Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 21

Chapter 21

Camrad_RIP 12.03.23 в 18:43

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Camrad_RIP 12.03.23 в 18:43

"Your Lordship! Baroness Istar's yacht confirms the docking request," whispered the captain of the Istal from somewhere behind me.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 11:00

Alex reluctantly looked away from the screen and turned around:

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 11:00

"So dock!" With a slight irritation, he replied.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 11:01

The captain's manner of asking his permission for every occasion was beginning to piss him off. The endless "What shall we do, Your Grace?" questions were only paused in hyperspace.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 11:05

"Yes, Your Lordship!" The "troublemaker" nodded courteously and quickly headed back to the command gallery to " execute".

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 11:47

//Though, perhaps, the captain is simply demonstrating his utmost respect for my Lordship in this way. Indeed, he can't live without my wise guidance. Or maybe it's in their code of conduct: "If you have any questions, please address them to your lordship personally".

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:01

On the screen was the destination of their short voyage - Baroness Istar's yacht. Close-up and enlarged. Through the observation window, the yacht looked like a small, bright star - exactly like thousands of others, moving around and stationery.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:02

"It's a strange yacht, isn't it?" Alex shared his doubts.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:02

It was a shark in the shape of a wrinkled gray yacht, with a huge cube of engine block instead of a tail. Along the side in big jagged letters, as if painted in red paint, was inscribed - "Gryzlik" - must have been the name of this proud ship. The drawing at the bottom of the bow, of a huge grinning toothy mouth, was done in the same sloppy manner as the inscription on the side, and only made the ship look even more like a shark.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:04

//With a cheeky, ruffled shark.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:05

And what it didn't look like at all was a yacht.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:05

"It's not a yacht," Taer replied, not taking her mesmerized gaze off the screen. "It's a disarmed frigate. Well, at least it should be disarmed," she added somewhat uncertainly.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:06

"Is it only Baroness Istar, as the Emperor's close friend, allowed to use frigates instead of yachts, or can ordinary nobles join in as well?" Alex inquired, counting on the fact that Taer, with her "navy" background, should be aware of the matter.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:07

"In general, this use of old military equipment is allowed, but it is rarely used because each ship needs a separate opinion from a special vehicle commission. It's such a hassle that most people prefer not to get involved. Besides, inside, a frigate is much less comfortable than a yacht. "

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:10

"By the way, what kind of frigate was it?"

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:11

"It sounds crazy, but it looks exactly like the Furious. Although I definitely remember being told in an introductory lecture on modern warships that this class was still on the design machines. As such, the events of the HV-Show are all fiction."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:13

Alex raised an eyebrow in interest:

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:38

Some kind of famous ship?

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 12:38

"It's a Holo Show," Taer brushed me off. "I didn't see much of it when it started. I was getting ready to join the Guard, and after that, it was no longer about the holo."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:01

The ships drew nearer, and Baroness Istar's yacht was already clearly visible through the panoramic window. Soon the Istal, which was even slightly larger than the frigate, was "lying on her side" and began to move carefully under the belly of the Gryzlik, aligning the docking windows.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:03

"Your Lordship," the Captain leaned over the gallery railing. "The docking will be completed in about a minute."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:03

Releasing the Captain with a wave of his hand, Alex took the sleek leather briefcase containing the "arguments" from his chair and, accompanied by Taer, headed quickly towards the large airlock door.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:04

"Still, it's not a good idea," Taer said nervously. "I mean, from a security point of view. Meeting Baroness Istar when it's just the two of us and in her territory..."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:16

"Well, let's hope she doesn't kill us on the spot, and we get away with minor damage," Alex tried to quip, who was a little nervous after watching the footage of Lady Faith.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:18

The beating of journalists was not the most brutal episode at all.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:19

"It's unlikely she'll kill us," Taer agreed. "But we might come back in the same shape as those poor souls from the 'resisted' transport." She added with a grim smile.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:20

Alex shrugged but said nothing. Twenty haggard poor souls with severed legs were an uncommonly unpleasant and memorable sight. Especially as the unknown cameraman, probably to shock the venerable public, paid a great deal of attention to the spot where the gray uniform trousers were interrupted by a scorched stripe and transitioned to a dark red gore. After this footage went viral through the news channels, the vast majority of ships encountering Lady Faith's small pirate flotilla preferred to surrender without a fight. For obvious reasons, no one wanted to become the next group of 'shorteners'.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:21

There were persistent rumors that the Baroness personally chopped the legs of the prisoners, for which she was nicknamed the "High Lady". This information, along with three video recordings and the baroness' communicator code, Alex received when he was asked by the cabinet "cluster" to find "all available information on Baroness Istar". And while the veracity was in many cases questionable, the picture did not paint a most appetizing one. The one virtue most sources acknowledged for Lady Faith was that the Baroness always kept her word. And that gave one a certain amount of hope.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:40

They arrived at the airlock door, where a technician in a white yacht crew uniform was waiting for them. Taer interrupted his attempt to open the door with a gesture, and unbuttoned the bottom clasps of her tunic, and fiddled with the info box of her personal shield belt, which was hidden under her clothing.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:44

"So you're saying that the high nobles used to be allowed to have their own battleships?" It occurred to Alex that it would be much cozier to negotiate with Lady Faith by flying in, say, a dreadnought rather than a yacht.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:44

//He would fly around so unobtrusively and we would have a conversation...

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:45

"It's still possible," the "specialist" sniggered, not raising her head. "Just without the hyperdrive."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:45

"What's the point?"

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:49

"Well..." Taer sighed, buttoning up. "A ship without hyperdrive isn't what you'd call a fully-fledged warship, but it makes sense. Planetary defense and intra-system patrolling," she squatted in front of Alex, pulling up his shirt as she tried to do so. "It's useful to have ships in case of conflict among the noble clans of the same domain... or an attack from some external enemy or unrest among the commoners. Then again, many buy fighters or stormtroopers, and they can also be transported to the site by civilian freighter in case of emergency."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:50

"I see." Alex tucked his shirt in. "Do I have anything like that?"

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:51

"No, before the poisoning, all your armed forces consisted of me alone." The 'specialist' smirked as she stood up. She ran her hand over her tunic once more, checking for anything sticking out, and waved to the technician - "open up!"

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 13:54

The airlock door hissed faintly to the side, and they stepped out into the transparent tube of the intake port, where it was quiet and frosty. Ahead of them, the square aperture of the airlock port of the Gryzlik glowed.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 15:08

There was no one in sight to greet them. Alex glanced at Taer and shrugged at her silent question, //We're not proud - we'll go in ourselves when we have to. As they approached, it became clear that there was no floor beyond the airlock, just beyond the opening was a steep well, the opposite wall of which was illuminated by long and narrow glowing panels. Freezing in front of the well, Alex noticed an inscription above the opening, made in red, slightly faded paint: "Warning! Opposite vectors of gravity!". Above the inscription was a diagram showing how to overcome such a predicament when picking up passengers and cargo. Alex cautiously peered through the opening.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 15:09

//So the outer wall of the well with the lights is the corridor ceiling and the inner wall is the floor

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 15:10

"Don't be afraid, Your Highness!" A man's voice came from deep within the well. "Go ahead. I'll catch you and your companion up here if you need me. You will not fall!"

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 15:16

Taer shrugged and, keeping the same nonchalant expression, stepped down, plunging almost plumb into the well. With her arms slightly outstretched, she touched the inner wall of the well, and after taking two quick steps to slow down, she stopped.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 15:19

Alex looked longingly at the specialist who had run so gracefully up the sheer wall and sighed heavily.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 16:08

//OK, let's think of it as a parachute jump, just stepping into the hatch and not thinking about anything.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 16:09

He stepped into the well. A moment later, his body signaled with horror that instead of falling honestly further down the manhole, he was falling against the inner wall, and his feet missed it, and he had every chance of flopping on his ass. Fortunately, at the last moment, just before his heel touched the metal floor, he was gently picked up by the shoulders and brought to his feet.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 16:11

He turned around and was about to thank Taer but literally choked on his words...

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 16:11

Four pairs of beady little eyes glinted faintly red right beside his face. Alex recoiled involuntarily-the second squire of Lady Faith's without his ceremonial cloak made an even more intimidating impression.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 16:16

The creature's head was about his chest, but the "elbows" of the upper pair of massive half-bent arms, which, like the rest of his body, were encased in a shiny dark blue shell, towered about half a meter above him. All four legs were also bent, holding the spindly body on the very floor. How much the squire would tower above his surroundings if he decided to straighten up was anyone's guess. He was wearing something more akin to an eight-fingered gauntlet or pouch. A garment of light and rather thick material resembling white foam covered his entire body from the base to the first joint on his legs and arms. It ended at the chest, exposing the shoulders and neck. There were holsters attached to all four legs in the "hip" area, from which the massive, intricately shaped handles protruded.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 16:18

"Um... I'd like to see Lady Faith." Alex finally broke the uncomfortable pause with a resurgence.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.23 в 16:18