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

A flying carpet was approaching, a hooked-rug size. In another few
seconds, Sarna alighted next to them.
After receiving news that Rick, Lisa, and the others had recovered, she
said, "We haven't much time. Matters here are much worse than Veidt and I ever
thought when we proposed this plan. We have to get you all off Haydon IV as
soon as we can."
Before they could press her for details, she hastened, "You brought your
seeing devices? Good; look over there, at the juncture of the Sky Road and
Silver Way."
Eventually they focused on the point she was indicating. Vince watched
for a moment, then breathed an uncharacteristic, deliberate string of
obscenities.
"Yeah; this changes things," Wolff added sardonically.
Far away and below, a slave coffle was being moved along by Inorganic
guards toward a rearing, adamantine Invid stronghold that looked brutally out
of place in exquisite Glike.
The prisoners, headbanded with metallic straps that glowed with
instrumentation, were dirty and disheveled. It was easy to see that they were
big, rugged women wearing the remains of their fighting costumes, walking with
heads held high, herded by their captors.
"Praxians," Max said softly. "The missing Praxians. They're here!"
Sarna was nodding measuredly. "They were not, as we thought,
exterminated; the Invid have many more than that here in the city and
elsewhere on Haydon IV. Many, many thousands."
In contrast to the usual lack of extreme emotion in Haydonites, there
was loathing in her voice now. "And my father, Vowad, permits it. Permits
anything, to preserve his oh-so-important serenity, and this
little...Shangri-la, as you Humans might say."
They lowered their binoculars as she went on. "The Regent has brought
the proper pressure to bear; he'll have you all in captivity soon, if we don't
move quickly. I've arranged for-"
But she got no further, as the sun was blotted out overhead by flying
carpets over half an acre in area. On them stood Inorganics: Scrim and Crann
and Odeon, weapons ready, along with the Haydonites who were doing the actual
flying.
The three REF fighters pulled their Badger assault pistols, ready to
fight for their lives, but Sarna said, "No! If you fire first, you'll have
done what they want. And Miriya and the others will suffer the more for it.
Stay where you are and let me speak for you."
The flying carpets landed so as to ring them in with the sheer drop of
the brink at their backs. Vince, Max, and Wolff formed their own security
wheel, but kept their machine pistol muzzles pointed at the landing stage
surface. They had a few other surprises on their persons beside the Badgers,
but going up against Inorganics without mecha of their own would amount to a
suicide mission.
They recognized Vowad right away by the bulging cranium and deep red
flesh tone, and the enormous lavender star sapphire set in his forehead. He
was standing beside the Invid Regent, the Regent's two Hellcats flanking them.
The other Haydonites there bore what Vince had learned to recognize as emblems
marking them as Respected Elders-the "Old Guard" of the planet, who had made