"Timothy Zahn - Hero of Cartao 2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

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Hero of Cartao.

Episode II.

Hero's Rise.

by Timothy Zahn.

Coming to a midair halt above the kilometer-wide grassy strip separating
the Spaarti Creations manufacturing plant from the northern edge of the
Binalie family estate, the heavy cargo lifters began lowering their magnetic
grapples. Kinman Doriana couldn't see the ground beneath them from his
position - the estate's hills were blocking his view-but he could guess that
they were hovering over the last of the shattered war machines that had ended
up there in the aftermath of the Separatists' assault on the plant two days
earlier.
At least, Doriana thought unkindly, the Neimoidians commanding the
occupying droid army had learned not to simply drive cleanup vehicles onto
that forbidden stretch of grassland. Glancing around to make sure the copse of
trees he was standing in wasn't under observation, he pulled out his
holoprojector and keyed in the contact code.
The connecting light blinked on as the device linked first to the local
comlink central switching office, then to his personal ship and its special
HoloNet node, then across the vast expanse of the Republic to one of the dozen
HoloNet nodes on Coruscant, and finally to the private desk of Supreme
Chancellor Palpatine himself. Doriana watched the lifters as he waited,
wondering if Palpatine would be there or out at yet another meeting.
The image of the most recognized face in the galaxy appeared in the air
above the holoprojector. "Master Doriana," Palpatine said, nodding to his
advisor. "You have good news?"
"Just the opposite, I'm afraid," Doriana admitted. "The Separatists are
still holding Spaarti Creations, and they seem to have finally figured out
that vehicles or people on the plant's southern border upset the Cranscoc
twillers inside. They're clearing the last of the debris off the grassland
now, and my guess is that by tonight they'll be able to get the plant retooled
for whatever it is they want to build in there."
"Not a pleasant thought," Palpatine said gravely. "Are you familiar with
the D-90 project?"
"No," Doriana said. "Is it one of ours?" Palpatine's lip twisted.
"Hardly. It's an experimental combat droid, reputed to be as tough as the
Trade Federation's D-60 assault droid, but more versatile."
"I see," Doriana said. The D-60 was a hulking, man-and-a-half-size
version of the super battle droids the Trade Federation had debuted at the
Battle of Geonosis. "How much more versatile?"
"Considerably," Palpatine said. "They'll be coordinated in small teams
instead of entire army blocks so that they can be used as commando units as
well as simple battlefield shock troops."
"An unpleasant thought, indeed," Doriana said. So, the Separatists