"Lawrence Watt-Evans - War Surplus 01 - The Cyborg And The Sorcerers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

Its tail end was a good four meters off the ground. Slant took a running start and leaped for it, catching
hold with one hand and hauling himself up, trying to keep his bare head as far from the hot metal of the
hull as he could. The insulated gloves, boots, and suit made it bearable for the rest of his body as he
clambered his way up the side of the ship.

"Open up," he demanded as he neared the hatch, "and stop shooting. You're wasting power and
ammunition."

"Affirmative." The explosions stopped, leaving only the sounds of crumbling walls and falling debris and
the hiss of the airlock door opening.

As soon as he was aboard he ordered the computer to open the inner lock door immediately, rather than
wait for the full cycle. It opened; he strode through, went straight to the control cabin, and climbed onto
the acceleration couch. He reached back for the direct-control cable and told the computer, "Get us out
of here."

Immediately he was smashed back into the couch by the crushing acceleration of a full-power launch,
and he knew that anything that had still stood in the immediate area of the plaza was gone. Besides the
blast itself there would be fires from the heat, and nobody around to fight them. The pressure of
acceleration overcame him, and he blacked out.



Chapter Eight

WHEN HE CAME TO, THE DIRECT-CONTROL CABLE WAS still in his hand, though he had not
managed to plug himself in. He lay still for a moment, gathering his wits, looking about the cabin at the
familiar tapestries and fur-covered walls he hadn't gotten around to changing from white. He idly turned
them light blue and asked, "Where are we?"

"In low elliptical orbit around planet; no surface references available."

"Was the ship damaged in the landing?"

"Minor abrasion of hull occurred on impact; no other known damage."

"What about Teyzha?"
"Restate question."

"How much damage did the city receive?"

"Exact information unavailable. Estimate severe damage to central area, ten percent of area within walls;
light or moderate damage to further twenty percent of area within walls. Probable enemy losses between
one hundred and three thousand dead."

"That's a pretty damn wide range." He hoped that the lower end was more nearly correct. He noticed the
direct-control cable he still held and fitted it into the back of his neck. "Play the tapes of the landing." He
closed his eyes and waited.

He was tearing down through the sky toward Teyzha at an incredible speed; the tape had been made