"Simon R. Green - Deathstalker - 1 - Deathstalker" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Simon R)

file:///D|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Gree...201-6/Deathstalker%2001%20-%20Deathstalker.htm (12 of 541) [7/12/2004 2:38:18 AM]
Green, Simon R. - Deathstalker 01 - Deathstalker (v1.0) (html)


"Do we have an identification on her yet?"

"Not yet. Captain. Their AI is talking our ears off, but not actually saying much.
It's trying to feed us some nonsense about being a medical ship on a mercy
mission, but it's the wrong kind of craft for that, and it doesn't have the proper
identification codes. Odds are they're just trying to keep us occupied while they
power up for a hyper jump. Do we stop them. Captain, or let them go?"

"We stop them," said a calm, cold voice, and Silence nodded to Investigator Frost
as she came to stand beside him. Frost was in her late twenties, tall and lithely
muscular, with a gun on her hip and a long sword hanging down her back. Even
standing still she looked competent and extremely dangerous, like a predator in a
world of prey. Dark eyes burned coldly in a pale, controlled face, framed by
auburn hair cropped close to the skull. You couldn't call her pretty, but there was a
daunting glamour to her, attractive and intimidating at the same moment.

Investigators were trained from childhood to be loyal, efficient and deadly. Their
job was to study newly discovered alien species and determine how much of a
threat they might prove to the Empire. Depending on those findings, the aliens
would then be either enslaved or exterminated. There was no third option.
Investigators were also used as security chiefs, bodyguards, and assassins. They
were cold, calculating killing machines, and they were either good at their job, or
dead.

Silence and Frost had worked together on several missions and understood each
other. Which was as close to friendship as you could get with an Investigator.

"There's no hurry," said Silence. "A ship that small takes forever to power up.
They're not going anywhere yet."

"I don't like it," Frost said flatly. "An unexpected ship in orbit, waiting for us? I
don't believe in coincidence. Someone has alerted our target that he's been
outlawed. That ship is either here to protect him or carry him away. Either way,
our orders are quite specific. Under no circumstances is the target to be allowed to
escape."

Silence nodded. The outlaw was only ever referred to as the target in public. It

file:///D|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Gree...201-6/Deathstalker%2001%20-%20Deathstalker.htm (13 of 541) [7/12/2004 2:38:18 AM]
Green, Simon R. - Deathstalker 01 - Deathstalker (v1.0) (html)


wouldn't do for the lower orders to know that a Lord had been outlawed.
Especially one with such a famous name. The name Deathstalker could still