"Michael P. Kube - McDowell - Black Fleet 2 - Shield of Lies" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kube-McDowell Michael P)

our interest. But I don't see that the circumstances justify sending a
Force Two armada wandering through a thousand cubic light-years on what
is very likely to be a futile effort."

"With all the uncertainty in Farlax, we could surely find better uses
for those ships than chasing a phantom," said Senator Amamanam. "The
vagabond will turn up again."

"Will you be personally handling the apologies to Luke Skywalker,
then?" Senator Noimm asked cuttingly.

"Will the chairman make himself available to the news-grids to explain
exactly under what circumstances these notables disappeared?"

"If I might make a suggestion--" Rieekan began.

"By all means," said Praget.

"A contact suit isn't designed for long endurance.

Its recycling systems are simple and relatively inefficient.

Its consumables, if managed wisely, might last the wearer perhaps two
hundred hours--certainly no more than two hundred and twenty," said the
intelligence director.

"So we simply wait a few days to declare them dead, is that your
point?"

"Not quite," Rieekan said. "If they are still alive, the general and
his team will be highly motivated to act expeditiously. Anything they
can do to impede the flight of the Qella vessel, they will do in the
next several days.

So it seems only prudent to me to allow Pakkpekatt to continue the
search for, say, another fifteen days."

"If nothing else," said Senator Amamanam, "doing so would cut the heart
out of the charge that we abandoned the Baron to his fate." He glanced
expectantly down the table toward Senator Noimm.
"If you'd truly like to protect yourself, I suggest you go one step
further and propose that we send Pakkpekatt the additional vessels he
requested," said Noimm. "Otherwise the search might be seen as the
token gesture it is."

"No, no, no," said Praget. "Pakkpekatt gets no more ships. That
incompetent Hortek spook what he ought to get is a review board and a
dishonorable separation.

But I suppose I'll have to settle for the general's finding a deep,