"… 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 centre 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-leukaemia 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 endeavouring 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 defence 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 antineutron 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 marvellous 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 supertechnology, 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 bv noise was thus removed.

They walked past the brightly humming barrel shaped reactor, which had supplied the energy for the force ever since they had landed here. Once again Perry Rhodan tried to penetrate the shielding plates with his imagination in order to comprehend its function. Rhodan was a nuclear physicist and an astronaut. Although he grasped every detail of the nucleo-chemical engines of the Stardust, here he seemed to face an insurmountable wall. All his Earthly scientific schooling came to naught when faced with the alien’s superior technology. All he knew was that the energies of a small sun were set free in the "Hot" part of the Akonide reactor. This was probably based on an incredibly complicated process of fusion of the carbon cycle, which was as far removed from the fission reaction known and used by Earth’s scientists as is Stone Age axe from a rocket machine gun.

Khrest had made the assertion that this apparatus, which stood no higher than six feet, was capable of supplying the entire industry of the world with electric current. Rhodan felt dizzy simply trying to figure out the immense, potential. He gave up, as he had done before, trying to comprehend the superhuman achievements of the Arkonide race. For the time being he could do nothing but accept the fact that the reactor did work.

Heavy cables, as thick as a man’s arm, led upward to the strange looking spherical antenna that radiated the huge dome of energy. The dome had a diameter of almost two and a half miles at its base and was a mile and a quarter high at its apex.

Six weeks had gone by since they had found the gigantic space sphere on the moon during the first manned lunar expedition. About six weeks should be entirely sufficient to let the great minds of Earth arrive at rather dangerous conclusions. By now they probably had seen through Rhodan’s fairy tales about discovering the remains of an alien culture on the Earth’s natural satellite. They were no fools! These men of the military and scientific commands of the mighty power blocs were smart thinkers. And if they all banded together in the face of common danger, the situation would begin to turn critical for the crew of the Stardust and its guests.

Perry Rhodan became aware of the questioning glances of his men, who kept observing him. Dr. Haggard’s shadow was invisible on the curtain that divided the back part of the room. Quite obviously he had given a set of protective earphones to the alien who was resting there.

Rhodan’s face assumed an impervious expression. For the past few days he bad been walking about with hunched shoulders, which made his lean, tall body seem to shrink somehow. Reg was observing him with increasing alarm. Once their commander started losing his cool, everything threatened to go to pieces. Even he, Reginald Bell, was not the right man to lead to its proper conclusion the plan that had been initiated. He was far too impulsive for such a task.

Dr. Eric Manoli, physician on board the Stardust, would have been entirely unsuited to carrying on the daring enterprise. His qualifications were purely medical and scientific; he was completely lacking the ability to give uncompromising orders.

Captain Clark G. Fletcher had disappeared without a trace a week earlier. Rhodan was certain that Fletch, the fourth man of the Stardust’s original team, must have encountered great difficulties–and possibly foul play. It was even quite probable that he was no longer alive. How utterly wrong had been his decision to permit Fletch to return home! It simply could not end well!

Rhodan’s mouth formed a firm thin line. Since he bad not plugged his walkie-talkie in again, this was a hint for Reg not to question him any further. Instead, Reg’s hand grasped, with an unconscious move, the silvery rod that he knew to conceal undreamt of powers.

It was the so-called psychoradiator of the Arkonides, a weapon that could block the conscious will of other people and force them to execute acts contrary to their own conviction.

This instrument was relatively harmless, though. It did not leave any damaging psychological aftereffects; neither did it put any undue strain on the target’s mind. Unfortunately for Rhodan’s men, the psychoradiator had already lost its initial element of surprise. The "other side" had recognized that the instrument’s range was limited to about a mile and a quarter.

Thus the Third Power, as the Stardust’s crew had lately come to be known, had been forced into a defensive position.

Rhodan walked past Dr. Haggard’s special mobile laboratory, which had arrived barely a week ago. Reg shrugged his shoulders in answer to Rhodan’s ironic glance. Reg was certain that he could not have brought the doctor through enemy territory under the present circumstances. But what did it matter now, as long as he had managed to bring Dr. Haggard here and, more important, perhaps, had brought along the means to cure Khrest?

Absentmindedly Perry Rhodan’s right hand slid over to his left shoulder. It should have encountered the military insignia of his handsome uniform of the U.S. Space Force. But in a flash he remembered that he himself had detached them. There was no longer a Major Rhodan, particularly since he had been officially deprived of his military rank via radio communication. Rhodan had become World Enemy Number One.

Carefully he drew aside the curtain. Dr. Manoli approached him. Quickly he plugged in the cables to establish communication between them.

"Don’t worry any more than necessary," Dr. Manoli said calmly over the ear protectors’ speakers. "He is feverish, of course. We were all prepared for this, that a biologically divergent alien being would not respond in the same manner to our medications as we would. His blood count is not unfavourable. The abnormal increase of his white blood cells went down soon after the first injection of Dr. Haggard’s antileukaemia serum. The disease has at least been arrested. The swelling of his glands and the subcutaneous bleeding are subsiding. But we can’t explain the strange site effects. They never occur in human patients. But in the meantime we have learned a great deal about Khrest’s organism.

"His metabolism is similar to ours. He also breathes oxygen, and his lungs let this life sustaining gas diffuse into his bloodstream. Both Dr. Haggard and myself," continued Dr. Manoli, "are agreed on this point. We administered the serum only after the most careful examinations. He will get his second injection within the hour."

"Despite the considerable side effects?"

"Despite them," nodded Dr. Manoli briefly. His face grew stern. "We can’t avoid risks completely. Haggard is an outstanding specialist but not a magician. These side effects are well within our ability to control. Just pray that Khrest’s organism does not suddenly collapse. Yet his circulatory system seems unusually stable. Perhaps this is due to the one organ in his body that we don’t have, unfortunately. We have located a fabulously constructed pressure regulator above his heart, Our diagnostic instruments have analyzed it to become effective with the first signs of impending circulatory collapse by balancing and eliminating any constrictions of blood vessels or closing of capillaries. What a surprising body-hardly to be expected in a member of such a degenerated race. We are dealing here with supremely intelligent minds that are unable to make the necessary effort to transform their brilliant knowledge into practical deeds because they lack willpower. That seems to be at the root of their trouble, Commander Rhodan."

"Forget that bit about ‘Commander’!"

"For me you will always remain the commander. The way it looks now, we have well founded hopes that Khrest will recover one hundred percent."

Rhodan looked at the incredibly young appearing face of the patient, whose forehead was bathed in fine pearls of sweat. Khrest was not a child of this planet; still he was capable of perspiring. A good sign, according to Dr. Manoli.

Rhodan turned away. The high intensity barrage kept on incessantly. Strong concussions caused the ground to shake. It was as if the enemy exploded their heaviest charges in the air just at the outer limits of the protective energy bell.

"I don’t like it," whispered Reg. "They must be planning something. It almost seems as if these fire tricks are nothing but an attempt at diversion."

"If only we could ask Khrest if the energy screen will withstand these constant impacts indefinitely," said Rhodan. "Eric, could you rouse Khrest out of this semi-conscious state for just a few moments?"

"Absolutely impossible," said the physician. "This would be the greatest mistake we could make."

"You are quite right there," confirmed Rhodan. Then he began to smile softly.

Reg felt a shiver run down his spine. He was well acquainted with Rhodan’s infamous gentleness, which usually ended suddenly in hard, ruthless action.

"If Khrest fails to recover, we are in for hell," stated the commander with apparent composure. "A hell worse than Hades, my dear friends! I have landed the Stardust here in the Gobi Desert against all orders. I have refused to surrender Khrest. I have kept emphasizing that none of the power groups of this world could obtain his superior scientific technological knowledge for its own purposes. We have suppressed an imminent atomic war, and we have made fun of the mighty armies with the help of the aliens’ superior defensive, weapons. They won’t forget this so easily. The great power blocs of this planet have united against us. Up there on the moon, the alien woman commander of a gigantic space battleship is waiting for us to cure Khrest. These aliens left their distant worlds only for the purpose of searching for a planet, somewhere within the regions of our galactic position, that is supposed to possess the secret of biological cell regeneration. That would mean eternal life for Khrest. They want to preserve forever the brain of this genius.

"Thora, the female commanding officer, has also remained mentally active, like many of the women of her race. But she despises mankind because of our primitive level of development. Unless we succeed in restoring the health of this member of her race, we shall suddenly overnight confront the elite divisions of an outraged mankind, helpless and all alone. Then it will be curtains for our Third Power. Well, have I made myself clear?"

"Perfectly clear," replied Reginald Bell. "Crystal clear, my friend! In the event Thora withdraws, we will first pass through the cross-examinations of the Secret Service. This will be followed by an international court of justice."

"I can’t see any criminal act in this, not even a mistake," said Dr. Manoli with calm. "It can never be wrong to act in the interest of all mankind. And this is exactly what we are doing. Haven’t we accomplished a rapprochement overnight of the ideologically differing governments by a mere demonstration of our superior might. Is that nothing?"

"We managed to do that only thanks to Thora’s superior power!" corrected Rhodan. "If Khrest should die, she will abandon us. Even if she can’t start back to her home planet without our assistance, this will hardly disturb her. Fatalism is a characteristic of her race, after all. She will spin around herself a cocoon of an enormous field of energy, and she will reject as a matter of principle the idea of entering into relations with mankind. We have simply got to do something!"

"What?" The question came back sharply. Reg had reached that "certain point" of inner excitement.

"We ought to try to convince her that man is a tremendously ingenious creature," Rhodan said. "It won’t be long until the enemy power possess nuclear weapons that can no longer be rendered harmless by an antineutron field."

Dr. Manoli turned pale.

Rhodan concluded without a trace of emotion, "Our secret research attempted to develop a ‘cold’ nuclear fusion process. If they should succeed, they no longer need worry about the antineutron field. Then I would not care to remain under this energy dome!" He squinted upward to where, far above the tent, the invisible energy screen formed a protective vaulted roof, against which the enemy s missiles were exploding like so many firecrackers. But that could change, and very quickly at that.

"Let’s open our communication channel to Thora," said Rhodan with deliberation. "I urgently want to talk to her in my capacity as a representative of mankind who has to make a few demands in their favour."

"Demands," grinned Reg. "Did you say demands? She’d jump right out of the screen to scratch out my eyes. We are nothing but semi-intelligent monkeys, from her exalted point of view. According to her code she cannot get in touch with us or establish any mutually meaningful relationship. The affair with Khrest was a compromise she could barely tolerate.

Rhodan pulled over a small stool that had once been part of the equipment of an Asiatic transport commando. "If she has any drive for survival at all, she will listen and agree to my demands. Let’s go; get the connection ready. You are our communications expert, after all."

Reg shrugged helplessly. Mumbling a curse under his breath, he disappeared behind the curtain. The peculiar videophone of the Arkonides had been set up near Khrest’s couch. In any case, the roomy tent offered better accommodations for Khrest than did the tiny cabin of the Stardust.

"Do you intend to force her?" inquired Dr. Manoli worriedly.

"You guessed right," Rhodan replied slowly. "I have the impression that she is depending on Khrest far more than we imagine. I have noticed quite unmistakably that he is the one who gives the orders. I am no longer willing to play along with her with all that nonsense! Where will all this lead to if we have to beg her for help with every new incident? The moon is too far away for my taste under such circumstances. In case of emergency we shall lose decisive minutes and seconds, I need much more effective equipment here, with some offensive arms included. Please, no more questions now. If the things I suspect, way back in some secret corner of my mind, should happen, then Thora will snap to it. She underestimates the human race enormously. She simply can’t believe we are capable of anything, which I consider a grave mistake on her part."

"I don’t follow you," said Eric Manoli.

"You ought to think about it." Rhodan smiled sarcastically. "What do you do as a physician when a patient complains about some terrible pain? Do you give him constant morphine injections, or do you try to find the cause of his discomfort and treat the disease itself, rather than its symptoms?"

"Why, get to the root of the evil, of course."

"There you are," grinned Rhodan joylessly. "You got the point, The secret services of the great power blocs will also search for the root, which in this case is hidden on the moon. Or do you really think they still believe our fairy tales?"

Reg motioned to them. His bitter grimace could only mean that communication with the moon had been established.

Rhodan rose slowly and walked over to the curtained off partition. He stepped in front of the oval screen of the Arkonide videophone.

The aliens’ vessel was on the far side of the Moon, the side normally out of sight from Earth. Contact therefore could never have been established by radio. When Khrest bad been asked about this, he had only answered briefly that the faster than light radio technique of the Arkonides had long ago overcome such difficulties.

For an Earth engineer it was rather hard to accept such explanations. Mountains of further questions arose that, of course, were of more interest to the expert than to the layman.

On the screen appeared Thora’s face-a three dimensions colour picture of unique expressiveness. Thora was beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful, and yet of a startling impersonality in her self-imposed lack of warmth. Rhodan stared in fascination at her white blonde hair which formed a vivid contrast to her reddish golden eyes. Nevertheless, she was not an albino; this was just a characteristic of the Arkonide race,

Though Rhodan had been willing to address her just a moment ago with moderate words and to excuse her attitude by considering her upbringing, when he saw her expression he suddenly changed tactics.

"Just forget to explain to me that the time for our daily report has not yet come," he said sharply in place of a greeting. "Just listen closely and remember that I am no longer a pawn on your chessboard. If you are unable to remove the slight damages in the engines of your super spaceship in order to get it ready to start again, then you must consider yourself also incapable of impressing a human scientist and special soldier with your foolish behaviour. The men of my race have more willpower and daring in their little fingers than your drowsy crew in all their decadent, hollow heads. And if your answer is simply to break off contact now, I shall switch off the energy screen at once. Did you want to say something?"

She stared at him speechlessly. Never before had anyone dared to speak to her, the commanding officer, in such a manner. But she did not break off communication.

Rhodan continued, "And now, will you pay close attention to what I have to say to you, madam! I…"

Reg became convinced that his former commander had gone crazy. He had assumed an attitude as if he were the chief of the powerful empire of the stars that Khrest once had referred to as the "Great Imperium." Rhodan seemed to overlook the fact that the planet Earth was nothing but a tiny speck within the Milky Way, just like a grain of sand in the Gobi Desert. Perhaps even less.

Reg was certain that this could come to no good end.