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

Belal and his men had benefited by a considerable head start. Marshall and Rhodan overtook them when they were already starting to regroup themselves for an attack, within a hundred yards of the ship.
Rhodan saw that they carried rifles and light grenade throwers. Each grenade thrower was operated by a 2-man team. The men piled ammunition in the grass and arranged the weapons so that they would have a clear field of fire.
Marshall and Rhodan shot through the open airlock in the side of the ship. Marshall remained lying in an observation position within the lock in order to keep Rhodan posted on what was going on outside, since the optical equipment was no longer functioning. Meanwhile, Rhodan fired up the heavy thermo-guns and waited for Marshall's first target instructions.
The latter's verbal guidance would not be exact. Nobody could direct such heavy calibre ordnance accurately enough, on a sight basis alone, to be able to hit a bulls-eye. However, this class of impulse-ray weaponry did not require precise targets. Thermo-guns could be fanned out in their coverage so as to sweep a wider area. Moreover the enemy did not possess equal firepower, so that it wouldn't be too dangerous to miss on the first shot.

* * * *

Feriar and Ther were able to observe how Belal and his troops had cut their way through the bunker.
While Rhodan and Marshall were subduing the Sallon bunker, Belal had taken timely action to bring his bodyguard and most of the weapons that were available in Sallon into Malanal's secret laboratory. There only remained in Sallon proper a few old-fashioned rifles and pistols.
When the Sallon people saw Belal appear with half of his forces, a few brave Isanians tried to block his way. A reward has been posted for Belal's capture and also Rhodan had managed to explain to the people what danger a dictator like Belal represented for the new civilization of Isan.
But Belal shot his way ruthlessly through all opposition. The few old rifles available in Sallon were ineffectual against the machine weapons of his men. A few deaths resulted in addition to a string of wounded. After that nobody dared to even get in his way, much less attempt to detain him.
When Feriar and Ther tried to use the main elevator in order to follow Rhodan and Marshall outside, there was a delay. All available lifts were occupied and in motion. It was a quarter of an hour before they could get in and start upward.
In the groundlock were 2 sentinels that Rhodan had posted in anticipation of Belal's attempt to take the bunker. But Belal and his troops had simply ignored them. The 2 men reported that they had marched right past them. The guards had refrained from offering any resistance because it would have resulted in a pointless sacrifice.
Feriar and Ther left the airlock structure and headed obliquely up the hill in the direction of the spaceship. Ther strained his ears but for the present he could not hear any sounds of battle.
"I'd sure like to know," he said excitedly but his words were cut off by a gasp of surprise.
They had reached the crest of the hill and were about to go down past the former city of Fenomat when a file of men rose up almost soundlessly from the grass. At first glance Ther thought that they were a part of Belal's forces but then he heard a nagging sort of laugh in the dim red twilight and he saw a small, wizened man approach him.
"Whom have we here?" asked the newcomer scornfully and he pressed close to Ther. "Ah-h-h... good old Ther, friend and champion of Killarog, famed late member of the Council..."
"Watch yourself!" warned Ther angrily. "You're liable to get hurt!"
The small man stepped back a pace and shouted: "Bind both of them!"
His men charged upon Ther and Feriar. Feriar knew beforehand that resistance here was useless but Ther flailed mightily about him. It was against his nature to let himself be taken without a fight. He knocked a few of his opponents out of the way and freed himself briefly but the odds were too great. Ther finally felt his arms and legs being bound with cords.
"There now!" whined the small man. "Are you still so cocky?"
Ther glared at him in rage. "Wait, Havan! One of these days I'll settle the score with you!"
Havan did not appear to be impressed by the threat. He turned to his men and shouted: "We'll take them along. Take care that they don't drag their feet too much. We have to be at our objective by midnight!"

* * * *

"Half again to the right, sir," called Marshall. "If you fan wide enough you'll take 2 grenade launchers at the same time."
Rhodan took his time. He knew what would happen if he fired too quickly. Belal would perceive his danger and pull back as fast as possible. And that wasn't what Rhodan intended. Belal had to have his wings clipped, once and for all.
With this in mind he called back to Marshall: "Tell me when they have come within 20 yards!"

* * * *

Belal saw the disc shape of the vessel loom up before him in the reddish darkness. If he considered all angles of the situation, he had to conclude that no more untoward events or surprises would occur. In their push forward they had long since passed the point where the stranger, Perry, had paused in order to cut off the ship's defensive screen. There was obviously no more such screen otherwise they would not have been able to come this far.
All they had to do was sit here, set up the grenade launchers and pot-shot the vessel to pieces.
This they would have done were it not for the fact that Belal wanted to take the strangers alive and also to pirate the equipment which lay concealed inside the spaceship. But would it be a more difficult task to sneak up on the vessel and force the crew to surrender at gunpoint?
It shouldn't be, actually-and yet Belal was not entirely at ease about it. All at once he wasn't so sure that he was correct in having measured the strangers by the actions of that nervous, flighty fool that he had shot down so easily the previous night.
With a heavy curse he banished his misgivings. "Forward!" he ordered his men. "Let's take the last stretch!"
At this time they were not more than 30 yards away from the ship. With much less caution but moving more swiftly now, they all crept forward. Belal looked around and noticed the short, stubby barrels of 2 grenade launchers sticking out of the grass. He nodded his satisfaction. If there were any resistance, the launchers would go into action.
Only 20 yards to go.
The airlock opening yawned darkly in the hull of the ship. Belal couldn't understand why it had been left open but he did not consider it to be a sign of danger.
15 more yards!
Belal rose up halfway and widened his eyes at the alien ship as a blinding white ray as thick as a man's thigh shot forth from a porthole he hadn't noticed before. He couldn't close his eyes in time to prevent being blinded instantly by the brightness of it. He wasn't able to see.
Filled with terror he fell flat forward into the grass. But in the same instant the ground lurched under him in the midst of a cracking thunder and he was thrown a few yards to one side. Fragments of flak whistled through the air and rained down around him.
When the thunderous report subsided he made out the sound of wild shouting. Somebody yelled that 2 grenade throwers together with their ammunition had been blown to bits but there followed another explosion as the scorching white beam of energy found a 3rd grenade launcher and its stack of ammunition.
Despair gripped Belal. He got up and ran in the direction of his previous spot. He carried a machine pistol under his arm and fired it wildly about him until the ammo belt was empty. He heard cries and didn't know if they came from his men or from the strangers. He wasn't able to see a thing.
He ran, twisted and stumbled until he collided with a cold, hard object. The impact knocked him back onto the ground, where he lay for a while half-stupefied.
And when he finally tried to get up he suddenly felt a bomb explode in his brain. There was a blinding flash, a clap of thunder and then Belal's battle came to an end.

* * * *