"Michael Stackpole "The Bacta War"" - читать интересную книгу автораVirulence." Captain Sair Yonka smiled at him. "Don't say you're happy to see
me-you won't be." "Captain Drysso, the Freedom is deploying snubfighters, X-wings and Uglies." Drysso stopped before he ordered his own nonexistent fighters into battle. "Contact the planet and have the THDC's squadrons scrambled. I want all their fighters up here protect-ing me. Helm, bring us about to engage the Freedom." He pointed a finger at Yonka's image. "I don't think, sir, when all is said and done, you will be happy that I've seen you." The abundant undergrowth around the Xucphra corporate headquarters provided Iella and her people the means to get within twenty-five meters of the back entrance. They had ex-pected to walk up to it, set a little lock-popping charge on it, blow it open, and be inside before much of an alarm could be raised. Ten meters along the corridor beyond the transpari-steel door they'd be in the building's security center and would be able to control alarms and access to corridors and turbolifts. But now there are two stormtroopers standing guard at the door. At first glance they looked to be the genuine arti-cles, but Iella noticed they chatted back and forth quite a bit. THDC banthas in rancor clothing. Even so, the strip of open ground she needed to cover was enough that the guards, no matter how poorly trained, should be able to cut her down. Because they had been prepared for a close assault, none of her people carried a blaster rifle, just carbines and pistols, so killing both of them from cover was impossible. We might hit them with carbine shots at this range, but the armor means we don't have a guaranteed kill. She needed a diversion, but the only real option she had was to use an explosive them, they'd undoubt-edly report the explosion, providing more of an alert to the forces inside than she wanted. She reached for her comlink to ask Elscol to divert some of her people to help out, when a TIE fighter screamed overhead at treetop level. As a second and third TIE screeched past, Iella saw the door guards look up and point at the starfighters. One even took his helmet off to get a better look, tucking his headgear under his arm. Without a second thought Iella stood and strode from the undergrowth in their direction, shielding her carbine from sight with her body and turning her head to likewise watch the starfighters fly past. A full dozen of the fighters roared out of their hangar, letting Iella know Wedge and his people had finally arrived. Now if I can just do my part. She looked up at the guards, smiling at them, as she reached the base of the stairs leading to the door. " 'Scuse us, ma'am, but you can't be here." The helmet-less guard leaned his blaster carbine against the wall and be-gan to fumble with his helmet again. "Restricted area." "Oh, sorry." Iella reinforced her smile, then brought her blaster carbine up. She scythed fire back and forth, burning holes in the white plastoid armor over the guards' chests and bellies. The helmet fell from lifeless hands and bounced down the ferrocrete stairs as she ran up past it. She stepped over the body of one guard, then leveled her carbine at the door's lock and triggered a burst of scarlet fire that vaporized it. Before she could push the door in with her foot, two Ashern Vratix reached the landing. With their powerful legs they kicked the guards' bodies off the |
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