"Hawke, Simon - Descent-FreeSpace - Hammer of Light, Omen of Darkness" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hawke Simon)

"Yeh, well, I couldnТt afford to lose my squadron, either," Harlow replied, through gritted teeth.
"Okay. The toggles are all up and glowing orange. What does that mean?" asked Rafferty.
"It means the Banshee guns are armed...I hope," said Harlow. "WeТll find out in a moment. Damn!"
A pulse blast from one of the pursuing fighters narrowly missed them on the port side. Harlow pulled back and up on the stick and went into a roll. The fighter on his tail was good. The pilot stayed right with him.
"Shoot the son of a bitch!" said Harlow.
"How?" asked Rafferty.
"Fire control button on your gunnery stick. Direction of the stick controls the turrets in the pods...."
"Okay...."
A new voice came on over the com, but a familiar one. "Turn around and return to the ship at once, Commander Harlow, or my next shot shall not miss."
"Like father, like son," said Harlow. "YouТre both nuts. I thought you couldnТt afford to lose this fighter."
"We cannot. But we shall destroy it if we must. I do not have time to waste on you, Commander. We are coming under attack."
"Will you shoot him, please?" said Harlow.
"IТm trying...."
Two pulse blasts shot out from the weapons banks, directly to the front of the fighter.
"Okay, now you want to try shooting behind us, where the fighter is?" said Harlow.
"How the hell do I that?"
"Directional pod controls, right next to the trigger, on your stick....."
"Oh...okay....I think I got it...."
"Commander, this is your last warning," TallanisТ son said, over the com, from the pursuing fighters. "Turn around now."
"Shoot, damn it!"
This time, the pulse cannon fired to their rear, but the shots did not even come close.
"Hell...." said Harlow.
"IТm doing the best I can!"
"Yeh, I know you are. Trouble is, itТs just not good enough."
Another shot from the pursuing fighers narrowly missed their starboad side. They had him bracketed. They were telling him he was directly in their sights.
"Tallanis!" Harlow shouted, into his com.
There was no response.
"Tallanis! Who the hell is going to take your message to the Terran Alliance if you kill us?" Harlow shouted.
Another shot, this time grazing the port side. They were playing with him. Letting him know they could blow him to bits at any time.
"The Omen of Darkness, Tallanis! WhoТs going to explain that for you? Who gets to tell your side of it, me or the Vasudan government?"
There was a brief burst of Vasudan over the com.
"TheyТre turning back!" cried Rafferty.
"And here comes the Vasudan Fleet," said Harlow, as the attacking fighters came swooping towards them. "LetТs just hope they saw them shooting at us and give us time to explain."
The voice of Admiral Tallanis came over the com one last time. "I am surprised at how much you have learned in such a short time. Perhaps we will meet again someday, Commander. In the meantime ... be a good СPR man.Т Tallanis out."
The passenger quarters aboard the Vasudan transport heading out to Freespace and then Tombaugh Station were not all that dissimilar from the quarters Harlow had aboard the Hammer. Reasonably roomy, but with appointments that looked less like furnishings than torture equipment from some bizarre, art deco dungeon. As soon as he came in, a chime from the wall screen informed him that he had a call coming in. It was his division commnader from Tombaugh Station.
"Good to see you alive, Harlow."
"Thank you, Colonel. ItТs nice to be alive."
"About your squadron, HarlowЕ"
Harlow tensed.
"We received a full report from the crew of the Orion Maru. They also kept a monitor log of your transmissions. IТm satisfied that, under the circumstances, you did the very best you could. Under the treaty alliance protocol, and with the Shivans loose somewhere in the sector, you did the right thing in accepting their offer to assist with escort. You had no way of knowing they were terrorists."
"Yes, sir, but Ц-"
"Even if they didnТt have the advantage of surprise," the colonel continued, "your squadron wouldnТt have stood a chance. Most of them were replacement personnel, with no combat experience. And they were up against pilots who were once the cream of the Imperial Vasudan Fleet. I donТt see how it could have come out any different. You did the best you could, son. DonТt go blaming yourself for this one."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"I understand you had a chance to spend some time with Admiral Tallanis."
"Not much, sir, but enough to get a good sense of what heТs all about."
"Headquarters is very interested. There will be a formal debriefing as soon as you get back."
"ItТll be good to be back, sir."
"Get some rest, Harlow. See you back at Tombaugh."
The colonel signed off and Harlow switched off the screen.
"SoЕhome, sweet, home, eh?"