"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0064 - (56) Prisoner of Time" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

"Not at all. I'm only being cautious, Steiner. The slightest error and we're lost."
"No one knows how it really looks behind the time barrier," Steiner emphasized, oddly calm. "The other plane must offer the same conditions essential to life as ours. If we can get over there, we ought to be able to get back. Have I made myself clear?"
"A man without hope is a man without a future," said Rous in agreement. "Yes, you've made yourself clear. Our views are more or less identical."
2 hours after the argument they landed at the spaceport of Akonar. They had been contacted by ground control and given the exact landing coЎrdinates. Ground control did not seem to be interested in who they were-in any event, they had not been asked what their home planet was. The logical conclusion was that on Tats-Tor a brisk and, above all, peaceful traffic was the order of the day.
Rous had Steiner remain in the control central and follow them by way of the radio receiver. The lieutenant wanted to go with Noir and search out the Administrator to warn him of the threatening danger. The transmitter built into a ring on Rous' finger would keep Steiner constantly informed of what was said. If something unforeseen were to happen, he could intervene as necessary.
It was part of the atmosphere of an interstellar spaceport that no one concerned himself with the business of someone else. Rous and Noir wore improved Arkonide battlesuits under their spacesuits. They could make themselves invisible in case of danger, or fly or even project an energy field around themselves. The main thing was that their battlesuits would enable them to make a fast escape in case of a surprise attack by the invisible aliens.
An unmanned robot vehicle brought them into the city and dropped them off in front of the Administrator's palace. It had been enough just to tell the robot driver where they wanted to go.
Now, however, they ran across the first checkpoint.
The Administrator's palace stood just on the circular border of an area including the spaceport and the business quarter. Inside the zone there were no checkpoints and no barriers of any sort. Anyone could land his ship at the spaceport and move around as at will within the city without being asked his name or the name of his home planet. Only when he wanted to leave the closed-off area did he have to submit to an examination.
2 uniformed Arkonides-Rous recognized them by their white hair and reddish albino eyes-stood at a ray barrier, which was passable at only a few places. Naturally, it would not have been hard for the Terrans to break through the barrier with the help of their Arkonide battle-suits but that would not have been in keeping with the purpose of their mission. They calmly pulled thin metal strips from their breast pockets and gave them to the Arkonides.
The taller Arkonide took the standard Imperium identification strips from them while the other watched the 2 strangers attentively, evidently trying to classify them visually. He probably believed them to be descendents of the Springers.
"Home planet Terra?" demanded the first Arkonide, looking at Rous, who stood closest to him. "There aren't any coЎrdinates for its position. The pass is invalid."
"If we'd only added false coЎrdinates, we could have spared ourselves all this constant questioning whenever we land on a backward planet," said Rous in all calmness. "The coЎrdinates are missing with the agreement of the Regent, my friend. Isn't that enough?"
"Anyone can say that," persisted the Arkonide. "I'll have to make some inquiries before I let you pass. What do you want on Tats-Tor?"
"To find the Administrator and warn him of an imminent invasion."
The Arkonide stared at Rous in surprise while the other took an involuntary step backwards. "Invasion? Are you crazy...?"
"Do we look it?" Rous demanded in return. "So don't think that we undertook our long and wearying journey here just to be insulted by you. And if you still believe you have to make inquiries, hurry up about it. We don't have any time."
The Arkonide's surprise gave way to the usual arrogance. "You're going to wait for as long as I feel like making you wait, Terran! You'll never get into Akonar without our permission! Hey, Roph!" He turned to his colleague. "Call Central and televise them these Terrans' passes!"
Rous and Noir threw each other a meaningful glance, grinning in a restrained way, and prepared for a long wait. It would not be pleasant but at least afterwards they would be allowed to pass through the checkpoint without any difficulty. Once they were known, everything would be simpler.
The remaining Arkonide turned to Rous again. "So the position of your home world is not to be noted on your pass? That is rather odd. It's a general rule that every space traveller must carry a pass that clearly shows where his home planet is to be found. That's a security measure whose purpose you must surely understand. In the case of a crime, it's easier this way to-"
"I've already told you that Terra is an exception. Haven't you ever heard of Terra before?"
"No, never," admitted the Arkonide. "When was Terra settled? You don't look much like Arkonides anymore."
The last words were pronounced to sound contemptuous. Rous suppressed his anger and stayed calm. "Terra has belonged to the Imperium for only a few months," he told the paling guard. "Well, even that isn't quite right, since up to now we've refused to be ruled by a robot brain-in case you're interested. But in order to avoid any trouble, we agreed to an equal partnership. But I don't know why I'm telling you all this. You don't seem to understand much of large-scale politics."
The Arkonide required 2 minutes to recover from his surprise. With suspicious eyes he regarded the 2 men standing calmly waiting at the barrier. "Partnership? What does that mean? There is only one ruling race in the Imperium and that's the Arkonides! I've never heard of any Terra."
"I'm not surprised," said Rous indifferently. "You've probably never even heard of the 3rd race, the one we're here to warn the Administrator about.-Now what is it? How much longer must we wait?"
The Arkonide hesitated for a second, then opened up a passageway. "Alright, come along. I believe you may pass through. Yes, here comes my colleague now. Well, Roph, what did Central say?"
"No one knows the position of Terra. Central is of the opinion that we should let the aliens pass through."
Rous took the passes back and gave Noir his. "We will probably have to pass through this barrier frequently during the next few days. I hope it won't always take so long. But, they're just doing their duty."
When Rous later thought back to this scene, he was surprised he and Noir had put up with such irritation. It would have been easy for Noir to place both guards under his will. But Rhodan's order was clear: the New Arkonides must be voluntarily ready to cooperate with you.
Normally it probably would not have been so easy for them to speak to the Administrator of the planet but the barrier guards had already reported the incident to the highest authorities. Before long, Rous and Noir were in the entrance hall of the palace, walking towards 2 dignified Arkonides wearing the uniform of the palace guard. There seemed to be value placed on tradition here.
"Are you the 2 Terrans?" asked one of them.
Rous was not unduly surprised that their arrival had so quickly become known. It was almost certain that the New Arkonides had never heard anything of Perry Rhodan but the thought that the Imperium could have an equal partner made them undoubtedly curious. "Yes, we are."
"The Administrator would like to speak with you. Follow me, please."
In spite of his polite form of address, the official could not hide his pride and arrogance. Rous was tempted to trip him as he went by but remembered in time the rules of his mission: no use of force, do not become overbearing or presumptuous, always remain patient.
Everywhere loitered idle servants who stared curiously at Rous and Noir. Noir could not resist the temptation of putting his ability to the test without anyone noticing.
2 or 3 officials, standing to one side, suddenly turned around and walked gravely away. Noir had given them the order to take a 5-day vacation. He knew that the Arkonides would obey the order without question, no matter what happened. No one would be able to explain the obstinacy of these few men who themselves did not know why they were doing it.
Rous smiled slightly as he noticed the incident but the hoped Noir would not be tempted to make further experiments.
The 2 Arkonides halted at the end of a wide corridor. "The Administrator awaits you behind this door. May I request that you lay your weapons-in case you brought any-here...?"
They had no weapons.
The door raised, giving free access into the next room.
Rous had expected some degree of luxury but in looking around he was pleasantly disappointed. The room was not very large and looked more like an electronics laboratory than an audience chamber. The walls were covered with videoscreens and their controls, and cables hung from the ceiling to disappear behind the various walls. Small intercom devices stood on 2 tables. Then it was from here that an entire planet was controlled; and Rous suspected that the Administrator could contact any point on Tats-Tor with the equipment to be found in the room.
The Arkonide himself sat behind a 3rd table. 2 empty seats stood in front of it. "Welcome to Tats-Tor," he said in perfect Imperium-Arkonese. "I learned of your arrival from the barrier guards, although I must admit I have never heard of the planet Terra."
"You are the Administrator of a peaceful colonial world," answered Rous, standing next to Noir by the chairs. The Arkonide made no preparations to stand up. "If you were a Springer or belonged to the Imperium battlefleet, you would have certainly heard of us."
"What does that mean?" The Administrator remembered his etiquette and pointed to the seats in front of the table. "Please, sit down."
Rous and Noir glanced at each other as they sat.
"That means," Rous went on, "that we've had a dispute of considerable proportions with Arkon but that has since been settled. We are today equal partners with the Regent. The Administrator of the Solar Imperium, whose centre is the planet Terra, has made an alliance with your highest ruling authority in order to resist a powerful enemy. That's why we came here."
"Why to Tats-Tor?" demanded the Administrator. "You said yourself that we're a peaceful world which has nothing to do with the wars of the Imperium."
"That's true but even the most peaceful can't live in peace if their neighbours have other intentions. And the Unseen very definitely have other intentions."
"The Unseen? I don't know what you're talking about."
Rous took a deep breath and decided to say it in as few words as possible. He began to suspect that-in spite of the Administrator's politeness-it would be easier to come to terms with an enemy than with this smooth and slippery Arkonide. "An alien dimension is cutting through ours. Different relations of time are in effect in the other dimension. At those points where the 2 dimensions meet, all organic material and thus everything that's alive disappears from our field of vision. As of today, we have been unable to bring back any of those who have disappeared."