"Alan Dean Foster - Aliens Vs Predator - War" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

positionтАФmost yautja stood two and a half meters, some tallerтАФbut the tal-oned fingers were visible to
everyone in the pyramid formation. There were five half-trained novices in a line in front of her, three on
either side; the three lead positions were for the more experienced HuntersтАФ

тАФwhere I should beтАФ
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тАФand though the Leader was almost always in front, one of the two males behind Topknot had been
unBlooded on her first Hunt; even then, she'd out-ranked him, and on the last Hunt, she'd killed six
drones, only one behind Topknot himselfтАФbut beingooman, as they called it, meant that she'd pulled
rear guard. Again.

At least you 're here; he could have denied you even this. There are twentysomething trainees just hissing
to take your spot. Better to place low than not to place at allтАФ

There was a shuddering rumble all around, the me-tallic floor shaking underfoot and a flash of brilliant
light on the small viewscreen as the ship's weapons laid down cover. Topknot chittered a command and
the other yautja raised their burners, growling excitedly, jostling each other in anticipation. Topknot
signed as he spoke, one of the simple gestures that was specific to Hunting. "Prepare" was the gist of it,
the raised claw twisting back and forth, the talons curled into a fist.

Noguchi held her own burner high, the dark metal of the alien rifle hot and heavy in her hands, feeling her
heart start to beat faster. A glance at the screen showed an increase in lithe movement as another rum-ble
shook the ship, as beams of burning light from the carrier shot into the early-morning haze and black
bod-ies flew.

Topknot let out a battle cry, a guttural shriek of bloodlust that pierced the wet heat and brought the
others to a frenzy point. More screeching cries and vio-lent hisses filled the shadowy dock, the musk
smell growing thicker as the Hunters screamed, shaking back their ropelike locks, holding their weapons
high. The passion, thehunger was impossible to ignore and Nogu-chi let it in, her own howling voice lost
in the furor, joyously reminded of the reasons she'd joined with them in the first place. She wasn't yautja
and maybe they hated her for it, but she shared this one thing with them, this religion of spirit that defined
her deepest self.

The Hunt. The kill.

Still screaming, Topknot opened the door and they plunged out into the hazy morning light, a thousand
dark drones running to meet them and howling their own warrior cries, teeth dripping and arms grasping.
Noguchi picked her first target and fired, feeling noth-ing but alive.

The queen had called all of her minions home, and though the ship was less than a hundred meters from
the hive, they had to fight for every centimeter. Even from her guarded position, Noguchi took out five
within the first minute, and the unBlooded were killing beyond their wildest expectations. Even though it
wasn't to be officially scored, there was some small honor in numbers.

The hive was in a marshy area and the splashes of the spiny, taloned bugs as they came was a pounding
storm, tails whipping up muck, shining exoskeletons mottled with black mud. They didn't come in waves