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

Rhodan made a lightning move to the manual grips and swung the visual scanner, manoeuvring the servomechanism for direct viewing outside. Only then did he speak. "Only one ship? How big is it?"
"I don't believe it can classify as a threat, sir. It's hardly 300 feet long, flying at lightнvelocity. Considering delay for deceleration, it should intercept us in about a half hour."
"Thank you," said Rhodan, noticing his screen coming on. "Monitor for any incoming signal from them and advise me at once."
Again he turned his attention to the videoscreens, on which the universe gradually emerged. In such a glittering star field it was difficult to resolve the ship optically. Bell switched on the vernier finder, which utilized a principle similar to radar. It was then only a matter of a few seconds to find the alien ship. After an adjustment of the magnification, it finally stood out clearly discernible on the vernier screen. It was in fact only 300 feet long, torpedo shaped and at its widest spot about 75 feet in diameter. A row of lighted portholes seemed to indicate that no great emphasis was being placed on secrecy. This was also corroborated by the line of its course. it steered directly toward the Titan.
Bell's eyes narrowed. "It seems we have ourselves some company. Do you think they take us for an Empire ship?
"Word must have gotten around about the theft by now," reasoned Rhodan. He established connection with the Ganymede which hovered only a mile and a quarter away. Lieutenant Marten answered. Rhodan asked him to inform Col. Freyt immediately and call him to the intercom.
Without disconnecting, he turned to Bell. "The alien commander knows very well whom he is facing and that's why I'm surprised at his behaviour. To say the least, it's a bit reckless."
"I'm really waiting for this fellow!" enthused Reg.
Col. Freyt appeared on the screen. 'We've already sighted him," he said, obviously referring to the alien. "He comes from the System, a Zalite if I'm not mistaken."
"Most likely a Zalite," Rhodan acknowledged. "In any case have the Ganymede ready to defend itself. We don't know what weapons the Zalites have at their disposal. Don't wait for my command if you are threatened. Destroy the alien only in selfнdefence. Understood?"
"Understood. Only in selfнdefence."
Rhodan snapped off the connection. He could depend on Freyt. He plugged the ship's intercom into the Mutant Corps' quarters. John Marshall answered.
"This is Control," said Rhodan. "Marshall, I want you and the Corps to stand by for a sortie. Send Ralph Marten and Pucky up here, on the double. Also, alert Ras Tschubai and Tako Kakuta for second standby. Over and out."
The last two named were the teleporters who by the power of will could transfer themselves to any desired location. On the other hand, Ralph Marten possessed another faculty which offered a most undetectable method of reconnaissance: he was the remote optical spy of the Corps. He was capable of shutting out his own personal ego and of seeing and hearing through the eyes and ears of other beings. Without any cognizance of the person concerned, Marten's mind could dwell in him and utilize the whole physical vehicle of his unsuspecting host.
"Why Ralph Marten?' Bell asked curiously. "Surely you don't intend to pay the alien an indirect visit?"
"Why not?" retorted Rhodan, as in that moment the subject of conversation stepped into the control room with Pucky. The mouseнbeaver cast Bell a pleasant look, waddled to the seat next to him and clambered into it. Ralph Marten waited politely at the door until Rhodan signalled him to sit down next to him.
"An alien spaceship is approaching the Titan," Perry explained, since Marten was not a telepath. "I'd like to know who's on board and what's on their minds. Pucky, haven't you picked up any of their vibes yet?"
"Yes, but very strange ones," the mouseнbeaver deliberated calmly. "I can't make anything out of them."
"No usable thought patterns?"
"Only a few, but they're being blanketed by a stronger mental impulse that I can't fathom. Do you want me to pop over there? The distance has narrowed down and the ship is approaching now at only about 1600 feet per second."
"How did you know that?"
Pucky grinned. "It says so on your vernier panel."
Rhodan was redнfaced for having asked an unnecessary question but it could happen even to him. In the past few minutes he hadn't been watching the alien ship.
"Marten, I'd like you to try on one of those aliens for size. Slip into one of them and take a peep at what goes on over there. Better pick out somebody unimportant. Meanwhile, Pucky will keep his feelers out and maybe we can finally come up with some kind of identification. I can't really believe they've sent us a shipload of nuts."
Ralph Marten leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes. Seconds later he seemed to be in rigor mortis. His breathing was very shallow and he had hardly any trace of a pulse. He was already many miles away in the other ship.
Pucky sighed and plunged again into his task, trying to seek out the aliens with his farнprobing telepathic tendrils. His sensitive brain actually picked up an astonishing flak of thought impulses, some of which indeed carried a semblance of reason. But as before, a pattern of abstract thought was superimposed over them, from which he was not able to gain any useful intelligence.
And then he sensed something else...
Something groped cautiously and testingly for his brain-still hesitant, as though blind and making a haphazard probe. He was shaken by this and instantly screened himself without betraying his presence. The alien mentality continued searching, appeared to detect nothing-and withdrew.
Now Pucky was aware of the game they were playing. He shook himself and looked at Rhodan reflectively. "There's ESP involved here. Telepaths and maybe some lowнcalibre hypnotists. It doesn't surprise me, though."
Rhodan was astonished. "Thora has never mentioned that the Zalites had parapsychic capabilities. Hmнmнm. That's very strange. Pucky, are you sure?"
"Quite certain, Rhodan. You can count on it because one of them just tried to find me. But it was a sort of blind groping. If I were a hypnotist I'd very definitely be able to enter somebody's brain and influence them. But these psiнfreaks on the alien ship are apparently only able to do it if their prey is also detectable visually."
"We'll have to wait for Marten's report-he's already coming to again.
Ralph Marten groaned and suddenly opened his eyes. He seemed to awaken from a dream that was anything but pleasant. In his questioning glance there was even a trace of terror.
"Thank God!" he muttered in relief and straightened up slightly. "That one I didn't expect!"
"Give us your report," Rhodan urged. "We don't have much time."
"As soon as I was able to see again," said Marten, "I observed humans around me. They looked the same as we, except for reddishнbrown skin and copperнcoloured hair; and they didn't seem to harbour any kind of hostile thoughts toward us. But that isn't what shook me; it's that everything looked blurry, as if I were seeing through water. And that was it-I was in a glass tank! More exactly, the body I had transferred to was in this tank."
Rhodan hardly understood a word of what Marten was telling him but he didn't interrupt. He realized that any answers to his unspoken questions would be forthcoming if Marten had them.
"I attempted to analyse myself, to figure out what kind of being I had slipped into, but I couldn't I had an impression of being a fish in an aquarium. And maybe that was it. The people that passed in front of my field of vision didn't seem to pay any attention to me so I figured that I must have chosen the body of a very unimportant entity. However, I can go back any time and give it another try-"
"Wait, Marten, that won't be necessary," Rhodan interrupted. "The important thing is, they Don't seem to have any intentions of attacking us. -Pucky, anything new?"
The mouseнbeaver reaffirmed his contention. "There are psi faculties present there. I am sensing quite plainly that they are trying to plant suggestions in me."
"So you're telling us there aren't any telepaths, just hypnotists who can take over another person's will?"
"Both!" chirped Pucky quickly, and added, "But after a couple of very pitiful attempts on their part, I'd say they're not going to make it."
Rhodan looked at the videoscreen. The alien ship had come closer now and it came to a full stop. It was less than six miles distant from the Titan.
The com operator entered the control room. "Radio contact from the alien ship," he announced. "The commander is requesting to come on board."
Rhodan considered this for several seconds. then nodded. "Alright. Give him my permission. But he must come alone. Let the ship come in at lock 17. Give them some light markers for docking."
The operator disappeared. The docking manoeuvre began.
Rhodan turned to Pucky. "Go back to the mutants," he said, "and stand by. Keep a sharp lookout for any Zalite attempts to bring us under their mental control. Have Marshall join me here in the command centre. As soon as the alien commander is on board, I want teleporters Ras Tschubai and the Japanese to go on board the other ship and have a look around. If possible, unobserved. Understood?"
"I understand, sir!" he squeaked, and hobbled away. He forgot completely that he could teleport. He seemed to have been a bit shaken by the alien ESP probes. Ralph Marten followed him.
Rhodan had Thora and Khrest come into the control room. Together with Bell and the telepath John Marshall, they waited for the alien commander.
Ras Tschubai measured six feet six inches in height, which was the sole indication of his descent from a line of warlike Sudanese chieftains. Once when his life was in danger he discovered his capability of wishing himself to another location. A lion had sprung at him-but the lion's claws swiped through empty air. Ras Tschubai disappeared, finding himself about 1800 miles away in his home village. It was in this manner that his career as a teleporter began.