"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0053 - (45) Unknown Sector Milky Way" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

The damage that the 3 rocket impacts had inflicted on the space jet was more serious than Rhodan had assumed at first. The explosions had impaired the propulsion system to such an extent that it could no longer be used without extensive repairs. A portion of their energy source had ceased functioning. The space jet was no longer capable of generating an artificial gravity field, or even of keeping lights going in all of the interior cabins.
But for Rhodan the most serious item was the fact that the defence screens, which at first had seemed to be in working order, had started to weaken, until finally they ceased to function, one by one. A stray bomb fragment had penetrated the generator shielding and had wreaked havoc in the very heart of the equipment.
To sum it up, the spaceship was more or less defenceless. With the exception of the still functioning main thermo-guns, the ship was not in a condition to fight off any attacker.
Laury had been reasonably composed about Rodrigo's death. Rhodan was pleased that she had long since come to recognize her quick rash of passion for the Aztec-Spanish count as a girlish infatuation. In the present circumstance he had not found it possible to console her over her loss.








5/ SURRENDER-OR ANNIHILATION

In view of the way the enemy had carried out their attack with such shrewdness and swiftness, Rhodan was convinced that they would not desist in their efforts. Together with Laury he had brought the wounded mouse-beaver to the Fenomat bunker because he felt he'd be more secure there. Laury stayed with Pucky to continue nursing him back to health.
Perry's next action was to investigate the tunnel exit that Belal and Havan and the 2 soldiers had used for sneaking up on the space jet. He did not trouble himself with the hatch cover, which had a complicated bolt system. Instead, he eliminated the obstacle with the disintegrator.
He then determined that the subterranean bore had been caved in beyond the entrance for a distance of at least a hundred yards. To clear a hundred yards of debris out of the way would not have presented any difficulty, using the disintegrator, but Rhodan was quite certain that Belal would have posted an armed force on the other side. So he opted in favour of rejoining Marshall in the Sallon bunker's power plant area, which the latter had not left since he had made his mysterious discovery.
The spaceship was left behind, empty and unguarded. However, Rhodan had taken time out to put through a hypercom message to Earth, in which he ordered another spaceship. The message was sharply beamed and pulse-coded in bursts of 2-millionths of a second. The likelihood of its being intercepted anywhere by eavesdroppers was just about dead zero. In his dispatch Rhodan had furnished the galactic position of Isan and ordered that the ship be crammed to capacity with provisioning.

* * * *

Feriar stood in front of a distillation retort and watched with interest as the greenish-brown fluid boiled persistently over the low flame of a gas burner. The process released a dark vapour into the upper tubing, from which it emerged into a condensing chamber at the end of the setup. Here it gathered into a clear, odourless liquid.
Feriar was interested in chemistry-especially for such nourishing chemistry as was involved here-and would like to have asked a few questions. But Ivsera and Ivan, who were the specialists, had no time for him. They were very busy. Ther was still burdened with the task of sorting and stacking the articles of clothing here and there; he might have had time for questions but he was no more an expert than Feriar himself.
While Feriar was still staring at the seething brew in the retort, the laboratory door opened and someone shouted: "There's somebody here who's looking for that stranger named Perry. If he can't be located, the man wants to speak with Feriar or Ivsera."
Without interrupting her work, Ivsera called out: "Send him to Feriar. Feriar-will you do me the favour?"
Feriar's curiosity was aroused. He went to the door and in addition to the man who had called him he saw a strongly built man who wore an expression of almost fierce haughtiness. He was dressed like all men in Fenomat and, recently, Sallon. He was unarmed. Feriar had not seen him before.
"Do you know where the stranger is?" inquired the man.
Feriar shook his head. "No, but I might be able to locate him."
The stocky one took a piece of paper out of the single pocket that remained in his short trousers which were more like swimming trunks. He handed it to Feriar. "Then do it!" he said somewhat harshly. "Read this and decide for yourself if it's important or not."
Before Feriar recovered from his astonishment, the sturdy man turned around and marched back along the corridor. Feriar unfolded the sheet of paper and read:
The words had been written with a typewriter. There was no signature to the note.
"Tonight at 29 hours, Belal will attempt to capture the stranger's ship and its crew."
Feriar read it twice and then looked around for the messenger who had brought it. "Where is he...?" he asked, confused.
"He left," answered the other man who had announced him.
"Run after him!" Feriar ordered. "Bring him back!"
The man hurried away.
Feriar went back into the laboratory and showed Ivsera the note. When Ivsera read it she did not hesitate to shut down the distillation work that she had just finished setting up. "We have to find Perry," she said gravely. "This is important. As far as I know, his ship is badly damaged. He hardly has weapons to defend it with."
"That's right," admitted Feriar, "but where is he?"
"Probably there, in the vessel."
"And if he isn't? Then one of us will stay there until Belal shows up and we'll grab him."
Ivsera pondered this. "Over in Sallon there's that friend of his who is called Marshall. If we inform him about this, he can get in touch with Perry."
Feriar nodded. "Good. You carry on here... I'll try to find Marshall."
At this moment the man entered whom Feriar had sent to look for the messenger. "He's disappeared...!" he panted, out of breath.
Feriar dismissed the issue. "That's alright. I should have been quicker on my toes."
Ther had overheard the proceedings and now he dropped his work and joined Feriar. "I don't know," he said peevishly, "I've always had the impression that anybody else could sort and stack rags as well as I can. But this matter here is more in my line. Why don't you let me go to Sallon?"
Feriar frowned thoughtfully. "You haven't even got a weapon in case you run into trouble over there."
"That figures," grinned Ther. "So give me yours."
Ivsera laughed. "Both of you go!" she advised. "You'll probably have to search for Marshall, anyway... and 4 eyes are better than 2."
Ther made a mock bow. "I always knew," he said, ceremoniously, "that you were a girl with brains."