[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
There you ll find a stock of fuel, spares, and missiles, everything you ll need tae carry you all the way in
tae the outer moon of Kilrah. The first depot faded, and another more distant asteroid was indicated.
Should ye find the first position compromised, laddie, there is a second choice. But remember, if ye
canna keep one depot in reserve, there ll nae be enough fuel in your birds tae get you through the jump
point after the mission s done. The second depot is supposed to be for the trip back but I ken well you ll
do what ye have tae if the mission depends upon it.
Paladin s face appeared on the screen again. Good luck, laddie. You ll need it.
The screen went blank.
Blair set his course for the nearer depot, knowing that the others would be doing the same. They were
maintaining absolute comm silence, hoping to avoid any detection by the Kilrathi. Surprise was their only
hope . . . surprise sheer flying skill and pure, unadulterated good luck.
He hoped it would be enough.
Excalibur 302 Kilrah System
A warning alarm beeped for attention, and Lieutenant Winston Chang checked his sensor board. There
was something ahead, a powered target that glowed amber on his screen as the computer tried to identify
it as friend or foe. A moment later, it changed to a reddish orange. An enemy, then . . . no, two enemies,
a pair of Darket fighters, evidently making a routine patrol sweep.
Vagabond muttered an old Chinese curse under his breath and cut power to his engines. The two
Darket were dead ahead and only a few hundred kilometers beyond lay the large asteroid where the first
depot was established. In order to reach their destination, transmitters aboard the Excaliburs were
programmed to send out short-burst signals to activate the locator transponders in the depot. As long as
those two Darket were in the neighborhood, the Terrans were stuck. The depot might as well be around
Sirius.
Meanwhile, there was another danger. If the Kilrathi got too close, they would spot the Terran ships,
cloaked or not.
The two light fighters were making a slow, graceful turn. Vagabond warily watched them, alert for any
signs of their detecting the location of one of the Terran fighters. He wondered about the others. Their
original tight formation had become tenuous en route to the asteroid, and he was no longer sure where
any of his comrades might be.
The Darket were going to pass close to him . . . too close. Vagabond engaged his engines again and
started to bank away, but it was too late. Suddenly the two Kilrathi ships were picking up speed,
swinging around, pointed directly at him. Cloaked, he had no shields. A few shots would be enough to
knock him out.
He cut the cloak, shunting power to the weapons and shield generators and cutting back on his own
course with a sharp pull on the steering yoke. Maybe if he disposed of these two fast enough there would
be no time for them to summon help.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
One of the Darket opened fire just as the green light on his shield status display appeared. Blasters
pounded at the shields, but to little effect. He returned fire with blasters and a pair of heat-seekers,
closing the range fast. The Darket s shields crumbled beneath the heavy pounding, and a moment later his
beams bored through armor and set off the missiles slung under the Kilrathi crafts wings. He was close
enough now to actually be caught in the fireball, and the energy release and spinning debris overloaded
his own shielding.
In that moment, the second Darket engaged. He didn t have to look at the damage control panel to
know that he was losing armor around his reactor. Desperately, Vagabond tried to dodge, but the
controls were sluggish.
He broke comm silence. I can t shake him! I m going up. And just before the Darket fired again, he
managed to add a final plea. Don t give up, Colonel. You ve got to take them down . . . for all of us
who didn t make it!
He slammed the switch to trigger his ejection system, praying he wasn t already too late.
Excalibur 300 Kilrah System
Blair saw Vagabond s Excalibur go up in flames of fury. He let out a cry of rage and grief. The Chinese
pilot s last words echoed in his mind, and he made a grim, silent vow that Chang s last effort wouldn t be
in vain.
Then Maniac s fighter appeared on his sensors swooping in from beyond the expanding fireball. Blair
spotted the Excalibur a moment later as Maniac opened fire, battering through the Darket s shields. The
fighter exploded.
His satisfaction was short-lived, though. Flint broke comm silence a moment later. We ve got trouble,
boys, she said. Heading our way.
Two more Darket appeared from beyond the bulk of the asteroid, moving slowly but gathering speed as
they came. Blair s comm monitor picked up a transmission from one of them. They were summoning
help.
Lancelot Flight, break off action, he ordered sharply. Recloak and head for the backup rendezvous.
It galled him to run, but they didn t have much choice. Though the Excaliburs could deal with these two
fighters easily enough, they couldn t count on being able to refuel and rearm at this depot before a swarm
of additional Kilrathi ships turned up. A thorough search of the asteroid would turn up the depot, and if
they were caught inside the result would be disastrous.
He hit his afterburners and punched in the new course. Paladin s warning ran through his mind. With this
depot compromised and the secondary one depleted, the Terrans were on a one-way trip to Kilrah.
if they made it that far. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl karpacz24.htw.pl
There you ll find a stock of fuel, spares, and missiles, everything you ll need tae carry you all the way in
tae the outer moon of Kilrah. The first depot faded, and another more distant asteroid was indicated.
Should ye find the first position compromised, laddie, there is a second choice. But remember, if ye
canna keep one depot in reserve, there ll nae be enough fuel in your birds tae get you through the jump
point after the mission s done. The second depot is supposed to be for the trip back but I ken well you ll
do what ye have tae if the mission depends upon it.
Paladin s face appeared on the screen again. Good luck, laddie. You ll need it.
The screen went blank.
Blair set his course for the nearer depot, knowing that the others would be doing the same. They were
maintaining absolute comm silence, hoping to avoid any detection by the Kilrathi. Surprise was their only
hope . . . surprise sheer flying skill and pure, unadulterated good luck.
He hoped it would be enough.
Excalibur 302 Kilrah System
A warning alarm beeped for attention, and Lieutenant Winston Chang checked his sensor board. There
was something ahead, a powered target that glowed amber on his screen as the computer tried to identify
it as friend or foe. A moment later, it changed to a reddish orange. An enemy, then . . . no, two enemies,
a pair of Darket fighters, evidently making a routine patrol sweep.
Vagabond muttered an old Chinese curse under his breath and cut power to his engines. The two
Darket were dead ahead and only a few hundred kilometers beyond lay the large asteroid where the first
depot was established. In order to reach their destination, transmitters aboard the Excaliburs were
programmed to send out short-burst signals to activate the locator transponders in the depot. As long as
those two Darket were in the neighborhood, the Terrans were stuck. The depot might as well be around
Sirius.
Meanwhile, there was another danger. If the Kilrathi got too close, they would spot the Terran ships,
cloaked or not.
The two light fighters were making a slow, graceful turn. Vagabond warily watched them, alert for any
signs of their detecting the location of one of the Terran fighters. He wondered about the others. Their
original tight formation had become tenuous en route to the asteroid, and he was no longer sure where
any of his comrades might be.
The Darket were going to pass close to him . . . too close. Vagabond engaged his engines again and
started to bank away, but it was too late. Suddenly the two Kilrathi ships were picking up speed,
swinging around, pointed directly at him. Cloaked, he had no shields. A few shots would be enough to
knock him out.
He cut the cloak, shunting power to the weapons and shield generators and cutting back on his own
course with a sharp pull on the steering yoke. Maybe if he disposed of these two fast enough there would
be no time for them to summon help.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
One of the Darket opened fire just as the green light on his shield status display appeared. Blasters
pounded at the shields, but to little effect. He returned fire with blasters and a pair of heat-seekers,
closing the range fast. The Darket s shields crumbled beneath the heavy pounding, and a moment later his
beams bored through armor and set off the missiles slung under the Kilrathi crafts wings. He was close
enough now to actually be caught in the fireball, and the energy release and spinning debris overloaded
his own shielding.
In that moment, the second Darket engaged. He didn t have to look at the damage control panel to
know that he was losing armor around his reactor. Desperately, Vagabond tried to dodge, but the
controls were sluggish.
He broke comm silence. I can t shake him! I m going up. And just before the Darket fired again, he
managed to add a final plea. Don t give up, Colonel. You ve got to take them down . . . for all of us
who didn t make it!
He slammed the switch to trigger his ejection system, praying he wasn t already too late.
Excalibur 300 Kilrah System
Blair saw Vagabond s Excalibur go up in flames of fury. He let out a cry of rage and grief. The Chinese
pilot s last words echoed in his mind, and he made a grim, silent vow that Chang s last effort wouldn t be
in vain.
Then Maniac s fighter appeared on his sensors swooping in from beyond the expanding fireball. Blair
spotted the Excalibur a moment later as Maniac opened fire, battering through the Darket s shields. The
fighter exploded.
His satisfaction was short-lived, though. Flint broke comm silence a moment later. We ve got trouble,
boys, she said. Heading our way.
Two more Darket appeared from beyond the bulk of the asteroid, moving slowly but gathering speed as
they came. Blair s comm monitor picked up a transmission from one of them. They were summoning
help.
Lancelot Flight, break off action, he ordered sharply. Recloak and head for the backup rendezvous.
It galled him to run, but they didn t have much choice. Though the Excaliburs could deal with these two
fighters easily enough, they couldn t count on being able to refuel and rearm at this depot before a swarm
of additional Kilrathi ships turned up. A thorough search of the asteroid would turn up the depot, and if
they were caught inside the result would be disastrous.
He hit his afterburners and punched in the new course. Paladin s warning ran through his mind. With this
depot compromised and the secondary one depleted, the Terrans were on a one-way trip to Kilrah.
if they made it that far. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]