"Robert E. Vardeman - Battletech - Mechwarrior - Dark Age 03 - The Ruins Of Power" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vardeman Robert E)

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the authorтАЩs
Imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business
establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.



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1
Barren plains 200 km north of Cingulum

Musasalah, Mirach

Prefecture IV, The Republic

3 April 3133

Twilight clutched at the hopeless world.

Nothing appeared as it should, and this bothered Austin Ortega. He had been on this range before, but it
was different this time. Subtly different. Bloody light leaked from the sky and dribbled across the rocky
plains, giving a surreal appearance. Hills in the distance vomited out black tailings as he remembered, but
the uneven terrain where he guided his тАЩMech showed mining activity at a variance with MirachтАЩs
environment. To AustinтАЩs rear lay vast chasms where surface mining had ripped the planetтАЩs hide until all
the tungsten ore had been extracted, with no effort made at mending the scars or closing the entrances to
underground shafts. Walking theCenturion BattleMech over the broken field would be easy enough if he
avoided the pits.
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Austin had piloted this model beforeтАФmany times beforeтАФand controlled it with expertise unmatched
on the planet. But he had no idea what model BattleMech he faced. Not yet.

It was time to get to work.

Austin settled his neurohelmet firmly, tipped his head slightly to check balance response in the тАЩMech,
and felt tiny feedback tingles in his scalp telling him all was well; then he connected the hose from the
command couch to his cooling vest. A soft sigh filled the тАЩMech cockpit as the liquid coolant began
circulating. He went from too hot to too cold in an instant. That would change once he engaged the