"L. E. Modesitt - Flash" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

p. cm. "A Tor Book." ISBN 0-765-31128-3 EAN 978-0765-31128-3

1. Advertising--Fiction. 2. Political campaigns--Fiction. I. Title.PS3563.O264F58 2004
813'.54--dc22

2004009861

First Edition:September 2004

Printed inthe United States of America

098765432 1
 Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html




For Catherine and Eric,

lovers of large dogs and larger dreams



Chapter 1



Cracckk!

"Down!"Down! At the sound of the ancient slug-thrower, I dropped flat onto the squashed soyl plants at
the edge of the field. The illegal crops--soyl and caak--were mostly shielded by the taller overgrowth of
what had once been part of a rain forest. My three companies were spread along nearly a kay from north
to south so that the illegals didn't get past. CI wanted a bunch for interrogation. Somewhere to the west
of us was the Berbice River, but that didn't matter. Everything around us was wet. Nothing ever dried
out, not even the tropical uniforms that were supposed to wick away moisture while providing impact
protection. They did neither all that well, and certainly didn't do anything to stop the sweating.

Someone might have said that the pattering sound of slugs shredding the taller soyl plants to the east of
where I lay sounded almost like rain. It didn't.

Air, Bravo two.Nothing. The uplink was dead.

I clicked the implant to alt ... static-filled, but there. Not supposed to have static on satellite-combat
links. Right.Air, Bravo two.

You're breaking up, two. Try main.

Idiots! Would I have boon on alt if main worked?Negative. Main dead. Need CAS. Coordinates
follow.