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

"Startling is a better expression."

Heklihar's eyes glowed with pleasure. Like all Ferronians he was very receptive to compliments, and Rhodan's remark was a specific compliment, because Heklihar himself had constructed this entrance shaft.

The Good Hope settled in the middle of a tremendous chamber whose ceiling, 150 yards above them, was pierced by the shaft.

"Ship secure!" announced Bell.

Heklihar seemed to comprehend the gist of this. He got up and said in Ferron, "Come! Hopthmar will be waiting for us."

Rhodan didnТt have the slightest idea who Hopthmar was, but he had no intention of keeping him waiting. When the Thort designated this new base for the Good Hope he had explained very little. Rhodan was going to have to learn on the spot whatever was to be learned about this place. He turned the ships command over to Bell and advised Khrest that he was going with Heklihar to visit somebody called Hopthmar, who was probably the fort commander. Then he and the Ferronian technologist disembarked.While he followed Heklihar he marvelled at the tremendous dimensions of the chamber. The walls were lost in the distance, and the evenly distributed illumination seemed to be designed to prevent a full orientation. The ceiling was cantevered, an engineering masterpiece that no one on Earth had dared to attempt. There were no support girders; an entire fleet of battle ready spaceships could have found room here. But by the same token, in view of prevailing conditions on Rofus and in the entire Vega system, the Thort no longer possessed a great number of ships to hide away and preserve.

The chamber was empty.

Heklihar came to a halt before an indented line on the floor. He tapped the edge of the indentation with his toe. A few moments later a small, low personnel car shot into view like an arrow and stopped on the exact spot Heklihar had tapped. Automatically, its two doors opened to receive passengers. It was an eight seater with two wide seats arranged in tandem. It was equipped with a simple, easily mastered mechanism that enabled one to steer in any desired direction or to stop at any moment. The indented floor lines served as a sort of guide system. Rhodan observed that the long rills crossed the floor of the chamber, and Heklihar explained that their intersections could easily be used as switching points.

After a few minutes the wall of the chamber loomed up in front of the car. It shot into a well lighted corridor, in the walls of which a number of doors could be seen.

"Offices and labs," Heklihar explained.

At the far end of the passage he brought the car to a stop, The last door to the left bore an especially elaborate inscription, but Heklihar was in such a hurry that Rhodan had no time to decipher it. KhrestТs recent short hypno training in the use of the FerronТs language had included reading, but Rhodan had thus far had opportunity to practice only the spoken word. The door rolled aside, revealing beyond it a large room that was richly furnished in true Ferronian style. Behind a piece of furniture that resembled a desk sata robust looking man who wore a more colourful uniform than that of Heklihar.

"Commander," Heklihar said with almost solemn formality, permit me to introduce to you Rhodan the Arkonide."

The commander got up and stretched out both hands to Rhodan. "Please accept my welcome, Rhodan! My name is Hopthmar. I amЧthat is, I was the commander of this base."Rhodan heard HekliharТs quiet departure through the door behind him. "You were?" he said wonderingly.Hopthmar nodded. "The Thort has granted you extraordinary powers of authority here, Rhodan. No one in this fortification is in a position to tell you what to do."

RhodanТs wonderment grew, and with it a strong desire to chide the Thort for being a scheming old rascalЧsending a shipwrecked captain away on a journey and hiding from him the fact that at the end of it he would find bestowed upon him the absolute authority of a king! He tried in vain to fathom something in HopthmarТs expression. Only the devil himself could figure out these Ferrons! The other's small, sharp mouth was faintly distorted as though in a Ferronian smile; but no message was to be read in the shadowed depths of his eyes."You must know that I did not request this," he explained to Hopthmar. "I asked the Thort for a secure base to operate from, and he offered me this fort. There wasn't a single word about my being the head man around here."

Hopthmar made a minimizing gesture with his hands. "DonТt worry about it," he said. "I know what you meanЧyou think the matter is one of envy or jealousy." He sighed. "IТm a fairly old man, though it may not be apparent to you. IТm glad that someone has come here to lift the load from my shoulders."Rhodan smiled. "IТm glad you look at it that way. Nevertheless, I prefer to work with you rather than direct you."Hopthmar nodded. He pushed two comfortable chairs forward. "LetТs be seated. What are your plans?"Rhodan sat down facing him. "How do your transmitters function?"

HopthmarТs brows rose. "How should they function? Now and then I transmit some people locally, and from time to time a few are transmitted in. ThatТs all."

"Have you any linkage with Ferrol?"

Hopthmar leaned quickly forward. "Ferrol? Ferrol has been occupied by the enemy!"

"No one knows that better than I, but the transmitters offer the only possibility of reaching Ferrol secretly, without detection."

Hopthmar seemed to snicker. "First youТd have to find a transmitter on Ferrol that the Topides have not yet discovered."

"Well, why not? In the Red Palace in Thorta there is a small secret installation. It would be a miracle if they have discovered that one too."

Hopthmar slowly opened his hand, palm forward in a gesture so similar to the human sign of resignation that he seemed no alien at all. "Do you wish to risk it?" he asked.

"If we canТt think of anything else weТll have to risk it. What did you have in mind? Wait here until the Topides occupy this planet also?"A definite smile became apparent on HopthmarТs face. "I perceive already, Rhodan, that you are considerably more the man of action than I am. It is good for this base to acquire an impatient and aggressive commander."Rhodan analysed the otherТs tone carefully and was satisfied that the words were spoken sincerely and without scorn or disparagement. "How many transmitters do you have here?" he asked."Twenty-fiveЧeach with a capacity of at least five men."

"And you have never received a transmission from FerrolЧeither men or material?"

"No, neverЕ that is, since the planet was occupied by the enemy. From this I have presumed that there is no one left on FerrolЧoutside of the enemy, of course, who is in possession of a transmitter."The discussion wasnТt very enlightening to Rhodan. The matter of transmitters was a complicated proposition. Without much effort he could have enumerated a number of reasons why a Ferron who was in possession of a transmitter wouldnТt be able to make a connection with Ferrol. He didnТt go into this, however. When the time came he would proceed in accordance with his own ideas.They finally fell to discussing things of a more immediate nature. The base had ample quarters to accommodate the entire crew of the Good Hope. They would be allowed a full freedom of movement throughout the fortification.