Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 9

Chapter 9

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 08:02

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Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 08:03

The next day, she struggled to wake up to the beep of the biomonitor.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 08:03

//Lord Cassard is awake, so it's time for me. Why can't the bastard sleep this early?

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:07

Taer staggered into the shower, and as she walked past the mirror, she was horrified at how she looked: she looked as if someone had chewed her.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:08

//What shadows I slept in my clothes!

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:08

Quickly refreshed by an icy shower, she began to get dressed. Putting on her communicator, she glanced at the time. It was the middle of the day, and the lord was awake as usual.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:09

//I, on the other hand, am a bit sleepy.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:09

And she had planned to get up early so that she could practice.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:10

//Yeah, I guess I got a little overexcited last night. She usually got five hours of sleep in abundance.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:11

She stepped out into the corridor, and less than a minute later, Lord Cassard appeared. He was frowning and thoughtful:

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:12

"Tell me, Taer, do you know anything about the outcome of the investigation into the first attempt on my life? Well, that was when I was poisoned."

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:13

"No, the investigation is being conducted by the Imperial Security Service and House Fyron Intelligence. I'm afraid my personal request will not be enough to obtain the information. Your signature is required." In fact, she might well have inquired informally, such as from Countess Durlurl, but the poisoning just slipped her mind.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:14

"Make a request, then, and I'll sign it. And also... tell me, if you were to kill a high-ranking target - you know, some lord - would the bodyguards help him?"

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:15

"Depends on what resources I have: if I only have a hand blaster, then bodyguards can help the target a lot," she looked expressively at Alex. "Why do you ask?"

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:16

The lord sighed heavily and darkened even more:

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:17

"You know, I've been thinking. And I realized it wasn't a duel. It was an assassination attempt. Someone tried to poison me, and now this. If they keep trying, they're probably going to bring in the professionals now."

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:18

Taer, who was somewhat shocked by the duel presented in a new light, opened her room door:

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 13:19

"Come on, let's go to my place, and you can tell me your thoughts in detail. And why you thought it was an assassination attempt."

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:18

"Er... come on," he walked into her chambers and looked around. "You've got a cozy place, not like mine. And why your place?" Alex smiled, and his face was no longer grim. "Not my room or the study, for instance?"

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:20

"Because the suppressor in my bedroom is much better!" Taer replied in complete seriousness as she closed the door behind her.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:36

Pointing to the lord's chair by the window, Taer waited until his back was turned to her and, with a couple of quick kicks, threw the uniform and towel lying on the floor under the bed, sincerely hoping Alex hadn't noticed them in time. Hiding the signs of her hasty awakening, she walked over to the desk and turned on the suppressor. A yellow light flickered on top of the pyramid, and the room filled with a quiet hum.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:38

"There, now we can talk," the girl turned the armchair by the table towards the lord and settled comfortably in it. "What makes you think it was an assassination attempt?"

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:38

Alex sighed heavily, and ran his palm over his face, pressing his eyes lightly, massaging them. //Looks like he didn't sleep well And began to explain his reasoning.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:39

Fifteen minutes later, both sat in thoughtful silence, the silence broken only by the bass hum of the suppressor. The Lord waited for a response, and Taer's mind was in a terrible mess:

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:40

//From what the lord had said, even the last idiot would understand that the whole duel thing was pure spectacle. Except who would want it?

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:40

It could well have been an assassination attempt foiled by the appearance of Lord Lister, or it could have been a production by the same Lord Lister.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:41

//Though why he would do that is beyond me!

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:41

The instigator of the duel, Lord Areno, was from House Peltar, and Peltars don't need much convincing to mess with House Fyron. And if there's a price to pay...

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:42

//Could it have been the Peltars? An act of delayed revenge for the fight at Pella? Oh, come on, that's ridiculous!

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:42

"What do you think of that, Taer?" The lord seemed tired of waiting for a meaningful response and decided to remind her of his existence.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:45

"I think the duel was staged, and perhaps indeed for murder," Taer was a little uncomfortable admitting that she had missed her second assassination attempt in a week, but it was pointless to deny the facts.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:46

//But, shadows! After all, I'm not a bodyguard!

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:46

"I think so, too," Alex grinned wryly. "The question is who needs it and what to do."

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:47

"Hire guards, of course! Sixteen men at least, I think. Plus, you could get a dozen more droids and order..."

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 14:49

"Wait, wait, wait," the lord interrupted the specialist. "I was thinking along those lines myself, but then it occurred to me that if they'd tried it twice, they might try it a third time. The first time I survived by accident. The second time I was interrupted by Lord Lister and the "robbers" who appeared too just in time to be an accident. So those who want to kill me will mistake them for my guards. So next time they will act for sure and with the guards in mind..."

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:00

Alex leaned slightly towards the girl trustingly:

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:01

"That's why I asked you, how would you attack a target guarded by... well, the same sixteen people you were talking about? As long as you're not short of funds... within reason."

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:01

Taer was about to declare, "No way! I'm not an assassin!" but thought about it, imagining the operation to eliminate Lord Cassard as a sabotage mission assigned to Fleet Intelligence. The first thing that came to her mind was an accurate sniper rifle and a well-chosen position, but after thinking it over, she dismissed it - one might miss, and the target might be protected by a personal shield - after all, Lord Cassard could afford one.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:02

//No, a sniper rifle is not enough! The sabotage team will only have one try - they need to hit for sure. They've already missed twice.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:03

She thought about the bomb for a while but gave up on it because it would be hard to plant the bomb into the castle and twice as hard to get it to the reception. And the high flyer wouldn't be able to reach even the bouncer.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:05

And then it hit her - the HGM! A heavy guided missile could be easily obtained by a well-connected and well-resourced man, and the assault team had them on the payroll. An experienced operator can easily hit a flying flyer or put a rocket through a window from a decent distance.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:06

She imagined very vividly how the silvery cylinder of the rocket, opening its guiding flaps and buzzing like an angry wasp, leaves the container on the soft launch engines, only to turn in a few moments into white-tailed death, which rumbles to its target with a crashing crack of supersonic tearing air. A blue, blindingly bright flash of the explosion and the flyer, as if hitting an invisible wall, shatters to smithereens, becoming a cloud of flaming debris. Or a missile strikes the window of the lord's bedroom, the primary charge overloads the weak field set rather against the robbers, and the main charge explodes inside. The room bursts into flames, a wave of heat instantly scorching everything in it, the ceiling and walls collapsing. The hit leaves a gaping black hole in its wake, illuminated by the uneven flames of the flaring fire. "Contact lost," the operator says, pulling down his glasses, and the observer confirms the hit... An unpleasant chill runs down Taer's back.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:09

//I'll get baked with the lord - the wall between our bedrooms has been weakened by a secret door.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:14

Yes, that's exactly what she would have done. A late-night bombardment of the bedroom from HGM, and to make sure the lord was where he was supposed to be, the droid could be hacked, or a bug could be slipped in.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:15

//Great shadows. The droids were last checked almost half a year ago!

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:16

And after the strike, the group will retreat in a flyer waiting for them.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:16

//Or they're just firing from a semi-truck aerocar - the launcher will fit quite nicely. There's a very busy road leading to the spaceport ten minutes' flight from the castle, and the launcher could well be disposed of by dumping it into one of the countless canals.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:17

"If I needed to securely eliminate a heavily guarded target, I would fire a HGM at the target's bedroom," the "specialist," said quietly. "And sixteen bodyguards would not help at all."

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:18

"HGM? What that?" Lord asked.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.23 в 15:18