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keyboardi's edge, digging in, but his voice remained level.
"Compensator has no reading. Crew visual indicates no compensator."
"Stet. No compensator. Begin blade deployment sequence.
I say again. Begin blade deployment sequence." "Stet. Beginning blade
deployment sequence." "Outrider three. When the blades lock, hit the power
disconnect. As soon as the blades lock, hit the power disconnect, and dump the
thrusters. Do you understand?" "Blades locked, hit the disconnect . . . dump
thrusters." "That's affirmative. No power descent. Pick out the levelest spot you
can dead ahead. Keep your nose down. Radalt hits one fifty, you flare. Flare at
one fifty. At one hundred, pull full blade angle. One hundred, full blade angle."
"Stet. No power flare at one fifty, full blade angle at one hundred."
"That's affirmative."
Matsuko's hand blanked the comm link.
"What are you doing?"
Gerswin did not take his eyes off the console.
"No power for a turn, not without hitting the sheer line. Not enough power or
time to cross the rock ridge ahead. No compensator for a powered blade descent.
Flat rock auto is the best I can do."
He brushed Matsuko's hands from the console.
"Interrogative altitude, airspeed."
"Passing four hundred at one hundred." The woman's voice was low, but clear
and steady.
"Nose up. Nose up, three. Airspeed at sixty to seventy as you pass two
hundred."
"Stet. Nose up. Passing two fifty, airspeed, eighty."
"Nose down a shade."
"Stet. Nose down. Speed seventy."
"Flare at one fifty. Flare at one fifty."
"Flaring-" The transmission ended as if cut by a knife.
Gerswin stood so abruptly the swivel slammed and clattered into the console
behind.
"Was that a transmission loss?" asked a new voice.
Gerswin shook his head, slowly, forcing himself to unclench his tightened fists.
He looked at the two console screens, then at the floor.
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Matsuko looked at Gerswin's face, then snapped. "Is two ready to lift?"
"Yes, ser."
"Launch and vector to three's last position. Medic on board?"
"That's affirmative, ser."
"Launch."
"Two. Outrider two, this is Opswatch. Cleared to lift. Vector to target is three
four five. Three four five."
"Opswatch, Outrider two, lifting. Will be turning three four five."
Gerswin looked at the met screen, then at Matsuko.
"Captain, that vector's wrong. They'll cross the sheer line."
The tech on the end console began computing.
"He's right."
"Outrider two. Course correction. Course correction. Sheer line at three five
zero. Turn two seven zero. Two seven zero."
"Thanks, Opswatch. Turning two seven zero. How long this course?"
"Outrider two. Estimate five minutes, then a vector of zero zero five."
"Stet. Turning two seven zero. Climbing to one thousand. Climbing to one
thousand."
"Understand climbing to one thousand."
Gerswin took his eyes away from the screens and stepped farther back, still
shaking his head slowly, as if unable to believe that the flitter had crashed into
the rocky flats northwest of the Imperial base.
"... killer planet . . . Istvenn take it. ..."
"... the lieutenant couldn't ... no one could have ..."
Gerswin's steps took him to the backless couch outside Matsuko's office, and he
sat down, staring at nothing, trying not to think about how Miri Frantz must have
felt as the flitter mashed into the rocky upthrusts with both forward speed and a
descent rate approaching a thousand meters a minute.
But what else could he have suggested? Leaving her on thrusters would have
plowed her into solid rock at nearly two hundred kays. If only he'd tried to get a
better reading on the actual terrain slope. ... But there had been so little time.
If he'd been there. . . . But he wouldn't have flown through a sheer line
unprepared.
". . . have the target in sight . . ."
Gerswin's ears caught the transmission from Outrider two, and he jerked
himself erect, walking back to the control area, standing quietly behind the swivel
where Captain Matsuko sat.
"Understand you have the target in sight?"
"That's affirmative. Deploying blades now."
"Stet. Understand blade deployment."
The console was silent, with only a single amber blip, motionless, as the flitter
began its descent.
"Interrogative target status."
"Opswatch. Target has sustained maximum structural damage. Maximum
structural damage."
Matsuko winced. Gerswin and the other pilots understood the implications of
the shorthand expression.
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r r
Maximum structural damage to the flitter meant maximum structural damage
to the crew.
A hush dropped over the operations area, as the surrounding techs and officers
waited.
"Opswatch. Hovering over target. Lowering medic. Preliminary indication is [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]