"Gordon, Steve - Insectoid 02 - Escape from the Insectoids" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gordon Steve)

Dulin sounded the alarms. The fighter wasn't decelerating. He had visions
of the fighter packed with explosives, ramming into the bay. "Clear the
bay!" he yelled as the klaxons blared.
At that moment War Admiral Norman North came onto the bridge. "What's
going on here?"
The fighter accelerated to ramming speed... and then, at the last moment,
braked furiously, and came to a perfect three point landing less than ten
feet from a supporting bulkhead inside the bay.
That part of the bay, being partially evacuated, was empty when the
cockpit opened and the occupant emerged....
Took and his wingmen were only a few seconds behind the intruder, and they
landed their ships in near picture perfect formation next to his and took
off after the pilot, who they could see running down the main corridor
just outside of the bay.
"Bridge, I have him in sight, seal off sections fourteen through seventeen
on Deck 24," said Took, drawing his blaster as he took off in pursuit.
Thick bulkhead doors slid into place behind and in front of the intruder
farther down the hallway. Took ran down the hallways, trailed by several
other pilots and security officers who had joined the fray. He waited for
them to catch up. There was no need to rush any more now.
"We have him," said Took. "Ok, open bulkhead door 17-J."
He stood to one side, his weapon drawn, and the other officers positioned
themselves in such a way to give themselves a clear aim from different
angles. If the intruder tried to resist he would be dead very, very
quickly. But this guy seemed to have very fast reflexes; could he take out
Took and several others before getting shot himself?
Took tried not to think about that as the door slowly grinded open,
revealing... an empty chamber.
After looking about carefully, Took entered the chamber, and then looked
up, and saw the dark hole cut in the deckplate above. "Nimble fellow,"
Took commented. He spoke into his comm, "He got away."
"We know," came a new voice, the War Admiral's voice. "He's here with us
now."
The Ken Pilot was unsurprised to see the weapons drawn and pointed at him
as he entered the bridge. His own blaster, still warm, was in his hand but
not raised. He looked about at all the unfamiliar faces, until he latched
onto a very familiar one.
"War Admiral," he said.
North nodded slightly. "David. It's... surprising to see you here."
"Meaning what am I doing here, and now, in a very big galaxy when you're
probably being hunted down by the Insectoids who are chasing you like mad
and using every trick in the book to catch you," said the Ken Pilot.
"You're suspicious and want to make sure I'm really what I seem."
North nodded. "A reasonable precaution. After all, I haven't seen you
since the celebration on Eratta, after the battle of Karis."
The Ken Pilot pursed his lips. "You mean, of course, the celebration on
Whenfor, after the Battle of the Doublestar."
North nodded to the Ken Pilot, and to one of his officers as well. She
approached the Ken Pilot, and ran a scanner over him from a cautious
distance. Without turning to face North she said, "I'm sensing a highly