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

finished.
"It looks like any future fighting is going to be
against the Keldons, Natal. The age of machines fighting
machines has ended. The enemy is men only now. More of the
fighting is going to be men against men. The Keldons raid
too widely, and there are only so many machines." Haddad
echoed the words of the pessimistic veterans. "You chose
better than you knew when you went into the technical
service. The infantry and cavalry are going to be fighting
in the field, not sitting in garrison. When the real
battles begin, we'll be in camp most of the time." His
words were not those of a hero, but the earlier mercenary
view of combat still was prevalent in the army. Combat was
something you prepared for, but fighting was too dangerous
and expensive to be eagerly sought. New recruits and new
battles were changing the military, and Haddad knew he
would be increasingly out of step with the mutable army.
"Hey, Haddad," Natal called, jarring his friend from
his thoughts. "We've arrived."
The bodies of Keldons slain by the rear guard were
clearly visible on the sides of the hills. Haddad thought
there were less than ten killed, but it was hard to be
sure. The Keldons had been dismembered and scattered by
steel ants, and he closed his eyes several times as he
tried to get an accurate count. Sergeant Atul motioned the
wagons to stay put, and he collected an advance party. The
column was surrounded by rises just steep enough to block
the men's sight and limit mobility. Haddad could see the
trail of disturbance the League assault forces left as
they scrambled over the loose ground. He could hear what
might be combat in the distance. It sounded as if there
was fighting over the short rise before them. But noise
could carry a long distance, and Sergeant Atul wanted a
look before advancing blindly. Everyone climbed very
slowly up the slope.
The sergeant crouched as he reached the crest, and the
others did as well. The scene before them was so
unexpected that they looked for several seconds in
confusion. Slowly they began to realize what had happened.
The
League assault forces, so confidently thrown against
the foe, had been defeated.
The steel ants, so deadly under Natal's eyes, were
scattered pieces, dismembered as crudely and sloppily as
the Keldons Haddad had tried to count minutes before.
Still stunned, Haddad voiced his first thought, "We'll
never fix everything with what we brought."
Natal nodded dumbly as Corporal Vanosh crabbed quickly
over and whispered in Haddad's ear. "Shut your mouth, or
I'll open your throat." The corporal had a knife in his