"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0002 - (1b) The Third Power" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

"Do you know something about it?" The words escaped the government representative quite against his will.

"IТve heard about it." The engineer tried to evade the issue. "Just rumours." Then he looked around and grinned. "Or is there truth to that rumour?""Of course not! Nothing but idle rumours, what else?"

They had been in flight for some ninety minutes when the pilot opened the tiny door of the cabin and said, "The flight centre in Peking has just given us orders to turn around at once. We are forbidden to fly over the area between Ordos, Shan-si, the Nan-shan mountains, and Ninghsia. The Koshun salt lake lies exactly in this area. No reason was given."

Lan-Yu looked at the government official, who nervously chewed at his lower lip. "What does that mean? You received permission from the authorities to accompany us on this flight. You should have known in advance."

"Just keep on flying and turn off the radio," the representative of the government ordered the pilot. "DonТt pay any attention to the order from the flight centre.""But I have to receive the weather forecasts, and I must announce my position every five minutes."

Perkins caught a glance from the governmentТs representative. He nodded imperceptibly and put his hand in his pocket."Turn the radio off completely," the government man repeated. "I urgently advise you to follow my instructions to the letter from now on; otherwise, you will have to suffer the consequences. I represent the government, just remember that. Land at the Koshun salt lake. How long before we land?"

The pilot hesitated, then looked for a moment at his instruments. "Ten minutes."

"IТll be up front in eight minutes, and IТll supervise the landing operations. Until then, no change of course. Do you follow me?""You will be responsible for this," said the pilot, and disappeared.

Engineer Lan-Yu had followed the conversation without comment. His smile had faltered, and his narrow eyes had become narrower still. He noticed that Perkins, alias Alfons Hochheimer, was still keeping his hand in his pocket.

"Why do you not follow the instructions of our government?" Lan-Yu asked slowly. "I would not like for us to run into any difficulty. I am certain that this has to do with the foreign spaceship."

"You can bet your bottom dollar on it," he was assured by the government official. "But rest assured I know exactly what IТm doing.""I couldnТt care less," admitted Lan-Yu, "as long as we find the uranium." His glance hovered over the impressive metal box that lay on the free seat next to Perkins. This metal box had been able to convince even the president of his firm when he had seen it. "I really hope we find the location."Five minutes later the pilot announced, "An air force jet is ahead of us. They are urging us to turn around."

"How can you know that if you have no radio contacts?"

"Warning shots," the pilot replied. Apparently he knew no fear.

Thirty miles.

"Switch on the radio. IТm coming up front."The government representative turned to Perkins with a meaningful gesture, then disappeared into the narrow pilotТs cabin and closed the door behind him.Perkins pulled an automatic out of his pocket and pointed it at Lan-Yun "Do you happen to have any weapons on you?"

The engineer was so startled that he gasped. His eyes became as round as buttons as he stared into the black muzzle of the gun and shook his head.

"What do you want from me?" he stammered.

"Just keep still and keep your mouth shut. If you pretend you donТt exist, you might come out of this adventure safe and sound. But if notЕ"An impressive silence made the alternative all too obvious.

"ButЕ you canТt all by yourself.""I am not alone. And now, donТt say anything more. WeТre going to land now."The jet began its descent. In the meantime the military escort had turned around. Unhindered, the jet passed the air barriers of the Asiatic Federation, swept low above several tank units, and suddenly sighted, farther off by the river Morin-Gol, the Stardust.

The lunar rocket was standing forlorn and deserted. No life was evident in its vicinity. High above, in the clear sky, a tiny dot could be seen, circling round like a bird of prey. The circle became narrower, and it seemed as if the predator would at any moment pounce upon its victim.

Neither Perkins nor his co-agent had the least inkling that this tiny dot in the sky was an atom bomber of the Asiatic Federation air force in search of its target.

"Where do you want me to land?" asked the pilot.

The government representative, one of the most capable men in the International Intelligence Agency, pointed below them.

"Close by the moonship, in the desert. Make sure the plane comes to a halt not more than a hundred yards from the Stardust. Is that clear?"

The pilot nodded in agreement. He began to bank, preparing for landing. The jet was gliding at an angle toward the desert. Its altitude was only a few hundred yards. The distance to what they believed to be the wreck of the Stardust decreased rapidly. Only three more milesЕ two more milesЕMeanwhile, high above them, an H-bomb was falling. The tiny speck in the sky stopped circling and flew off in a straight line. With different velocities and from different directions, two objects approached the Stardust.But it happened in the same instant.