" Perry Rhodan 0060 - (52) Fortress Atlantis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

FORTRESS ATLANTIS



1/ MY FUTURE



I STRUCK DOWN Perry Rhodan.

With an exact replica of an ancient Teutonic sword.

It was in the sword room of the Terra Museum on Venus that I temporarily bested the First
Administrator of the tiny planetary domain which he, with a dramatic flare, called the 'Solar Empire'.

The fact that I had once confronted and defeated this man and had held him in my power for a time,
satisfied my Arkonide pride.

Now I awaited him.

"You look splendid, sir!" The officer addressing me with a smile was of medium height,
unostentatious looking, wearing the insignia of a Captain of the Terranian Spacefleet, Hubert Gorlat. But
although he acted in a polite and respectful manner, one couldn't overlook the fact that he wore the
badge of the Security Service on the left sleeve of his uniform.

I wondered with some amusement whether he referred to my personal appearance of my newly
acquired sartorial splendour. I looked down and examined my trimly fitting pale green uniform, flecked a
speck of dust from my pants leg and remarked, "You think so, Captain?"

"Indeed, sir!" But his next words piqued my ego. "It's about time they gave you an appropriate
outfit." He meant my attire after all. I was disappointed. These Terranians always paid a great deal of
attention to appearance and why should he make an exception in my case?

Hubert Gorlat coughed slightly and glanced at his watch-an overt hint, which I chose to ignore. I
scanned my motivation and realized I would have deliberately taxed his patience less if he had been a
little more diplomatic.

I knew why he had been sent to me: Gorlat was the officer in charge of security aboard the
super-battleship Drusus, which had returned 3 days ago to the spaceport of Terrania from an
adventurous trip, bringing back with it the man whom I awaited with considerable impatience: Perry
Rhodan.

Our encounter on Venus had turned out for the best: I had realized at the penultimate moment how
senseless it would have been to seriously injure this remarkable Earthling, let alone kill him. There were
more than enough people about to thwart my escape and in any event it had become unnecessary.

Capt. Gorlat belonged to the type of cool, ever alert, never relaxing men who guided the fate of Earth
since the beginning of the 21st century. If Gorlat's manners in dealing with extraterrestrial beings left
something to be desired, it didn't mean he didn't know the right thing to do at the right moment. Perry
Rhodan had carefully selected his men. I had no doubt that these daring death-defying Earthlings, aided