" Perry Rhodan 0080 - (72) Caves of the Druufs" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

centre room that defied all explanation. Even at the very moment that the almost unbearable gravitational
force had sunk to the accustomed norm of 1.00тАФthat was about two hours after they had enteredтАФit
had not occurred to them that the organ, as they called it, might have anything to do with it.

However, their curiosity was aroused, and with the thoroughness Terranians muster to satisfy their
curiosity, they went about the business of dismantling and examining the organ. This met with success.
They discerned the significance of the device and suddenly, quite suddenly, they got an idea how they
could put it to use!



****



The only creature they had gotten to see in the three days of their imprisonment was a mechanical one: a
Druuf robot, a monster like his creators. The robot supplied them with provisions. He seemed neither
able to speak nor to make himself understood in any other manner. He arrived unannounced but always
at the same times, placed a tray laden with bowls on the table that zoomed up as he approached, then
disappeared again. One hour later he regularly appeared for the second time to clear away the remainder
of the meal. This he did three times within a period of 24 hours.

Perry Rhodan had directed some simple questions to him but not only did the robot fail to answerтАФhe
did not even react. So they were just as much in the dark about the most important question: how many
Druufs were there in the subterranean base?

They had tried to orient themselves by sounds but there were no sounds other than the ones they made
themselves. To judge by that, the cavern system could be emptyтАФexcept for them and the mute robot.
However, it was equally possible that the walls and antechambers were soundproofed or that the Druufs
were staying in some distant section of the cavern from which no sounds could penetrate to the chambers
of the prisoners.

It was clear to them that their plan would have no success if there were even one single watchful Druuf in
their vicinity. He would notice the signals they intended to send with the aid of the variable gravity field
and determine where they had originated. He would discern the intentions of the prisoners and make sure
that they were prevented from realizing them.

The situation would be quite different if the cavern system was empty. While the Druufs might admittedly
still receive the signals, so would the parties for whom they were intended. However, the question of who
would fly first to the methane planet to seek the originators of the signals, a Terranian or a Druuf ship,
was as yet unsettled.

Thus far only one thing was absolutely clear: theywere compelled to send the signals. That was their
only chance of establishing contact with the outer world.

So they made all their preparations. The greater the middle time variance of the artificial gravity field, the
easier the signal would be to receiveтАФwhich meant that the quicker the lever could be operated, the
greater the interval between the two tunings. Perry Rhodan had ascertained during a preliminary test that
the gravitation could be boosted to about 12-normal. The lowest value lay at around 0.3-normal to judge
by the decreased weight. That meant that when they would begin to transmit, their respective weight