"Jack McKinney - Robotech Sentientals 4 - World Killers" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

their biggest problems would be managing atmosphere and climate. It makes
sense that they'd have huge reservoirs of water and ways of moving it
around-under the surface and on it and even over it, as precipitation and
clouds-"
"What we should be giving thought to is whether any of those fire-demons
still lurk down here," Bela broke in.
"I see none, nor detect any," Lron reported. The others concurred.
"Perhaps the machines cannot see or smell us when we're down here,"
Gnea, the younger amazon, suggested. "After all, they're used to adversaries
coming at them from outer space, not stepping inside their very gates."
Like flies hiding on an upraised flyswatter, Jack realized-which was
only a good idea until the swatter's operator discovered the flies'
whereabouts.
The opening overhead seemed to be shrinking, and some members of the
team cried out, preparing to lift off and escape. Jack yelled for them to
stand fast. "You want those air defenses to nail us for good? We're safe for
now, and it looks like we discovered a back entrance."
He was less sure than he sounded. The Haydonite defense systems hadn't
been challenged in two thousand years (although, granted, they allegedly had
cost some local warmonger a few hundred ships that time). Jack had difficulty
believing that planetary defenses so outdated could be any match for Robotech
mecha. After all, how much trouble would Wolff Pack Hovertanks have with Earth
weapons even twenty years obsolete?
"Now, we've got a transponder fix on the shuttle, and an inertial
track," Jack went on. "It looks to me like there's plenty of room for
Battloids to make their way along underground. That's how we're gonna get to
Glike."
There was a muted commotion and then Lron's voice came up over the net.
"It seems Tesla doesn't agree with your idea, Jack Baker, but a pistol waved
at his snout has him quiet once more.
"I for one think this is a good plan you have. We can remain out of
sight beneath the city, and if we encounter trouble, we always have the option
of blasting our way back to the surface."
Jack bit back his own dark conclusions on what an unfortunate recourse
that would be. "Jan, you take the point. Lron, drop back and walk drag. I'll
be slack man, then Learna, then you, Kami." Jack took up his position at the
head of the main body, keeping Janice in sight as she picked out their route.
He had thought about walking point, but he was in command and
responsible for looking after his tiny unit from a more appropriate place.
Besides, Jan had proven herself to be amazingly capable-adept at military
sciences, mecha piloting, small arms, and hand-to-hand. She even excelled at
the archaic weapons of the Praxian amazons.
These excellent military abilities, coming from a woman whose former
claim to fame was as a female vocalist, didn't make a lot of sense to Jack,
but just now he was grateful to have her there. Jack watched as, far overhead,
the last of the opening in Haydon IV's surface closed out the last few rays of
Briz'dziki.
The VTs waded up from the underground reservoir, shedding waterfalls, as
the last of the bubbles rose from Crysta's VT. Jan found a route through a
thing that they took for a spillway, some twenty yards in diameter. Though