"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0121 - (113a-114a) Heritage of the Lizard People" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

Pucky looked around in all directions. He was far from enthusiastic about the scene. Neither were his companions elated about their surroundings. The Gazelle had deposited them on a high plateau without vegetation where not even the undemanding lichen had been able to take root. The stone was naked. The bluish peaks of a distant mountain range touched the clouds in the sky. The plateau was strewn with rocks.
"I'm not going to stay here," Pucky finally growled. "My fur will get wet if it rains. Besides, we can't take cover here when the ship arrives."
"It's up to us where we want to wait," Ras reminded him. "If we don't like it here we can look for a better place."
"Suits me," Tako smiled. "Let's pick a spot to aim for."
As they were unfamiliar with the geography of Azgola they were limited to teleportation by sight. By choosing a visible point, they could dematerialize and land instantly at their selected goal. In this manner they would be able to circle the planet in a few hours if they wanted to do so.
Ras looked at the distant mountain range but Pucky shook his head. "I've had it up to here with cold mountains - at least for now. Let's look down at the plain. It's not far to the rim of the plateau and we can walk over there."
They walked the short distance to the edge where the plateau sloped steeply into a wide plain. The slope was covered with gravel and the rock was divided by deep crevices. A few lone dwarf-trees were the only sign of vegetation on the otherwise desolate mountain landscape.
"Down there is a river," Tako said, studying the plain. "It winds thru the impenetrable primeval forest stretching as far as the eye can see."
"I can see an island in the river," Ras observed, pointing in its direction. "Nobody would find us there and we'll be more comfortable than up here in the mountains. We can make a fire there if it gets too cold at night."
Pucky grinned as he concentrated on the jump. "To the island! Who'll get there first?"
Teleportation was a paranormal feat which required utmost concentration. A brain sector, lying fallow in all normal people, had to be activated. Such dematerialization jumps were extremely strenuous in the initial phase of a teleporter but they performed it without trouble. Thus it was not surprising that the 2 friends responded almost simultaneously to Pucky's challenge. They disappeared from one second to the next - only a fraction of a moment after the mousebeaver.
Consequently Pucky was the first to materialize on the island in the stream. Due to the long distance it was rather difficult to judge the height precisely. He noticed at once that he was falling thru the air. Opening his eyes he had the presence of mind to grab the first branch within his reach. His fall was braked with a jerk and then he saw that he was hanging 20 meters above the mossy ground.
Ras Tschubai fell like a stone after he materialized. He was not alert enough to go thru a subsequent teleportation and would have hit the ground very hard if the mousebeaver had not used his other ability and held the African up telekinetically, depositing him gently on the ground. Tako landed on a strong branch and clung to it tightly.
"Beat you!" Pucky exclaimed, releasing his stream of mental power. "You would have bored a big hole in the ground."
"Come down!" the African called. "This island is a beautiful paradise. It's surrounded by water like my native home where we had dense forests like this and unexplored rivers."
"Make yourself at home, Ras." Pucky replied and jumped down. "This is more to my liking."
Tako slowly climbed down the tree and dropped the last 2 meters into the soft moss. He examined it and frowned. "Blubber moss!" he snorted, disgusted.
Pucky bent down and tore out a clump of the succulent plant. He sniffed it with suspicion and pronounced his judgment. "It doesn't smell of anything. I would have to starve from hunger to eat this stuff."
Ras looked at him curiously. "Aren't you hungry?" he inquired.
"No," Pucky replied. "Perry was apparently right that nobody is hungry on Azgola. How about you, Ras? You have a well-earned reputation for eating double portions of food. How about a nice steak?"
"No appetite," Ras declined. "I feel as if I had just eaten half a cow."
"That's about the way I feel, too," Tako confirmed patting his stomach contentedly. "The air of this world is very nourishing. A breath of air makes me feel pleasantly
full."
"Wait a little," Pucky growled, and waddled toward the bank of the nearby river. "When you start getting fat you'll change your tune."
"I can stand a few more pounds," Tako reminded him "better than you."
This had been a sore spot with Pucky for some time. In spite of his vegetarian diet he was inclined to be a little pudgy and each additional pound would be noticeable. He was extremely worried about his sleek lines and anxious to retain his privilege of calling others "fatso" . It would have been a devastating blow to his vanity to be called such a name by Reginald Bell of all people.
The stream contained cool and clear water. They enjoyed a refreshing dip and decided to stay on the island. Since the planet was unpopulated they carried no weapons. Neither did they have any other equipment, provisions or radios. The latter could not have been used anyway because the harvestship had the advantage of very sensitive receivers.
When they finally settled down in a warm groove in the sand and watched the sun go down, Ras suggested: "Can you get in touch with Marshall or Betty or is it too far away?"
Pucky sighed condescendingly. "You'll never learn, Ras. The distance doesn't matter too much in telepathy. Of course it does play a certain role but only because it lessens the chances of picking up and directing the impulses. If I can get in touch with Betty? Well, let me see."
He leaned back on the pad of moss and closed his eyes. His 2 friends watched him intently and were careful not to disturb his concentration. They surmised that the practice was a severe strain on the mousebeaver.
All of a sudden Pucky flinched. He opened his eyes and bared his incisor when he received the message from the invisible speaker many light-hours away. "Splendid," Pucky said in a loud voice so that the 2 men could hear him. "We landed alright. Tako was hanging in the tree like a ripe prune. We're feeling as fine as after a firstclass meal. When is the harvestship expected to come?"
He listened again and his face became apprehensive. Covering his incisor he nodded and looked in astonishment at his 2 friends. "Orders from Perry Rhodan," he satisfied their understandable curiosity. "He wants me to save my strength. I wonder why, don't you?"
"Probably for the reducing cure you'll have to take later," Tako ribbed Pucky. Ras laughed and ignored the scowling looks of the mousebeaver. "Orders are orders," he declared. "I haven't slept under the open sky in ages."
"Do you want to live like a savage?" Pucky growled, still infuriated.
They kept their tongues and enjoyed the sight of the sinking sun. The Azgos star dipped behind the dark-green roof of leaves which covered the primeval forest from the other side of the river to the horizon. Soon it turned dark. There were only a few stars shining in the firmament between the clouds.
"How beautiful!" Ras waxed enthusiastic. He was more in harmony with nature than most people and enjoyed the night in the open air as a special treat. But Pucky and Tako were not completely spoiled by civilization. They also admired the beauty and grandeur of nature, especially as the mosquitoes were satiated by the fatmoss. They nodded silently. Then they huddled closer together and tried to sleep.
Pucky woke up in the middle of the night. Something was wrong, he felt. Then he noticed that his fur was soaking wet. It was raining. It took a couple of minutes until his eyes became adjusted to the dark. Ras and Tako lay peacefully sleeping. The rain did not seem to bother them. It was still warm. The climate made the lichen grow like weeds.
The mousebeaver began to wonder if the Azgons had left anything behind in Timpik, such as blankets or tents. He pondered the idea for awhile without waking his friends, then decided to take a look for himself.
He knew on which continent the Gazelle had put them down and that the deserted capital was more than 2000 kilometers away. Of course he would not be able to find the city with his first jump but this did not matter to him.
Pucky concentrated in the direction of the city and dematerialized. When he was able to see again, he stood in the middle of a wide plain in foot-high grass which was smothered in many spots by the lichen. Two more jumps took him to the ocean and from there it was easy to find the city because he had the foresight to observe the topography of Azgola on his flight in the Gazelle.
The civilization of the Azgons was about 200 years behind that of the Terrans. They had steam-plants, electricity, sailboats and even airplanes with remarkably efficient propulsion systems. Thus Pucky was little surprised to notice that the street illumination still functioned. The lamps were burning in the main streets, altho a little weak and apparently with diminishing energy. However the dim light was sufficient for the purpose of the mousebeaver.
A dead city is one of the eeriest sights one can experience. The reasons are psychological because a city means life, traffic and activity. This is the scene with which one is so familiar. All thru the night one encounters automobiles or late homecomers but in a dead city one gets the lonely feeling of being an outcast.
Pucky stood motionless and took in the silence. In the forest, on the island or on the plain he was not disturbed by the silence but here...
The street was lined by stores on both sides. Some were completely stripped of their displays and others were in such a disarray as to leave the impression that only the most valuable merchandise had been removed. There were also broken shop windows and looted stores.
Pucky had fun on his "shopping spree". If the Azgons had not become so phlegmatic when they gained such terrible overweight, they would have emptied their stores before leaving their homes instead of abandoning most of their possessions. The mousebeaver soon found a wellstocked department store.
Pucky had a very adaptable nature. With his gift for enjoyment he desired to turn his involuntary stay on the deserted planet into a pleasant vacation trip. This did not run counter to Rhodan's intentions, whose only concern was to know that the teleporters were ready when needed. What they did before the ship arrived was of no consequence to him.
The mousebeaver rummaged thru 4 floors till he finally found what he was looking for. He carefully wrapped up the various goods in a big bundle. Now he knew the location of his destination and it was a simple matter for him to reach the spot on the island with a single teleportation jump.
Tako and Ras were still asleep altho they were half submerged in warm water. However it had stopped raining and the first stars peeked again from the torn clouds. Everything would be fine as soon as the sun would shine once more in the morning.
Contrary to his original intention Pucky let the 2 men sleep and bedded himself down on his bundle to get a few hours of undisturbed rest.
Sleeping in the primeval forest on a small island surrounded by the warm clear water of a stream was a vacation his romantic heart had yearned for. By the time he fell asleep he had almost forgotten all about the harvestship.