"Jack McKinney - Robotech 15 - Death Dance" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

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Robotech Sentinels: Death Dance
Book 15 of the Robotech Series
Copyright 1988 by Jack McKinney


CHAPTER ONE
It was as if the Expeditionary mission was fated to strike a truce with someone, and the Regent
just happened to be the only enemy in residence. In another five years the Robotech Masters would
arrive in Earthspace, followed three years later by the Regis and her half of the Invid horde; but
in 2026 (Earth-relative) this was still speculation, and for a few brief days there was talk of
peace, trust, and other impossibilities.
Ahmed Rashona, That Pass in the Night: The SDF-3 and the Mission to Tirol

A fleet of Invid warships emerged from their transtemporal journey through hyperspace into the
cool radiance of Fantoma's primary, like so many shells left revealed on a black sand beach by a
receding tide. The mollusklike carriers positioned themselves a respectful distance from the moon
they had captured then lost; only the fleet's mullet-shaped flagship continued its approach,
menacing in its sealed silence.
At the edge of the ringed giant's shadow, Tirol's guardian, the SDF-3, swung round to face
off with the Regent's vessel, the crimson lobes of its main gun brilliantly outlined in starlight.
Aboard the Earth fortress, in the ship's Tactical Information Center, Major General T. R.
Edwards watched as a transport shuttle emerged from the tip of one of the flagship's armored
tentacles. Edwards trusted that the Regent was aboard the small craft, accompanied certainly by a
retinue of guards and scientists. The presence of the Invid fleet made it clear that any acts of
aggression or duplicity would spell mutual annihilation for Invid and Humans alike.
Admiral Forsythe, who commanded the SDF-3's bridge in the wake of Lisa Hayes's departure
with the Sentinels, was now in constant communication with the Invid flagship. It was the Regent
who had taken the initiative in suggesting this extraordinary visit, but Forsythe had insisted
that the fortress remain at high alert status at least until the Regent was aboard. Disillusioned
by decades of war and betrayal, and hardened by the grim realities of recent reversals, it was the
Human race that had grown wary of summits, distrustful of those who would sue for peace.
Scanners and camera remotes monitored the approach of the Regent's shuttlecraft and
relayed relevant data to screens in the fortress's cavernous Tactical Center, where techs and
staff officers were keeping a close watch on the situation. Edwards moved to the railing of the
command balcony for an overview of the room's enormous horizontal situation screen. Studying the
positions of the Invid troop carriers in relation to the SDF-3, it occurred to him how easy it
would be to fire at them right now, perhaps take half of them out along with the Regent himself
before the Invid retaliated. And even then there was a good chance the fortress would survive the
return fire, which was bound to be confused. Numerous though they might be, the Invid seemed to
lack any real knowledge of strategy. Edwards was convinced that their successful strike against
the SDF-3 almost six months ago had been the result of surprise and old-fashioned blind luck. More
to the point, he felt that he had an intuitive understanding of this enemy-a second sense birthed
during his brief exposure to the brainlike device his own Ghost Squadron had captured on Tirol.
Edwards reminded himself of the several good reasons for exercising restraint. Apart from
the fact that the actual size of the Invid fleet remained unknown, there was this Regis being to
wonder about; her whereabouts and motivations had yet to be determined. Besides, he sensed that
the Regent had something more than peace negotiations in mind. In any case, the data Edwards had
furnished the Invid regarding the Sentinels' ship had already linked the two of them in a separate