"Jeffrey D. Kooistra - Dykstra's War" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kooistra Jeffrey D)

"I invented the system fifty years ago, Lieutenant."

"Bob. Call me Bob."

The craft lifted gently from the meadow on her Dykstra repulsors, then climbed rapidly riding the
atmosphere jets until it reached thirty kilometers' altitude. Once there, Nachtegall was legally permitted
to activate the drive, and hot plasma blasted out of the tubes, heated by a speck of antimatter.

"We'll do this trip at three gees, Chris," Nachtegall said after they'd cleared the atmosphere and Dykstra
was enjoying the stars splayed out before him. "A couple of hours from now we'll be dirtside again at the
High Command."

"Good."

They filled the time with conversation. Though more than a hundred years older than the lieutenant,
Dykstra found it easy to talk to the young man, who was refreshingly free from the sort of intimidation
that most people felt whenever they talked to "the smartest man in the world."

They talked about the war. Nachtegall resented being stuck as a courier while there was a war on, even
though he felt that this war with the Belt was unfortunate.

Though animosity had existed between the Solar Union, consisting of the four inner planets and the
major moons of the outer planets, and the Belt since the latter had won its independence a half century
before, it had rarely escalated beyond minor skirmishes.

But this time things had gotten out of hand.

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 - Chapter 1




The gas giants have complex satellite systems. Along with the large moons over 300 kilometers in
diameter, the big planets also have a plethora of smaller moonlets and rocks. Jupiter has practically its
own asteroid belt consisting of rocks less than a kilometer across. The Solar Union claimed those rocks
belonged to it. But when large heavy metal strikes were made in the Jovian belt, the Belt decided to
challenge that claim.

Negotiations went nowhere, shots were fired, and the war was on.

"Now, don't get me wrong. I'm as patriotic as they come. But this `war of the little rocks' is damn silly.
Who cares if the Belt skims a little from the Jovian belt? There's plenty to go around. Besides that,
Ganymede's a cesspool. Still, I've got my request in for a position closer to the actual hostilities. If
there's going to be a war anyway, I'd rather be fighting than ferrying. No offense, Chris. It's not your
fault I have this duty."

They went on to discussing the aliens. Dykstra found Nachtegall less inclined to speak his mind on that
topic. "I've met Richard Michaels," Nachtegall said. "You know, the guy that actually ran up against the