by Perry Rhodan
The physician responded with a startled movement. Then he slowly lifted his head. His eyes locked with Rhodan's steely, dominating glance. The doctor's posture stiffened as if in anticipated protest.
"Dr. Haggard, will you now try to rouse Khrest from his strange sleep? Eric, you will assist your colleague. It is senseless to wait any longer. You must risk everything now."
Haggard felt like resisting, but the longer he gazed into those burning eyes the weaker grew his will to resist.
"As you wish, Major!" he replied in a monotonous voice. Rhodan turned away. It was 5 o'clock sharp. Outside the shooting continued with undiminished intensity.
Far beyond the protective energy bell the three men were welcomed back by officers of the defense.
Captain Klein made his report. "… and we arrived at the conclusion that Rhodan seemed to believe in our explanations. The three pressurized containers remained behind inside the cordoned-off area. Kosnow and I managed to open the valves, but Li had no chance to do so. We assume though that two charges should be enough to achieve the desired effect."
A helicopter transported the men to the disinfection center. This caused intense agony for Klein. What would happen if the physicians should think it necessary to keep them in quarantine for some time!
At about the same time the commanding officer aboard the Western Bloc's moon rocket sent a last message back to Earth. His rocket had been racing through the black night sky for the last fifteen hours as the spearhead of a small armada, sent by the three blocs to attack the threatening moon base. four men manned each of the three giant rockets that carried their death dealing cargoes of the catalyst H bombs.
CHAPTER SIX
THEY SAT in silent apathy on their provisional seating arrangements in the big tent. They gave the appearance, at least, that the incessant bombardment outside no longer mattered.
The sun had risen two hours earlier. The brilliant sunlight had extinguished the will-o'-the-wisps of the innumerable explosions that had irritated their eyes in the dark of the night. Still the roaring thunder remained. The energy dome was swaying in a strange rhythm that could lead any moment to a final collapse of the protective Structure.
Since 5 A.M. the two physicians had endeavored to awaken the alien patient from his morbid slumber. Partial successes had been accomplished, when Khrest began to breathe faster and slight twitchings were observed on his eyelids. But soon these weak symptoms of hope had been dissipated.
Finally, toward 7 o'clock, Dr. Frank Haggard had resorted to the most efficacious modern psychostimulator. This drug directly affected the waking center in man's brain. In addition, it caused a very strong increase of circulatory reactions and nervous reflexes. Psycho-Stimulin was the last means that the desperate medics had at their disposal.
Mankind had united surprisingly fast in face of the common threat from outside their home planet. They knew, though that the world's safety would not be endangered by the bomb carrying moon rockets. In case of a launching failure none of the catalyst H bombs would ever have been able to explode. But there bad been no accidents. All three spaceships had roared off into their element, after the Stardust II had proved that it was possible to pass through the anti-neutron zone.
Freedom I, the manned space station to the West, had taken over the remote control steering of both the Western Bloc's rocket and that of the Asiatic Federation. The Eastern Bloc ship was directed by the excellently equipped satellite of the Eastern powers.
Twelve men, astronaut soldiers of the three mighty power blocs of the world, had received their orders on how to carry out their mission. Now First Lieutenant Freyt from the leading Stardust II reported, "Started braking acceleration. Engines working satisfactory. All well aboard ship. Keep your fingers crossed."
Three bombardiers were calculating when they would release their bombs. "In approximately three hours," estimated Captain Nyssen aloud on board the Stardust II. Then he was hit by the powerful grip of the G forces. Khrest reacted to the drug like a man to a cup of coffee. Thus Haggard had decided to give him a second Injection, five minutes after the first, but this time intravenously.
It was 7:48. Perry Rhodan glanced once again at the patient before he reached slowly for the portable radio transmitter. At this very moment the Arkonide sat bolt upright, as if an inner power had shot a sudden surge of energy through his body.
Rhodan stopped in midmotion. A man's groan became audible in the earphones. It was Dr. Haggard, who had followed his patient's incredible reaction in speechless confusion. Never before had Khrest's constitution manifested so clearly that the patient had not been born on this planet. What Dr. Manoli had predicted now came true. Either Khrest would sink into an ever-deepening slumber from which he would never awake or he would wake up in a reflex action to an instant state of full awareness and clear thinking. Khrest was now fully awake—there was no doubt about it. His first action was a painful grimace. His narrow, emaciated hand then moved to his temples. Rhodan grasped the meaning of this gesture before any of his friends. With a quick movement he pulled the sound-proof helmet, with its built in communication system, over the alien's head. The instrument had already been switched on.
"Khrest, can you hear me? Do you understand me?" Rhodan's voice was so shrill that Bell could hardly recognize it as his friend's. It was shrieking and gave evidence of a tremendous nervous tension.
Rhodan, however, knew that he did not have any time to spare for long winded explanations. If Khrest had regained full awareness, they must begin to act at once.
"I … I am listening," Khrest's voice came feebly over the Speakers. "This noise … what is—!"
"Later," Rhodan interrupted. "You'll get all necessary explanations. We have finally managed to rouse you from your deep, extended sleep. You are cured, Khrest! You are no longer suffering from leukemia. But now we are forced to act immediately. We have been under heavy bombardment for many hours. The reactor is glowing in a light blue hue. I am afraid of an imminent failure. In addition to that, the transmitter is no longer functioning because of the tremendous, prolonged ground tremors. We …"
No one could have foreseen the effect of these words on Khrest. What under similar circumstances would have been most harmful disclosures for any human being were nothing but the best therapy for the biologically divergent organism of the alien.
Khrest sat up abruptly. Suddenly his dim eyes grew alert and bright; but his face became painfully contorted. He had completely grasped the situation just a few seconds after awaking from a deathlike trance.
The two medics were horrified. Manoli, who had been prepared to assist in any arising emergency, soon realized that his fears had been unfounded. Totally exhausted, he laid down his hypodermic syringe, which he had held ready for a booster shot, all the while shaking his head in utter disbelief. Haggard, on the other hand, observed silently and with the utmost concentration. Switch off the reactor at once!" commanded Khrest, loud and strong. "Danger of overheating. Turn it off!"
Rhodan regained his composure. He could react calmly and instantaneously, even under stress. He understood the fear expressed in the alien's eyes.
"That would mean the end for us, Khrest," he declared briefly. "It is 7:55. Thora will call us in five minutes. The reactor will hold out till then. If Thora intervenes right away, everything will be all right. All we need to do now is repair the transmitter. Can you do this?"
"In five minutes," stammered the alien. He was looking around for the instrument, which was next to his cot. "What is the matter with it? It can't possibly fail. Have you switched on 'automatic repair'?"
Rhodan's face changed color. Reginald Bell muttered a strong comment. Khrest's breathing became labored. His heart seemed to be under increasing stress, and he was gasping for air.
"What about that switch for 'automatic repair'?" Rhodan groaned, his hands closed into tight fists. "I don't know anything about it. Which switch?"
"The robot micro-automatic," returned Khrest. "It automatical
ly repairs any damage occurring at the connections. Storage batteries or any other part of the set are indestructible, provided that the vacuum inside the instrument remains intact."
Rhodan moved quickly over to the cube shaped apparatus. It had no visible connection to any source of current. Only the antenna, with its fluorescent terminal knob, indicated that this was a transmitter.
The oval shaped, concave screen remained empty. While Bell stared at the stranger full of tortured feelings of self-recrimination, Rhodan pushed the instrument closer to the alien's reach. He did not waste any unnecessary comments.
"Proceed with the switchover, quickly!" he urged Bell. "We had no idea that this has an automatic repair system. We have three minutes left."
The alien scientist reacted immediately. He had again comprehended the situation. He did not need any explanations. The switchover to automatic repair was simplicity itself. Rhodan closed his eyes to hide his amazement. A green light symbol appeared on the screen.
"Repair is proceeding," panted Khrest. "We must wait now. Show me the reactor. It must be turned off."
Bell moved the dividing curtain aside. Khrest's reddish eyes widened in horror at the spectacle that presented itself.
Approximately half an hour of your time, but not more than that!" he stated.
"The instrument has been working with an overload for several hours, which necessitated an increased nuclear reaction output. The thermal transformers are operating at maximum values. How was this possible?"
Rhodan began to give brief explanations. Khrest's comments were more complicated. Rhodan grasped the gist of his explanation, but that was all. Rarely had he felt as helpless as at this moment.
The green light subsided at 7:59. Rhodan turned on the set with trembling hands. Flickering light patterns raced across the screen. Static noises became audible. Then suddenly sound and picture came on with such clarity that Dr. Haggard was reminded of the similar spontaneous awakening of the Arkonide scientist. The robot automatic had worked perfectly. probably the damage was nothing but a loose connection because of the constant ground tremors. Khrest and Rhodan were standing in front of the scintillating screen. The set was a miracle of a superior technology.
Commander Perry Rhodan had thought of every eventuality except for what took place shortly thereafter. The brief report he intended to give became superfluous, since the shrill voice of the highly excited woman made any rational comment impossible.
Thora, the woman commander of the gigantic spaceship on the moon, was beside herself, he beautiful face glowing with fury.
"… ask you what has happened," came hissing like a whip from the invisible loudspeaker system.
Rhodan comprehended with lightning speed that she must have been talking for quite some time already. This meant that she must have been trying to establish communication before the repair of the sender bad been completed.
"Listen to me, Thora! For heaven's sake will you just listen to me!" he yelled in reply, trying to outshout her. "The reactor has turned blue. The field is going to collapse unless you immediately—!"
"Where is Khrest?" she interrupted, still screaming at the top of her lungs. "I have been overgenerous with you. I have come to the end of my patience. Don't bother to explain, Major Rhodan! If anything untoward should happen to Khrest I'll abandon you ruthlessly and attack you with all means at my disposal. I'll simply annihilate you!"
Rhodan stepped aside. He could hardly control his emotions. Bell's face seemed frozen in an icy grin. Both friends listened to the conversation that ensued between the two Arkonides. Although they could not understand anything, they were still able to see that Thora's excitement subsided. Thora calmed down, but before Rhodan managed to speak to her again she cut the communication. Rhodan pressed down on the red switch but in vain. He turned around, his face flushed with anger. "Your people react in a most peculiar fashion!" he remarked bitingly. His hands were jerking convulsively.
"May I ask what further actions the scion of the Almighty Dynasty of the Arkonides is contemplating?"
Khrest smiled faintly. He was resting quietly on his couch. "She has already left the moon base in one of our biggest auxiliary vessels," came the startling reply. "She called us a few minutes before the agreed upon time, after the robot instruments had registered the heavy bombardment. She is deeply worried. Major Rhodan, you should try to understand our position. Unless she intervenes at once with the superstrength machines of the auxiliary vessel, we are all lost. Therefore, it would be to your own advantage to refrain from provoking punitive measures against mankind, which you represent. Avoid at all costs that I should fall into the hands of any terrestrial power group. That was the condition under which she agreed to come to your aid. Thora will arrive here in ten minutes."
"In ten minutes!" was Rhodan's amazed rejoinder. "In ten minutes from the moon to Earth, including the difficult landing manoeuvre?"
Khrest was breathing normally again. The two medics were administering various drugs and checking all vital signs constantly.
"Incredible," muttered Dr. Haggard. "He is over the hump. If I only could have foreseen such a fantastic response, I would have injected the Psycho-Stimulin much sooner. How do you feel, Khrest?"
"That's a very important question. But it will have to wait. Mine is more urgent right now!" interjected Rhodan with icy tones. Khrest seemed to be slightly startled. He focused his attention on the tall man and kept him under a continued critical scrutiny.
"Have you explained to Thora that three new type nuclear bomber spaceships are on their way to the moon? Of course not! You did not give me a chance to inform you about the impending danger to your base on the moon. And this wild woman up there preferred to interrupt the connection before I could even warn you. Perhaps you can't even consider the possibility that humans could think of some way to get around the anti-neutron field, which anyhow is limited in its effectiveness. Unless Thora acts at once, your beautiful space sphere will be atomized in the center of a white hot ball formed by three heavy H bombs. And don't say these reactions cannot take place! They certainly will! My fellow scientists in the Western Bloc have developed a process of cold fusion on the catalytic basis of mesons. These three bombs won't give a damn about Thora's anti-neutron field. Khrest, I have never been more serious than now! Get in touch with Thora immediately and make sure that she proceeds with the necessary countermeasures without delay."
Khrest had turned ashen. "Cold fusion?" he echoed faintly. "We will locate the three Earth ships in time and render their deadly cargo harmless. Our cruiser's robot automatic brain will carry out all defensive measures even without Thora's assistance."
"Of course, Khrest!" Rhodan's compliment had a trace of sarcasm in it. "The question is, though, whether the robot brain has been properly programmed. Your cruiser's positronic brain has been instructed to deal with primitive creatures, isn't that so? Therefore, it is forced to ignore any defensive measures because of its purely mechanical logic, which would not have been the case if the positronic memory bank had been correctly programmed. The brain is bound to underestimate the danger, since it is unable to think on an individual basis. Not a single one of its calculations will take into account catalytic superbombs with a yield of 300 million tons of TNT. The robot brain must act wrong! It has been adjusted to the values of our first lunar landing expedition and will accordingly disrupt the remote steering control signals, erect a normal anti-neutron field and in addition to that perhaps construct a protective energy screen. But you can't expect anything more from the automatic brain, since its built in mechanical logic will not allow it to undertake any steps beyond the bare exigencies. Why shoot sparrows with a big cannon if a buckshot gun will do just as well! Do you get the analogy? Khrest, do call Thora this instant! She absolutely must turn back. The three spaceships might drop their bombs any moment now. You can't afford to wait any longer! Please, get in touch with her and don't delay!"
The Arkonide was lying motionless on his cot. On
ly his eyes seemed to be alive. Something began to stir in them—disbelief. This was more than even this most tolerant representative of an incredibly superior technology could comprehend. How could the weapons of a race that had reached only intelligence level D be so effective?
"Wait a minute, please," he whispered. "I am still feeling quite weak. Besides, I cannot reach Thora just now. Our transmitter here can establish communication only with our research cruiser on the lunar base."
"Then won't you at least try to get in touch with one of the members of the crew!" Rhodan demanded in desperation. "Khrest, you don't seem to understand how serious things are! Your human enemies are going to attack you with all they have at their disposal. Do something now!"
"Nothing can be done. It is hopeless," came the alien's dejected reply. "Don't you realize that our crew will be lying in front of their simulator screens, admiring some new masterwork? Nobody will pay the slightest attention to any incoming signal."
Rhodan gasped, completely shocked. He barely refrained from making some choice comments. This alien race had reached the bitter end, there was no doubt about it.
Slowly, he went toward the exit of the tent. His gaze searched the blue morning sky above the Gobi Desert. Some monstrosity should soon be making its appearance up there, according to Khrest. Rhodan could well imagine what the Arkonides meant by an "auxiliary vessel." Twenty or more terrestrial rockets would easily find accommodation inside.
An infernal roar arose. Rhodan closed his eyes and moaned softly. An alien power began to unfold a display of its superstrength.
CHAPTER SEVEN
IT WAS SENSELESS to attempt to take cover. The narrow observation slits of the reinforced concrete bunkers were changed into organ pipes, emitting hellish howls.
Compared with this inferno, a hurricane would seem like a mild breeze. In the last moment Thora had given up her intention of destroying the cordon of troops encircling the energy dome. Nevertheless, it was necessary from her point of view to teach a lesson to these primitive creatures.
