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

a final roll call. Although Bell felt absolutely sure of himself in general,
this was something that made him nervous. He had the men line up in front of
the gigantic spacecraft, got busy with petty details, such as inspecting their
uniforms for loose buttons and dusty boots, until a guard announced Rhodan's
arrival. Major Deringhouse and Major Nyssen stood at the right wing next to
their pilots. The men were standing stiffly at attention, like toy soldiers,
when Rhodan's car approached. He got out together with Khrest and Thora.
Rhodan walked over to the men. 'Crew of the battlecruiser ready for action,
sir!' reported Bell. Rhodan's eyes assumed a quizzical look, as he took in
the scene. 'At ease, men! We aren't in the army here, after all!' he reminded
them. His remark, of course, was addressed to his friend Bell, who seemed to
have taken his job a bit too seriously for Rhodan's taste. Then Rhodan took a
package that he had been carrying under his left arm, and held it in his right
hand. 'As I've just been informed, you're all ready for battle in the Vega
sector. We're facing a difficult task; let's hope we can accomplish it. But
keep in mind, the world's fate depends on our victory. If our enemies should
attack our solar system, Earth would be lost. In the meantime you've become
familiar with this marvellous ship and you've learned to run it and service
t.L As you know, the ship is equipped with weapons capable of annihilating
entire planets. With this craft I'm placing a tremendous source of power into
your hands. It's my wish, friends, that this power be used for peace and good
causes. But let's not forget that often you have to do battle in order to
preserve peace and freedom. And now I'd like to ask our Arkonide friend Thora
to christen our vessel.' Rhodan had opened the package and now pulled out a
bottle of champagne. Thora stepped forward, looking quite pale, and seized the
bottle. Rhodan gave her a glance of encouragement. Khrest stood over to the
side and stared rigidly at the giant sphere. Perhaps he was thinking that this
ship used to belong to his own race, but that from now on human beings would
take possession of it. Thora walked toward the spacesphere with tiny, halting
steps. She stopped short of it, lifted her right arm, hesitated for a moment,
then hurled the bottle against the metal hull. Only then did she break the
silence. 'I christen you Stardust II.' Rhodan hurried to her side, hands
outstretched. Only he could fully appreciate how hard it must have been for
the proud alien woman to give the former Arkonide ship a Terrestrial name. For
a few seconds their hands joined in a firm clasp. Then Thora turned abruptly
and walked slowly back to the waiting car. This very moment, Rhodan knew, he
had laid the second foundation stone to the future star realm of man, who
someday would take over from the decadent Arkonide Empire. Rhodan addressed
Reginald Bell. 'I'd like to take Stardust II out on her first test flight for
manoeuvres in the Asteroid belt. Khrest and I will participate as observers in
this action. We should return by tonight. Our bases on Venus, Titan and Pluto
have already been informed of our plan.' The men broke rank hesitatingly at
first, then everything went with lightning speed. The anti-grav lifts carried
the men to their stations, escalators began to roll, bulkheads were opened and
dosed, air pumped out of the airlocks, generators began to hum, then the
hatches were closed down after Khrest and Rhodan had come aboard. A short
while later the Stardust II blasted off. Bell sat in front of the intercom
and gave orders. His subaltern officers were huddled in front of similar
installations that were dispersed all over the ship. Tiny visiscreens showed
the men's faces. Inside the hangars the pilots got into their fighters. The