"Jack McKinney - Sentinels 03 - Death Dance" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

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Jack McKinney - Sentinels 3 - Death Dance

Copyright 1988 by Jack McKinney

CHAPTER ONE

It was as if the Expeditionary mission was fated to strike a truce with someone, and the Regent just
happened to be the only enemy in residence. In another five years the Robotech Masters would arrive in
Earthspace, followed three years later by the Regis and her half of the Invid horde; but in 2026
(Earth-relative) this was still speculation, and for a few brief days there was talk of peace, trust, and other
impossibilities.

Ahmed Rashona, That Pass in the Night: The SDF-3 and the Mission to Tirol

A fleet of Invid warships emerged from their transtemporal journey through hyperspace into the cool
radiance of Fantoma's primary, like so many shells left revealed on a black sand beach by a receding
tide. The mollusklike carriers positioned themselves a respectful distance from the moon they had
captured then lost; only the fleet's mullet-shaped flagship continued its approach, menacing in its sealed
silence.

At the edge of the ringed giant's shadow, Tirol's guardian, the SDF-3, swung round to face off with the
Regent's vessel, the crimson lobes of its main gun brilliantly outlined in starlight.

Aboard the Earth fortress, in the ship's Tactical Information Center, Major General T. R. Edwards
watched as a transport shuttle emerged from the tip of one of the flagship's armored tentacles. Edwards
trusted that the Regent was aboard the small craft, accompanied certainly by a retinue of guards and
scientists. The presence of the Invid fleet made it clear that any acts of aggression or duplicity would spell
mutual annihilation for Invid and Humans alike.

Admiral Forsythe, who commanded the SDF-3's bridge in the wake of Lisa Hayes's departure with the
Sentinels, was now in constant communication with the Invid flagship. It was the Regent who had taken
the initiative in suggesting this extraordinary visit, but Forsythe had insisted that the fortress remain at high
alert status at least until the Regent was aboard. Disillusioned by decades of war and betrayal, and
hardened by the grim realities of recent reversals, it was the Human race that had grown wary of
summits, distrustful of those who would sue for peace.

Scanners and camera remotes monitored the approach of the Regent's shuttlecraft and relayed relevant
data to screens in the fortress's cavernous Tactical Center, where techs and staff officers were keeping a
close watch on the situation. Edwards moved to the railing of the command balcony for an overview of
the room's enormous horizontal situation screen. Studying the positions of the Invid troop carriers in
relation to the SDF-3, it occurred to him how easy it would be to fire at them right now, perhaps take
half of them out along with the Regent himself before the Invid retaliated. And even then there was a
good chance the fortress would survive the return fire, which was bound to be confused. Numerous
though they might be, the Invid seemed to lack any real knowledge of strategy. Edwards was convinced
that their successful strike against the SDF-3 almost six months ago had been the result of surprise and