"Jack McKinney - Robotech 03 - Homecoming" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

swimsuit portion of the Miss Macross contest.
Zeitgeist, Alien Psychology

The SDF-1'S survival of the latest Zentraedi attack had buoyed morale all
through the ship-at least in most cases; there were those whom the lessons of
war had made too wary to quickly believe in good fortune. Even with Earth
looming large before it and the long, dark billions of miles safely crossed, the
battle fortress was dogged by the enemy-now more than ever. Continued vigilance
was imperative.
One of those acutely aware of the continuing danger was Claudia Grant, who
was acting as the vessel's First Officer in Lisa Hayes's absence. Though Claudia
and Lisa were friends, Claudia had always felt a little put off by Lisa's
single-minded devotion to duty, her severity. But now, elevated to the
responsibilities of her new position-especially at this moment, with Gloval off
the bridge-Claudia was seeing things in a different light.
The members of her usual watch, the female enlisted-rating techs, Sammie,
Kim, and Vanessa, were off duty for a long-postponed pass into Macross City.
Lisa, Claudia, and the other three had formed something very much like a family,
with Gloval as patriarch; they had become a highly efficient team both under
everyday stresses and demands and under fire.
The turmoil of the war had brought an assortment of other techs to the
bridge on relief watches, and Claudia didn't trust any of them to really know
what they were doing, just as Lisa hadn't. So even though she was almost out on
her feet with fatigue, Claudia had refused to be relieved of her duties as long
as Gloval was away.
There was no telling how long that would be. The glorious news of the
rescue of Lisa and the others was tarnished by the fact that the SDF-1 was still
surrounded by the enemy armada. Debriefings and command conferences might go on
for a very long while.
Claudia looked up wearily from her instruments as she heard one of the
relief-watch techs say wistfully, "Boy, is that beautiful! D' you think we'll
ever set foot on Earth again?"
The tech had brought up a long-range image of their blue-white homeworld
on the screen before her.
Claudia was a tall woman in her late twenties, with exotic good looks and
glowing honey-brown skin. Her dark eyes twinkled and shone when she was happy,
and flashed when she was angry. Right now, they were flashing like warning
beacons.
"Why don't you go ask the commander of that Zentraedi fleet? Go ahead,
take a look at them! Maybe they've gone away!"
The tech, a teenage girl who wore her auburn hair in a pageboy and still
didn't look quite comfortable in uniform, swallowed and went a little pale.
Claudia Grant's temper was well known, and she had the size and speed to back it
up when she needed to.
The tech worked her controls obediently, bringing up a visual of the
Zentraedi fleet. They were all around the battle fortress, standing out of range
of the ship's secondary batteries and lesser weapons. They were like a seaful of
predatory fish-cruisers and destroyers and smaller craft in swarms, blocking out
the stars. And farther away, the instruments registered their flagship: nine
miles of armor and heavy weapons.