"Alastair Reynolds - Minla's Flowers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Alastair)

mountings, trying to shove the airship back into position.

Beyond the airship loomed the streaked gray vastness of the great cliff.

тАЬWhy did he cut the engines...тАЭ Merlin breathed to himself. Then, an instant
later: тАЬCan we catch up? Can we do something?тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm afraid not. There simply isnтАЩt time.тАЭ

Sickened, Merlin watched as the aircraft slid past the airship, missing the net
by a hundred meters. A sooty smear erupted from the engine. The pilot must have
been desperately trying to restart the motor. Moments later, Merlin watched as one
wingtip grazed the side of the cliff and crumpled instantly, horribly. The aircraft
dropped, dashing itself to splinters and shreds against the side of the cliff. There was
no possibility that the pilot could have survived.

For a moment Merlin was numb. He was frozen, unsure what to do next.

HeтАЩd been planning to land, but it seemed improper to arrive immediately after
witnessing such a tragedy. Perhaps the thing to do was find an unin-habited
landmass and put down there.

тАЬThereтАЩs another aircraft,тАЭ Tyrant announced. тАЬItтАЩs approaching from the
west.тАЭ

Still shaken by what heтАЩd seen, Merlin took the stealthed ship closer. Dirty
smoke billowed from the side of the aircraft. In the canopy, the pilot was obviously
engaged in a life-or-death struggle to bring his machine to safety. Even as they
watched, the engine appeared to slow and then restart.

Something slammed past Tyrant, triggering proximity alarms. тАЬSome kind of
shell,тАЭ the ship told Merlin. тАЬI think someone on the ground is trying to shoot down
these aircraft.тАЭ

Merlin looked down. He hadnтАЩt paid much attention to the landmass beneath
them, but now that he didтАФpeering through the holes in a quilt of low-lying
cloudтАФhe made out the unmistakable flashes of artillery posi-tions, laid out along
the pale scratch of a fortified line.

He began to understand why the airship dared not stray too far from the side
of the landmass. Near the cliff, it at least had some measure of cover. It would have
been far too vulnerable to the shells in open air.

тАЬI think itтАЩs time to take a stand,тАЭ he said. тАЬMaintain stealth. IтАЩm going to
provide some lift support to that aircraft. Bring us around to her rear and then
approach from under her.тАЭ

тАЬMerlin, you have no idea who these people are. They could be brigands,
pirates, anything.тАЭ