"Michael Stackpole "The Bacta War"" - читать интересную книгу автора

possible, but we're as vulnerable here as the Alliance was on Hoth or Yavin 4.
If Isard finds us, we're in for a difficult time."
"Then the sooner we're on Thyferra, the sooner she'll have to think about
leaving at least part of her fleet at home."
Gavin frowned. "But I thought the fleet needed to be scattered."
"True enough, but scattered in a way that you can nibble it to death. I know you
Rogues are hot hands on a stick, but a dozen snubfighters can't take four
capital ships all by them-selves. Isard has to be induced to send the ships out
so you can eliminate them, but she also needs a reason to leave some of them at
home so you don't get overwhelmed."
Corran raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you're sug-gesting the only way we win
this thing is if Iceheart starts getting stupid."
"Not at all, flyboy. What we need to do is to give Isard too many things to
think about. She likes to be in control- that's clear-and she'll do outrageous
things to remain in control." Sixtus smiled in a way that made it seem as if
smil-ing were an effort for him. "We have to present her with enough problems
that she's reacting to what we do, not act-ing by herself. We set the pace and
determine what she does."
Tycho's eyes narrowed. "And if she doesn't dance to the tune we call?"
Elscol opened her hands. "Then we dance around her. Make no mistake about it,
defeating her is going to be neither pretty nor swift, but it can be done.
People are going to die, but if she remains in charge of the bacta supply in the
galaxy, that's a given anyway."
Wedge nodded and felt his shoulders begin to ache as if someone had settled a
lead-lined cloak across them. While none of the Rogues had ever attempted to
minimize the diffi-
culty of what they had set out to do, neither had they taken a close look at the
realities of it. It is almost as if we began to believe in the legend of Rogue
Squadron-that impossible missions are for us just run of the mill. We know death
and dying are part of any operation, but since we're the ones putting our lives
on the line, we're accepting responsibility for our own lives. Elscol's pointing
out, quite correctly, that a lot of other people can and will be hurt in all
this.
He nodded slowly. "Okay, we've got to start planning this all in earnest. We're
gathering weapons and the ships we need already, but now we're going to have to
designate mis-sion goals, outline parameters, set rules of engagement, and
establish just how far we're willing to go to accomplish the end we desire: the
liberation of Thyferra. I take it that the fact that you're here means you're
willing to help us do this, El-scol?"
She winked at Wedge. "Actually I was coming here to give you folks the joy of
flying cover for me while my people handled the problem, but I think throwing in
with you is the only way to get this done. We're in."
"Great." Wedge clapped her on the shoulders. "So, where do you suggest we
begin?"
Elscol's smile blossomed. "I think the first thing we want to do is to make
Isard very mad."
10
Corran made one last check on his instruments, but every-thing seemed fine. His
screen showed him to be fifteen sec-onds from reversion to realspace. "Hang on,
Whistler, this could be very strange."