"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0011 - (5b) Mutants in Action" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

CHAPTER 1

"Altitude?"

"Constant."

"Speed?"

"Constant but lousy," Bell mumbled.

"Destination range?"

"Twenty-five hundred."

"Course?"

"Set."

Perry Rhodan sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Well, so much for that."

Some of the heat that boiled up from the sands of the Great Southern Desert a mile below them was transmitted to the control room of the Good HopeЧand for good reason. The shipТs air conditioning system was down because all available power from the still intact generators was being channelled into the propulsion system.It had cost Rhodan a good hour's deliberation to decide whether to attempt flying the Good Hope to the desert fortress or to dismantle all weapons and take them with him. He had decided on the first alternative. Khrest and Thora had advised him against it, and now since he had not followed their counsel they both tended to stress their anxiety for the flight. But according to Reg Bell the two Arkonides had come along anyway, for the simple reason that they couldn't afford to lose face to anyone.

The Good Hope's automatic pilot system and peripheral automatic gear were no longer functional. They were forced to go back to the Wright brotherТ method and fly virtually by the seat of their pants. Danger lurked in every moment. Those repairs which had been made were patchwork at best and failed to instil any modicum of confidence or feeling of safety.However, Heklihar seemed unconcerned. With his deep, dark eyes he merely continued to scan the sandy wastelands ahead in the viewscreen. The Thort had summoned Heklihar, chief technologist of the secret desert fortification, to act as guide for the Good Hope. By Earth standards he was small, as were many of the members of his race. His akin colour was more turquoise than the normal blue, which he attributed to the desert sun. With his thick, copper coloured hair he presented a colourful spectacle in spite of his grey clothing.

Under present circumstances, Reginald Bell felt far removed from his official status as the Third PowerТs Security Minister. He was far to occupied managing his half of the control tasks and continuously watching and reading the related instruments and night indicators. From time to time he would glance at the screen and note that hour after hour there was no change in the desolate desert landscape below.Several times he was forced to mutter. "Ye gods! The good Lord must have chosen this place to dump his wrath!"



Rofus, the ninth planet of the Vega system, was somewhat similar to Earth, but in comparison to the almost delicate formation of Earth's surface structure, Rofus appeared to have been left half finished by the creator. Basically there were two giant continents and two equally great oceans. The mountains were higher, and the co-ordinates were longer and wider. There was no Earth equivalent of the Great Southern Desert with its glaring red sands. The desert's glaring diameter was about 3,600 miles, which could be traversed in its entirety without encountering a single plant, a single living creature, or the tiniest drop of water.

The desert fortress that the Thort had placed at the Good HopeТs disposal lay in the most remote and inaccessible corner of the wilderness waste. RhodanТs survey of local maps had revealed that the place must be situated at least partially beneath the Snake Mountains. Heklihar proffered no information. He had been trained to divulge not the slightest word concerning the stronghold, and true to his Ferronian nature he adhered to the letter of his regulations even when it was a bit asinine to do so.With a flight velocity of less than mach 1 the Good Hope arrived at its destination after a seven-hour journey. After Heklihar indicated the point toward which the ship must be guided, Bell heaved a sigh of relief.

"Next time IТd rather go it on foot than fly in this crate again!"The Snake Mountains stretched out in a northeasterly-southwesterly direction. They were as barren as the desert, but with their 27,000 to 30,000 foot peaks they presented an imposing sight Rhodan stared uncertainly at the point that Heklihar had indicated. It was a gorgelike depression in the foothills of the Snake Mountains, and there was no way of telling how this point differed from many others like it in the vicinity. He turned to look at Heklihar, who responded to the querulous glance by stretching out both hands in the Ferronian signal of confirmation.

"Dead ahead!" Rhodan ordered.

Bell grumbled something incomprehensible. The Snake Mountains fell from sight beyond the visiscreen frame. In dead centre loomed the wide gorge into which Heklihar had pointed.

"Five hundred yards," announced Bell.

Rhodan peered down into the chasm. The bright light of Vega could not penetrate to its bottom; the shadows were so dark that details could not be made out with certainty.

"Three hundred yards."

Instinctively, Rhodan turned the control on the visiscreen that would give him a closer magnification of the scene before him. As he clicked the knob into a higher position he heard a loud, empty clack! He realized that the ship's power sources were so stringently programmed that not a spark could be spared even for such small incidentals as the optical equipment.

But as the Good Hope descended between the walls of the gorge, he suddenly perceived that there was no discernible bottom at all. A place was reached where the craggy walls of the abyss became smooth, and here a faint light was detected somewhere in the depths. Rhodan couldn't suppress his wonderment over this tremendous installation, which could undoubtedly have accommodated three ships the size of the Good Hope. The shaft proved to be of considerable depth. With a square measurement of about two hundred yards per side it penetrated about 1,500 feet below ground.

Heklihar noted Rhodan's reaction with pride. "It will do for a start, don't you think?" he asked, in his guttural tones.