"Perry Rhodan 029 - Fleet of the Springers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

"How did it go?" Hifield asked Tiff.
"Without a hitch. The Kн7 will cut loose from our opponents in an hour. Until then well have to watch out for the guards." Then Tiff ordered: "Back to the messhall! We've got to give the word to the others."
He had hardly taken two steps when the alarm sirens began to wail. Tiff stopped and listened to the rhythm. The sound was interrupted at irregular intervals.
Tiff was unable to recognize the signal. He heard the two guards stomp through the side corridor. "Let's get out of here," Tiff whispered. "Don't let 'em catch us here!"
They ran a few steps and changed to a slower, less obvious pace when they noticed the two Springers appearing behind them.
"Stak!" one of them shouted. "Stop or I'll shoot!"
He used Intercosmo, an artificial language which every cadet learned in the Space Academy.
Tiff talked to his friends and kept walking as if he had heard nothing. A shot from the longнbarreled thermoнweapon the Springers used whistled over the heads of the cadets and drew a molten hairline crack in the metal of the ceiling.
Tiff stopped and turned around. He distorted his face as if he were frightened. "What's the matter?" he called.
One of the guards came closer. "I told you to stop!" he growled. "Can't you hear?"
Tiff shook his head. I didn't hear a thing. What's going on?"
"Alarm," the guard said brusquely. "Where were you?"
"Just walking. We can't sit in the mess hall all the time."
The guard looked back over his shoulder. "Ferla, look into the command centre and see what they were up to!"
Ferla let the hatch slide open and entered the command centre. The light came on and Ferla looked around. "Nothing!" he reported. "Everything's in order."
Tiff took a deep breath. It hadn't been such a bad idea to make the light switches of the engine control panel inoperable.
Somebody came up the elevator shaft, a broadнshouldered towering Springer with a thermoнweapon under his arm. Four others followed him.
"Hoho!" laughed the guard. "What are you looking for?"
"Alarm," one of the Springers laughed back. "There have been transitions in the vicinity." Then he pointed to the cadets. "Well have to lock these guys up somewhere and watch them closely so they won't give us any trouble."
Tiff and his friends were shrewd enough not to raise any objections. They knew that time was on their side and that there was nothing else for them to do for the present but to wait.
One hour to wait.
They were taken back to the mess hall-the two girls as well-and the door was locked.
Tiff raised both arms to let Deringhouse and the cadets know that he had carried out his plan. Then he added: "We've got five new guards on board and they're taking no more chances because transitions have been registered in the vicinity."








2/ Confrontation In BetaнAlbireo


"Marshall claims he's made contact with Tiff!" Bell reported excitedly.
Rhodan looked up fleetingly from the picture he was studying on the little screen segment in front of him. It was the pickup of the sensor station converted into optical signals.
The BetaнAlbireo system consisted of a sunнlike, orange coloured central star with a smaller blue companion, even richer in energy, and probably four planets.
There was no doubt in Rhodan's mind after the conclusion of the transition that the adversary could be found in this system. Bell's report came merely as a confirmation.
"Of course Marshall can't exactly pinpoint to the dot where Tifflor is located," Bell added.
Rhodan looked up again and reached for the microphone. A touch of the button brought the commander of the Solar System to the picture screen. Major Nyssen stood squarely in front of the receiver.
"We hit it right, Nyssen," Rhodan said. "Tifflor is close by. You can take off now."
Nyssen nodded in assent. His picture faded and seconds later the Solar System veered away from the formation of the three ships with rapidly increasing velocity. Direction Beta-Albireo.
Rhodan watched the ship suddenly disappear at a distance of three lightнseconds as it went into transition. Then he ordered acceleration. Within a few moments Stardust and Terra reached half the speed of light.
"Be prepared for instant transition!" Rhodan directed.

* * * *

Orlgans had long ago returned to the command centre.
"Nothing new," Ornafer stated from time to time. "Apparently they're floating somewhere in space and don't know where to look." He had meanwhile regained his optimism.
Orlgans was still as sceptical as before. "I'm not so sure that you're right," he replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if the next few minutes..."