"Richard Hatch - Battlestar Galactica 5 - Paradis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hatch Richard)

Tigh had enjoyed a reputation for vigilance ever since he'd been a
colonel. He added, "We know we can live down there. I want to know
about any microorganisms that might threaten us. I also want to know if
the place is as damned pristine as it appears because I don't think we
should import any diseases we can avoid with proper treatment first.

"Basically, we need to do yahrens of work in the next few days. Anybody
got a problem with that?"

No one did. "I appreciate your dedication," said the president. "And
cheer up. Sleep is overrated."

This was one of the good times for the Viper pilots—they all had a job
to do. Starbuck and Boomer and Bojay, Troy and Trays, Dalton, Sheba,
and all the rest—now had a chance to show their mettle in atmospheric
flight. Although they had racked up many more hours in space than in
atmospheres, the long quest for Earth had led them to several planets
where they'd had to hone their aerodynamic atmospheric flight skills.

Viper pilots adapted to anything and everything.

Apollo didn't begin the mission alone, but he wanted to go solo more
than any other flyer. He was ambivalent about his emotions when it came
to this. The responsible thing in a military operation was to hold
functioning units together. The man in charge had a special responsibility
to reign in the "loner" tendencies of all good fighters.

But those were rules for other times and places, before the Colonials
were reduced in numbers and set adrift in the universe. Now there were
only so many brave, able professionals to go around.

With Apollo giving the order, the Viper pilots split off from each other
and began the exploration of Paradis.

With the constant hum of his apex pulsar engine penetrating into his
bone marrow, Apollo grasped his navi-hilt and flew into the depths of the
atmosphere. It felt good.

The last time he flew, it had been to do battle in the Ur cloud.
Maneuvers in the cloud were the same as operating in space. Then he had
accelerated toward battle, convinced it was all over for him when he saw
the number of Cylon fighters bearing down.

Now he remembered that day in a place with no days. Whatever
Paradis had to offer, the dangers couldn't begin to approach the level of
risk in the Ur cloud. Paradis just had to be a vacation after that.

Apollo had promised himself that he would never be blinded in battle.
When he had flown into the cloud, hundreds of flashing spots in front of