"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0076 - (68) Under the Stars of Druufo" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

The star Tatlira blazed only a few light-minutes away. At first it was difficult to make out any planets but then with the aid of the Kublai Khan's astronomical department they quickly came into view. The 4th planet stood behind its sun.
"We'll remain at speol, Gropp," Everson decided at length. "Head directly for planet #2, then take course for #4. As for what we do after that, we'll have to wait and see."
As the giant battleship flew close past Goszul's Planet, the Com Centre received several radio messages from below which clearly indicated that the small Terran base still existed. So the other time plane had not yet reached this system.
Then the inhabited planet sank once more into the depths of space. The sun came nearer, then slid sideways off the vidscreen. A bright star became visible ahead, then began to increase rapidly in size. Finally it had grown into a dully shining globe: Tatlira 4, the uninhabited planet.
"Decrease speed," ordered Everson. Lt. Gropp, who meanwhile had taken the pilot's seat, set the controls for deceleration. The Kublai Khan began to slow down.
It was just as Harnahan had described it.
The planet was circled by a huge number of small and even smaller moons in irregular orbits. Although there was no danger to the ship, should there be a collision, Everson had the Kublai Khan's velocity reduced even further. He was afraid of accidentally destroying whatever piece of rock the living sphere might be on.
Which only showed how much he underestimated the mysterious and incomprehensible creature.
At a speed of 100 kilometres per second, the Kublai Khan cruised through the small asteroid belt until a relatively large moon appeared at the edge of its instruments' range of vision. The moon's torn and irregularly formed surface showed long mountain ranges and deep valleys into which neither the light of the distant sun nor the weakly reflected glow of the mother planet ever shone. Everson estimated the moon's diameter at about 80 kilometres.
It had to be the moon spoken of by Harnahan.
Everson ordered the ship into orbit around the moon.
Then he began to concentrate. We're looking for you, energy being! We're friends of Harnahan and Perry Rhodan-do you remember them? 60 years ago, our time, Harnahan found you here on this moon. You helped him against the Springers and Rhodan gave you energy! If you're still here, waiting, please contact me!
Everson though it over and over again but received no answer. Lt. Gropp, who was aware of the task Everson had to perform, sat silently waiting at his controls. He did not turn his eyes away from the vidscreen; he continued to watch as the rugged surface of the moon slipped quickly past. The sphere was nowhere to be seen.
Everson went on with his telepathic message. If you're still in this system and perceive my message, speak up! We're in great danger and need your help! Do you still think of your first human friend, Harnahan? He's been dead for a long time now but I have a message from him to give to you...
Like a shock Everson suddenly felt the at first light and then increasing pressure on his brain. An invisible and intangible hand seemed to be grasping his mind and giving it a gentle squeeze.
And then the soundless, disembodied voice spoke to him:
I have heard your call, Everson! You seek me in the wrong place! I was waiting for you on the 1st planet of this system. The nearby sun gave me energy. But it is too hot for you. land on the moon you are orbiting. I will be there soon.
At first Everson was much too contused to be able to formulate a reply. Even though he had tried to be prepared in case Rhodan's hopes should be fulfilled, he was still overwhelmed by the sudden contact with the living sphere.
"Land on the moon-there, on the plain!" he ordered Gropp, who proceeded to follow the instruction without a word. He did not want to disturb his superior officer.
How are you going to get here? Everson thought intensively.
But this time he did not receive any answer.
The giant spacesphere sank towards the surface of the moon and at length landed softly on the relatively level ground of the broad plain, which stretched as far as the near horizon. On the other side, rugged mountains and a steep range of hills blocked the view.
Everson stood up. "I'm going outside," he said, looking for some seconds in indecision at the wallcabinet where the hand weapons were stored. Then he shook his head and without further observation left the control room. A lift brought him to one of the many airlocks where he hurriedly put on a spacesuit. Built into the suit were small repulsion units; it could be used in weightless space as a self-contained spaceship.
The small moon's gravitational field was slight. Everson stepped to the edge of the open hatch and looked out across the plain, whose surface lay a good 30 meters below the exitway. Even though it was 'day' outside, it was still not especially bright. The sun was. much too far away to supply any great amount of light.
Everson smiled to himself as he simply stepped out of the ship and sank as gently as a feather towards the ground. He knew from Harnahan's report that the sergeant had done the same thing. If he wished, he could leap as high as 150 meters into the sky-so the repulsion units in his spacesuit were as good as superfluous.
He stood under the giant spacesphere, which loomed above him like a colossal mountain of Arkon steel. With a few steps he reached open sky, from which the stars shone unhindered by any atmosphere on the dead world.
And yet, the impossible suddenly happened!
A shooting star appeared at the horizon, approaching at a high speed. Then it grew noticeably slower and came towards Everson in a wide curve.
The Colonel was startled.
In the first place, glowing meteors cannot exist in airless space, he thought automatically, and secondly, meteors don't travel in curves. Besides, it's too fast...
Of course he had no time to complete his thought. The glowing meteor raced on towards him, braked unbelievably swiftly and landed not 10 meters away from Everson on the rocky surface of the plain.
It was the sphere!
It was only about a meter in diameter and shone dark blue-almost black-in the light of the distant stars. There was no sign of any seams in the surface of the sphere, which looked like it had been polished, but the reflected light seemed to pulsate.
Everson did not have much time to ponder it.
What happened to Harnahan? rang the question in his mind.
The unreality of the situation forced its way into the Colonel's consciousness. He stood on a dead and desolate moon. A sphere lay in front of him and spoke to him. He suddenly understood what nerve Harnahan must have had, not to have gone insane.
"20 years after your meeting with him, he and his ship were caught in a cosmic storm near the edge of the galaxy. The details of his death were never learned for none of the crew escaped destruction. It was generally assumed that their power failed and the ship drifted pilotless and powerless into the emptiness between galaxies. They were never heard from again."
Everson had spoken aloud, although there was no real need for him to do so. He wanted Gropp to overhear him in the control room and so be constantly informed as events took place. Naturally, Gropp could not understand or even perceive the sphere's side of the exchange.
So Harnahan is dead! Perhaps I shall find his ship one day. If I had been more alert, this would not have happened. During the short pause that followed, Everson began to calculate how far it was to the system's first planet. As he came to a tentative conclusion, the sphere went on: So I was not forgotten by mankind? Perry Rhodan remembered me? He needs help?
"Yes," said Everson absentmindedly. A difficult problem was lying heavily upon him. "How did you get here? The first planet is 3 light-years away. Can you spring through hyperspace like our ships?"
It seemed to Everson that someone was laughing in his mind.
I don't spring through hyperspace, Everson, I FLY through it. There is an enormous difference. But now tell me why you have come. Why does Terra need help?
Everson took his time about answering. He stared at the sphere's smooth surface but could see none of the details Harnahan had reported. The surface was simply dark, seeming to swallow up any light. No, now it was reflecting it again. The pulsation seemed to be irregular, as though the sphere breathed.
Perhaps it breathed light...?
Again there was the laughing in Everson's mind.
You are even more curious than Harnahan, Everson. Once I would like to meet a human who is not curious-but I would probably then be boundlessly disappointed. A man who does not feel any curiosity, who has no desire to search for the truth and learn the basis of all things-do any such men exist?
Everson awakened from his trancelike state. He ignored the sphere's question. "I have a message from Perry Rhodan to deliver to you. It refers to the promise that you gave Harnahan. Rhodan asks you to come to him. He needs your help or else the universe is lost. The Druufs are attacking."
Who are the Druufs?
"We don't know yet who they really are, although we've already encountered them. They live on another time plane which is in the process of cutting across ours. There are overlapping areas that appear in various places, through which one can enter the other dimension unhindered and without need of any technological means. The Druufs take advantage of it and send huge battle-fleets into our universe, which they intend to conquer. We're trying to defend ourselves but the enemy is too powerful."
After a pause the sphere replied: I have rested for a long time and did not know what was happening. But it seems to me that those whom you call the Druufs are not unfamiliar to me. Good, I shall come with you to help Rhodan. Where is he?