"Jack McKinney - Robotech 16 - World Killers" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

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Robotech Sentinels: World Killers
Book 16 of the Robotech Saga
Copyright 1988 by Jack McKinney


CHAPTER ONE
They were the New Paladins, riding forth to answer the trumpet call to a nightmare war.
They were mortals caught up in events that transcended anything they had ever expected.
Many of them were career military people who had learned that wars were often won by those who
made the fewest screwups.
But they also knew that everybody screws up sometime.
Le Roy la Paz, The Sentinels

"Everybody stay sharp! Looks like we're gonna have to go to guns!"
Jack Baker trimmed the mated Veritechs he was flying-the sleek Alpha fighter was now
joined like a vaned nose cone to the bigger, burlier Beta ship. A quick glance over his weapons
status displays revealed that the other two Alpha-Betas of his raiding party were still in tight
formation behind him.
"Jack, no!" yelled Janice Em. She was in the second ship along with Burak, Lron, and
Tesla. "You heard what Veidt and Sarna said: this world's defenses will respond to any hostile
action!"
Actually, Veidt had said the legendary protective systems of the planet responded to the
mere intent of intrusion or provocative act. And that certainly seemed to be the case today, even
though the fighters had gone in with weapons and shields down.
"I got a news flash for you: we've already got Haydon IV PO'd at us, kiddo," Jack snorted.
"Or d'you think this planet's surface usually twitches and then starts spitting sparklers at
people? Get ready; like it or not, it looks as if we're in for some turns 'n' burns."
One part of him registered the fact that the terrain of Haydon IV wasn't actually
twitching; it was changing shape, like something from one of those old-time clay-animation flicks.
And the things shooting up at the incoming Veritechs were more like swirling vortices or sheets of
flame than sparklers.
Whatever they were, they were traveling at such high velocity that Jack saw the VTs had no
chance of running for it.
"Activate shields and weapons." Jack tried to sound calm. "And stay close to me." It was
too late to go back, so there was nothing to do but drive on.
Only he wished there were experienced combat fliers in the other two combined VTs. Janice
had been through training, and so had Learna, but neither of them had any dogfighting experience
to speak of. He would have preferred to have Max and Miriya Sterling flying at his wingtips.
But Miriya had been stricken, like Rick Hunter and his wife Lisa, by the strange
microorganisms of Garuda. And so had another Sentinel, one whose possible death filled Jack with
feelings and impulses that bewildered and shocked him...
He tried to put that out of his mind; what was happening to the famous Baker cool and
concentration? Damn!
From the cockpit's rear seat, where she was strapped into the copilot's station, Bela
reached forward to clap him on the shoulder. "That's the lad! Kick their flaming arses! I'll loan
you the boot!"
The vortices of fire came darting and circling, changing shape and roiling-like silken
scarves on the wind. All Jack's sensors were in alarm mode, but none of them could tell him what