"Jeff Kirvin - Unification Chronicles 1 - First Contact I" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kirvin Jeff)

the ride down. Once secured, Jack and the other Marines would be parts of the ship, as
immovable as the hull itself. Jack was right next to ramp. He insisted on the last in, first out
position.

He heard RobynтАЩs voice over the TacNet, a radio link between armored suits. тАЬEveryone
secure?тАЭ He knew she could see a readout in the cockpit that showed the status of each Marine
in their harness, but she asked anyway. Like many pilots, Robyn didnтАЩt trust instrumentation.
 Jack looked around, then joined the TacNet. тАЬThatтАЩs affirmative, Lieutenant.тАЭ

тАЬRoger. Buttoning up,тАЭ she said, and the ramp began to pull forward and tip up to become
the bottom panel of the dropshipтАЩs tapering tail. It sealed with a metallic clang.

тАЬClearing the drop bay,тАЭ Robyn announced with calm routine. Jack heard a whooshing
through the hull of the dropship as all the air was sucked out of the room and into other parts
of the ship. No sense wasting it by letting it vent out to space when the doors opened. Looking
to his left, he could see down the center of the dropship into the cockpit. The drop bay was
bathed in red light, a warning to any unsuited civilian to get the hell out of there.

тАЬDrop bay is clear,тАЭ Robyn announced. тАЬOpening the bay doors.тАЭ

Jack saw but could no longer hear the huge white doors slide up and down, revealing the
blackness of space beyond. He couldnтАЩt see the planet below from his vantage point.

тАЬPowering cat,тАЭ Robyn said. JackтАЩs adrenaline level and heart rate was rising, but Robyn
sounded bored. Jack knew her well enough to know she was as excited as he was, but military
pilots had a tradition going back to the dawn of the jet age of keeping their cool. If they didnтАЩt
sound like they were about to fall asleep, they werenтАЩt pilots.

Jack felt an increase in vibration as the catapult holding the dropship powered up, building
and holding enough power to fling the massive armored craft out of the Envoy and into space.

тАЬLaunch in five,тАЭ Robyn said.

тАЬFour, Three, TwoтАжтАЭ

Jack felt a sharp build in power. Here it cameтАж

тАЬOne.тАЭ

With a jolt, the dropship plunged out of the drop bay and into the open space beyond. The
exploration of humanityтАЩs first extrasolar colony world had begun.


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┬й Jeff Kirvin 2005