"L. E. Modesitt - The Ecolitan Institute 01 - Ecologic Envoy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

L.E. Modesitt, JR.

The Ecologic Envoy

12/7/02 - V1.0

...I...



The needle-boat blinked out into norm-space. Both high and low wave detector plates flared.

"Flame!" The pilot scanned the board, jabbed a series of control studs to put all energy radiating equipment into a
passive mode, and waited for the picture to build on his screens.

Energy concentrations peaked around the fourth planet, Haversol, then spread to a standard picket line and deep
warning net typical of an Empire operation.

Whaler's fingers flickered over the control studs as he took in the information flowing from his receptors. While all
the material would stay on tap for the Institute to dissect after his return, his own survival might depend on a nearly
instantaneous understanding of the tactical pattern.

"Ten stans, max." he muttered to the controls, eyes darting from screen to screen. The needle-boat itself was a
single pilot craft, jammed with sophisticated sensors and communications equipment, and made possible only through
a combination of thin hull, minimal support and backup systems, and overpowered drives.

At the upper left of the board in front of Whaler, a flat panel flashed amber twice, then settled into a steady glow. He
touched the panel and listened to the direct feed of the Imperial comm net through his own implant.

"Seven ...clear on grid november five ...interrogative ..."

"That's negative."

"Angel four ...negative on survivors ...send the junkman."

"Hawkstrike! Hawkstrike! Gremlin, Arthur class, vector zero eight five, radian one three three, ecliptic plus two."

"Hawkstrike, gremlin acquisition, closing." The Imperial Fourth Fleet was obviously mopping up the scattered
remnants of the Haversolan system defense forces.

"Class four on radian two five seven. Hotspot three. Interrogative waster. Interrogative waster."

"Waster's down. Negative." Screeeee!!!!

"Unscramble, Northwave. Unscramble."

"Gremlin secured, Hawkstrike. Repeat, Gremlin secured. " The needle-boat pilot shook his head and touched the pale
green panel to start the power-up for nullspace reentry.

The return coordinates for his out-space base flashed across the display. The Institute maintained its own forces