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

as importantly they came across a construction supply company. The company stocked explosives,
detonators and fuses, and the team greedily loaded themselves up on those commodities. Facing an enemy
with superior firepower, they would need all the explosive force they could carry to make the battle more
even.

Feeling more securely armed, the group took off again toward the alien camp. They flew at an
intermediate altitude that was an awkward compromise of necessity—high enough to minimize the risks
of being seen or heard from the ground, but low enough, they hoped, to slip in under the watchful gaze of
the alien sensors that were scanning the skies for signs of imperial retribution. They hoped to get some
aerial view of the enemy's layout without being spotted themselves; if they knew what the obstacles were,
they could make better plans to overcome them.

Miraculously, their luck held. The aliens, so alert for ships coming from off the planet, paid
almost no heed to anything that happened on Omicron itself. It fit the pattern the group had witnessed
before, a casual disdain of any defense or offense the local humans could throw against them. It was as
though the aliens, having humiliated Omicron's defenses in a few short hours, no longer worried about any
threat from this direction. Perhaps they were preoccupied with future plans of conquest; aside from
occasional forays to obtain slaves, they gave no thought to the Omicronians whatsoever. Jules found this
strange behavior, but reminded himself they were dealing with alien minds that very probably had their
own unique ways of looking at the universe.

At any rate, he was not going to count the teeth on this particular gift horse. The Empire needed
this information too badly, and he was going to get all the aliens would allow him.

At last they approached the Long River valley and Lady A, who was piloting the copter, slowed
their pace so they could get a better view. As they passed over a set of low hills, they caught sight of the
slave camp sprawled casually on the riverbank. Their copter was so high that the figures were little more
than dots, and it was impossible to tell which were humans and which were aliens. There was a continual
stream of activity, though, as the slaves seemed in the process of building a small city around the outskirts
of the large temporary inflated buildings.

The late afternoon sun gleamed off some tall metal object a few kilometers away, over another set
of hills. "There's something over there," Lady A said. "I think we should find out what it is." Without
waiting for further discussion, she swung the copter in that direction and flew off to investigate.

In less than a minute the alien landing field came into view. The more-or-less rectangular array of
ships stretched out for several kilometers across the otherwise deserted plain; it was a solemn sight, an
example of the power this alien foe would bring to any fight with the Empire. "If we assume their bigger
ships are still out in space," Fortier said, "this is a pretty impressive little navy."

"We also have to assume, for the moment, that this is only a small fraction of their total fleet, just
enough to subdue a single planet effectively," Lady A added. "If their entire force is significantly larger
than this, the Empire will be in serious trouble."

Fortier could only nod silently. While he wasn't privy to the information on the exact size of the
Imperial Navy, he could make a rough estimate based on the number of naval stations scattered
throughout the Empire and the number of ships normally assigned to those stations. If what they saw
below them was truly representational of the alien fleet, the Empire would indeed have a fight on its
hands.