty things and then when you ask them about it, presumably they don't know what you're talking about. I keep bumping into the craziest sleepwalkers."
"Sleepwalkers?" Rhodan became very thoughtful.
Pucky straightened up on the cough and revealed his incisor tooth. The mouseнbeaver was grinning somewhat disrespectfully.
"That's right, and when you talk to them they wake up as if from a trance. There's something tilty going on here."
Rhodan looked over at Pucky. "What's so funny, Pucky? If you know something, lets have it!"
Pucky slid from the couch and marched gravely to the middle of the room, where he dropped back comfortably on his hindquarters and maintained his balance by means of his tail, which he used as a prop.
"First time anybody asked me," he gave them to know, meanwhile continuing his impertinent grinning, which almost made Bell blow his top. "Naturally, the cause of it all is the Mooffs."
"I just about expected that," said Rhodan, "but I want to know more. Pucky, you say they're trying to hypnotize us?"
"Yes, but they don't make out too well with us. The Zalites are more profitable targets."
This jolted Rhodan perceptibly. "What did you say, Pucky? The Zalites? That I don't follow. The way we see it, the Zalites have been keeping the Mooffs as some kind of a talisman or watchdogs. When we entered the palace, one of the Mooffs tried to disarm us by means of suggestion."
"It figures!" chirped Pucky happily, as if this especially pleased him. Suddenly, however, his incisor disappeared. He became quite sober and alert. "I've had sufficient opportunity to study the Mooffs in the past few hours. I discovered that they are making a ceaseless effort to influence us. I finally succeeded in spying on one of them and I learned something: it isn't the Zalites who are masters over the Mooffs but the reverse! They rule the Zalites. They are the ones who got rid of the old Zarlt and brought Demesor into power. With his help they hope to destroy the robot brain on Arkon and wrest power over the Empire for themselves. It's the Mooffs who want to supersede the Arkonides-the Zalites only think it's their idea."
Rhodan studied Pucky for some time. Nobody spoke. Khrest seemed to chew nervously at his lower lip, attempting to conceal his uneasiness. The situation had altered itself in a single moment.
Rhodan recognized this at once. If he had been hesitant and uncertain before as to whether or not the rulership of the Zalites over the Empire would be advantageous to the many unknown races existing within the Realm, now he knew with one hundred percent certainty that rulership by the monster jellyfishes would mean certain ruin of all humanoid races.
Therefore, the decision was not difficult. "Pucky, do the Zalites know that they're only acting as puppets? Have they any inkling at all that they are under the influence of the Mooffs?"
"Not the slightest. They hold themselves to be masters of their System. They believe the Mooffs to be a sort of house pet. Officially they are used as interpreters in case of encountering alien races who don't speak Intercosmo or who can't speak at all. That's when the Mooffs go to work."
Rhodan noticed Khrest's uneasiness and smiled. "You can relax, Khrest. Our decision can only be that there isn't any question in this special case but what we'll have to be on the side of the robot brain! We can never permit an inhuman species to rule humanity. So the Zarlt is a double traitor. Well, well have to act accordingly. And for now we'd better forget about the return to Earth." He frowned thoughtfully. 'I'd just like to know where the Mooffs got the idea of overthrowing the Empire. Pucky, what the devil are these Mooffs?"
The mouseнbeaver had moved to a more comfortable situation, having plopped himself into one of the seats. Fully aware now of his importance, he took advantage of the opportunity. "There can hardly be any dumber creatures than the Mooffs," he revealed to his anxious listeners. "Not being able to speak, they had to be telepaths from birth. Later they developed the power of suggestion, but-as I've already indicated-they're botchy at it. The Zalites are easily influenced and so they seemed to be made for the overthrow attempt. With normal humans-not to mention mutants-they have difficulties, and it confuses them no end."
"You're saying the Mooffs are stupid?" asked Bell, amazed.
Pucky nodded seriously. "Quite correct, they are stupid-but that's not so surprising. There are a lot of stupid people who would like to have absolute domination over others but who cant understand that they're just not made for it. The dumber they are, the greater their complexes and their thirst for power."
After this ambiguous lecture, he turned again to Rhodan. "The Mooffs have no idea about technical things and know nothing about space travel but they are on an Zalite ships. The real lords of the Voga System are the Mooffs, not the Zalites."
"I don't understand what's been going on here in the past 13 years," said Thora, entering into the discussion. "Naturally I'm acquainted with the Mooffs through hearsay. They lived on a planet that was located within the Empire. We left them in peace because they were of no particular use. And-"
"Apparently," said Rhodan, "they have a practical application after all."
Pucky's ears came up suddenly. He straightened up quite stiffly in his seat and turned his clever eyes toward Rhodan. Then the incisor appeared once more. He was grinning.
"Practical application?" he drawled, then whistled so shrilly that Bell clapped his ears shut in desperation. "Rhodan, I think you've hit on the magic words for solving the riddle!"
No one wondered more than Rhodan over this observation but he asked no further question.








4/ PUCKY'S POTENT PLAN

The Zarlt was very pleased when Rhodan called on him the very next day.
Rhodan played his strongest hand. "I know the secret of the Arkonide blockade screen. Moreover, I was also successful in disproving the alleged infallibility of the Brain through my escape. This offers the proof that Man is stronger and more intelligent than this positronic brain that rules the Empire. However, in order to carry out any decisive attack against the Brain, more careful preparations are necessary. It may be that I was just lucky the first time. and we shouldn't depend on it the second time around. This is why I wish to become fully familiar with my new ship, which I have christened the Titan. Give me a few weeks to train my crew, then we can carry out the attack together."
The Zarlt was still dubious. "Why is it that you now offer me more assistance than I originally requested? What particular interest is it you have in the Empire? Where is your home world?"
it is not in the realm of the Empire," said Rhodan, answering the last question first. "But if in the future I should have dealings or contacts with the Empire, I'd prefer that it be under leadership of humans, not a robot brain. Is that a sufficient reason for you?"