"Richard Hatch - Battlestar Galactica 01 - Armageddon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hatch Richard)

The targeting system locked onto a fighter, showing him a pattern of
fire that would destroy two with one burst. He thumbed the left side
button, and turbolaser fire arced from his cannons. Two Cylon fighters
exploded into shrapnel. Even as he took aim again, Starbuck knocked out
a third.

Three down, nine to go.

"Yeah! That's a relief!" Starbuck cried. "The Cylons certainly haven't
improved on their skills as pilots or warriors!"

"Don't get cocky!" Apollo ordered, then realized what a useless thing
that was to tell Starbuck, of all people.

The nine remaining Cylon fighters fired on them one more time, then
Starbuck and Apollo had flown through the holes they'd blown in the
phalanx of fighters.

"Okay, we've got a minute to breathe and circle aroundтАжor we can just
take off," Apollo observed. "What do you want to do?"

"You're the lieutenant commander, buddy, you tell me," Starbuck
noted.

"Why is it you always offer your opinion when nobody asks for it, and
clam up when someone does?" Apollo mused.

"Just part of my charm," Starbuck answered. "This way you can't
blame me if you make the wrong decision."
 Apollo glanced at the Viper's flatscreen. Scanners showed the nine
Cylon fighters turning to pursue. Now Starbuck and Apollo would have to
max-out their Vipers to stay ahead of Cylon weapons fire.

"Let's do our job," Apollo decided. "A full-thrust flyby, not orbitalтАФjust
enough to get a read on Ochoa's mysterious little village, and then we're
out of here."

"Not the choice I would have made. I guess I should have spoken up,"
Starbuck grumbled.

"You had your chance," Apollo retorted. "Now, go!"

The Cylons were gaining, but still out of range. Side by side, the two
Vipers closed in on Ochoa, making a high pass above the planet.

Apollo waited breathlessly for his scanners to offer a readout of the base
below. Waiting, waitingтАж "Come on, come on!" he snarled.

Blip!