"Perry Rhodan 033 - Snowman in Flames" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

"Well, let's get to work now!"
Tiff was not too astonished that the mouse-beaver had practically relieved him from his responsibilities as leader of the group. As surprising as this fact might seem, it actually shouldn't be that way, for Pucky was the most able mutant in Rhodan's Corps. He certainly was one of the most important members of the fighting troop which at the present time had to defend Earth. Admittedly Pucky was not a human being but the members of the space fleet had understood long since that one should not judge a living creature by its exterior appearance.
Pucky cocked his head a little as he looked at Tiff. "Difficult problems, aren't they?" he asked and grinned impishly. "But don't worry needlessly. I'm only trying to help you before you get too discouraged. You carry the whole responsibility on your shoulders, for you are the leader of this group. I have come here solely to help you out. And if once in awhile I arrange things, I do it only so as not to let boredom take over. For nothing is more dangerous in this situation than too much introspection."
"It's alright," Tiff smiled gratefully. "We understand each other."
They dragged the boxes toward the exit, where they piled them up to build a wall. They left a narrow passage which they closed off with a blanket. This way they were sheltered from the cold outside air.
Contentedly, Pucky rubbed his paws together. "And now go for your walk. Hump will prepare a meal in the meantime. Eberhardt can help him with it. He must be a good cook-his figure is ample proof of it-and I'll..."
"Always these snide remarks about my figure!" complained the cadet. "I can't help it if I am pleasantly plump!"
"That's the understatement of the year!" called out Hump, roaring with laughter. "No wonder he's getting fatter every day: He eats double rations like he was getting paid for it! It's a good thing we have plenty of supplies!"
...make an exploratory trip down into the depths of this cave," Pucky persisted. "Maybe I'll discover something interesting."
Little did he know at that moment how much truth there was to this mere surmise.








2/ "A NEW SUN"

Etztak nearly burst with fury when the returning commander reported that two of the three ships he had sent out had failed to return with him. One of the ships had crashed as the result of a navigational error and had to be destroyed to prevent its failing into the hands of the enemy who might extract some information from the crew. The other ship had suddenly exploded in midair.
"And what's the story with Rhodan's people?" asked the patriarch after having calmed down sufficiently to resume his questioning. "Have you caught them?"
"I couldn't say for sure," admitted the commander of the one remaining ship of this ill-fated expedition. "We shelled the entire area where they must have been staying. Of course it was not possible to check the results of this bombardment. But I saw something."
"Something," inquired Etztak without properly understanding. "Like what? Let me hear!"
"What I saw was no Earthling, it was much shorter, perhaps half as tall as we are. I would say a young Terranian but this doesn't seem to make any sense."
"Nor to me," Etztak countered with sarcasm, for he remembered Pucky quite well. "So what was it then?"
He received no answer.
Instead there came a hum from the intercom.
With an impatient wave of his huge hand he ~ missed the unlucky commanding officer and switched channels. The bearded face of a radioman appeared on the screen.
"A hyperwave message, sir." Etztak noticed at once how puzzled the man seemed to be, that he had difficulty speaking. "From Topthor."
Etztak couldn't believe his ears. "From whom?"
"From Topthor, sir."
Etztak leaned back heavily in his armchair. The leader of the Mounders! "What is that supposed to mean? I haven't asked the Mounders to come mixing into our affairs! I need no protection."
"I don't think that's what the message is about," the radio technician dared to utter a mild protest. "At least not directly."
"Is that what you think? How about reading the message out to me? Maybe the matter will make more sense then."
The radio technician looked at a piece of paper and read: "To Etztak, patriarch of the clan of Etztak. Perry Rhodan, the Terranian, has succeeded in obtaining a new weapon. With it he destroyed five of my ships. Impossible to offer any resistance. I warn you, Etztak! Secure our services! Rhodan will attack and destroy you. Only a surprise attack can render him harmless. I'll call back with my new position. Awaiting your offer.
Topthor,
Clan of the Mounders'
Etztak nodded his head to acknowledge the message. Then he ordered the message brought to him. He cut off the connection to the radio room. Without delay he gave the signal for general alarm. For the time being the second planet with Rhodan's five people had become non-essential. His first and fore-most task now was to prepare for Rhodan's imminent attack.
At least this is what Etztak tried to make himself believe. Secretly it began to dawn on him that he had committed an irreparable mistake: He had permitted himself to be distracted from his real opponent. While he thought Tiff to be one of the main foes, he had actually been just an unimportant figure placed in this situation merely to sidetrack and throw him off Rhodan's scent, his trip to the Planet of Eternal Life and the new super-weapon.
To his sorrow he had to admit to himself his enemy's plan had fully succeeded.
"Orlgans!" he yelled into the microphone as the questioning faces of his clan friends appeared on the picture screens. "Rhodan has got the new weapon. I received a warning from Topthor..."
"The Mounder?"
"Who else?" Etztak snapped furiously. "He is roaming around here somewhere in the vicinity though I didn't request his aid. But still, he has warned me. Rhodan plans to attack us. I don't know any details about this new weapon but I'm sure we'll be able to handle that threat. Orlgans, in the meantime I want you to proceed to the second planet with another ship. Let that planet go up in an atomic explosion."
"Explode the whole planet?" Orlgans raised his eye-brows. "Turn the entire planet into a sun? Don't you realize that this goes against all laws if you annihilate an inhabitable world without a proper reason?"
"Isn't it a sufficiently compelling reason if I want to revenge myself on Rhodan and especially on the escaped prisoners?"
"Is that a compelling reason?" doubted Orlgans.
"For me it is!" raged the patriarch. "I want to teach him a lesson once and for all: not to stick his nose in my affairs!" Etztak conveniently forgot that just the opposite had been the case: he was the one who planned interfering with the affairs of Earth. Rhodan was merely defending himself against the Springers' assault. "And part of this lesson will be to wipe out his men and the planet on which they found refuge."
"Total annihilation by an atom bomb-unleashing an atomic fire that can never be extinguished?"
"Yes, make a new sun out of this second planet!"