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

"Precisely. You are opposed to Belal's totalitarianism, not only on principle but also because he uses his power to private advantage." He spoke swiftly and gave Feriar no time to answer. "I have a proposition for you: come with us to Fenomat. I will guarantee you that nothing will happen to you."
These words seemed to be strangely compelling to Feriar. As he attempted to make objections, he did not sound very convincing. "But for several hours, now, Fenomat has been..."
"I know all about it. We shall retake the bunker. Does such a prospect appeal to you?"
Feriar nodded. "Alright, I'll come with you!"
Ivsera thought she must be dreaming. This couldn't be happening. Apparently unarmed, a solitary man moved casually and unhindered through a bunker whose despotic commander he had offended in the most deadly manner. He handled every obstacle with such ease that he could turn responsible officers to thoughts of treason, just with a few simple words.
But it was happening. Feriar put on his gun belt and explained to the guards that he was taking the 2 strangers back to Belal. Then he turned right down the hall to the lift shaft.
The elevator cupola required a quarter of an hour to arrive at their level. When the door glided to one side, the cage proved to be empty. Perry allowed Ivsera and Feriar to go in first but he called out when he saw Feriar reach for the top level button.
"The other way around, my friend. We want to go down!" When Feriar looked at him in surprise, he continued. "I have no intention of marching for hours through a contaminated region. It will be much more convenient to use the new tunnel!"
Feriar obeyed. He pressed the lowest button and the elevator started downward with an almost lackadaisical motion. At the same time a buzzer sounded and then the howl of countless sirens penetrated the lift cage.
Feriar started. "It's the alarm!" he gasped.
Perry nodded indifferently. "What did you expect? That Belal would let us get away without opposition?"
A second later they heard a tinny voice blare forth from the elevator's loudspeaker: "Attention! Alert for all levels! 2 important prisoners have escaped. One is a woman from Fenomat and the other captive is from the surface. Both prisoners have been condemned to death by official court martial. Therefore they are to be brought in dead or alive."
There followed a description of the 2 prisoners, in which it was evident that the obvious author of the report, Belal, was in error where Perry was concerned. At least Ivsera did not believe that he could be recognized, according to Belal's information. However alien his clothing was, it was considerably less conspicuous than the way Belal described it.
Feriar became uneasy. "Do you know how many men we have under arms in Sallon?"
Perry smiled. "Let me see... about 55 hundred, isn't it? Almost 80% of them range from 15 to 50 years old."
Feriar could only gape in astonishment.
"But do you also know," continued Perry, "where these men will look for us? Up above, at the ground lock!"

* * * *

Perry turned out to be correct. Without hindrance, the elevator arrived at the basement level. The passage ahead was clear.
Without hesitation, Perry led the way to the left. "You'd better conceal your weapon," he advised Feriar while en route. "I can cover the 3 of us and if possible we want to avoid any bloodshed."
Without a word, Feriar complied. Ivsera began to think that since his meeting with Perry he had come under some kind of spell. Did this Perry person wield some sort of power over the thoughts and wishes of his fellow creatures? She searched her own mind in this regard but was unable to detect anything out of the normal.
The passage ended abruptly at a bare bright grey wall but this did not cause Perry any discomposure. He opened the last door on the right and to Ivsera's amazement she saw a room with 2 doors which was a counterpart of the corresponding chamber that Killarog had shown her not long ago in the Fenomat bunker.
The manner in which Perry found his way about was something to marvel at. Without hesitation he strode across to the 2 guards who stood on either side of the farther door. "Let us through!" he demanded. "We are on an important assignment in Fenomat!"
One of the sentinels seemed to suspect nothing but the other barred the door by sinking his weapon across it. Suspiciously, he said: "Commander Belal is searching for a woman and a man who have been sentenced to death. I recognize Capt. Feriar... but by any chance do you two happen to be the fugitives...?"
Perry reached into the pocket of his suit. He did it casually and with a slight expression of annoyance, as though he resented always having to show his orders. Apparently neither sentinel was thinking of anything but Perry's documentation.
But what he finally brought forth was a thing that was not unlike a small pistol. Ivsera could not make out how Perry operated it but in that instant a jolting pain shot through her skull and the 2 soldiers sank lifelessly to the floor.
Ivsera shuddered.
"Let's go!" said Perry unperturbed. "Too bad they were so mistrustful. They won't come to for several hours yet but in the meantime somebody will find them... and then they'll know where to look for us."
"You mean... they aren't dead?" stammered Ivsera while Perry opened the door.
Perry laughed. "No. As I told you, I don't spill any blood where it can be avoided."
The passage was wider and higher than the one Killarog had pushed through from Fenomat. Ivsera began to comprehend that this 'Tunnel War', as it was called, had been a long-planned undertaking on the part of Sallon. It must have taken at least a year to bore through such an excavation over so many miles.
The tunnel was brightly lighted. They were able to see that, with the exception of the 2 sentinels they had encountered, no one was in the vicinity. Ivsera considered this to be a bad sign for Fenomat. If the war were still being waged, this passage would be swarming with armed men.
Perry started out at a brisk pace. Ivsera noticed that Feriar occasionally studied the stranger in an attempt to figure him out. But he did not appear to have an answer. From time to time he would shake his head and grumble incoherently to himself. She understood his perplexity because she was in the same boat. The stranger had rescued them from a dangerous situation and was apparently using the best possible strategy to defy the despotic regime of Sallon. These were things for which they should all be grateful. But on the other hand his knowledge and capabilities were uncanny and frightening.
For example, consider the weapon he had used to incapacitate the 2 sentinels-what kind of a device was that? It had not killed but instead it had made them unconscious. Ivsera was certain that there had never been such a weapon before on all Isan.
She was drawn to a conclusion that was rather fantastic: this stranger was not of Isan. He came from another world!
Prior to the beginning of the war on Isan, the 2 states, Othahey and Heyatha, had been striving to make a conquest of space. Owing to enmity between the 2 states it had become a bitter contest. After several satellites had already been placed in orbit around Isan, both sides had impending projects for launching actual space rockets. The goal was Wilan 2, the outermost of the 2 planets that encircled Wilan.
But the war had interfered and it had destroyed everything that had been developed. The only thing it could not destroy was the human knowledge that space travel was possible and even necessary, that on other worlds there had to be other beings, perhaps with intelligence, and that an attempt should be made to make contact with them.
Was Perry such a being?

* * * *

During a 3-hour march they only encountered a few isolated soldiers but no difficulties were experienced with them. Finally, Perry furnished another proof of his supernatural knowledge. He stopped and asked: "Didn't you say that a similar bore had been drilled through from the direction of Fenomat?"
The question was directed at Ivsera and the young woman was frightened by it. She was certain that she had never discussed the tunnel-other than with Killarog and he was dead. Could Perry even read thoughts?
"N-no," she answered with an effort. "I-I never said anything about it but nevertheless there is such a passage."
Perry smiled. "Where?"
Ivsera described the tunnel arrangement as carefully as she could. For a while Perry was somewhat pensive about it. Then he indicated the left wall of the passage.
"If we bore upwards here at an angle of 10░ we would cut into the Fenomat boring at a distance of about 100 yards, don't you think?"
Ivsera didn't know. Besides, it seemed to be a very fanciful consideration because who wanted to make a connecting passage now and what purpose would it serve?