"E. E. Doc Smith - D' Alembert 9 - The Omicron Invasion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

feel about her."

"But she knows you're honorable," Pias pointed out, "whereas you know she isn't. That makes all
the difference."

The couples kissed a long, passionate farewell. Jules and Yvette said goodbye to little Maurice
and Kari, wondering whether the combination of enemy forces and Lady A would allow them to see their
children again. Then Pias and Vonnie took the youngsters and retired to the edge of Felicité's private
landing field to watch their mates depart.

Jules and Yvette took off in their own private ship, La Cométe Cuivré. It was a cozy two-seater,
but more than that it was the fastest ship available on such short notice. In going from DesPlaines to
Nereid, they would be traversing two-thirds the diameter of the Empire: even at the Comet's top speed,
they'd barely make it in time.

They spent a nervous three days in subspace as their ship sped along to their destination. After
reading over the background files on Omicron they'd borrowed from Felicité's extensive library, there was
nothing for them to do. Nothing in the history of the Empire had prepared them for the problem of dealing
with a new and potentially hostile intelligent race. They moped around the ship, missing their spouses and
their children, and wondering what they would say to Lady A when they finally met her face to face on an
equal basis. Jules had already encountered her once—but the brief meeting on Gastonia had hardly been
conducive to good relationships.

They landed on Nereid with but a couple of hours to spare. The Comet had a berth in it for their
private groundcar and, packing their belongings into a couple of small duffle bags, they drove out of the
spaceport. The local traffic computer broadcast a streetmap of the area on their car's screen, and Jules
drove just a hair inside all traffic laws getting them on time to the hotel that was to be their rendezvous
point.

Inside the lobby they met up with Captain Paul Fortier, the third representative of the Empire in
their party. The naval officer had barely arrived on Nereid himself, and admitted to being a little groggy
with subspace fatigue. Fortier had worked briefly with Yvette before and recognized her face although he
didn't know her true name: even at his level he wasn't cleared for such crucial information as that. Yvette
merely identified herself as Agent Periwinkle and introduced her brother as Agent Wombat. Fortier,
realizing the need for secrecy, accepted the introductions and made no effort to pry further.

The three agents went into the hotel bar and sat at a table together. At precisely three o'clock local
time, Lady A walked into the bar. She looked around, spotted the trio, and walked resolutely over to their
table.

No matter how much they hated her, the agents of the Empire had to admit their enemy was a
ravishingly beautiful woman, with black hair that was a perfect complement to the creaminess of her skin.
The jumpsuit she wore was a dark forest green challis set with swirls of dark gray, and emphasized every
curve of her supple form. Aimée Amorat had commissioned this robot body as the perfect receptacle for
her devious mind, and her judgment could not be faulted. It was just a pity, they thought, that her sense of
morals had not kept pace with her sense of style and taste.

"Since we all know each other," she said coldly, "I see no point in introductions. My companions
are already awaiting us in my ship. Time is of the essence in this case; I'd suggest we leave at once."