"Scott G. Gier - Genellan 02 - In the Shadow of the Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gier Scott G)

"There!" O'Toole shouted, pointing.

The howls blended together and exploded into an echoing growl. A pack
of whip-tailed dervishes, powerful hindquarters and shoulders pumping
chaotically, scurried along the steamy ridgeline, their saber-toothed snouts
and bristling backs silhouetted against the rising sun. Scavengers always
followed dragons.

"Nightmares!" Tatum snarled, breaking into a sprint.



"Rifle fire on the ridge, Commander," Major Singh reported. "I'm sending
out a squad."

"Very well, Major," Cassiopeia Quinn replied, pulling herself up the
splintery ladder. The officer in charge of the exploration detachment walked
across the wooden rampart and peered into the dripping mists. Night was
yielding only reluctantly to gray morning. She had also heard the rifles, their
reports dulled by distance and moisture. Quinn shivered. What would Sharl
do?

"Thick," Singh grumbled through his luxurious nonreg mustache.
 "Damn thick," the science officer agreed. It was so still that she could hear
her heart beat. Stumps and crops at the foot of the palisade wall were
invisible. The languid roiling of the fog forged the illusion of movement, of
floating within a cloud. She touched wood to settle her balance.

"Tatum's probably shooting a bear," the marine officer volunteered.

"Too many shots, Major," Quinn replied. "Any radios working? Or
intrusion sensors?"

"Only in the sunshine, Commander. Batteries are all dead," Singh
reported. "Techs can't fix the charging unit untilтАФ"

"The fleet gets back," she said sighing. Quinn retraced her steps to the
blockhouse, the only structure discernible in the fog. Palisade walls
disappeared into grayness. A hundred meters across the settlement, oil
lamps on the lodge porch provided a fuzzy, detached reference. She put her
boot on the ladder's top rung. There was nothing she could do here.

"Tell your men to be careful," she ordered, taking the first step.

"Aye, aye, Commander."

"And double the guard on the walls."