"Anderson, Kevin J - Seven Suns 2 - 2003 - A Forest of Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anderson Kevin J)

Jess gathered loyal workers and went back to Golgen, where the hydrogues had
destroyed the Blue Sky Mine. He and his cohorts modified comet orbits and sent
giant frozen missiles plummeting down to the gas planet with the force of atomic
warheads.
On Earth, hoping to find a key to new technology, a robotics researcher tricked
one of the Klikiss robots, JORAX, into his lab. When the scientist attempted to
dissect the alien robot, however, Jorax murdered him. “There are some things you
cannot be permitted to know.” In the aftermath, the robot claimed that the
unscrupulous scientist had activated an involuntary self-preservation system.
Jorax then demanded that all Klikiss robots be treated as sovereign life forms,
and the old King forbade any further dissection attempts.
Meanwhile, Beneto received a request to replace an old green priest, TALBUN, on
the colony world of Corvus Landing. Beneto happily agreed. Though this wasn’t
the glamorous position Mother Alexa and Father Idriss had hoped for their son,
Beneto was adamant. His adoring younger sister ESTARRA—a tomboy who had always
explored the forests with Beneto—bade him a sad farewell. Later, at Corvus
Landing, when Talbun was satisfied that Beneto was well prepared, the old priest
walked off into his worldtree grove and allowed himself to die, letting his body
be absorbed into the worldforest network.
While exploring the Prism Palace on Ildira, Nira encountered another son of the
Mage-Imperator, the grim and intense DOBRO DESIGNATE UDRU’H, who interrogated
Nira about her telepathic potential as a green priest. The Designate then
reported to the Mage-Imperator about his covert breeding experiments between
Ildirans and captive humans on Dobro. The leader expressed urgency: The return
of the ancient enemy, the hydrogues, left the Ildirans little time to
genetically create a being with the necessary characteristics to save the
Empire. Udru’h suggested that Nira might have the DNA potential they needed.
Meanwhile, the Solar Navy commander, Adar Kori’nh, directed his officers to
practice with innovative Terran military exercises. Many conservative officers
were uncomfortable trying new techniques, but ZAN’NH—the firstborn son of Prime
Designate Jora’h—proved capable of great innovation. Kori’nh raised Zan’nh in
rank and demoted the stodgiest of the old subcommanders.
Then the Solar Navy fleet went to the gas giant Qronha 3, the site of the only
skymining facility still operated by Ildiran workers. When hydrogue warglobes
rose from the clouds and began to destroy the ekti facility, the Solar Navy
engaged in a furious battle. The hydrogue weaponry was far superior, but the
disgraced and demoted Ildiran subcommander took a desperate suicidal action,
crashing his battleship into the nearest crystal sphere, which destroyed the
warglobe and gave the Solar Navy time to retreat with the rescued skyminers. In
the thousands of years chronicled in theSaga of Seven Suns, no Ildiran had ever
experienced such a terrible and humiliating defeat.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Raymond Aguerra continued training to become the next
King, watched over by the compy OX. At first, he couldn’t believe the change
from the rough streets to the opulent palace, but soon he began to resent the
rigid control. To his horror, he discovered that the Hansa had caused the
terrible fire that killed his family, and realized he must be very careful.
Upon learning that the Ildirans had also been attacked by the deep-core aliens,
Chairman Wenceslas went to meet with the Mage-Imperator to propose an alliance.
The hydrogues themselves had neither acknowledged nor responded to repeated
requests for negotiation.