"Keith Laumer - Bolos 5 - Old Guard" - читать интересную книгу автора (Laumer Keith)

weigh the possibility of launching his last probe to hopefully catch a glimpse of what was arriving.
His quiet observations were rudely interrupted by his hatch opening with a loud clank. The panicked face of Inkezdai Kepliss
looked in.
тАЬAd-akradai, massed artillery rises from the westтАФтАЬ
тАЬGood! It begins!тАЭ
тАЬBut Ad-akradai,тАЭ Kepliss pleaded, тАЬthe artillery rises from far behind the Human lines, and the launcher approaches swiftly as
it fires! It travels along the roadway at a high rate of speed, sending its shells high into the atmosphere!тАЭ
Something new, Khorris thought. The approaching weapons platform had to be exceedingly large to have the stability to wield
a sustained barrage accurately while moving.
Should he launch his last probe to view its approach? He decided against it. Nothing could stand up against his nuclear
cannons. . . .
 ALSO IN THIS SERIES:

The Compleat Bolo by Keith Laumer


Created by Keith Laumer:
The Honor of the Regiment
The Unconquerable
The Triumphant by David Weber & Linda Evans
Last Stand
Bolo Brigade by William H. Keith, Jr.
Bolo Rising by William H. Keith, Jr.
 Incursion
Mark Thies

It started as just a flicker of X-rays, high above the orbital plane of the bright orange star Epsilon Sindri. The
region of space was devoid of matter, or any potential for producing such a phenomenon, but nonetheless it was there. As
the flicker grew to erratic bursts, these X-rays were quickly logged by several detectors within the system of five planets
below.
The first detector to take note of these bursts was a security array high above the second planet of the star system.
Few disturbances ever escaped the notice of this awkward mass of antennae, reflectors, and arrays that tumbled lazily in its
wide orbit. The bright X-ray flashes were trapped and focused by a myriad of mirrors and lenses, and then sorted by
a series of gold refraction gratings. The spectrometers compiled and analyzed the flood of data, recognizing the
bursts for what they were. Unconcerned, the security arrayтАЩs attention drifted elsewhere.
The second detector to take note of the bursts was a navigation beacon also in orbit around the second planet.
Unlike its much larger brother in high orbit above him, this oblong satellite sheathed in bright gold foil carefully
recorded the exact position and energy signatures of the bursts. The starports on the planet surface were notified of
the phenomena, but no concern was immediately made evident. This was a weekly occurrence above the planet
Delas, in precisely the location that it was expected. Only high above the ecliptic in the solar system full of debris
could a 500,000 ton merchantman exit trans-light speeds without risking a fatal collision.
Only one other detector in the star system noticed the turbulent arrival of the interstellar freighter Aragonne
Isabelle. Shrouded in the cold shadow of the icy moon of Epsilon Sindri Three, another satellite realigned itself,
focusing its three large collectors upon the source of the X-ray bursts. A fission reactor at its core came to brilliant
life just as the gigantic transport finally exited the rift in a final explosion of radiant energies. Then the X-rays
ceased.
The shrouded satellite, however, was still building up the power that it needed. It had been ordered to track these
ships and monitor their arrivals and departures. But transmitting its reports back home needed far more energy than
its uranium pile could provide. As the fusion core finally ignited, another rift formed for just a moment, sending out a
pulse through subspace. The pulse was fast enough to travel light-years in a matter of weeks, and strong enough even