"Rhodan, Perry - Killers from Hyperspace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rhodan Perry)

If Farosto continued to refuse now he would have been expelled from the clan
as a coward. "I always hoped that as an old man I'd die on board a fine
longship, surrounded by my clansmen," he said woefully. "Instead of that I'll be
ending my days in a lousy shuttle tub."
Tusnetze did not seem to be moved by the pathos of the other. He knew that
only Farosto could manage to operate the crippled smallboat. As a pilot the
chief mechanic's skill was unexcelled except that his negative outlook and
fearfullness got in the way of his capabilities.
But Tusnetze was not about to spoil his one chance in a lifetime because of
the fears of one man. The patriarch knew he was up to his neck. He would really
lose face now if this deal went wrong. He congratulated himself, however, for
knowing this foolish Trox who hadn't once demanded any monies for being a
partner in the venture.
Tusnetze smiled quietly to himself. Now he had disproved the contention of
the clansmen who had left him, that he was cursed with bad luck and that he had
gotten old and decrepit, incapable of accomplishing anything. Well, they'd soon
be coming back to get a slice of the fat catch that he would be landing in not
too long a time.
He pushed the past from his mind. Now he would think only of the future. He
was so busy building his air castles that he was only vaguely aware of the
orders Farosto issued to the hangar. It was only when the pilot shook his arm
that his thoughts came back to the present.
"It's all set," said Farosto sourly. "Who's going with us?"
"Beschan, Gensor and Vicheline," Tusnetze decided. Farosto stared at him
incredulously. "The Trox?"
"Maybe you know somebody else on board with that name?" said Tusnetze
angrily. "Or do you have another one of your ridiculous objections to make?
Since the Trox has been with us we've been lucky. You can't argue the fact we
might need an extra bit of luck to get back here on board again."
"Alright, Patriarch take your talisman with you," said Farosto resignedly.
"After all it makes no difference who gets to die with us."
Tusnetze snapped his finger and Vicheline glided over to him. "You will stay
by me," said the patriarch.
The red eye half closed confidently and a thin voice whispered: "We'll make
it yet, big man…"
When the Springer was first sighted by the Frisco's scanners, Maj. Reja Teluf
decided to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed. After all the Trader ship was
operating alone in this sector and besides it didn't appear to be a very
up-to-date model. Teluf proposed to make a kind of sport of his chase after the
Galactic Trader, a game where of course he drove the opponent into a corner but
would not destroy him.
The Springer's target was undoubtedly the Hat-Lete, the robot ship that the
Terrans had also tracked down. Teluf could well imagine that the patriarch on
board the longship was already counting his profits he would be able to get from
this illegal action. Politically or in terms of galactic jurisdiction, the robot
ship belonged to Atlan's fleet but like everybody else Teluf knew that the
Imperator would never be the complete master of his hereditary possessions. The
giant brain had been destroyed, and without its assistance it was impossible to
encompass the endless reaches of the galaxy.
The Frisco was a light cruiser of the City class which was only distinguished