"Michael P. Kube - McDowell - Black Fleet 1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kube-McDowell Michael P)

But on the morning of the retreat from N'zoth, only one of the nine was
ready for space.

That was the sorry assessment of Jian Paret, commander of the Imperial
garrison at N'zoth, as he looked out on the yards from his command
center. The orders he had received hours ago were still playing before
his eyes: You are ordered to evacuate the planetary garrison to the
last man, at best possible speed, using any and all ships that are
spaceworthy. Destroy the repair yard and any and all remaining assets
before withdrawing from the system.

Paret's assessment was shared by Nil Spaar, master of the Yevethan
underground, as he rode the work shuttle up from the surface with the
first commando team. The orders he had given hours ago were still
ringing in his ears:
"Notify all teams that an Imperial evacuation has been ordered.

Execute the primary plan without delay.

It is our day for retribution. Our blood is in those vessels, and they
will be ours. May each of us honor the name of the Yevetha today."

Nine ships.

Nine prizes.

The most badly damaged, Redoubtable, had taken terrible punishment in
the retreat from Endor. The others ranged from old medium cruisers
being upgraded and recommissioned, to the EX-F, a weapons and
propulsion test bed built on a Dreadnaught hull.

The key to them all was the massive Star Destroyer Intimidator, moored
at one of the open slips.

Spaceworthy but completely unblooded, it had been sent to Black 15 from
the Core for finish work, to free up a Super-class shipway at the
command's home shipbuilding yard.

There was more than enough room aboard it for the garrison, and more
than enough firepower aboard to destroy the yard and the hulls
within.

Paret transferred his command to the bridge of the Intimidator within
an hour of receiving his orders.

But Intimidator could not leave the yard as quickly as Paret would have
liked. He had only one-third of a standard crew aboard, a single
watch--too few hands to quickly ready a ship of that size to fly
free.