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

The Mooff must have noticed that his forces did not suffice. He resorted to threats. Who are you, you alien midget? Then, visibly resolved: If you dare to harm a Mooff, you will suffer a terrible punishment!
"Who will punish me?" asked Pucky, happy to find a Mooff at last who was more 'chatty' than the others.
You will find out-when it is too late.
Once more the suggestive wave of menace surged against them, with no better results than before.
"Why do you wish to conquer the Empire-and why do the Zalites have to do it for you?"
The first impression received was one of astonishment. Then came the clear reply: You know? Then you also know that the Zalites are to us what we are to the Masters.
Pucky sharpened his ears, which for him was a superfluous action. "The Masters? Who are the Masters?"
Ah-this you do not know...?
Then the Mooff closed its mind, as though aware of having divulged too much and fearful of doing any more damage. Pucky tried to tease more information out of the monster but realized that it was fruitless. Disgruntled, he finally waddled away from the chamber and signalled Tama to proceed. Armed with what he now knew, he would fare better with another and unsuspecting Mooff.
Tama concentrated on the matter of the pressure-chamber walls. He focussed his power on a selected spot and began to partially disintegrate it. It transformed itself slowly into energy and noticeably heated the room. A place developed on the wall of the chamber where the molecular cohesion was so thin that the pressurized gas inside could press through without much restriction. The poisonous methane gas escaped with a soft whistling soundнdepriving the Mooff of its vital life-breath.
The jellyfish became uneasy. Pucky received panicky impressions which quickly became weaker. Once the creature attempted to stand up but collapsed immediately. Now it looked like a stranded mess of jelly unsightly and repellant.
Pucky took Tama's hand. "We'd better disappear. This stuff isn't for our lungs."
The air shimmered momentarily-and then the dying Mooff was alone.
At the same moment it seemed to the First Officer of the MRO as if he had suddenly been relieved of a long-standing continuous headache. He wondered briefly why it hadn't occurred to him until now that that was the trouble but he was grateful nevertheless for the relief. On his customary round, seconds later just as Pucky and Tama dematerialised he entered the observation room. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small packet, which contained narrow, stickнlike rolls of aromatic plant leaves, bearing a not too superficial resemblance to Terranian cigars. From the other pocket he extracted his electric lighter. He sniffed. Funny smell in here, he thought-like rotten tree stumps.
The Mooff appeared to be asleep. It lay huddled in a heap within the transparent chamber and was motionless.
Shaking his head, the First Officer poked a cigar between his lips and activated the trigger of the lighter. The electric spark struck the fuelнdampened wick, a tiny flame flared up-and with an irresistible force the officer was catapulted outside into the corridor, through a door that, to his good fortune, had been left ajar. A blast of flame raged searingly past him and rebounded from the next bulkhead hatchdoor.
Still dazed, the Zalite lay on the floor for several moments. Then, as the heat abated, he sat up. Nothing was broken but his uniform had been singed. What in the devil happened? An explosion? He remembered the lighter. When he flipped its spark trigger, a blinding flash occurred and he was shot clear out of the observation room. If the exploding gases had not been able to expend their force through the open door-He didn't dare dwell on what the results could have been-a ruptured cupola, with him and the Mooff jetting into empty space.
The Mooff!
Running feet became audible; then the hatchway was slammed open and several men rushed into the passageway, helping the First Officer to his feet. Five minutes later they knew. The Mooff was dead and the container was filled with normal atmosphere. No trace of methane gas. In the tank, no leaks. An incomprehensible occurrence. There was no explanation.
The Commanding Officer immediately established contact with the other ships and soon learned that on most of them the Mooffs had also died in the same inexplicable manner. In each case it was asphyxiation, because no Mooffнsustaining atmosphere was left in the containers. It had evaporated somehow, without any leaks being in evidence.
Methane and oxygen produced an explosive mixture of gases. At least this was some kind of explanation for the explosion on board the MRO.
Everything else remained a mystery.

* * * *

No one on Zalit surmised that a violent battle had been kindled. Least of all, the Zarlt. He waited impatiently for Rhodan's final word but didn't dare press the issue further. With considerable discomfort he had to permit Rhodan and his people to have free movement on Zalit, and allow them to study the inhabitants. He also had no inkling that in this activity Rhodan was pursuing a very definite purpose.
It was John Marshall who was able to find the first of the uninfluenced Zalites. A brief telepathic checkout revealed that the latter possessed a weak, natural defence screen which had prevented the Mooffs from subjecting these Zalites to their will.
While Marshall got under way with Andrщ Noir, the Mutant Corps hypnotist, to contact the secret resistance group, Rhodan was afflicted with an Increasing anxiety over the possible countermeasures the robot brain might have resorted to.
Bell tried to reassure him. "I just can't imagine it would attack Earth. Thora's of the opinion that our astronomical position has remained unknown. The Springers haven't any reason for revealing that position to the Arkonides, who are their hereditary enemies. If they did, they'd hurt themselves as well."
"What they can't have they'll destroy," argued Rhodan doubtfully. "They can't have us and they can't destroy us. So it's all the same to them if somebody else annihilates us."
Thora and Khrest exchanged glances. "You can't abandon us now," Thora pleaded. "The Empire is in a crisis, Even the robot brain itself is unaware that the enemy stands at its door. The Zalites are permitted to land on Arkon without restriction-as long as they do not arouse suspicion-and the Zarlt is very much too clever for that. If he runs out of patience and refuses to wait any longer, he will one day resort to ruses and violence. Perhaps he will succeed in his intent. Until then there might not be any more Mooffs there who could advise him."
"Don't forget," warned Khrest, "that it's not the Mooffs alone. There are already expedition ships of the Zarlt en route to pick up more Mooffs. Pucky and Tama just can't work fast enough to keep ahead of the reinforcements. This is not a solution!"
"Let's wait and see what Marshall comes up with, Khrest. Maybe the Zarlt can be overthrown by his own people."
"And if so? The Mooffs will find a substitute. It will be an endless struggle, for which you above all will no doubt have the least time. Think of Terra..."
Rhodan smiled. "Thank you for reminding me. Reg, I want to send a radio message to Deringhouse. Prepare the hyper-transmitter and encode the text we discussed. Short pulse bursts in the format stipulated. We'll have to risk it."
Khrest was doubtful. "Isn't that a bit rash, Perry? As you know, the Arkonides have very sensitive detection equipment. The answer Deringhouse sends you will make it possible for them to determine exactly the point of origin of the transmission. And then they will know the Earth's position."
"We've thought of that," Rhodan replied casually. "Deringhouse won't be answering from the Earth but from a point in the Milky Way which is at least 2000 lightнyears removed from the Earth. The robot brain will search there in vain for our home planet."
Now it was Khrest's turn to give a courteous smile. "Are you sure you've thought of everything, Perry?"
"I hope so, Khrest. I certainly hope so."
Bell went into the communications room and prepared the transmitter. The other door opened and in came Pucky and Tama. They both appeared to be exhausted, which in view of their arduous labours was not to be wondered at. The mousebeaver simply squatted on the floor and leaned his back against the wall. Tama sat down in one of the empty seats.
"The Mooffs' epidemic is spreading," declared Pucky wearily. "They're dying like flies. But at least some of them have not died in vain."
"So?" Rhodan could not suppress new interest. "How come?"
"I picked up something from them-especially from the Mooffs who had a fear of dying. But they couldn't tell me anything more than what they knew."
"Keep talking," Rhodan directed. The mouseнbeaver had made an impressive pause.
"The Zalites are supposed to attack the Empire for the Mooffs and put the robot brain out of commission. Then the Zarlt is supposed to become the first Imperator. Naturally the Zarlt will only carry on in accordance with the Mooffs' orders-something the Zarlt, on the other hand, is not aware of. But it's a little more complicated than that. The Mooffs, in their turn, are following the orders of another faction, which remains in the background. It is for them that the Mooffs send the Zalites into battle. The Mooffs are only a connecting link between the Zalites and the real stringpullers, the soнcalled Masters."
"I suspected as much," said Rhodan. "What would the helpless Mooffs be able to do with a galactic empire? And who are these masters?"
Pucky was depressed. "Unfortunately we couldn't find out The Mooffs themselves didn't seem to know. They may be under a hypnoнblock; I can't determine it. In any case, they are nothing but instruments in the hands of powerful Masters."
"And these Masters," reflected Rhodan, "will soon realize that things on Zalit aren't running as smoothly as planned. Then maybe they'll come out of hiding and betray themselves."
"Possible, but hardly probable." The mouseнbeaver shook his furry head so emphatically that his ears flopped. "Not once have the Mooffs ever seen the Masters; otherwise they could have described them to me. I don't believe the Masters would be that careless."
Bell came with a prepared dispatch and handed it to Rhodan. He cast a sidelong glance at Pucky, grinned and raised a hand. "Truce!"