"Richard Allen Stotts - Empire 1 - Midshipman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stotts Richard Allen)

escort duty, if the civilian cargo craft managed to pull off a
rescue.




17
 RapierтАЩs auxiliary craft still had power for
communications and scanning equipment, the rear view
screen showed an ungainly cargo shuttle closing at an
alarming rate.
тАЬHeтАЩs approaching too fast!тАЭ Ensign WaterтАЩs didnтАЩt
quite scream his opinion. тАЬBrace for collision!тАЭ
He did scream that.


The collision didnтАЩt occur, instead the small auxiliary
craft found itself suddenly shaded from the sun by the cargo
shuttle which now hung motionless mere feet from the naval
craftтАЩs hull.
тАЬGood God!тАЭ Waters expressed the consensus
opinion.
тАЬHeтАЩs extremely good,тАЭ Captain Fredericks observed
coolly, тАЬI noticed that he also sounded very young.тАЭ


Daniel extended the boaтАЩs, a set of twelve flexible
snake-like grapples. They extended straight down at first,
six to each side of the naval craft. Daniel hit the auto-
conform button on the grappler controls and the thick boaтАЩs
closed and wrapped themselves around the stricken craftтАЩs
hull. It wasnтАЩt a very gentle embrace, inside the naval craft
it sounded as if they were being beaten to bits and crushed




18
at the same time.


As Daniel hit the тАШliftтАЩ button to pull the craft into place
beneath the shuttle, Ensign Waters made another tense
observation.
тАЬAtmosphere is imminent, Gryphon!тАЭ
тАЬI have you now, brace for hard acceleration,тАЭ Daniel
replied calmly.
The boy didnтАЩt want to have to explain a singed cargo
shuttle to his captain so he poured on a good seven
gravities worth of thrust. The brutal orbital shift lasted thirty