A FEW WEEKS LATER, at exactly two o’clock in the morning, the slenderly built officer with the rank insignia of a lieutenant general lowered his hand with a sudden jerking motion.

Almost instantaneously all hell broke loose. The mightiest guns and rocket batteries opened fire from 6,000 fiery mouths.

There had never been such a tremendous barrage in all the history of mankind’s endless wars. At least, never had 1,500 batteries of mostly heavy caliber been directed against a single target about the size of a garden.

The blockade was still in effect. It had been augmented during the past four weeks by new divisions. The area within the energy screen had been cordoned off by five concentric rings of troops.

Some seconds after the opening of the sudden bombardment 6,000 guns of varying calibers continuously hit the protective bell. The target area was sixty feet above the ground and extended for 2,500 square yards.

Only there, nowhere else, were the exploding charges of the projectiles directed in a last attempt to pierce the wall of energy that had withstood all previous attacks.

The headquarters of the general in command were on a small hill, barely eight miles from the perimeter of Rhodan’s domain. The gun emplacements lay farther to the north. The heaviest batteries had been positioned about eighteen miles behind the target area. Conventional guns had been put into action, after it had become obvious that the tiny forces of the enclosed enemy had become powerless.

Nothing could be noticed of the zero gravity conditions. Therefore, Lieutenant General Tai-tiang had ordered a new offensive.

His staff officers looked in fascination across to the target area of the energy screen. Among his staff there were several observers, in addition to the military experts. The force of impact of all the simultaneously exploding charges must amount to millions of tons. The spontaneously arising yet never ceasing waves of pressure would have sufficed to flatten a small mountain.

They kept up their observation for fifteen minutes without uttering a word. At this distance the target area looked like a white hot glowing spot the size of a palm from which constant flashes of lightning seemed to emanate.

The energy dome, which was invisible under normal circumstances, was aglow in a greenish shimmer that gradually changed to violet at the place of impact. Nothing else was to be seen. The radiant dome stood like a shining beacon in the reddish glow of the nocturnal sky.

"The strongest fortresses in the world would fall under this barrage," snarled Tai-tiang. "What kind of machines do they have over there" How can they resist this barrage so effortlessly, as if they dealt with glass marbles thrown against a steel wall? How do they manage this?"

The slender hipped Chinese turned his head abruptly. His eyes were burning. Tai-Tiang was quite aware that he was about to let another billion of his precious national treasury go up in smoke by shooting at this mysterious obstacle.

"Our most venerable scientists hide themselves behind a perplexed silence," grumbled the general. "Very well! And your colleagues from the far West probably have no comment either."

American and European teams of observers had arrived fourteen days ago. The delegation of the Eastern Bloc had witnessed the catastrophe of the Asiatic army right from the beginning. Their freely given good advice had become less frequent. Now the Western advisors were regarded rather ironically.

A leading nuclear scientist from the United States tried to outshout the horrible roar of the distant guns. He barely managed to make himself understood.

"Sir, we have never pretended toward you or your government that we are in possession of miraculous powers or the philosopher’s stone. We have encountered here an unscalable wall. Our scientific knowledge and the experiences of our technicians are failing us in the face of most mysterious forces. Therefore, I would suggest most urgently that you request again the help of the psychological and medical teams. If anything can be done here, then it must be accomplished by wearing down the surrounded enemy’s nervous resistance."

"This is exactly what we are trying to do here," explained the commanding officer. "Why else would we have brought all these batteries here with such effort? We had to use The entire transport fleet of the Asiatic Federation Air Force to guarantee the necessary supply of ammunition. I simply can’t understand why you can’t come up with sensible calculations. Somehow it must be possible to destroy this structure! Even at the expense of another 1,500 batteries. We could find a way to secure them, just say the word!"

The discussions grew more and more violent, while a veritable inferno was unleashed just eight miles away.

"I would lose my mind over there," said a heavyset civilian. His eyes probed the tall figure in the semidarkness of the observation bunker.

The tall man stepped closer. His steps seemed to drag a little despite the unobtrusive elasticity of his gait. A narrow, restrained face became visible as he entered the weak cone of light coming from the dimmed lamps.

He did not speak. He lifted his field glasses to his eyes and peered toward the west. Then he glanced at his watch.

The bright flame of a cigarette lighter flickered in the darkness close to him. Lieutenant Peter Kosnow, special agent of the Eastern Secret Defence Service, was smoking nervously with quick puffs.

He was torn by violent emotions. It was not easy for him to stand here in this gathering of the highest ranking officers. Under normal circumstances Kosnow would not have given a damn about these military brass. His extraordinary powers of proxy had so far enabled him to get along well enough with them. Particularly since they had frequently been obliged to take orders from him, the low-ranking lieutenant of the secret service. This relationship had not been changed, at least not outwardly. As long as one could not read what went on behind Kosnow’s forehead, he was still considered to be the representative of a powerful organization.

Yet he was convinced that any close observer must sense his inner unrest. As a result, he felt insecure and dissatisfied with himself. He was fighting to keep himself under control, while anxiously trying to avoid becoming suspect.

He ground out his half smoked cigarette. The bright glow died down. Only the narrow face of his companion was discernible in the reflected light from the video screen.

Kosnow began to feel doubts about his new won friend. He did not think for a moment that Captain Albrecht Klein, special agent of the International Intelligence Agency, would commit some stupidity. Even so, Kosnow regarded the daring of his blond colleague from "the other side" as sheer insanity.

Kosnow cleared his throat. The noisy argument between the officers and the scientists formed a welcome protective backdrop for their own discussion.

Albrecht Klein, who just three weeks ago had been personally advanced by Allan D. Mercant to the position of captain of the IIA, slowly let his field glasses sink. He observed the disputing men for a while; then an ironical smile played about his lips.

"What’s the matter, friend? You look like a zombi."

Kosnow muttered a rough curse.

"The transport commando landed six hours ago in Siberia. By now your lovely moonship must have aboard it the Western power bomb. I don’t like the whole thing."

Klein’s mumbling stopped. He looked even more closely at the face of his Eastern comrade, who kept staring at the plainly visible energy dome.

"They are magnificent, aren’t they?" he whispered into his friend’s ear. "If only they had done the slightest wrong that could be considered an infraction of human rights, I would be both your and their most bitter enemy. But this way, I simply can’t feel any animosity toward them. And this is what makes me sick. Can you understand that, my friend?"

Klein laughed shortly. "Who do you think you are talking to! Not only do I know that Rhodan has prevented an atomic war that had already started, but I also know that Rhodan has no intention whatsoever of favouring one of the parties. I am deadly afraid that things might change again tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. The terrible fear and mistrust of each other has disappeared from mankind, because a new opponent has arrived on the scene. They feel a common threat; therefore, they cooperate with each other. That is quite an accomplishment! We could not have wished for a better, faster and more peaceful way of attaining peace on this planet. As long as Rhodan exists as the Third Power we will be one united power. The longer he remains, the stronger will his incredible strength impress itself on mankind’s awareness and the closer will our ties become. If only this state of affairs could reign for a few years or decades, then we would remain one united nation of this Earth. That’s why I can’t follow the argument that Rhodan must be destroyed at all costs. If he is defeated, the Cold War will start all over again. Let’s be honest about it!"

"A clear and absolutely logical conclusion." Kosnow grinned joylessly. "There is only one flaw in your argument—we do not know in what direction Rhodan will develop as time goes on. He is only a human being, even if you are so completely enchanted by him."

"I am the only person to have spoken to him after his return to Earth. I am also the only human being, apart from Rhodan and his men, who has laid eyes on the alien Khrest. In the meantime our big bosses have also come to believe that there seems to be a nonhuman intelligence in Rhodan’s party inside the energy bell. Quite remarkable powers of deduction, particularly since they have never seen Khrest. I am convinced that Rhodan is our man for the whole Earth. You ought to make a decision, Peter! Just think of the two of us! We are a living example of what the future might have in store for all men. But barely two months ago we reached instinctively for our weapons when we met for the first time."

"Routine. A conditioned reflex," corrected Kosnow.

"If you insist. But that is even worse if one has to look at it that way. Now I firmly believe it is our duty to, do something for our fellow human beings. This latest rocket war, which was thwarted in the last moment by Rhodan’s intervention, has given me the final push. Horrible when I think back how far things had gone already! We lived in constant fear of the next day. We must see to it that such a catastrophe cannot be repeated. One dud was more than enough for me. That’s all I want to say on this point. Now to the immediate problem at hand.

"I have informed you about the outcome of the big conference in Greenland. The news about the catalyst bomb is kept a strict secret. No one here has any idea about it. Even Lieutenant General Tai-tiang is already too unimportant to be informed of this new kind of nuclear weapon. He simply carries out orders of the highest chiefs, who carefully planned this bombardment. As soon as the bombs fall on the moon, they will attack Rhodan here on his base. First the Chinese will evacuate the entire province; then a remote controlled Western bomber will appear and lay its egg. I don’t like the way things are going.

Captain Klein glanced again at his watch. His dark cover-all could hardly be distinguished against the unlit background of the bunker. Kosnow was silent. His strong teeth gnawed nervously at his lower lip. He was still hesitating.

"My mission will begin in eight minutes," Klein said. "You will be with me. Make up your mind by then. Here we can talk to each other without being disturbed."

Klein’s tall figure disappeared in the darkness. A few seconds later he saluted several of the uniformed officers of the three secret services.

The representative of Asiatic Federation Defence was Major Butaan, the Eastern secret service’s man was Colonel Kalingin and that of the IIA was Lieutenant Colonel Cretcher.

They had collaborated in preparing a mission to be carried out by a special commando of Eastern and Western special agents.

Peter Kosnow joined the group standing in the dim light. There was quick motioning, then a few loudly spoken words.

Lieutenant General Tai-tiang approached the waiting men. His salute was cordial, but his coal black eyes remained cold. "We will proceed as planned. Try to carry out the plan worked out by the defence services of our combined forces. If you should be successful you may rest assured of our gratitude. When will you enter the blockade zone?"

"At 3 o’clock sharp, sir," replied Captain Klein. "We want to request urgently that you will once gain inform the commanding officers of the concerned units about this exact time. We want to avoid being shot down by our own people by mistake."

The Chinese general briefly raised his eyebrows. Then he smiled. Apparently he had been startled momentarily by the term "our own people."

"You can rely on us. There will be no errors on our part. Your plane is waiting for you, gentlemen."

"It is getting late, sir," urged Lieutenant Colonel Cretcher. "Our people must return before daybreak."

"We should at least have established contact before sunrise," added Colonel Kalingin. "If Rhodan reacts according to our plans, you may cease fire by 8 o’clock."

"Let’s hope so!" muttered Tai-Hang. "Be careful and see to it that you don’t infect my own soldiers. What exactly are we dealing with here?"

"This is a discovery by Western research scientists, sir," answered Cretcher. "Would you excuse us please now!"

Klein and Kosnow followed the defence officers downstairs. One room of the bunker had been arranged as the center of command of the secret services. A physician gave the men an injection with a high pressure syringe that made the medication enter directly into their bloodstream.

"Do you feel anything?" asked the doctor after a few moments. "Dizziness, loss of balance or heat sensation?"

"Nothing whatsoever, Doctor," replied Klein. "Let’s hope this stuff really works. I wouldn’t want to swell up like a balloon or maybe shrink like a wrinkled apple and scare my fellow human beings after my return."

"You’d never get that far, if you should be infected," stated a radio bacteriologist with a horrifying matter of fact tone. "The artificially cultivated causative agents are perfectly viable and capable of reproducing under the local conditions. All you need to do is to open the valve of the pressurised cylinder very slightly. You will hear a certain hissing sound. Watch for it and remember that you must avoid squirting the plasma into your own faces—it wouldn’t be advisable even if you are protected by this shot of antibodies. This culture is a highly concentrated solution of the most dangerous microbes. This is all I am permitted to tell you about it."

"Will this cause everything within the energy dome to become contaminated?" inquired Kosnow anxiously.

"What else did you think?" said Colonel Kalingin. "If you succeed in introducing this radio biological weapon inside the energy bell, all life will become extinct there within a few hours. Then our work here will be completed, Even Dr. Haggard does not know of any antidote against it."

Captain Klein’s throat suddenly felt raw as he took the small steel bottle, no larger than a hand. It looked like a miniature oxygen cylinder. But instead of life sustaining oxygen it contained the most hellish brew ever devised in a secret laboratory of biological warfare.

Colonel Cretcher sensed his agent’s reaction of utter disgust. He explained in a soothing manner, "Klein, you are being sent on this mission by the recognized representatives of all mankind. Perry Rhodan seems to place some confidence in you. Three weeks ago be permitted you to enter his energy screen fortress for a short interview. Try to get another one. Pretend to have slipped through the lines against the will of our chief of the troops, because you want to negotiate with Rhodan on behalf of a revolutionary resistance group: You have one important point in your favour—he knows you already. As soon as you are inside the energy dome, open the valves of the pressurized bottles unobtrusively. Even if you manage to release only one charge into the air, it should do the trick. Just think up a good excuse to make Rhodan believe in your mission. That’s all."

Klein swallowed hard. His eyes burned in his pale face. "Yes, sir," he said with some effort. "Sir, I have carried out many an unpleasant orders, but this one has them all beat. A really dirty job."

"A special agent’s job has never been noted for its lack of ruthlessness," snorted Kalingin. "How dare you even raise such objections! We are not used to this kind of behaviour from our own people."

Colonel Cretcher’s face expressed disapproval, while Peter Kosnow stared ahead blankly.

"That’s it!" hissed Major Butaan. This was all he said, but it was enough to make Klein understand that he had acquired a dangerous opponent in the Malayan.

The American radio biologist stated calmly, "Captain Klein, I fully appreciate your qualms of conscience. But rest assured, we did not bring here our most devilish weapons. These bacteria will cause swift infection and swelling of the tissues. But if one can administer the antidote within eight hours, there will be complete recovery. We are in possession of these remedies. It will be up to Perry Rhodan, therefore, to act according to our instructions, given over the radio and over the loudspeakers, and to leave the blockaded zone within these eight hours. This seems a rather humane procedure as far as I am concerned."

Klein did not reply. It would have made no sense to do so and could have endangered his position. The Asiatic Federation major was observing him with eyes full of distrust.

Before both men left, Butaan added with emphasis, "Our representative, Lieutenant Li Tschai-tung of the Asiatic Federation Secret Service, is waiting for you in the aircraft. It matters greatly to us to have him participate in a significant manner in this enterprise. Do we see eye to eye there, Captain Klein?"

The blond giant looked down on the slightly built Malaysian. "Why, of course, sir!" he countered politely. "I can’t see any reason why Li Tschai-tung should not take part in our action."

Klein thought back to the ruthless manner in which his orders had been given to him. He had lived long enough in Asia to learn that commanders were not plagued by great sensitivity—especially in the Secret Service of the Asiatic Federation.

"In case of emergency you will have to sacrifice your own life!" he had been told. Klein could still fed the bitter taste in his mouth.

A few minutes later the men left. When they emerged from the underground bunker they were greeted by the infernal rumble of the guns. Farther to the north the sky, lit up by unceasing gun flashes, looked like a bloodred ribbon made of flaming gases.

Outside the bunker they found the helicopter waiting with its pilot Lieutenant Li Tschai-tung. He, too, had received his last protective injections. The plan was to fly to the energy bell and land at a safe distance from the target area. There they were supposed to establish radio communication with Perry Rhodan.

The mighty machinery of the defence services had thus finally been set in motion. Nothing had been overlooked in the planning; no one had made any mistake. Yet nobody had the slightest inkling how well the three men of the team got along. No one suspected that they shared the common interest of preserving peace for the world’s population.

These were the three men that took off into the bullet ridden night sky—an American of German descent, a Russian and a Chinese.

As they approached their destination, Li Tschai-tung asked with a slight chuckle, "Is everything okay? I hope you realize that we are risking our skins."

Kosnow grinned simply in reply. Then he turned to Klein with a strange tone of voice. "Let’s be frank with each other, brother! How did things go with your mighty boss? Why were you so perturbed by his peculiar smile when he gave you permission for this special task? Didn’t the idea of smuggling the bacteria into Rhodan’s base originate in your own mind?"

Klein nodded affirmatively. His face had turned pale. There was deep worry glowing in his eyes as he said slowly, "Allan D. Mercant is a fabulous man, but you never know what is going on in his mind. Even the best psychologists can’t figure him out. His actions are unpredictable. There is a rumour that he might be a mutant with unusual-mental powers …"

"Not so unusual in this day and age of the atomic bomb." "Certainly. But Mercant is too old for his parents to have suffered damage to their genes. He was born before the first atomic bomb. there must be other causes for his special gifts. Natural mutants have been known to occur throughout the ages."

"What has this to do with your uneasiness? He let you go, didn’t he?"

"He surely did!" confirmed Klein. "He even provided the biological weapon. But I could not help feeling when I took my leave from him that he was, could, read my mind, that he had seen through to the deepest depths of my most innermost thoughts. He behaved like a father who is up to his little son’s tricks but pretends ignorance. A queasy feeling, I must admit."

The men grew silent.

Kosnow stubbed out his cigarette. With clear, logical precision he presented his ideas. "There are two possibilities. In case he knew what you intended to do, then he does not object if you warn Rhodan. This would mean that Mercant approves of Rhodan’s actions. Perhaps he realizes that this way Rhodan is guaranteeing worldwide peace. It would be surprising after all if a man of Mercant’s caliber did not arrive at these conclusions. On the other hand, if he did not see through you, then you were simply imagining things. Turn to the left here, Li! Signal our ground troops with a light flare; otherwise, they’ll send a high explosive charge into our backside."

This was the beginning of a strange mission, where three men felt deep inside that their commanding officers were totally in the wrong.

Captain Klein toyed with the small pressurized bottle. Before the helicopter set down he said seriously, "Just think that we produced this stuff in order to contaminate you with it in case of war. Great, isn’t it?"

"Don’t melt your snowball," jeered Kosnow. "We have similar tricks up our sleeves. I, too, have come to believe that it is high time to get rid of this nonsense once and for all. Nevertheless, we will have to discuss sometime our ideological differences."

"Let sleeping dogs lie!"

"Okay. First things first. I’m very anxious to meet Perry Rhodan!"