The Radiant Dome Read online

  Perry Rhodan

  The Third Power #2

  THE RADIANT DOME

  A GREAT COSMOS SPANNING SERIES

  For eight years, science fiction fans in Europe have eagerly followed the thrilling adventures of Perry Rhodan, Peacelord of the Universe, the most popular space hero ever.

  Now you too can join the millions of Perry Rhodan fans, in this new series published exclusively by Ace Books. All the action, superweapons and wonders of science that made Perry Rhodan a household name are here. No real science fiction fan can afford to miss it!

  Perry Rhodan had returned from the moon bringing with him two alien beings from a far star, and with their super-technology he had posed a challenge that the nations of Earth could not ignore:

  YOU MUST COOPERATE — OR PERISH!

  THE RADIANT DOME

  Perry Rhodan had thrown an impregnable force-field around his spaceship, the Stardust, and declared the ship independent of the Earth nations that threatened atomic doom. The warring nations reacted as he hoped: they cooperated with each other in an effort to eliminate the challenge from the stars.

  As long as Earth's forces of war were directed against the super-technology of his alien allies, the rest of the world would enjoy an uneasy peace. and Perry Rhodan would be able to pursue two further tasks:

  First, he must enlist the help of people throughout the world who were secretly sympathetic to his cause.

  And second … he must demonstrate to the sceptical aliens that mankind was worthy to enter their galactic community.

  INTRODUCTION

  PERRY RHODAN, commanding officer of the first manned terrestrial moon rocket, has returned to Earth. He has landed in the Gobi Desert, where he has established a base with the help of the super-technology of the Arkonides, a human type race from the center of the galaxy whose explorer spaceship had crash-landed on the moon, where it was discovered by Perry Rhodan. Thanks to the equipment from the super-technology of the Arkonides, the base in the Gobi Desert can defy any attack from the great powers of the Earth.

  Perry Rhodan has already prevented World War III … but he wants much more! His goal is to bring about the unification of all mankind.

  But mankind is not yet ready for Perry Rhodan's plans, and therefore, the battle continues for The Radiant Dome.

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  The Radiant Dome

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  CHAPTER ONE

  "… FOR THE TIME BEING I shall not even remotely consider giving up our position. I shall not resign myself to handing over to the NATO countries the knowledge acquired on our moon expedition."

  The tall man with the lean face pushed down hard on the STOP button of his tape recorder. Both reels stopped abruptly.

  Major Perry Rhodan, test pilot of the U.S. Space Force, commander of the first manned moon landing expedition, looked around in deep thought. The control panel center of the Stardust was as narrow and crowded as befitted a spaceship of her size.

  The steel lids of both hatches, hermetically sealed during the space flight, were now wide-open. Through the thick quartz panes the vast yellow brown expanses of the Gobi Desert were visible. Only to the right of the moon rocket, which had landed here like an airplane, could some sparse vegetation be seen. This was the thin green strip growing on the banks of a small river known as Morin-gol. Just a few miles farther to the north, the river flowed in the big Goshun salt lake, whose southern shore formed part of the Chinese Mongolian border. To the south of the Stardust lay the infamous central Gobi. Apart from a few small settlements nestled around the rare waterholes, and the military installations of the Asiatic Federation, there existed hardly a trace of human life in these desolate parts.

  The grim realization flashed through Perry Rhodan's mind that this desolation had been altered quite suddenly and radically.

  Through narrowed eyes he gazed through the quartz window toward the east. Beyond the riverbed where the tiny settlement of Dahoba could barely be seen, quite a few things had changed. The military air base, formerly nothing nut a miserable training camp, seemed to have turned overnight into a major airport. The concentration of military forces was enormous. The massed troops of the outstanding Asiatic elite units evoked the impression that they were getting ready for an invasion.

  Rhodan's eye wandered over to the tent close to the moon rocket. The comforting thought of absolute security became nothing but an illusion as soon as Rhodan examined it more closely. Once the ten had been part of the equipment of an Asiatic transport commando, which had arrived only one week earlier. Rhodan's lips widened into an amused smirk when he punched the START button of his recording machine.

  When he began to speak again, his voice sounded some how easier and more confident.

  "I am making this tape recording to safeguard against any unforeseen eventualities. I repeat: This is Perry Rhodan speaking, commanding officer of the U.S. spaceship Stardust, test pilot working with the Space Exploration Department of Nevada Spaceport. It is extremely important to me to record our recent experiences with the utmost accuracy."

  "Just one week ago Captain Reginald Bell returned from his daring special assignment. I could hardly believe my eyes, but he really accomplished the apparently impossible when he brought back with him the specialist for blood diseases who had so urgently been requested by our own ship's physician, Dr. Eric Manoli. The blood specialist is none other than the renowned Australian Dr. Frank M. Haggard, an outstanding research scientist, who gave the world the anti-leukemia serum. If there is anyone on this planet who might succeed in saving the life of the alien Arkonide, Khrest, whom we have brought back to Earth with us from our recent moon trip, Dr. Haggard is that person. Thanks to him we are now in possession of a portable lab equipped with all the special instruments needed for a thorough examination and an exact diagnosis. Together with the Stardust's own medical facilities there now exists some well founded hope that we will be able to cure Khrest. We have two great physicians and medications of all kinds, in addition to the necessary expert knowledge. I am no longer so pessimistic as I was yesterday and during the past week. I am positive that the final outbreak of a totally destructive atomic war has been prevented, thanks to the inconceivably powerful means of the aliens. On the other side of our protective screen lies the debris of heavy atomic rockets. They did not explode!

  Thora, the beautiful woman commander of the gigantic spaceship, has intervened from her base on the moon. Since the nuclear weapons of all terrestrial powers are based on fission or fusion reactions, all that was necessary was for her to bind the free neutrons, rendering impossible any nuclear process that depends on neutrons. Our situation is not too bad; at least it is no worse than it was shortly after my desperate landing in the Gobi Desert. I firmly believe I have acted right toward humanity, as well as my own conscience, by refusing to surrender the technical scientific potential of an infinitely superior intelligent alien race to one single group of humans. Nothing, though, could ever shatter my belief in all mankind!

  Nothing will ever shake my conviction that the future of the human race must be based on a union of all those creatures who are known as Homo sapiens. It seems as if a time of trial has begun for all citizens of Terra. There is still a great deal of ignorance, mistrust, hatred and envy. The leaders who rule the various governments will be feverishly endeavoring to win for themselves and their countries' selfish interests the overpowering treasures of the Arkonides' knowledge. But this is definitely not compatible with a mutual improvement of the fate of the entire human population.

  "If my grand plan is to have a chance of success, then Khrest's full recovery is an absolute necessity. I want to win him over to become the
friend and teacher of the entire human race. Therefore, I fervently hope that Dr. Haggard will prove once more his expert medical knowledge and skill in healing our alien guest."

  Rhodan turned off the tape recorder, quickly and somewhat abruptly, but not without good reason. He was not one of those men who are inclined to put down their thoughts and views in a more or less accomplished manner on tape, while being exposed to an intense bombardment by powerful weapons of all kinds. His face, which bad looked so relaxed just now, suddenly became drawn and intense. His hand slid to his holster quite instinctively, and at the same time he jumped to take cover. At once his cool, reasoning mind became aware of the absurdity of his unconscious reaction.

  Rhodan stood up straight again while muttering an angry curse. What nonsense to attempt to find cover under such questionable circumstances. Either the defense screen of pure energy supplied by the Arkonides was working effectively or the massed military might of a gigantic army would shortly destroy them. Rhodan swung his short weapon back over his shoulder. Leaving the rocket through the big air lock situated in the now completely emptied storeroom just behind their tiny cabin, he bounded down the ramp. At the same time a voice came over his intercom. In rather loud and unmelodious tones he heard a sarcastic statement:

  "How dare you interrupt my well deserved sleep? Okay, are you still standing on your own two feet, or have they gotten you already?"

  "Radio silence, please!" replied Rhodan, "I'll be right there."

  He switched off his small wrist radio while speculating with a furrowed brow how far the Asiatic radio surveillance had succeeded in perfecting their efficiency.

  The faraway thunder intensified to a mighty roar. Rhodan looked up toward the almost imperceptibly vibrating energy screen. The energy bell reached its highest point at almost 6,000 feet. This time, though, the enemy seemed to have decided to attack them in a different way.

  Rhodan's mouth became a pencil thin line. His day old beard looked dark and rough on his tanned skin. A few hurried paces brought him to the entrance of the big tent.

  Captain Reginald Bell no longer wore the uniform of the space force. It would have proved more than a hindrance in his daring trip to the "civilized" world.

  "End of the world, late summer, seventh decade, twentieth century," he uttered in a throaty voice. "And I thought they bad finally given up! Or have they found something in the meantime that will penetrate our protective screen?"

  A silent threat was expressed in Rhodan's glance toward the enemy's distant positions. But soon he relaxed and silently offered a cigarette to his friend. A few soothing puffs later, he could even joke, "They mean so well, don't they? They have the best intentions.…"

  His last words were drowned by the deafening explosions of detonating missiles. The normally invisible wall composed of lines of inconceivable energy began to light up in the blinding fire of exploding charges. Rhodan started up again, "No more conventional artillery! If I am not completely mistaken, there must be some clever brains among the chiefs of staff of the Asiatic armies. They seem to have understood that normal gears are more than senseless with the range of an antigravity field. So what do smart men resort to, when they can no longer set up big cannons with their enormously strong recoil in such zero gravity conditions? They will use rocket missiles, of course!

  Or… ?"

  Reginald Bell nodded in affirmation. A deep drag on his cigarette made it glow brightly. It was obvious that the Stardust, standing right in the center of the protective energy bell, had become the target of at least 1,000 rocket batteries. Judging by the hits, the Asiatics must be using at least 4,000 automatic rocket projectors of varying caliber.

  The roar became unbearable. Reg had to scream to make himself understood.

  "But they have no atomic charges," he shouted into Rhodan's ear. "Thora has promised to intervene immediately. The anti-neutron screen extends over the whole Earth."

  Rhodan was aware that Reg was yelling at the top of his lungs, but he could understand nothing of what Bell said. It was only a few moments until the hefty man with the massive shoulders realized the futility of his effort. Reg's mouth closed tight, and Its broad face began to twitch.

  The tremendous shockwaves released by the fast exploding projectiles were stopped by the energy screen. The men were safe inside, but the huge dome of pure energy seemed to vibrate like a resonance chamber. High intensity barrage! registered Rhodan, glancing once again around the enemy's encircling battle positions. The soldiers of the Asiatic elite troops were entrenched in a wide ring that afforded them excellent cover. There were their rocket launchers and ammunition depots, all firmly embedded in cement. Nothing was visible, not even the smallest object, that had not been fastened tight to the ground with the greatest of care. Perry Rhodan knew that the soldiers were wearing special harnesses that anchored them securely to these stationary objects. The Asiatic High Command bad brought in men who bad been involved before in manned space-flight. Others had gone through quick conditioning courses that prepared them for the effects of zero gravity. Thus the element of surprises was lost. Although the marvelous defensive weapon of the Arkonides, the gravity neutralizer, was still as effective as before, it had, nevertheless, lost its practical importance,

  Perry Rhodan realized that despite the far superior arms and equipment they had at their disposal thanks to the Arkonide super-technology, they still must not underestimate the massed potential of an excellently trained army. The constant barrage of heaviest rocket batteries could not fail to affect them inside the energy bell, even if the enemy did not succeed in penetrating the protective screen.

  The nervous strain of unremitting innumerable detonations awakened the slumbering fear psychosis in their unconscious minds. And these fears, churned up to the surface of their awareness, threatened to shatter their inner powers of resistance.

  Suddenly Dr. Eric Manoli, physician on board the Stardust and fellow conqueror of the moon, suddenly came charging through the tent's entrance and disappeared lightning fast through the moon rocket's opened air lock. Rhodan needed but an instant to grasp the reason for the slender man's wild rushing about.

  Instinctively both Rhodan and Reg began running. But Rhodan knew well that all their movements were observed by the enemy's optical position finders. Although the energy dome was impenetrable to material objects, it still let light-waves pass through, and everything within the invisible protective wall could be seen plainly from the outside. It could only aggravate their position if they were observed rushing madly toward the Stardust shortly after the onset of the bombardment.

  For heaven's sake thought Rhodan, alarmed. Don't let's display our vulnerable spots to them!

  Rhodan and Reg met Dr. Manoli inside the big storage compartment of the ship. He was wearing the huge, special ear protectors they had worn during the initial launching of their spaceship on their trip to the moon. How helpful they had proved in shutting out the noises of the blast-off!

  Manoli was smiling. His lips were moving while his hand pointed toward the plugs of the connecting cables.

  As soon as Rhodan slipped the heavy earphones over his head, the infernal roar dimmed to a distant murmur. Quickly he adjusted his throat mike and plugged it into the walkie-talkie on his chest.

  "It was about time," Manoli's voice said calmly over the tiny speakers within the ear protectors. "I only wonder that it took them so long to get around to using such an intensive barrage. Seems that the gentlemen over there must have consulted some professors of the psychology department."

  Dr. Manoli managed a faint smile, but his switching lips belied his pretended composure.

  "Thanks a lot for this splendid suggestion," replied Rhodan. "I should have thought of it right away myself."

  "Why don't you let him get credit for something once in a while?" came Reg's voice. "How about a brainstorm on your part now?"

  "The only message I am getting here is a feeling of miserable fear," retorted Rhodan dryly. "Fear caused by
this energy screen, whose structure is unknown to me and whose potential and limitations are an unknown equation as far as I am concerned. But of one thing I am sure–they will try to wear down our forces of resistance by this uninterrupted heavy bombardment. Since their nuclear warheads have been rendered ineffective, they are now using simple chemical explosives. If that should not work, the next step will be harmless gases. Finally, if all else has failed, they might call in the experts on bacteriological warfare. There are quite a few possibilities that may not have occurred to our good Khrest. After all, man is a tremendously ingenious creature, and by becoming the Third Power and challenging them we have created a situation that has aroused and united all the scientific minds of the world."

  "Sure, we have forced them to join forces," interjected Manoli. "Their super weapons have become useless. No longer are atomic reactions possible. Nothing can be done there without free neutrons, and Thora has eliminated those."

  Rhodan cast a devastating glance at Reg, who turned pale. His tongue flicked across his lips. 'What's the matter?" he inquired throatily. Ever since he bad come back under Rhodan's immediate command, he had lost his boyish exuberance. His initial boundless joy over the overwhelming defensive weapons of the Arkonides had evaporated just as fast as it had generated during his trip to Australia.

  Rhodan did not answer. He hurried over to the tent and handed the protecting earphones to Dr. Frank Haggard, the blood specialist from Down Under, who bad just made his appearance, looking most distraught. The tall, heavy-set man understood at once. He vanished without a word into the interior of the huge inflatable structure made of tough artificial material. They followed slowly. The first class soundproofing of the tent helped even further to deaden the enervating explosions of the bombardment. The threat of being worn down by noise was thus removed.