"Vance Moore - Magic The Gathering - Masquerade Cycle 03 - Prophecy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moore Vance)

and took a shallow draft before handing it to Haddad. The
wine tasted terrible but still cut through the cold dust
coating Haddad's tongue.
Natal and the corporal disappeared from sight as he
handed back the wine. Haddad wondered what else might be
lurking ahead.
"Natal hasn't trained much with rockets, Sergeant."
Fear and concern for his friend made him talkative.
"Natal's purpose is to find the combat troops or warn
us of the enemy. If he has to fire he is most likely going
to die. With the rocket he will at least die loudly and
warn the rest of us," Atul said without looking at Haddad.
"Find the reloads," he continued, "I'll speak to the
drivers myself."
Haddad turned numbly as he watched Atul speaking to
the drivers. The wind was cold, but Atul's words were
colder. Natal might die, and Atul only wanted it to be
noisy-a few minutes' warning at best. Haddad started back
to check the wagons as Atul instructed. He wondered what
his own life was worth in the sergeant's estimation. The
column advanced once again. Haddad went quickly from wagon
to wagon, quizzing the drivers and searching the cargo for
heavy-weapon reloads. He found none.
The machines making up the strike force were the
lightest in the League arsenal. The commanders had not
loaded the ants' direct fire weapons. The League was still
largely made up of mercenaries from the city wars ended
only a few years before. Each city of the League had seen
to its own defense and conducted small, stylized wars with
other cities over resources, trade, or even honor. The
wars depended heavily on paid mercenaries who fought
according to a code of strictly limited warfare. Damaged
machines and dead men were viewed as too costly. Heavy
weapons were rarely used due to their fairly substantial
costs, the damage they did to enemies who might be future
allies, and the destruction of loot on the battlefield.
Heavy weapons such as war rockets, toxic web rounds, and
penetrating bolts were rarely used without desperation on
the part of opposing forces. The current League commander
did not consider a battle with the Keldon raiders as
desperate. There were no reloads to be found in the
wagons, just logistical supplies for infantry and modular
repair parts for the steel ants.
Natal and Corporal Vanosh returned as Haddad looked
through the last wagon; it had taken longer than he
planned due to the poor light. The sun finished rising
over the hillside as he hurried forward to report to the
sergeant. He arrived in time to hear Corporal Vanosh
speak.
"We found the rear guard, Sergeant. It's about forty