"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0088 - (80) The Columbus Affair" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

"Com Central, Security," he identified himself. "Sir, we have just deciphered a hyper-pulse dispatch from our advance squadron. The first space fleet units are emerging from the discharge funnel. So far Col. Poskanov has tracked 500 of the alien ships. The number is increasing continuously. Judging from the contour trace data, none of the ships are less than 200 meters in length. This means that heavy class fighting units are being employed."
Marshall Freyt drew a finger across his throat significantly. Reginald Bell grinned ironically.
Rhodan's voice interrupted the heavy silence. "Thank you. Contact me the minute you have further news. But not for every ship you see. For the ships that are sighted, let's start dealing with units of 100."
Abucot understood. He cut off the connection.
"That's a real cheerful outlook," said Bell ironically. "Counting them up by the hundreds, eh? How many Druuf spacers are you figuring on, anyway?"
"According to our observations and findings at the blockade front, they'll fly their first attack with at least 5000 ships. If those get destroyed they'll come back with 10,000 more.
Marshal Freyt looked for a place to sit down. Rhodan started pacing again along the front of the master view-screen. While so doing he muttered almost inaudibly. "Everything depends on whether or not they find us. In the first place they seem to think the Capella System is ours. Let them keep thinking it Mercant, once and for all will you call John Marshall and prepare for a special mutant assignment? I have a definite idea."
Before the Security Chief reached the grav lift, Rhodan called after him: "Hasn't our base on Hades reported in yet?"
Mercant shook his head. "No. But the fast cruiser Nippon is at the Arkonide blockade front. The transmitter connection with Hades is working perfectly. I'm waiting any hour for further information."
"That information must not be sent by radio. Have you made that clear to the commander?"
"That's understood, sir. If necessary, Maj. Matsuro will emerge out of hyperspace close to the Earth. We've made all preparations for muffling the shockwaves. But if by that time we've already been discovered, I'll make direct contact with Matsuro. Then it won't make any difference if the message is traced or not."
In troubled thought, Rhodan watched the Security Chief depart. Now everything depended on not making one mistake.


25 ADVENTURES FROM NOW
You'll gaze upon the
Wonder Flower of Utik








4/ 2000 DRUUF SHIPS

The Star of Terra was an older standard-class cruiser which had been converted for freight and passenger service. On the 16th of May, at 14:32 standard time, it had taken off according to schedule from the intercosmic spaceport on the main planet of the Vega System.
For some years now the Star of Terra had been part of a line service between the planetary systems of Sol and the giant sun Vega, since passenger traffic had continued to increase as a result of the brisk commercial relations between humans and the Ferronians.
The commander was Capt. Carl Lister, a former astronaut of the Fleet Lister was considered to be capable and decisive and was also known to be pleasant in both speech and manner. Since in addition to this his portly figure gave him an air of respectability and he was in the habit of maintaining jovial and easy-going relations with the passengers and crew, he was the ideal man to be in charge of a spaceship of the merchant fleet
Lister's military career had been under an ill-fated star. He had never been able to get on the good side of his superior officers. Among his comrades he had simply been regarded as a bad-luck Charlie. At critical moments he always made a mess of what he could have accomplished masterfully under normal conditions, even while half asleep. So Lister had decided to leave the spacefleet and since then he had functioned as the commander of the Star of Terra.
For 6 years there had been no mishaps or serious accidents and this had given Lister reason to believe that his old run of had luck had finally left him. But it was his fate that the nearly forgotten plague of misfortunes should revisit him precisely at the moment when everything depended upon an exact adherence to regulations.
Lister had just eaten in the first class diningroom with the passengers. He had lust delivered one of his gallant and patriarchal observations and also had given permission to a young man to inspect the engine rooms. Fifteen minutes later the transition calculations had been completed and the Star of Terra went into a normal hyperjump. Lister covered the 27 light-years to the not-too-distant Earth in a single transition because basically he thought it foolish to subject his passengers twice to such an inconvenience.
To this extent everything would have worked out just fine if Capt. Lister had not jumped into the hyper-dimension at the exact moment that the main station on Terrania had sent into cosmic space the warning message that was specifically directed to himself. So it was that Lister did not pick up the critical instructions. When the ship rematerialised within 7 light-hours of Pluto's orbit, Terrania had already stopped broadcasting its warnings. Thus the Star of Terra flew toward the outer limits of the Solar System at 80% SPEOL.
In conformance with safety regulations, lister reduced his speed still further. At only 70% SPEOL, the freight-passenger ship swung onto course for its final destination.
Shortly thereafter the old captain's misfortune was completed. Precisely when the first Druuf spaceships were emerging from the discharge funnel, Lister decided to announce his early arrival over hypercom. He sent out a loosely beamed message in which, among other things, he reported that the Ferronian ruler lay on his death bed. Since he considered this to be a fairly important piece of news he felt justified in really laying it on. He also sent it uncoded in clearly sharp Morse signals, using the prescribed hyper-frequency band assigned to commercial channels.
Even this would not have been an irretrievable mistake if Pluto and Vega had not been in unfortunate alignment at the moment. The Solar System's outermost planet was on the opposite side of the sun in relation to the discharge zone, so that the course of the Star of Terra was on a line directly aimed at it. Thus it happened that although the sloppy directional beam reached the Earth alright it also cut a direct line outward toward the Capella System.
After he had been transmitting for 20 seconds, the ship's receiver crackled loudly. The enraged countenance of a major of the Fleet became visible on the viewscreen.
"Have you lost your mind?" the voice blatted deafeningly from the loudspeakers. "Stop that brass-pounding at once! Switch off, you fool! We're in Operation Columbus! I'm going to court-martial you! Don't let out another peep, do you hear? You're beaming straight to Capella!"
With that the contact was abruptly cut off.
Capt. Lister had turned pale. According to his custom he had come into the Com Room to personally supervise the transmission of his report. Lister grabbed the operator's hand to stop him and the man stared at him horrified. Naturally they both knew the significance of 'Operation Columbus'.
"For God's sake!" groaned the officer on duty. "Sir, Terrania must have sent out a warning signal to us!"
"When we were in hyperspace," said Lister, scared to death. He realized what he had done. And he also knew that the threat must be coming from the Capella System.
Without saying another word, he turned around and trudged dazedly to the exit. Beyond lay the Command Central. The grapevine had already spread the word. The men watched their captain disconcertedly as he crossed the big room, pale and staring.
Lister walked about as if in a dream. The single thought bored into him that he had committed involuntary treason but then what also nagged at him was this merciless fate that always made him a bad-luck Charlie. He could have screamed but not a sound escaped his lips. His portly frame had the look of a wounded animal that was struggling toward the safety of its cave with its last ounce of strength. He would be spared from nothing now-neither torture of mind nor anguish of soul.
At the entrance to the Command Central stood a group of passengers. The Second Officer of the Star of Terra, being assigned to the normal ship operations, was just explaining the virtues of a bulkhead system, using the simplest possible phraseology. Lister felt someone touch his arm. Mrs. Nattan was the wife of the director of the General Cosmic Co., a mining operation on Ferrol. At this moment she loudly proclaimed her enthusiasm over the ship's tour. "Oh my dear captain, it's just heavenly! I never realized that there were such things. Why this spaceship is a miracle! And it's astounding how all this functions!"
Carl Lister smiled through his torment. "Of course, Madame-naturally it functions."
The old matriarch's shrill laughter made him wince. He listened listlessly to the profusion of conversation, until someone addressed him again.
"But my dear fellow. You look pale! Don't you feel well?"
"It's... it's just the trip... ha! ha! A young greenhorn like me often gets space sick... ha! ha!"