"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0060 - (52) Fortress Atlantis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

The flat buildings were empty. All the valuable equipment was still intact and in place, only the settlers were missing.
The scientists of the planet's administration showed us the results of their investigations which revealed that the surface of the jungle had been exposed to an irregular pattern of sharply bordered fields which had caused the colonists living inside its limits to become disembodied.
Grun called these zones 'relativity fields' which didn't help much to explain it to anybody else. We determined that it had never come to an all-out attack and I talked to a few people who had sat out the raids in nearby houses as their relatives literally faded away before their eyes only a few feet away while nothing happened to them. This confirmed the sharp delineation of the area swept out by the rays, assuming it was the method used by the killers.
Grun persisted in his opinion that it was a super-dimensional weapon of unheard of efficacy and that we must discover its secret at all costs.
I was not sure that he was on the right track. The scientists of Larsa leaned more to the theory that the unknown opponent merely took advantage of a natural effect. If this was correct, one had to conclude that the aliens were constantly on the lookout for an opportunity which suited their purposes.
After long conferences and exhaustive consultations with the scientists I was beginning to feel the strain.
I ordered the highest state of alert and a speedup of the robot brain's expansion as well as continually changing shifts for the experimental work on the cruisers Titsina and Volop. Their regular weapons were taken together with their energy aggregates by air gliders to the defence ring of the positronic brain to be installed against the expected attacks.
Finally I sequestered the 21 large transport ships in the hands of the local administration. The full-bellied, minimally armed vessels were stocked with food and made ready to lift off so that no time would be lost in case it became necessary to evacuate the 2 million colonists. I had already experienced many times before how difficult it was to bring big crowds of excited and frightened people to safety.
The district chiefs of the colonial government were advised by radio to prepare everything for an instant flight. However I was bothered by the question of how to squeeze 2 million people in 21 spaceships under perilous conditions. The various vessels could accommodate by utmost utilization of space between 10 and 20,000 passengers if they were herded into machine halls and other service rooms.
I fell asleep and when I woke up I sent a long hyperradio message to the Great Council, describing the situation as vividly as possible. In turn I received the prompt decision from the Arkonide Central Command. I was directed to send immediately 1.8 million emigrants to Arkon and to retain the remaining 200,000 on Larsa who would be sufficient to preserve its budding civilization.
I had expected to create something of a revolt and I was amazed how eagerly the settlers snatched up the available space on the ships. Nobody wanted to be left behind in the jungle of uncertain fears and I was glad when 50 huge transporters arrived 3 days later.
It took only 12 hours to load the ships. They soared into space and I never saw them again. A count of the remaining population was taken. It showed that no more than 15,000 immigrants had refused to abandon their new domicile. All others had preferred to join the service of the Imperial Fleet. At least it was possible to see the battleships of the methane-breathers.
We were already resigned to giving up a prospering colony. The defence battle in the nebula sector was of prime importance and the tiny system of Larsa's star was negligible and expendable in the eyes of the Central Command.
However I had received personal orders from the Imperator to seek out the mysterious enemy and to learn the nature of his unique weapon because it could decide the fate of the war under the conditions that prevailed.








8/ ALIEN ATTACK

Larsa could no longer be held! After we had futilely waited 3 months for an attack, it had struck so abruptly that nobody was able to react in time. I was in the Command Centre of the Tosoma. 2 minutes earlier we had received the radio alarm that an invisible destructive front was approaching the equatorial zone, where the main centres of population were located, at a velocity of 3000 kilometres per hour.
I had taken off at once to witness the incredible events on the spot.
The terror-stricken colonists virtually fought to climb aboard the 21 transport ships on the spaceport of Amonaris. It was the same chaos I had seen all over whenever people feared for their lives.
We still had a little time left. The relativity-field front was still far away and it was possible that it would change its direction. Nevertheless I had given orders for the final evacuation of all inhabitants. The time had come to leave the planet to the military forces of the Empire. The possibility of re-establishing the colony at a later date still existed since the cities and settlements, which had been built with so much effort, were not likely to be annihilated.
We were fully geared for battle. The powerful protective screen of the warship caused the atmosphere of the planet to become steamy. We proceeded toward the scene at the slow speed of only 3 kilometres per second. I had taken the precaution of setting the thrust absorbers at emergency range in case we would be forced to flee at maximum acceleration.
The Askohr and the Paito followed the flagship at a low altitude. Capt. Cerbus, who was in temporary charge of the commanders stationed in outer space, reported monitoring by hypersensors some foreign objects which could not be clearly identified but moved only in the sector determined by us to be an energy-field.
I instructed him to await further developments and to avoid entering the danger zone.
Meanwhile we watched the telecom aboard the Tosoma, exchanging messages with the officials of the Administration and the fleeing settlers as well as with the taskforce standing by on Amonaris.
My men were trying desperately to help the frantic settlers to reach the transport ships whose Commanders had given the strictest orders to leave before the wave of destruction came close enough to be hazardous.
I left the rescue operation to the officers on the ground. There was nothing I could do to alleviate the tumultuous conditions. It was my duty to flush out the enemy and to confront him in an attempt to repulse him successfully.
A short time later our supra-dimensional energy-sensors picked up a signal. We had received these sensors only a few months earlier from one of the spacefleet depots of the Empire because the methane-breathers had developed a defence shield, working with supra-dimensional forces. These instruments reacted proficiently as we approached the danger zone.
Tarth calmly issued precise commands. The machines of the Tosoma were stopped. A short backward thrust held the vessel at a spot 5000 meters high. The antigrav-absorbers performed their function quietly and adequately. Our gigantic sphere of Arkon steel stood still as if it were beyond the influence of gravity.
"Optical effect of wavefront observed," the rangefinder officer reported. "There are bizarre light reflexes in the atmosphere. Velocity of front computer at 3011.567 kilometres per hour constant."
I leaned my head back to look up to the wide screens of the optical receiver.
"Fantastic!" Grun exclaimed, his eyes shining feverishly. "I admit that this effect does not give the impression that it is caused by a weapon, Your Highness."
I thought grimly how little consolation his conclusion offered to the pioneers who were still in the danger zone. We seemed to be flying over an impenetrable jungle. The magnification of our optical instruments revealed a few small settlements but we were unable to determine if their inhabitants were still there or not.
The Paito and the Askohr inquired by radio whether they had permission to open fire.
"No, not yet," I rejected their request. "It would be senseless to shoot into the wall. Let it come a little closer." Then I called the remote control centre. "Did you send up the Volop and the Titsina?"
"They took off 2 minutes ago, Your Highness!"
"Keep them in the vicinity of Amonaris. They might be our last means of defence. Attention battlecruiser Patio! When will the evacuation of the colonists be completed?"
The telecom switched to a rocky clearing in the jungle where more than 500 people had gathered. They were scrambling to get into a few antigrav-gliders that might have had just enough power to escape the approaching forces of destruction if they made an all-out effort.
"At your command, Your Highness!" Inkar replied. His 500-meter ship zoomed in without delay. The front was only a few kilometres away and would reach our position in about 10 minutes.
Inkar tried at first to get the fighting settlers aboard in a small auxiliary ship. I could hear his angry curses when the little ship was stormed by the furious-looking men.
"Get back to the ship, Inkar!" I shouted into the mike. "Use a wide tractor beam to haul these madmen aboard. A few black & blue bruises will be better than letting them perish in their madness."
The Paito shot a shimmering tractor-beam from its projector, fanning it out over a broad field. The terrified colonists ran back toward the jungle but they were scooped up by the beam and pulled in with such force that I was afraid they might get hurt. On the other hand, Inkar had probably set up a barrier to cushion the shock.
The dark bodies disappeared in the intake of the battle cruiser and I soon heard Inkar's loud guffaws. "I've got them," he announced, "but we also picked up some stuff we didn't bargain for."