"Jerry Pournelle - 01 - Janissaries" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pournelle Jerry)

were cap-tured. тАЬElliot, get headquarters.тАЭ
тАЬCanтАЩt, sir. Radio stopped working about the time we saw that thing.тАЭ
тАЬFlying saucer,тАЭ someone muttered.
Rick had heard the stories. When people saw fly-ing saucers, electrical gear
stopped working. Igni-tion, radios, TVтАФanything electrical. But so what? He
willed himself to believe that the Agency had sent this craft to rescue him. It
made sense, even to risk a secret craft, in order to save the embarrass-ment of
political trials andтАФ There was no point in just looking at it. He didnтАЩt want to go
alone, but Parsons would have to remain in command, and Elliot would be needed
to control the troops. He looked at the others whoтАЩd crawled into his CP. тАЬMason,
come with me.тАЭ
тАЬRight.тАЭ Mason was a corporal; a short, stocky man with a lot of self-confidence
and a phlegmatic temperament. HeтАЩd do.
Rick slung his rifle and started forward. Mason carried his at the ready, walking
just behind Rick. тАЬI never believed in flying saucers,тАЭ Mason said.
тАЬNeither did I. Not sure I do now,тАЭ Rick told him. тАЬCould be the Agency coming
for us.тАЭ
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 JANISSARIES


тАЬYeah. Sure,тАЭ Mason said.
Rick could guess how the man felt. Rick Galloway didnтАЩt believe it either. This
was no illusion, no swamp gas. It wasnтАЩt the planet Venus or a weather balloon.
This was a real ship which had silently landed on his hill, and it was too damned
advanced to be anyoneтАЩs secret weapon. Anyone with a fleet of ships like that
could dictate terms to the whole world. The way it had come in, zipping along in
silence and changing direction in random ways, it would be unstoppable by any
missile or interceptor Rick had ever heard of.
He reached the lighted square. He could feel the troops behind staring at his back.
The sounds of gunfire started up again off to the south, and proba-bly half his
troops had left their posts to come look at the ship. Others, though, were dug in,
grimly waiting. TheyтАЩd make the Cubans pay for the hill. But how long could
they hold? Rick looked inside the ship.
The lighted square was a doorway into a small chamber about three meters on a
side. There was no one inside, and there were few features to see ex-cept for what
appeared to be sliding doors, closed, on three of the walls. The opening was less
than two meters high, a bit low for RickтАЩs six feet and a frac-tion. He stood
outside looking in until he felt silly. Finally he shouted. тАЬAnybody home?тАЭ
тАЬCome in, Captain Galloway,тАЭ a voice said. It was a perfectly ordinary male
voice, nothing unearthly about it. тАЬYou have very little time, Captain. Come
aboard.тАЭ
тАЬMy God, maybe it is the Agency,тАЭ Rick muttered. Whatever heтАЩd expected, it
hadnтАЩt been an ordinary human voice with an accent he couldnтАЩt place.
It spoke again. тАЬYou may leave your weapons out-side. You will not need them,
and they might tempt you to rash actions. If we wished you harm, Captain
Galloway, you would be dead now.тАЭ
That, Rick thought, was for sure. This thingтАФ whatever it wasтАФcouldnтАЩt be
worse than the Cu-bans. He unslung his rifle and laid it on the ground. Mason did
the same, but threw him a significant look. Rick nodded. They both had knives,