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

Orlgans nodded his head in consent and vanished from the screen. It was obvious that he did not agree at all with the mission he had been charged to carry out by the patriarch. But he had no alternative; he had to obey. He informed the commander of another ship to assist him with his task and to supply cover if necessary. Then he broke out of line from his formation and started on the lengthy preparations to make reality of this devilish plan.
Meanwhile Etztak consulted with the other Traders how best to meet Rhodan's expected onslaught. This was not easy for nothing was known of the workings of the new weapon. The brief hints supplied by Topthor were not enough to get a clear idea.
Topthor had promised to report back again but nobody could tell when this would occur.
"Keep in close formation," ordered Etztak. "When-even Rhodan appears we'll rake him with a concentrated energy bombardment Even his energy screen won't withstand such a barrage. And don't let yourselves be distracted any more by those two cruisers."
On the one hand the patriarch was right but on the other he did not know that it would have been quite easy for the two cruisers to carry out heavier attacks and even to destroy one or the other of the Springers' ships. But the two cruisers had merely carried out Rhodan's instructions when they left it at simply feigning attacks.
It wasn't Rhodan's intention to give a warning lesson to the Springers by involving them in a normal battle: he planned to deal them such a blow that they would give up any future ideas of ever trying to interfere again in Earth's affairs.
And that's why he had needed time to obtain the new weapon from the planet Wanderer, that strange artificial world which existed in another dimension and that had been created by a being representing the spiritualisation of an entire race which had thus become immortal. The Planet at the Edge of Eternity, Rhodan had once called it-and probably had hit the nail right on the head with that name.
Etztak knew nothing of this planet that existed as a vague legend among the races of the galaxy. Nobody knew whether or where it really existed. But Rhodan knew the planet. There he had received a biological cell shower from the Immortal which arrested in him and also in his friend Bell the natural process of aging. Every 62 years, however, this procedure had to be repeated.
And then the Immortal, that incomprehensible being, had given Rhodan the new weapon he wanted in order to ward off the attacks from the Springers.
Etztak began to vaguely guess at all these facts now and he was overcome by a first feeling of insecurity. Had he underestimated his foe? But Rhodan was only an Earthling, a member of a race to be considered underdeveloped if measured by galactic standards. It had not been too long since they had first ventured out into space. Only thanks to the technological means supplied to them by the Arkonides, who had become shipwrecked on the Moon, had these Terranians been able to make a giant leap ahead. But could such a leap replace the natural course of evolution over the span of thousands of years?
Etztak doubted that but still the feeling of insecurity remained in him.

* * * *

The Stardust, Perry Rhodan's gigantic spacesphere, completed its transition and materialized in normal space. More than 1750 light-years had been traversed.
Rhodan felt the pains of rematerialisation gradually leave his body and his clear mind of awareness take over again. Beside him, Reginald Bell was moaning and groaning, as if somebody were taking out his appendix without an anaesthetic. It was a matter of principle for Bell to carry on like that at all transitions; it had become a bad habit. No wonder, then, if Rhodan paid no attention to his friend's laments.
Had their calculations been correct?
Rhodan sat up and stared at the picture screen. He saw a confusion of stars and he knew at least that he no longer remained in the vicinity of the planet Wanderer. However it was impossible to ascertain right away with the naked eye whether the Stardust had exactly reached its destination, for planet Wanderer had also covered an unknown distance while they stayed on it.
"Are we there?" asked Bell. He tried a smile which failed miserably. "Strange, there we were on the Immortal's planet just this very moment it seems, and now..."
"Up ahead I can make out the double star of Beta-Albireo," Rhodan interrupted his friend. "Distance about two light-hours. Our emergence from hyperspace was probably already registered by Etztak. He most likely will have taken measures accordingly. Let's not forget that he has been forewarned, even if he must be racking his brains in vain as to what this new weapon is really like."
"Won't he be surprised when he finds out!" said Bell. "Two tele-transmitters capable of teleporting any matter over any distance. This means we can smuggle atom bombs aboard their ships-and they can't do a thing about it."
"Don't forget, if they direct all their fire power in a concentrated attack against our protective screens we can't withstand such an onslaught. They aren't quite as defenceless as you would wish. It will all depend on whether we can be faster than the Springers."
"Even if that Mounder Topthor has warned them, we have nothing to fear," prophesized Bell, who was quite surprised to see that Rhodan seemed to be suddenly lost in thought. Apparently his mentioning the name of Topthor had brought some memory up in Rhodan's mind. "What's going on, Perry?"
"Topthor!" said Rhodan. "I almost forgot about him."
"So what?" Bell shook his head. "I don't understand. We have wiped out five of his ships and therefore have nothing to expect from him-no more hostile actions. He has only three ships left now."
"That's exactly it!" Rhodan frowned. "Remember the way it was? He must have followed us to the Planet of Eternal Life. And that was possible only provided he jumped from the same spot we did. But we didn't come from the Beta-Albireo system but from Earth. That means he now knows the position of Earth. And I'll bet anything he's returning there again. If he's bent on revenge we have nothing to ward off an attack of his three battleships."
Bell had forgotten to grin. "Sounds positively scary. And you're probably right. What can we do now, Perry?"
Rhodan kept staring at the picture screen. He was facing a difficult decision. Up ahead Tiff was waiting to be rescued. The second planet must surely have become hell for Tiff and his little group-Rhodan was convinced of that. Pucky could not be expected to hold the Springers at bay indefinitely. And the two cruisers under Maj Nyssen couldn't keep on forever feigning attacks. Etztak was bound to see through the whole swindle sooner or later. And if he should then make up his mind to carry out his threat, Tifflor and his band would be lost.
On the other hand, Topthor might meanwhile attack Earth with his three gigantic battleships.
Rhodan didn't dare send a warning message now to Col Freyt-he was afraid to give away his position. And no doubt the Springers were capable of intercepting his radio message.
Rhodan hesitated only briefly, then decided to do two things almost simultaneously.
He switched on the intercom. "Attention all hands! Attention weapon centre! We're undertaking another transition. Distance two light-hours. After rematerialisation hold the teleнtransmitter ready for immediate action. Keep ready two fusion bombs. Exactly 20 seconds later a new transition to Earth. Await further orders. That's all for now. Thank you."
Bell was moaning. "Here we go jumping again! We haven't had a chance to recover properly from the last one!"
"No time now to pamper ourselves! Attention, transition will take place in 60 seconds."
The metallic voice of the robot counter began calling out the seconds.
"30... 29... 28..."
Rhodan remained stiffly in his chair. His right hand grasping firmly the lever which connected him with the armament centre. Close to it was the firing button of the tele-transmitters. As soon as the Stardust would rematerialise, it would change itself into a death-dealing monster.
Etztak was smart enough not to let himself be distracted by the renewed assault of the two cruisers Terra and Solar System. Only one of his ships was ordered to return the fire. Whereupon the cruisers withdrew, as Etztak had expected them to do.
No, this time Etztak could no longer be fooled. He was on his guard. He was waiting for Rhodan.
The space rupture sensors of his giant 2,100 feet long battleship were running at full speed. Suddenly they registered something.
At a distance of barely two light-hours a transition was just taking place. A ship must have returned from hyperspace into normal space, for the rupture occurred in a negative direction. The positronic brains began to work and a few seconds later Etztak had the result in his hands.
At a distance of exactly 118.38 light-minutes a ship which had leapt across 1749.89 light-years had returned into normal space and rematerialised.
That could only be Rhodan!
Once more the alarm signal raced through the ships. All ray cannons were ready to shoot. The protective screens were erected. Etztak ordered his ships to take up positions so that any suddenly appearing enemy could be taken under crossfire from all directions.
And then the space rupture sensors registered a second transition: this time in a positive direction...
...and in this same instant Rhodan was in their midst!
The giant sphere with its 2400 feet diameter had more mass than Etztak's entire Fleet combined. The ship's awe-inspiring size paralysed the Springers for a few precious seconds, seconds they could never make up.
One of the Springer ships detonated before any of them had a chance to fire a single shot. It detonated without any apparent reason, melted before the horror-struck eyes of old Etztak and left nothing but a cloud of radioactive dust which spread out in all directions. Nobody had any inkling that the teleнtransmitter had teleported a medium-sized atom bomb right inside this ship's munitions storage hall, where it had been caused to detonate.
Etztak opened fire. Beamed energy rays flashed from all available cannons, hitting the protective energy sphere which surrounded the Stardust. For the time being these rays were deflected without causing any damage. The Stardust's generators produced sufficient energy to compensate for the extra strain.
And then, exactly 15 seconds later, Etztak's second ship exploded.