" Perry Rhodan 0012 - (06) The Secret of The Time Vault" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

life? Did they not know death? But - if this should be the case, why did
anyone never meet them? He sighed. 'We'll have to have a talk with the
Thort, once all this is over. I'm now intrigued more than ever with the secret
surrounding this matter transmitter. And where is this crypt you mentioned
earlier supposed to be, Marshall?' 'In the underground vaults of the Red
Palace on Ferrol. And only the Thort knows where the entrance is.' 'Well, the
Thort!' mumbled Rhodan. 'He's the key.' Bell looked up. Marshall asked: 'The
key? To what" 'The key to eternal life,' Rhodan said softly. Admiral
Chrekt-Orn, Topidian commander-in-chief on the conquered planet Ferrol, was
sitting at his desk in the Red Palace. His face bore an expression of grim
determination, the thin lips of his broad lizard snout were firmly pressed
together. There was a nonstop flow of alarming news. Rhodan's space-fighter
planes, under the command of Deringhouse, had rushed several light-hours ahead
of the huge Arkonide spacesphere, embroiling the Topidians in mock fights and
luring them to the other side of the Vega sector. An assistant adjutant
entered the room. 'Strong fighter units have appeared in the vicinity of the
ninth planet. We're hot on their heels. No attack was attempted by the enemy;
they beat a hasty retreat at the first sign of interception. No casualties to
report so far.' The admiral, resplendent in his colourful uniform, hit the
table with his clenched fist. 'I don't care whether the enemy is attacking us
or not! I've given express orders to wipe out any hostile force that dares
show their face in this sector!' The adjutant tried to proceed cautiously.
After all, it wasn't wise to incur the wrath of one's superior in general. But
especially not under the circumstances, since Chrekt-Orn had been empowered by
the almighty ruler of the Topides to act on his behalf here in this foreign
land. He could mete out any punishment he pleased. The adjutant defended
himself: 'The moment we set course for these tiny ships, they begin to
accelerate and take flight at incredible speeds. We had no luck so far even
destroying one of these fighters, let alone capturing one. Our technicians
would be most eager to find out something about the powerdrive they
use.' 'It's of the Arkonide type,' the admiral murmured bitterly. 'The same
as in our lost Arkonide battle cruiser. Have you found any trace of it?' 'Not
yet, Admiral. Nobody, not even our spies on the ninth planet, have been able
to get the slightest hint where it disappeared to. It seems to have simply
vanished from the fourth dimension.' 'Could be,' growled Chrekt-orn. He was
furious. 'Could very well be. Then we might never see it again. That wouldn't
be bad at all. How could we defend ourselves against that battle cruiser,
especially if it fell into the hands of an intelligent enemy? As far as these
small fighter planes are concerned' - now his voice resumed its usual sound of
authority and energy - 'we should make short work of them. Pass this on to
the commanders of our battle squadron groups. There'll be honours and rewards
for the victors.' However, neither threats nor promises would work. The
lizards tried in vain to catch the agile fighters, those daredevils who would
come close to the heavy cruisers, then avoid them with lightning fast
manoeuvres, luring them farther and farther away from Rofus. Meanwhile Bell
set the Stardust II down on Rofus, undetected by the Topides. The giant
spacesphere was placed inside the immense cave of a newly created hangar that
ordinarily could accommodate entire squadrons. Rhodan issued his commands, and
ten minutes after completion of the landing procedures he was sitting opposite
the Thort, who displayed visible signs of relief at the sight of Rhodan. 'I'm