"Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle - Reflex" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niven Larry)

area, hydrogen leaking to space. Hulled in the after recreation room.тАЭ
The screens were electric blue when the computer cut the drives. Defiant was
dead in space. She was moving at more than a hundred kilometers per second, but she
couldnтАЩt accelerate.
тАЬSee anything yet?тАЭ Colvin asked. -
тАЬIn a second,тАЭ Halleck replied. тАЬThere. Wups. Antenna didnтАЩt last half a second.
HeтАЩs yellow. Out there on our port quarter and pouring it on. Want me to swing the
main drive in that direction? We might hit him with that.тАЭ
Colvin examined his screens. тАЬNo. We canтАЩt spare the power.тАЭ He watched a
moment more, then swept his hand across a line of buttons.
All through Defiant nonessential systems died. It took power to maintain the
Langston Field, and the more energy the Field had to contain the more internal power
was needed to keep the Field from radiating inward. Local overloads produced
burnthroughs, pai-tial col
lapses sending busts of energetic photons to punch holes through the hull. The
Pield moved toward full collapse, and when that happened, the energies it contained
would vaporize Defiant. Total defeat in space is a clean death. -
The screens were indigo and Defiant couldnтАЩt spare power to fire her guns or use
her engines. Every erg was needed simply to survive.
тАЬWeтАЩll have to surrender,тАЭ Colvin said. тАЬGet the message out.тАЭ
тАЬI forbid it!тАЭ
For a moment Colvin had forgotten the political officer.
тАЬI forbid it!тАЭ Gerry shouted again. тАЬCaptain, you are relieved from command.
Commander Halleck, engage the enemy! We cannot allow him to penetrate to our
homeland!тАЭ
тАЬCanтАЩt do that, sir,тАЭ Halleck said carefully. The recorded conversation made the
executive officer a traitor, as Colvin was the instant heтАЩd given the surrender order.
тАЬEngage the enemy, Captain.тАЭ Gerry spoke quietly. тАЬLook at~me~Colvjn.тАЭ -
Herb Colvin turned to see a pistol in GerryтАЩs hands. It wasnтАЩt a sonic gun, not
even a chemical dart weapon as used by prison guards. Combat armor would stop
those. This was a slugthrowerтАФno. A small rocket launcher, but it looked like a
slugthrower. Just the
weapon to take to space. - -
тАЬSurrender the ship,тАЭ Colvin repeated. He motioned with one hand. Gerry looked
around, too late, as the quartermaster pinned his arms to his sides. A captainтАЩs bridge
runner-launched himself across the cabin to seize the pistol.
тАЬIтАЩll have you shot for this!тАЭ Gerry shouted. тАЬYouтАЩve betrayed everything. Our
homes, our familiesтАФтАЭ -
тАЬIтАЩd as soon be shot as surrender,тАЭ Colvin said. тАЬBesides, the Imperials will
probably do for both of us. Treason, you know. Still, IтАЩve a right to save the crew.тАЭ
Gerry said nothing.
тАЬWeтАЩre dead, Mister. The only reason they havenтАЩt finished us off is weтАЩre so
bloody helpless the Imperial commanderтАЩs held off firing the last wave of torpedoes
to give us a chance to quit. He can finish us off any time.тАЭ
тАЬYou might damage him. Take him with us, or make it easier for the fleet to deal
with himтАФтАЭ
тАЬIf I could, IтАЩd do that. I already launched all our torpedoes. They either got
through or they didnтАЩt. Either way, they didnтАЩt kill him, since heтАЩs still pouring it on
us. He has all the time in the worldтАФlook, damn it! We canтАЩt shoot at him, we donтАЩt
have power for the engines, and look at the screens! Violet! DonтАЩt you understand,