"The Clouds Of Saturn" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

Lars was about to turn away when the first bright flash appeared on the upper
surface of the dirigible.
УWhat the hell?Ф
УTheyТre attacking!Ф Halley screamed. УTheyТre not accepting the surrender.Ф
УStand by,Ф Lars ordered. УWeТre going in.Ф
It was impossible forSparrowHawk to move any faster. Despite its headlong speed
through the thick atmosphere, it seemed they were barely moving as two more
missiles impacted the flagship. Sands watched in horror as the dirigible split
open like a ripe grape. With the central gasbag holed and the hot hydrogen
spilled to the surrounding atmosphere, the ship was unable to support its own
weight. It sagged in the middle, then broke in two as its keel snapped. The
stern section, burdened by heavy drive reactors, began immediately to drop
toward the distant cloud floor of the flyway. Freed of the weight of the stern,
the bow bounced upward as men and machinery tumbled out through the gaping hole
in the midsection.
It was then that Sands realized the attack had been no mistake. The bow section
was obviously helpless as it rose out of control. Yet, the Alliance ships
pressed their attack. More explosions rent the forward gasbags and the bow lost
its lift. It, too, foundered and then started on a long downward spiral.
Larson Sands screamed in rage as he watched the calculated cold bloodedness of
the attack. Dane was in the forward combat center. Every missile hit was like a
knife into his own ribs. No longer was the Alliance shooting at a dangerous
enemy craft. Honest battle had been transformed into the murder of helpless men
and women.
SparrowHawkreached the Alliance fleet and launched every missile in her depleted
magazines. The desperation attack took the Alliance by surprise. Three ships
that had been vectored to intercept the surviving New Philadelphia craft were
smashed. The resulting gap allowedSparrowHawk free passage through their defense
line. The arrival of the rest of the New Philadelphia fleet kept the other
Alliance ships too busy to pursue.
Sands dove for the falling flagship remnant, heedless of the pain in his ears as
cabin pressure increased with each kilometer of altitude lost. It began to grow
warm as well. By the timeSparrowHawk overtook the bow section,Delphi had plunged
twenty kilometers, yet was still under attack. With no missiles in his
magazines, Sands ordered his weapons crews to slash at the marauders with
defensive lasers.
The initial attack onDelphi had been centered on the dirigibleТs upper surface
in order to dump the hot hydrogen that buoyed the ship. Since most ofDelphi Тs
lifeboats were housed atop the gasbag, these were destroyed in the first
seconds. Still, there was the possibility that individual crewmen might yet bail
out. Sands keptSparrowHawk in a tight circle around the falling bow as he
watched intently for the silver balloons of survivors. As the pressure and
temperature continued to mount, the Alliance ships broke off the fight and
climbed for the safety of the upper atmosphere.SparrowHawk continued its plunge
alongside the doomed flagship.
УCome on, Dane! Get out!Ф Sands muttered to himself through clenched teeth as he
kept one eye on the dirigible and another on the pressure readout. Beside him,
Halley sobbed quietly. SandsТs universe narrowed to exclude everything but the
falling airship until Ross CrandallТs growl came over the intercom.
УFor GodТs sake, Lars, break off! Cooking us wonТt help Dane.Ф