Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 7

Chapter 7

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 14:08

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Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 14:08

"Damn students," Krain Werk cursed softly and prepared to shoot himself, showing Marek to join him with his eyes. Actually, according to the original plan, which he, Krain, had developed and personally, three times, presented to the "resistance fighters", Rodik and Milun were to shoot, for which they were given a heavy stun gun, the only one available to the group.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:05

But the duelists were already moving away, and no one was shooting. And he had to make adjustments on the fly.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:06

//Or else they'll put holes in our dearest lord.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:06

He lowered the window of the aerocar a little and stuck the barrel through the gap. Marek, who was sitting behind him, did the same. The smell of wet leaves and the quiet rustle of the waves on the waterfront wafted into the cabin.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:07

"Fire!" Krain exhaled briefly and pressed the trigger.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:08

A loud throbbing gun howl reverberated along the embankment, gradually drowned out by the dense foliage of the densely planted trees.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:08

The two ribbons of purple lights buzzed like angry wasps and swept toward the "offended" and smashed into him in a series of flashes. The duelist, cramped, collapsed on the sidewalk, frozen in an absurd pose before he could turn around.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:09

The standard imperial R-55 in non-lethal mode pissed off the target, stinging it painfully rather than paralyzing it. But at thirty paces, in two barrels, in a burst...

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:09

Krain was about to turn his fire on the rest of the "offended" when a heavy stun gun struck from the darkness of a side street - a broad blue beam smeared across Lord Cassard and started searching for the rest of the dueling party. The last to fall was the lord's second, but he, too, didn't seem to have time to comprehend.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:10

Krain gave the go-ahead for phase two and barked into his communicator:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:10

"Why did it take so long to fire? Why did you change your position? What kind of amateurism is this?!"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:11

The doors slammed shut: the two jumped out of the car and ran toward the still bodies of the dueling men, whose figures still had sparks of residual discharges flickering across them. Nick and Yuri had to make sure Lord Cassard was all right and fake a robbery.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:12

"Krain, we didn't have time to open fire, we had a "sportsman" here, and we had to calm him down." Rodik, as an old underground fighter, always spoke by his first name. There was tension in his voice, and he always hissed harder than usual with excitement.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:13

"What the fuck is a sports..." Kraine started to get angry but didn't get a chance to finish.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:14

Three gray figures jumped out of a side street, where a heavy paralyzer had recently fired and rushed toward the duelists' bodies as well. Without thinking who it could be, Krain, on pure reflexes, covered one of the figures with the red dot of his sight and opened fire. Flashes of hits flashed, turning into short bolts of lightning streaming down his legs and reaching for the ground. And that was it! The target wasn't falling!

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:15

The runners reacted almost instantly: they rushed to the parked cars and, taking cover behind them, fired back several rounds, obviously blindly. A few of the charges hit the side of the aerocar and spread out with crackling aftershocks with no effect.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:17

Once again, a heavy stunner struck Nick and Yuri, who fell next to the duelists' bodies.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:17

//Okay, time to switch to normal fire mode. We're in an aerocar. They have power suits. So no one's gonna get anything with the stun guns anymore.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:20

His feverish thoughts were interrupted by Rodik's hissing voice in his earpiece:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:21

"Krain, I see one of them, I can try to nail him."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:21

"They have power-fiber suits..."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:22

"Not from a stun gun, from a C-80, which was inherited from a sportsman," added the gnarm.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:22

"All right, keep them in sight, but don't shoot yet. Let's try to have an amicable breakup. And tell me, who's the sportsman?"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:23

Krain, who always thought very quickly when it came to shooting, thought that since the unknowns were also firing the stun guns, their interests might temporarily overlap. And he didn't want to have to go to the point of firing live ammunition.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:24

The unknowns seemed to think the same because it had not taken twenty seconds for Krain to figure out that while taking his position, Rodik had discovered some dopey guy nestled comfortably at the hearing window with a Sport-80, and he had knocked that "sportsman " out just in case.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:35

From the dark depths of the side street came a scream:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:37

"Hey, passersby, shall we talk?"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:37

"We can talk," Krain shouted back.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:37

Just in case, he switched the rifle to combat mode and changed the charger. Opening the window of the aerocar a little wider and sliding under the door, he shouted:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:38

"Who the hell are you?"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:39

"We're robbers," they said after a moment's confusion. "And who are you?"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:40

"And we're robbers, too," Krain shouted, glaring at Marik, who was obviously about to yell something stupid like "resistance fighters".

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:40

"Well, then, maybe we should discuss everything in our own way as the robbers? One on one, without shooting," it came from the darkness.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:41

Krain thought for a moment and, having made a decision, began to instruct his bewildered troops:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:42

"So, I'm going to negotiate now, you keep me safe from here, and if the shooting starts, you fly across the embankment, covering the body of Lord Cassard and the guys. Marik opens a barrage of live fire in the enemy's direction, and you, Juno," he clapped the pilot on the shoulder. "You drop the stick and get the lads and Lord Cassard into the aerocar. Rodick and Miloon, you..."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:43

"I hear you, Krain, we'll cover you with fire, and then, when we're sure you're gone, we'll retreat to the original plan," the gnarm hissed, not letting the commander finish his sentence.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:44

"All right, is it clear?"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:46

Marik and Juno nodded in response.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:46

//I hope it doesn't come to gunfire, Krain thought as he got out of the aerocar.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:46

He was not sure that the "resistance fighters" "understood everything".

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:47

He stepped out onto the platform where the duelists lay and, walking closer to Lord Cassard and the lads, stopped. The air smelled strongly of ozone and crackled with static after the active shooting.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:47

It was unpleasant to stand in the place where the shots had recently been fired. Krain seemed to feel the sight lines crawling over him, his hands trembling slightly. He gripped the rifle tighter to quell the trembling.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:48

Footsteps were heard from a side street, and Krain saw his vis-a-vis. He had never seen such strange "robbers", even on Zavax.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:49

//He's a robber, just like you! He doesn't look like a guardsman or a retainer, either; they're not so unceremonious on Copeira.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:49

The man who stepped out was tall and dressed in a gray, blown-foam antiblaster jumpsuit over which he wore a standard imperial armor, though repainted gray, and a soft helmet of the same antiblaster foam on his head. A long-barreled assault rifle dangled loosely from his chest. He wore no insignia. He smirked and lifted the transparent visor of his helmet:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:53

"Well, hello, brother in the profession!"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:53

"And you don't cough!" Krain sniggered. "What are you doing?"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:54

"Well, we wanted to rob the noble gentlemen, rob them of their underwear, and then call the police, so they wouldn't catch a cold, but there was a hitch," the big man said, friendly as if he was an old acquaintance.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 21:55