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

"Certainly," Yvette replied. "In fact, I'd welcome the chance to sacrifice you."

"As long as you keep in mind that the Empire may need me as an ally to rally my fleet if this is an
alien attack. Ah, we've reached my ship."

Lady A's ship stood alone on a private landing field well outside the city limits of Cochinburg,
Nereid's capital. It stood impressively on its tail, nose pointed at the sky, a much bigger ship than a mere
six people should need for basic transportation. When Fortier mentioned that, the woman's reply was, "We
don't know what we're heading into. A smaller ship might be faster and more maneuverable, but we need
some solid defense capability as well. From the report I got, the enemy is very aggressive about patrolling
the space around Omicron; my operative took off in secret, and even so barely managed to escape alive.
They don't want to let anyone in to get a look at them, which isn't surprising—they want to keep the
element of surprise as much as possible.

"As long as there's a chance of fighting, I want to be able to fight back. This ship, the H-16, is as
well armed as a naval vessel three times its size. Stealth is fine, subtlety is fine, but superior firepower
never hurts."

The groundcar pulled up to the edge of the landing field, as far as the computer grid would take it.
The occupants climbed out and walked across the deserted field in the long twilight of Nereid's evening.
There was a slight chill in the air and the faint, unidentifiable aroma of some local flowers. Lady A set the
pace leading the group toward the ship at a rate just slightly more rapid than even humans from a three-
gee world could tolerate, making them half-run to keep up with her. Jules suspected that, with her tireless
robot body, she was doing it on purpose to show the rest of them up.

They climbed the steep ramp into the ship itself, and the hatch closed impersonally behind them.
Jules, Yvette, and Fortier exchanged concerned glances. From this point on, they would have to consider
themselves in enemy territory, even when they were alone with their "allies." This was not going to be a
comfortable mission.

Lady A led them onto the ship's bridge, a hemispherical chamber with ten acceleration couches
facing consoles around the perimeter. There they met the other two members of their team. One was a
man who seemed tall, although he was of fairly normal height; because Jules and Yvette were from a
three-gee world and Fortier's family had also come from DesPlaines at one time, they were all somewhat
shorter than average. This new comrade, though, was a well-muscled, intelligent looking chap with dark,
short cut hair and thick lips that tended to scowl. He had bushy eyebrows and a nose that had been broken
several times in fights. He moved with the self-assured grace of a person who could handle himself in an
emergency—just the sort of ally to have in a situation like this.

The other member, though, was a surprise—a young woman shorter than Yvette and so slender
she looked almost sickly. The appearance of ill-health was accentuated by the fact that she was an albino
with a mane of yellow-white hair and teary, pinkish eyes. She looked as though a sudden breeze might
blow her over, and she did not seem at all confident surrounded by these imposing physical specimens.

Lady A introduced her colleagues as Ivanov and Tatiana. Those aren't their real names, of course,"
she added, "but true identities seem to be a luxury in our circles. Only Captain Fortier and myself are
being honest about who we are."

"Meaning no offense to Tatiana," Jules said, "I'd like to know what qualifications she has for