"Eric Nylund - Halo - The Fall Of Reach" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nylund Eric)

are.тАЭ

The Grunts looked like a living carpet of steel-blue skin, claws, and chrome weapons. Some ran on all
fours up the slope. They barked and howled, baying for the SpartansтАЩ blood.

тАЬRoll out the carpet,тАЭ the Chief told Blue-Four.

The hill explodedтАФplumes of pulverized sandstone and fire and smoke hurtled skyward.

The Spartans had buried a spiderweb pattern of Lotus antitank mines earlier that morning.

Sand and bits of metal pinged off of the ChiefтАЩs helmet.

The Chief and his team opened fire again, picking off the remaining Grunts that were still alive and
struggling to stand.
His motion detector flashed a warning. There were incoming projectiles high at two oтАЩclockтАФvelocities
at over a hundred kilometers per hour.

Five Covenant Banshee fliers appeared over the ridge.

тАЬNew contacts. All teams, open fire!тАЭ he barked.

The Spartans, without hesitation, fired on the alien fliers. Bullet hits pinged from the fliersтАЩ chitinous
armorтАФit would take a very lucky shot to take out the antigrav pods on the end of the craftтАЩs stubby
meter-long тАЬwings.тАЭ

The fire got the aliensтАЩ attention, however. Lances of fire slashed from the BansheesтАЩ gunports.

The Chief dove and rolled to his feet. Sandstone exploded where he had stood only an instant before.
Globules of molten glass sprayed the Spartans.

The Banshees screamed over their headsтАФthen banked sharply for another pass.

тАЬBlue-Three, Blue-Five: Theta Maneuver,тАЭ the Chief called out.

Blue-Three and -Five gave him the thumbs-up signal.

They regrouped at the edge of the cliff and clipped onto the steel cables that dangled down the length of
the rock wall.

тАЬDid you set up the fougasses with fire or shrapnel?тАЭ the Chief asked.

тАЬBoth,тАЭ Blue-Three replied.

тАЬGood.тАЭ The Chief grabbed the detonators. тАЬCover me.тАЭ

The fougasses were never meant to take down flying targets; the Spartans had put them there to mop up
the Grunts. In the field, though, you had to improvise. Another tenet of their training: adapt or die.

The Banshees formed into a тАЬflying VтАЭ and swooped toward them, almost brushing the ground.