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

advanced nervous system, War Admiral. He's either a Graftonite, or
something just like it."
North nodded. "Lower your weapons," and all blasters were simultaneously
reholstered. At that moment Took and Marsten entered the bridge on the
run. "What did I miss?" Took asked, nearly breathless.
"I stopped at one of the frontier colonies you passed by after Orotis,"
said the Ken Pilot, getting comfortable in North's ready room. "They said
you were in the neighborhood."
"But what were you doing out here?" said North, handing him a drink.
"Seeking a life, alone."
"Alone?"
"On a frontier planet," said the Ken Pilot. "With Amy."
"Amy," said North. He started to piece things together--the Ken Pilot's
tone of voice, the circumstances of his arrival. "They came for you, even
there, out in the frontier."
The Ken Pilot nodded.
North didn't ask any further, but he said, "You have my condolences." He
paused, considering. "You don't just want my condolences. You want to join
our fight, don't you?"
The Ken Pilot nodded again.
"We're heading out of Alliance space. We're not seeking out fights."
"Fights will come to you," said the Ken Pilot.
The War Admiral arranged for the Ken Pilot to have a berth with the other
starfighter pilots. He was wise enough not to assign him to a specific
squadron; the Ken Pilot was about as a rugged an individualist as one
could get. Quite frankly, North wasn't sure how to fit him in with their
forces. Solitary assignments would be best. Maybe to make him a long-range
scout....?
Took and some of his buddies were getting lunch in the mess hall when they
saw the Ken Pilot sitting alone, in a corner. Took motioned the others
that they should join him.
"I don't know, Iday," said Marsten. "He's a stranger, and he looks like he
wants to be alone."
"Nonsense," said Took, with one of his irritating smiles. "A stranger is
just a friend you haven't met yet."
He approached the Ken Pilot. "Mind if we join you?"
The Ken Pilot gave no answer for a moment, and then, seeing Took wasn't
going to take silence for an answer, gave a small nod.
"Good," said Took, not overanalyzing the ambiguous body language. He sat
down, joined by Marsten, Obe, and two of the other pilots.
"By the way, we never got the chance to introduce ourselves when we were
shooting at you," said Took. "My name is Idaho Took. This is Robert
Marsten, Kato Obe, Ben Hunter..." he introduced the others.
The Ken Pilot sipped his drink.
Took, giving a small smile, said, "I didn't catch your name."
The Ken Pilot paused, considering. "David Norman."
"Some people on the bridge were calling you the Ken Pilot," said Took.
The Ken Pilot continued to sip his drink. The tension in the air was
palpable.
"Are you?"