"Jane Lindskold - Endpoint Insurance" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lindskold Jane)

had been damage-our second strike could go ahead as programmed.
The most heavily armed of the miner ships-a ship I suspected of doing a bit of
small-scale piracy itself when opportunity presented-took the front this time. A
red-orange globule was forming on the tips of the forward energy weapons when I
broke through the pirateтАЩs internal communications.
тАЬThis is the commander of the fleet surrounding you,тАЭ I said, promoting myself
shamelessly. тАЬSurrender, else we will destroy you. You have been warned once. We
will not be so gentle a second time. Since we want your cargo, not your persons, we
will be targeting personnel compartments. No one can expect to survive our next
attack.тАЭ
It was all bluster and balderdash, but I was counting on what Spike had said,
counting, too, that the pirates would not be quite certain just what armaments we
might have hidden among our motley fleet. After all, their ship looked like nothing
more than an ore carrier. What might we be?
тАЬYou have a five count to surrender-absolutely,тАЭ I announced.
The last was a hint to the pirates. Surrender the Absolute, and weтАЩd let the rest pass.
Who knows, maybe the pirates would take us for Batherite Loyalists whoтАЩd tracked
the Absolutist leader into hiding.
I wondered what the rest of the fleet would think.
тАЬAbsolutely!тАЭ I repeated as thunderously as possible. Then I started counting,
тАЬFive! Four! Three!тАЭ
On five, the globes of energy forming at the tips of our shipsтАЩ energy weapons
turned white hot. On four, missile tubes rotated, some preparing to vomit forth
nothing more than junk-but the pirates didnтАЩt know that. On three, I added a bone
shivering frequency beneath my vocal track. On two, a thin, panicked voice yelled
over a broad band.
тАЬDonтАЩt fire! DonтАЩt fire! ItтАЩs over here. In control! WeтАЩll surrender! We have
everything under control!тАЭ
It didnтАЩt sound like the speaker had even himself under control, but I heard Spike
sonorously address our allies:
тАЬStand by, fleet. DonтАЩt power down. I repeat. DonтАЩt power down.тАЭ
A crackle from another channel-from one of the hermits, I think-reported
simultaneously:
тАЬScan shows no evidence that pirate vessel is powering up. We still hold the
advantage.тАЭ
I addressed the panicked voice. тАЬIdentify yourself.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩmтАж Jeremy, Jeremy Langthorp. IтАЩm with this ore carrier, the Deep Pockets, it is.тАЭ
тАЬDeep Pockets,тАЭ I confirmed. тАЬYou seem to have pulled your ID beacon, Captain
Langthorp.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm not the captain.тАЭ Langthorp shrilled a thread of near hysterical laughter. тАЬThey
shot the captain, the fanatics did, shot her soon after they came aboard and she
wouldnтАЩt drink their foul tea.тАЭ
Over the next hour, the full story came out. It seemed that when the Absolute and his
fanatics had boarded, the pirates found themselves the victims of piracy. Several of
the crew had already been bought by the Absolute and these attacked their
shipmates. It had been intended that the turncoats would handle the ship while the
Absolute did his work in the onboard chemistry lab. Then richer by a ship and a
hold full of drugs, the Absolute would have returned to his war.
However, the rest of the crew hadnтАЩt been as easily subdued as the Absolute had
planned. The Deep PocketтАЩs captain had died early on in the take-over, as had her