"E. E. Doc Smith - D' Alembert 9 - The Omicron Invasion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

Then one horrifying day, death rained out of the skies. Nonnuclear bombs began failing on the
major cities and settlements of Omicron simultaneously all over the planet. There was never any accurate
count of the people killed and wounded in those first few minutes, but the number easily ran into the
millions. People died as buildings collapsed around them; others died from flying debris or the
concussions of explosions. The SOTE office in Omicron City, the planet's capital, was smashed to rubble.
Between one moment and the next, devastation and disaster settled upon peaceful Omicron.

Because Omicron was the planet farthest from the imperial center, the Navy had a base located
there. Several battleships and cruisers were stationed at the Omicron base, and it had always been
considered a quiet assignment; aside from occasional maneuvers and war games, nothing ever happened.
Even pirates and smugglers left Omicron alone; perhaps they felt it would not be worth their while to
travel so far for the small potential rewards.

The Navy must have been as surprised as everyone else by the suddenness of the attack. There
must have been someone manning the sensor screens when the invading ships appeared out of subspace.
An alarm of some sort must have been given. The Navy crews must have scrambled frantically into their
ships even as a challenge was broadcast to the unknown force overhead, either to identify themselves or to
leave the vicinity of the planet immediately.

As well trained as the Imperial Navy was, it would be difficult to believe they would not have
responded instantly to the threat. But standard procedures in this case were not sufficient. No one knows
precisely how the base reacted, because within minutes after the invading fleet appeared in Omicron's
skies the base was pounded into oblivion with beams and bombs. After the invaders landed and took
control of the planet, they finished off the job they'd begun at long distance. There was not a fragment of
evidence left to give posterity a clue about the actions of those valiant men and women. In addition to the
loss of personnel, twenty-six ships of various sizes were destroyed on the ground, without even a chance
to fight back against the unknown enemy.

As luck would have it, there were eight naval ships in orbit around Omicron, undergoing training
maneuvers. They must have witnessed the destruction because, under the command of their senior officer,
Captain Osho, they rallied together in a brave attempt to strike back at the invading force.

They were terribly outnumbered; the enemy strength was well over a hundred ships. But numbers
meant little when weighed against the courage and loyalty of the Imperial Navy. The eight ships and their
crews put up a valiant fight to protect the planet from tragedy.

Unable to make a frontal assault, the eight naval ships had to settle for harassment tactics. As the
enemy fleet surrounded Omicron and pounded it with bombs and radiation, the remaining defenders
swooped in from behind and made pesky little raids at their rear. It's impossible to tell whether their
actions saved any lives on the ground, but they did divert some of the enemy's attention to protecting its
flanks instead of putting all its energy into offense against the helpless planet below.

Once the initial bombardment had finished, the attacking fleet began to descend into the
atmosphere, seeking to consolidate its gains. Again the Navy ships made daring maneuvers, almost
suicidal in their willingness to weave in and out among the enemy vessels, firing shots broadside
whenever a target presented itself. The invaders suffered two ships destroyed and four others disabled
before they decided to put a stop to this harassment once and for all.

A detachment broke loose from the invading formation to chase down the annoying imperial craft.
The Navy ships, even knowing they were outgunned, did not flee the battle. Instead, they made their