Yulduzlarga mart - March to the Stars
 Birinchi nashr | |
| Muallif | Devid Veber & Jon Ringo |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Jon Ringo (xaritalar) |
| Muqova rassomi | Patrik Tyorner |
| Mamlakat | Qo'shma Shtatlar |
| Til | Ingliz tili |
| Seriya | Inson imperiyasi Rojer MakKlintok seriyasi |
| Janr | Ilmiy fantastika |
| Nashriyotchi | Baen kitoblari |
Nashr qilingan sana | 2003 |
| Media turi | Chop etish (qog'ozli qog'oz ) |
| Sahifalar | 589 |
| ISBN | 0-7434-8818-0 |
| OCLC | 54879677 |
| Oldingi | Dengizga mart |
| Dan so'ng | Biz ozmiz |
Yulduzlarga mart ning ilmiy fantastika seriyasidagi uchinchi romani Inson imperiyasi tomonidan Devid Veber va Jon Ringo. Unda shahzoda Rojer MakKlintok va imperatorning o'z polkining qolgan qo'riqchilari o'z kemalarida sabotaj harakati tufayli begona Marduk sayyorasida marooned bo'lganligi va sayyora kosmodromi tomon o'z yo'llarini davom ettirishlari haqida hikoya qilinadi. uyga qaytish Yer. Kitob paydo bo'ldi Nyu-York Tayms eng yaxshi sotuvchilar ro'yxati.[1]
Yangi belgilar taqdim etildi
Temu Jin Mardukka imperator gubernatorining xiyonat qilishini tekshirish uchun tayinlangan Imperial Tergov Byurosining (IBI) yashirin agenti. Pinopa shahrida tug'ilgan bo'lsa-da, u stress paytlaridan tashqari Pinopan aksenti bilan gaplashmaydi. Yuqori malakali va professional shaxs, u teng darajada professionallikka qodir bo'lmaganlarga nisbatan juda katta nafratni his qiladi. U Kirstiga etib borishdan sal oldin dengiz piyoda askarlari Mardukda ekanligidan xabardor bo'lib, ularga yordam berishni boshlaydi, avval ularning mavjudligini yashirib, so'ngra ularga kosmodromni egallab olishlari uchun kerakli ma'lumotlarni taqdim etadi.
Pedi Dorson Acos Lefan Karuse a begay, Shin qabilalarining urush farzandi va Mud Xem boshlig'ining irodali qizi. Jangchining qizi sifatida u jangchi bilan turmush qurishi va bunday ittifoqni mustahkamlash uchun qo'lda va qirrali qurollarda jangovar mashg'ulotlarda munosib o'qitilishi kutilmoqda. Krat reyd guruhi tomonidan asirga olinganidan va Strem oroliga boradigan "Xudoning xizmatkori" bo'lganidan so'ng, uning kemasini Lemmaran qaroqchilari olib ketishadi. Dengiz piyoda askarlari va Mardukan ittifoqchilari u bo'lgan kemaga hujum qilgandan keyin uni Kord qutqaradi. Natijada, u Kordga qarzdor bo'lib qoladi (a Benan) Kord ham Rojerga qarzdor. U, shuningdek, ular orasidagi katta yosh farqiga qaramay, Kordni o'ziga jalb qiladi.
Pedi Agol Ropar Sheta Gastan Mudh Hemxning Shin Lordi va Pedining otasi. Mardukan me'yorlari bo'yicha qisqacha bo'lsa-da, u g'ayrioddiy keng va shiddatli jangchi. Shuningdek, u odamlarning Kirstiga kelishi bilan qo'zg'atilgan urushni boshqa Shin qabilalari ustidan o'z nazoratini kuchaytirish uchun ishlatadigan juda amaliy va hiyla-nayrangbosh. Krat bilan urush boshlanganda u yolg'iz o'g'li va merosxo'ri Tertikni yo'qotadi va qizi Kordnikiga qaytganda jiddiy muammoga duch keladi. benan, oxir-oqibat ijobiy hal qilinadigan muammo (ba'zi bir asoratlarsiz bo'lmasa ham).
Sor Teb Kirstining qul bosqinchi kuchlarining boshlig'i. "Balog'at" nomi bilan tanilgan, u o'ta xavfli, qobiliyatli, shafqatsiz va qo'rqinchli shaxsdir (O'Keysi unga "faqatgina vakolatli" Grat zanjirini eslatadi). Teb odamlarning Kirstiga kelishida oliy ruhoniy lavozimiga ko'tarilish uchun zarur siyosiy kuchga ega bo'lish imkoniyatini ko'radi. Biroq, uning ittifoqchilari yo'q va boshqa kengash a'zolari va harbiy ierarxiya uni yaxshi o'ylamaydilar va natijada u o'z maqsadlariga erishish uchun kuchli kuch va qo'rquvga tayanadi.
Lorak Tral Kirstining asosiy dala armiyasining boshlig'i. "Sere" nomi bilan tanilgan uning kuchlari Tebning qudratli bosqinchilari kabi deyarli vakolatli va jangchilar emas. Biroq, Tebdan farqli o'laroq, u harbiy ierarxiya va oddiy Mardukanlarning hurmatidan bahramand bo'lib, uni oliy ruhoniy lavozimiga da'vogarga aylantirdi va Sor Tebning oliy ruhoniy taxtiga ko'tarilishiga (qul g'oyasi) qattiq qarshilik ko'rsatmoqda. - bosh ruhoniy uni chaqirganidek, yo'lboshchi). Bir marta Tebni odamlarni o'z sonlaridan birini topshirishga majbur qilish urinishi muvaffaqiyatsiz tugagach, Tral Shinni bir marta bo'ysundirish va bu jarayonda o'zini Oliy ruhoniyning taxtiga qo'yish imkoniyatini ko'radi.
Werd Ras Kirsti maxfiy politsiyasining boshlig'i. "Flail" nomi bilan tanilgan uning har qanday satrapiya bo'ylab ko'zlari va quloqlari bor, lekin oliy ruhoniy lavozimiga da'vogarlik qilayotgan Teb va Tral o'rtasidagi hokimiyat uchun kurashda betaraf bo'lib qoladi. Biroq, Tebni shaxsiy darajada hurmat qilmaydi.
Garvard Mansul Imperial Astrographic Society mukofotiga sazovor bo'lgan jurnalist (futuristik ekvivalenti National Geographic ) Shinni Mardukdagi asar uchun hujjatlashtirish paytida Krat tomonidan ushlanganida dengiz piyodalari tomonidan qutqarilgan. Mansulni tengdoshlari chetda yashashni, xavfli joylar va lavozimlarga kirib, voqeani qidirib topishni, bir necha oy va bir necha yil davomida g'oyib bo'lishni, faqat ajoyib hikoyalar bilan qaytishni yaxshi ko'radigan muxbir sifatida taniydilar. Imperiyadagi hamma singari u ham Rojer va uning dengiz piyoda askarlari vafot etganiga ishongan va uning tirikligini ko'rib hayratda qolgan. Keyin u o'zini ta'qib qilishni va qilgan ishlarini yozishni asrning hikoyasi deb biladi.
Ymyr Braun, Mountmarch grafligi Marduk uchun imperator gubernatoridir. Yuqori malakali media-manipulyator bo'lsa-da, uning vakolati uning yagona iste'dodidan tashqariga chiqmaydi (garchi u bunga ishonsa ham). Sudda Imperial floti harbiy xizmatchilari va ayollarining hayotiga zomin bo'lgan mojaroga tushib qolganidan so'ng, u imkon qadar kamroq zarar etkazishi mumkin bo'lgan joyda Mardukka surgun qilingan imperatorning noroziligiga sazovor bo'ldi. Mountmarch Mardukka surgun qilinishidan ancha oldin o'zini imperiya dushmanlari bo'lgan "avliyolar" ga sotib yuborgan edi va yosh o'g'il bolalarga moyillik (avliyolar uni bo'ysundirmoqchi bo'lganlarida foydalangan zaiflik).
Polkovnik Fiorello Jovannusi Caravazan ("Avliyo") maxsus operatsiyalarni qo'shish kemasining qo'mondoni Zumrad tongi va istehzo bilan nomlangan "Greenpeace Division" komandosi. Yuqori malakali, paranoyak va dindor ofitser (uning ijro etuvchi xodimiga ko'ra "chinakam mo'min"), mansablar orqali ko'tarilishi bu fazilatlarning natijasi edi.
Qo'mondon Amanda Beach ning ijrochi xodimi hisoblanadi Zumrad tongi. Polkovnik Jovannusidan farqli o'laroq, Bich avliyolarning diniy ta'limotlariga ishonmaydi, chunki u o'zining jamiyatidagi katta xatolarni va uning rahbarlarining ikkiyuzlamachiliklarini ko'rishga qodir. Natijada, u Giovannuci singari martabaga ko'tarilmadi va tizimga sodiqligini sezmaydi.
Kapitan T'Sol kapitani Ima Xuker, shahzoda Rojer va uning omon qolgan dengiz piyodalarining ko'p qismini okean ortidan kosmodrom joylashgan sub-qit'aga olib borgan.
Tob Kerr savdo kemasining ustasi Yomg'ir qizi o'zini Lemmar Raiders ta'qib qilayotganini ko'rgan va K'Vaernning Kovidan kelayotgan kemalarga qoqilish baxtiga muyassar bo'lgan. U tavakkal qiladigan narsadir, chunki u noma'lum narsani xavf ostiga qo'yishga tayyor (hech bo'lmaganda, boshqa variantlar xavfli bo'lgan taqdirda).
Cred Cies Lemmaran kemasining kapitani Lemmarning g'azabi kim ta'qib qilmoqda Yomg'ir qizi bu odamlar konvoyida sodir bo'lganda. Qobiliyatli va aqlli kema boshqaruvchisi va dengiz qiruvchisi bo'lsa-da, u K'avner kemalarini va ularning jangovar qobiliyatini juda past baholaydi, bu xato unga juda qimmatga tushdi.
Uchastkaning qisqacha mazmuni
 | Ushbu maqola syujetining qisqacha mazmuni balki juda uzun yoki haddan tashqari batafsil. (2011 yil iyul) (Ushbu shablon xabarini qanday va qachon olib tashlashni bilib oling) |
Hikoya insoniyat tiklangan Voitan shahrida ochiladi qidirish va qutqarish guruh (haqiqatan ham suiqasdchilar guruhi) Kranoltaga qarshi jangdan keyin u erga joylashtirilgan dengiz piyodalari qoldiqlarini o'rganmoqda. Jamoa uchun tarjimon bo'lib xizmat qilayotgan Komu-Tech Temu Jin mahalliy rahbarlardan dengiz piyodalarining maqsadi va taqdiri to'g'risida bir necha bor so'rab, ular o'z navbatida barcha dengiz piyodalari jang paytida yoki undan ko'p o'tmay halok bo'lganligini bir necha bor ta'kidladilar. Jamoa etakchisi Dara o'zlarining hikoyalaridan mamnun bo'lsa-da, Dina o'zining ahmoqligidan sezmay qolgan bir nechta ko'zga tashlanadigan maslahatlar tufayli Jin shaxsiy shubhali bo'lib qolmoqda. Ashyoviy dalillar (dengiz nano-paketlari bo'lgan odamlarni ko'rsatib), Q'Nokok shohining sustligi (u faqat cheklangan so'roq qilishga va doim nazorat ostida bo'lgan), T'Leen Targning hikoyasidagi nomuvofiqliklar (Kranolta olgan) barcha dengiz piyoda qurollari va jihozlari), mardukaliklarning atipik tana tillari bilan bosh irg'ashlari, og'zi ochiq tabassumlar va qo'l siqish (hammasi odamlarning madaniyatini bildiradi) va jasadlarning hammasi kiyim-kechak, zargarlik buyumlari va hattoki tatuirovkalardan xalos bo'lganligi DNK ma'lumotlar bazasi bo'lmagan holda ularni aniqlash imkonsiz), Jin mahalliy aholi kosmodromga deyarli yo'l olgan dengiz piyodalarini qamrab olayotganiga amin bo'ldi. U skanerlarini yakunlamoqchi bo'lganida, Djin "BARBARIANLAR" yozuvi tushirilgan bronzadan yasalgan sirg'ani ko'rdi. Buni Dara sezdirmasdan epchillik bilan tortib olib, keyin uni qo'l siqib T'Leenga uzatadi va uni eritib yuborishi mumkinligini aytishi mumkin, shuning uchun uni boshqa hech kim topa olmaydi.
G'arbiy okean ustida K'Vaern koyidan yettita kemadan iborat flotilya shahzoda Rojerni, uning dengiz soqchilarini va unga va Inson imperiyasiga sodiqligini qasamyod qilgan 300 ga yaqin diaspran miltiqchilari va Vashin otliqlarini olib ketmoqda. Okean ortidan uzoq olis qit'a tomon uzoq safarda Bomanga qarshi shiddatli jangdan so'ng shamolga tushish, yangi porox miltiqlari ustida mashq qilish va Rojer o'z valetasi va do'sti Kostasdan ayrilib motam tutish uchun vaqt berdi. Biroq, ayyor sayohati ulkan dengiz jonzotining to'satdan kelishi bilan keskin buziladi, u serjantning nihoyatda omadli zarbasi Rojerning yaxshi joylashtirilgan zarbasi bilan o'qqa tutilishidan oldin yarim kemani tishlab olishga kirishadi. Erkum Pol, bir nechta harpun tortishish va ko'plab chuqurlik to'lovlari. Baliq gigant bo'lib chiqadi koll baliqlar va uning hujumi ularga butun kema, yo'lovchilarning yarmi va uchta dengiz piyodalari uchun zarba berish bilan tugaydi va qo'shinlar quvonch bilan uning ko'p qismini sivil va Dogzard. Shunga o'xshash hujumlarni oldini olish uchun Krindi Fain paydo bo'lishi mumkin bo'lgan boshqa dengiz jonzotlariga o'q uzish uchun orqa tomonga to'p berishni tavsiya qiladi va Pahner kosmodromga yaqinlashayotganida ularni aniqlamaslik uchun barcha radiolarini o'chirib qo'yishni buyuradi. Shuningdek, u qo'shinlarga Rojer bilan birgalikda portga hujum qilishga tayyorgarlik ko'rish uchun kirish taktikasi bo'yicha mashq qilishni boshlashni buyuradi.
Ko'p o'tmay, flotilya bir qator vulkanik orollarni ko'radi, so'ngra bitta kemaning suzib yurishini yana 6 ta qaroqchi kemasi ta'qib qilmoqda. Rojer va Paxner nima bo'layotganini bilmasalar ham, ta'qib ostidagi kema bilan aloqa qilish xavfini tug'dirishga qaror qilishdi va Rojer Kord, Despreaux, Kosutich va Poertena bilan (Paxnerning yaxshiroq qaroriga qarshi) yuborildi. Ular kapitan bilan aloqa o'rnatadilar Yomg'ir qiziDastlab Rojerning "Oliy Krath" tilini ishlatganidan hayratda qolgan Tob Kerr, o'tin ruhoniylari hamma qo'rqishadi, lekin kemaga chiqishga ruxsat berishadi. Tilni ushlab turishni boshlagandan so'ng, ularga shunday deyishadi Yomg'ir qizi materikdan (Krat deb nomlangan) Gvardiya karvonining bir qismi bo'lib, Strem oroliga yo'l oldi, ammo Lemmaran bosqinchilari tomonidan sakrab tushishdi. Rojer shuningdek Kerrga savdo aloqalarini o'rnatish uchun okean ortidan Kratga sayohat qilganliklari haqidagi hikoyalarini aytib beradi. Kerr ularga Stremga borishni maslahat beradi, ammo Rojerning ta'kidlashicha, ular Krat materigiga borishadi va Lemmaran kemalari o'z flotiliyasiga olib kelishi mumkin bo'lgan xavfni xo'rlaydilar. Rojer va qo'mondonlik o'z kemalariga qaytib, muammoni muhokama qilishadi va barcha noma'lum o'zgaruvchilarga qaramay, 6 ta qaroqchi kemalarini jalb qilishga qaror qilishadi.
Pahner dengizdagi jangda tajribasi yo'qligini tan oladi va topshiriqning samarali buyrug'ini Rojerga topshiradi (hanuzgacha uni kuzatib turibdi), u qolgan oltita kemadan beshtasiga buyurtma beradi (eng og'ir va eng kam harakat qiladigan odam qolgan) qo'riqlamoq Yomg'ir qizi) qaroqchilarning oltita kemasi o'rtasida o'tish orqali qaroqchilarni jalb qilish. Qaroqchining qo'mondoni Kred Sis o'zining son jihatidan ustunligiga ishonsa-da, unga yaqinlashib kelayotgan kemalarga nisbatan hali ham shubhalanmoqda. To'satdan toshqin barcha kemalarni bir-biridan yashiradi va K'Anernian kemalarini tozalaganda, garchi tarqoq bo'lsa ham, garovgirlar paydo bo'lishiga qarshi shamol bo'lib, tezda yopiladi. Shunga qaramay, Cies hanuzgacha ularni yopib qo'yishi va pastki pog'onalarni aylanuvchi qurol bilan qirib tashlashi mumkinligiga amin. Bu xato bo'lib chiqdi, chunki K'Vernian artilleriyasi kemalarning yon tomonlariga o'rnatilgan va Cies taxminiga ko'ra ancha keng kengliklarga ega. Qaroqchilar bitta K'Vaernian kemasida bir nechta zarba berishga muvaffaq bo'lishdi, natijada u birinchi darajadan mahrum bo'ldi va keyin K'aernians otashin ochdi. Katta o'q otilishi qaroqchilarni yo'q qiladi, o'tkir o'qchilar esa Lemmaran qurolining ko'p qismini kemada o'stiradi va dengiz piyodalari dunyodan tashqaridagi qurollar qirg'inni kuchaytiradi. Bitimning yakuniy natijasi shundan iboratki, bitta Lemmaran kemasi cho'kib ketgan (plazma to'pi o'qi tufayli), uchtasi bortga tushgan va boshqa bitta kema ekipajining aksariyati o'lgan va butunlay vayron bo'lgan. Faqatgina Cred Cies kemasi dastlabki bog'lanishdan qochib qutulish uchun etarli miqdordagi armaturani ushlab turishga muvaffaq bo'ladi va Rojerning kemasi unga o'tirish uchun yopiladi. Uning katta yo'qotishlariga qaramay, Cies hali ham taslim bo'lishdan bosh tortmoqda Ima Xuker oxir-oqibat uni yopib qo'yadi va samolyotga o'tirishni boshlaydi.
Krindi Feynning kompaniyasi Lemmaran kemasiga hujumni boshqaradi va tezda ularni bosib olishga muvaffaq bo'ladi. Biroq, Kord, Lemmar kemaning zanjirband qilingan va ularni qutqarish uchun sakrab tushgan nochor mahbuslarini o'ldirishga urinayotganini payqadi. Rojer, bundan ajablanib asi uni bir vaqtning o'zida tashlab ketishi mumkin edi, chunki Lemmaran kemasiga uning ortidan Dogzard tushdi. Ularning uchtasi orasida tirik qolgan mahbuslar ularni o'ldirmoqchi bo'lgan Lemmardan himoyalangan. Pahner, ammo Rojer o'zini oyoq-qo'llariga qo'ymaslik haqidagi va'dasini buzganidan g'azablanmoqda va Denem Kord uchun ham xuddi shunday qilayotganida, uni ayblash uchun Lemmaran kemasiga o'tirdi. Rojer, hamma unga baqirganidan keyin baqirgandan so'ng, avval Korddan nega birinchi o'ringa sakrab tushganini tushuntirishini talab qiladi. Kordning tushuntirishicha, uning hayoti Rojer tomonidan saqlanib qolganidek, u ham muhtojlarga yordam berishga majburdir va Rojer garovgirlar kemasiga umuman ergashmasligi kerak edi. Paxner va boshqa qo'mondonlar kulib yuborishga qiynalgan paytda Rojer kutilmaganda vaziyatning istehzoliga duch keldi. So'ngra Rojer mahbuslarni bog'laydigan zanjirlarni kesib o'tishda davom etadi, birinchi mahbus, pastki qismida zanjirband qilingan paytda jang paytida ikki qo'riqchini o'ldirgan ayol, monomaxetasini tortib olganda uni tepmoqchi bo'ldi. Uni Pahner to'xtatib qo'ydi va Rojer unga o'z niyatini mahalliy tillar xashida aytgandan so'ng, u tavba qilib, unga va tirik qolgan ikki asirni ozod qilishga imkon berdi. Tez orada Rojerga ayon bo'ladiki, jangchi sifatida o'qitilgan ayol mahbus, boshqa asirlarni ham boshqaradi, bu uning uchun ajablanarli bo'lgan ikkita narsa, chunki ular kamdan-kam hollarda Mardukan jamiyatlarida ayollar har qanday zavq bilan uchrashgan. maqomi yoki jangchi bo'lgan. Tez orada u Rojer va Kordga yaqinlashib, "sharaf yo'li, jangchi yo'li" haqida gapirib, endi Kord bilan bog'langanligini e'lon qiladi. benan uning hayotini saqlab qolish uchun (xuddi Kord ham Rojer bilan bog'langan kabi). Uning bayonoti Kordni jiddiy bezovta va hayratda qoldiradi (chunki bunday aloqalarni faqat uning xalqi tan oladi).
Orqaga Ima Xuker, O'Keysi Pedi odamlari, "Shin" va Kord odamlari X'Intay o'rtasida juda ko'p umumiylik borligini tushuntiradi, bu ularning ikkala tillari o'rtasidagi ko'plab til o'xshashliklarida ko'rinadi. U ikkala xalq ham Krat sub-qit'asidan kelib chiqqan, ammo X'Intai qandaydir tarzda sharq tomon katta qit'aga qarab sayohat qilgan deb taxmin qilmoqda. Keyinchalik O'Keysi kolonnaning boshqa kemalarini qaytarib olish va ularni Kratga qaytarish, mahalliy aholi bilan o'ng oyoqqa boshlash uchun juda foydali bo'lishini ta'kidlaydi. Keyin Julian qo'mondonlik shtabiga Pedi odamlari va dengizning kosmodromga safariga ta'sir qilishi mumkin bo'lgan mahalliy siyosiy sharoitlar to'g'risida ma'lumot berishni davom ettiradi. Keyin O'Keysi asosiy siyosat - Kratdagi siyosiy sharoitlarni batafsil bayon qiladi va bu qullikka asoslangan juda tartibli teokratiya ekanligini ta'kidlaydi. Shunda Julian Shin va Kratlarning kelisha olmasligining sababi, Krat Shinni ko'proq qullar uchun manbani ko'rishida ekanligini ta'kidladi. Rojerning ta'kidlashicha, Kord Rojer va Pedi endi Kordga ergashish va uni himoya qilish majburiyatini olganligi sababli, ular Shin kimligini yashirish uchun qandaydir yo'l topishlari kerak. Ular Pedi har doim qattiq kiyingan (yuzlari ham yopilgan) Shadem ayollari kabi kiyinishga qaror qilishdi - Pedi bu qarorni jirkanch deb topdi. Mardukanning qolgan askarlarini ham kiyim-kechak bilan ta'minlash kerak bo'ladi, chunki sub-qit'aning madaniyati badanida kamtarlik taqiqlariga ega, chunki Kord tushunchasi bir xil darajada jirkanch hisoblanadi. Keyin ular boshqa sovrinli kemalarni olish uchun jang rejasini hal qilishadi. Keyin ular flotilya qo'lga olingan kemalarning har birining orqasidan ketib, Rastar, Rojer (Pahnerning o'ta noroziligiga qaramay) va yana ikki kishi bilan birga tovarlarni sotishni istab bahona qilib, har bir ekipajni hayratga solishga va kemani qaytarib olishga muvaffaq bo'lishdi. Keyin ular pastki qit'aning asosiy porti bo'lgan Kirstiga boradilar.
Ular ulkan Kirsti shahriga yaqinlashganda, Rojer va Paxner ikkalasi ham bezovtalandilar, chunki ular ikkalasi ham o'zlarining va qo'shinlarining kosmodrom bilan aloqada bo'lishi mumkin bo'lgan mahalliy aholi sonidan jiddiyroq ekanligini tushunishadi. Oxirgi xavotir, ular bilan ilgari odamlar bilan uchrashgan va bu yangi va g'ayrioddiy odamlarning maqsadi bilan juda qiziqqan Sor Teb tomonidan norasmiy ravishda boshqariladigan mahalliy hukumat delegatsiyasi tomonidan uchrashganda tasdiqlanadi. Dengiz piyoda askarlari va ularning Mardukan qo'shinlari Kirstiga kirishga ruxsat oladilar, ammo mahalliy aholi ularga ko'p cheklovlar qo'yadi va ularni cheklovlarning cheklangan qismida izolyatsiya qiladi. Kema kapitanlari mahalliy savdo sheriklarini qidirishni va o'z kemalarini to'ldirishni boshlagan paytda, odamlar shaharni tark etib, kosmodromga sayohatini davom ettirish yoki qilmaslik to'g'risida mahalliy rahbariyatning qarorini kutmoqdalar.
Julian, Portena va Denat shahar atrofini aylanib, mahalliy aholini o'rgatmoqdalar Kanasta (bu "Portena" karta o'yini, u yoqtirmaydiganlarga etkazadi), sotib olish uchun materiallar qidirib topadi va mahalliy sharoitlar bo'yicha ma'lumot to'playdi. Ular o'zlarining topilmalarini O'Keysi bilan birgalikda keyinchalik bo'lib o'tgan xodimlar yig'ilishida xabar berishadi va vaziyat yaxshi emas. Ilgari kichik funktsional deb hisoblangan Sor Teb, satrapiya harbiy oliy kengashining uch a'zosidan biri va o'layotgan oliy ruhoniyning o'rnini egallashi mumkin bo'lgan kishilardan biri bo'lib chiqadi va ularga ruxsat berilmasligi aniq bo'lib qoladi. Kirstini uning so'zlarisiz qoldiring. Pahner Tebni va uning qullarini odamlarning maqsadlari uchun bosqinchi kuchlarini jalb qilishga qaror qildi, ammo agar bu bir hafta ichida amalga oshmasa, majburan chiqib ketishga tayyorgarlik ko'rish uchun. U Julianga shahar va tashqarisidagi mahalliy kuchlarga qarshi jang rejasini tayyorlashni va Portenaning bozorlarda oziq-ovqat mahsulotlarining yuqori narxi to'g'risida hisobotini eshitib, etkazib berish uchun reyd o'tkazilishi mumkin bo'lgan mahalliy omborxonalarni topishni buyuradi. Rojer bundan ajablanadi va Paxner mahalliy aholining passiv dushmanligi uni asabiylashtirayotganini tan oladi. Kosutich o'zining boshqa bir narsadan xavotirlanishini eslatadi: Krat dini. Mahalliy aholi bu haqda juda yashirin edi va u aynan nimani yashirmoqchi ekanliklarini qiziqtiradi. Paxner hali ham bir-ikki hafta ichida narsalarni tartibga solish uchun vaqt bor deb hisoblasa-da, O'Keysi, Krathning yuguruvchilar jamoalari bilan bo'lishidan ko'ra, portga xabarni tezroq etkazishi mumkinligini aytib o'tdi. Uning xavotiri asosli bo'lib chiqdi (garchi u bu haqda hali bilmasa ham), chunki Krat kosmodromga odamlarning borligi to'g'risida xabar yubordi. Biroq, Temu Jin, bekor qilingan "qutqaruv missiyasi" dan qaytgach, portni Krath satraplaridan imperator gubernatoriga etkazadigan har qanday kommunikatsiyalarni qabul qilishi uchun narsalarni tartibga soladi va Rojerning borligi haqidagi xabarni yolg'on xabar bilan o'chiradi.
Rojer va uning Kirstidagi shirkati kunlar o'tishi bilan Kord va Pedi nihoyat qurol va Pedi talab qiladigan boshqa narsalarni sotib olishga muvaffaq bo'lishdi. Kord, Pedi-ni butunlay tashqi ko'rinishga keltiradigan kiyim va kosmetika ekanligini aniqlaydi ham jozibali. Pedi bilan mashg'ulotlardan so'ng, Kord uning ba'zi bir "qismlarini" sezib turadi va u har ikki yilda bir marta "mavsum" kelishidan qo'rqadi. Denat, shuningdek, tobora yomonroq bo'lib (xuddi shu sababga ko'ra), Portena va Julianni uning g'alati xatti-harakatlaridan xavotirga solmoqda. Mahalliy vulqon otilib chiqqanda va butun shahar to'satdan yopilganda, ruhoniylar otishni yomon alomat deb bilganlarida, narsalar o'zgarishni boshlaydi. Odamlar to'satdan bosh ruhoniydan Rojer bilan uchrashishga tayyor ekanligi to'g'risida xabar olishadi. O'Keysi bilan birga, Paxner Rojerga Kostutich, Despreaux, uning otryadidan o't o'chiruvchilar guruhi (hammasi munchoqli miltiq bilan qurollangan bo'lishi kerak) va Mardukan piyoda va otliq qo'shinlari bilan birga borishni buyuradi. U bir zumda jo'nab ketishga tayyor bo'lishga qaror qiladi va tinglovchilar vaqtiga to'g'ri keladigan tekshiruvni rejalashtiradi.
Rojer oliy ruhoniy bilan uchrashadi, unga Sor Teb va shahar devorlari yaqinida joylashgan Kirsti oliy ibodatxonasida ko'plab soqchilar hamrohlik qilmoqdalar. U o'zini keksa bosh ruhoniyga "Washinghome Baron" (uning kichik unvonlaridan biri) Seran Chang deb tanishtiradi va ularning kosmodromga sayohat qilish iltimosini so'raydi. Ammo oliy ruhoniy, bundan ham muhimroq "Xudoning ehtiyojlari" haqida gapirishni istaydi va odamlar uzoq vaqt davomida "Olov Rabbimizga xizmat qilishdan qochishgan". Rojer Krat odamlar orasidan "Xudoning xizmatkori" ni talab qilayotganini aytadi va boshqalar bilan maslahatlashishni boshlaydi. Rojer va boshqa odamlar o'zlariga ko'ngillilarni tashlab ketishga tayyor bo'lishsa-da (ularga munosib muomala qilish sharti bilan) Pedi bunga qat'iy qarshi, ammo nima uchun bu ularga yo'qolganini tushuntirish. Ular Krath tilidagi tarjimasida muammo bo'lishi kerak degan xulosaga kelishdi va bu masalani o'z hamkasblari bilan muhokama qilish uchun tanaffusni talab qilishdi, ammo Sor Teb Xizmatkorni hozir yig'ish kerakligini aytib, muloyimlik bilan rad etadi. Uning javobi butun insoniyat kompaniyasini taranglashishiga olib keladi va Rojer Kratning tarjimasini "toot" dan tashlamoqchi bo'lib, Kordning tilini asos qilib oladi va Pediga Shinda gapirishni buyuradi. Tez orada "Xudoning xizmatkori" haqiqatan ham a ekanligi ayon bo'ladi qurbonlik Xudoga, keyin uni Xudoning ibodat qiluvchilarining tanasi yeydi. Sor Teb buni tasdiqlaydi va Rojer ushbu taklifnomani rad etishni so'raganida, Teb uning qo'riqchilaridan ko'ra ko'proq soqchilari borligini va ular bitta odam qurbonligini topshirishni tanlashi mumkinligini yoki ularning hammasi o'zi xohlaganicha qurbon bo'lishini ta'kidlamoqda. hamma Krat odamlarni Xudoga olib borganini o'zi bilganiga ishonch hosil qiling. O'shanda Rojer va kompaniya soqchilarga qarata o't ochishdi va Pedi zudlik bilan uning kiyimlarini echib tashladi va boshini tanasidan judo qilayotgan oliy ruhoniyga bordi. Afsuski, Sor Teb qirg'indan qutulib qoldi. Rojer va Kosutich Paxnerga signal berish xavfini tug'diradilar va uni Rojer bilan nima sodir bo'lganligi haqida darvoza oldida nima qilishni buyurganligi to'g'risida tezda xabardor qiladilar (ular qaerga borishadi). Lagerdagi lagerga bostirib kirishga urinib ko'rgan va kemalarni K'Vaernning Koviga qaytib borishni buyurgan bir nechta Krath qo'riqchilarini o'ldirgandan so'ng, Pahner qo'shinlarni darvozalar tomon yo'l olishni buyurdi.
Temu Jin kosmodromdan tashqarida u bilan aloqada bo'lgan Shin boshlig'i bilan uchrashadi va Kirstiga etib kelgan odamlar haqida so'zlab beradi. Qabilaning jangchilari tomonidan kuchaytirilgan bosim tufayli boshliq unga yordam berishni biroz istamasada, Jin ba'zi odamlarning dengiz piyoda ekanligi va yordam berishga rozi ekanligi haqida eslaganda u juda qiziqadi. Kirstiga qaytib, Rojer va uning soqchilari Krat soqchilarining har qanday ta'qibidan voz kechishga muvaffaq bo'lishdi va ma'badning nefiga tushishdi, u erda dahshatli joy "qurbonlar" qurbongohga sudrab olib borilgandan keyin o'ldirilib, boyitilgan. kiyingan ruhoniylar, Kirstining yuqori toifasi orqa fonda xitob qilmoqda. Nofdagi qorovul xabar berib, oldinga borishni boshlaydi va Rojer bitta voleybolga, keyin sovuq qurolga buyurtma beradi. Soqchilarni, ruhoniylarni va bir nechta jasur ibodat qiluvchilarni jo'natgandan so'ng, Rojer 3 daqiqa talon-toroj qilishga ruxsat beradi va keyin qo'shinlarni tashqariga ko'chirishni buyuradi. Ko'chalarda Paxner va qo'shinlar shahar darvozalariga etib borishga muvaffaq bo'lishdi, ammo ular muddatidan oldin yopilganligini payqashdi. Rojer va uning soqchilari darvoza tomon yo'l olishda davom etmoqdalar, bu jarayonda jiddiy yo'qotishlarga duch kelishdi, shu jumladan Kord Rojer va unga tashlangan nayza o'rtasida o'zini tutib olganida jiddiy jarohat oldi. Oxir-oqibat ular darvozaxonaga etib borishdi va qurollarini olib chiqib, Vasin va Portenaga darvozaga hujum qilishlariga imkon berishdi. Portena darvozaxonaning eshiklarini puflab, Vasinni kirishiga, darvoza xonasini topishiga, eshikni ko'tarishiga va boshqaruvni siqib qo'yishiga imkon beradi. Keyin Rojer va kompaniya shaharni tark etishdi va Krath qo'riqchilariga bosim o'tkazib, darvoza ichidagi yog'ni o'tish joyiga to'kib tashlashdi va keyin Krath soqchilarini alanga oldiradigan va ma'badning ko'p qismini yoqib yuboradigan bir nechta oq fosforli granatalarni tashlashdi. olov. Keyin odamlar va ularning ittifoqchilari tepaliklarga yo'l olishadi.
Kirstida Sor Teb maqolda o'zini topadi itxona harbiy oliy kengashdagi hamkasblari Verd Ras va Lorak Tral uni oliy ruhoniyni xavf ostiga qo'yishda aqlsizligi uchun jazolashganda, uni juda kam sonli soqchilar bilan qilgan va keyin uni Shin tomonidan o'ldirish uchun tashlab ketgan. Tebga ma'lum bo'lishicha, to'liq kengashning kvorumi Lorakka odamlarni erga va agar kerak bo'lsa, Shin ularga yordam berishga qaror qilsa, ularni olib kelishga vakolatli vakolat bergan. Sor Lorakning kuchlari Shin bilan kurasha olishiga shubha bilan qaraydi (chunki ular ilgari bu qadar omadga ega bo'lmagan), ammo Lorak o'zining ta'minot liniyasini himoya qilishni niyat qilgani uchun amin, chunki bu avvalgi jazo ekspeditsiyalarida bo'lmagan. . Verd Lorakning rejasini qo'llab-quvvatlaydi, ayniqsa tayyorlangan hujumdan boshqa hech narsa odamlarga qarshi chiqish uchun etarli bo'lmaydi degan dalillarni hisobga olgan holda. So'ngra, Sorga armiya uchun qo'llanma bo'lib xizmat qiladigan bir nechta Scourge xodimlarini hisobga olmaganda, u va uning kuchlari baraklari bilan cheklanganligini aytishadi. Shu bilan birga, Rojer va Paxner Pedi bilan bu masalani muhokama qilib, Krath vodiysi orqali o'tadigan osonroq yo'lga emas, balki Phesning tug'ilgan shahri Mud Hemxga qarab Shesul dovonidan o'tishga qaror qilishdi, bu esa ikkita istehkom bilan shug'ullanishga olib keladi. Ular Dobreskuning qurbonlar to'g'risidagi hisobotini oladilar: jarohat olganlarning aksariyati muddati tugagan yoki qolganlari tirik qoladi, Kord bilan eng og'ir yaradorlar va hali ham o'rmondan tashqarida emaslar.
Karvon avval Srem shahriga etib boradi, u erda Rastar merni ularni to'ldirish va Shesul dovonida ularga intellekt bilan ta'minlash bilan maxfiy ravishda tahdid qilmoqda. Keyin ular dovonga borishadi, u erda ko'tarilgan barcha aravalar bilan ko'tarilish imkonsiz bo'lib qoladi va ular ikki baravar ko'paytirishga majbur bo'lmoqdalar turom har bir aravada va yarim ta'minotini o'rtada qoldiring. Vasinning skaut partiyalari Pedi ularga aytgan parda devoriga etib borishdi va juda katta qal'ani kashf etishdi. Ular qal'a oldida yashirin lager qurdilar va qolgan konvoyni kutmoqdalar va bunday qal'ani olish qiyinligi haqida xabar berishdi, ammo Rojerning rejasi bor. U Julian, Gronningen va Macekni qo'shni tog 'qirg'og'idan qal'aga yaqinlashish uchun yuboradi. Ular devorlarga qarshilik ko'rsatmasalar va qal'aga ehtiyotkorlik bilan kirib borsalar, ular hayron qolishadi. Barcha Krat soqchilarining o'z turlarida haddan tashqari sovuqni keltirib chiqaradigan yarim qish uyqusidagi tuproqdagi olov atrofida olov atrofida to'planib qolishganini ko'rib, ular bundan ham hayratda qolishadi. Uxlab yotgan soqchilarni bog'lab qo'ygandan so'ng, ular o'zlarining qolgan partiyalari uchun eshiklarni ochadilar va Pahner ikki kun davomida sog'ayish to'g'risida qaror qabul qildi, chunki kompaniya oxirgi oyoqlarida. Biroq, Julian Krath qo'mondonligi idorasida imperator Zuiko tri-kamini topadi, bu qal'a port bilan aloqa qilganligini va keyin Gronningen qal'adagi hujayralardan birida qamalib olgan odamni topadi.
Garvard Mansul odam Imperatorlik Astrografiya Jamiyatining a'zosi bo'lib chiqadi va u Rojer va uning dengiz piyodalarini umuman tirik holda ko'rganidan hayratlanib, Rojer va dengiz piyoda askarlariga o'z holatlari to'g'risida gapirib beradi. U Mardukka mahalliy aholi haqida hikoya yozish uchun kelgan edi, ammo kosmodromga kelishini gubernator uni imperator josusiga olib borib, qandaydir "baxtsiz hodisa" da o'lishdan xavotirlana boshlaganida, unga iltifot bilan qarashmadi. Aynan o'sha paytda u bilan bog'da biron bir odam Pedi Gastan deb nomlangan Shin lashkarboshisi himoyasi ostida uni yashirincha olib chiqib ketishni va odamlarning kichik anklaviga olib kirishni taklif qilgan. ilgari odamlarni ko'rmagan). Mansul ularga xavfsizlik perimetridagi bo'shliqlar orqali noqonuniy olib o'tilganligini, dengiz piyoda askarlari juda qiziq tuyulganini aytadi. Aynan o'sha paytda Portena keladi va ularga Doc Dobresku kerakligini aytadi, chunki Denat aqldan ozgandek tuyuladi. Dobresku kelganida, Denat oxir-oqibat uni ochishga majbur qiladi va u o'zini "mavsumda" ekanligini tushuntiradi, keyin bu fikr pahner va Rojerga etkaziladi. Pahner Mardukan qo'shinlarining qolgan qismi haqida o'ylaganda Dobresku, turli mintaqalardan bo'lganligi sababli, o'sha mardukaliklar har xil "fasllarga" ega bo'lishini tushuntiradi. Ammo Rojer shundan keyin Kord Denat mintaqasidan ekanligini tushunadi, Dobresku uni undan g'alati o'qishlar sabab deb biladi. Pedi o'zlari bilmagan holda, Kordagi fasl alomatlarini yaralarini parvarish qilayotganda taniydi va u bilan juftlashish orqali tanadagi zo'riqishni engillashtirishga qaror qiladi.
Dengiz piyoda askarlari qal'adan chiqib, Mud Hemmdagi Pedi uyiga borishadi, u erda Kratning kuchliligini va Shinning jangga yig'ilishini ko'rishadi. Ularni Pedining hiyla-nayrangli otasi Gastanning oldiga olib kelishadi, u qizini a kabi eshitishdan xursand emas benan yoki Kirstidagi voqealardan keyin odamlarni ko'rish. Dastlab ularning o'g'li Trtikni va uning 400 nafar jangchisini yo'qotib, qiziga uning yirtqich yollanma va o'g'rilar safiga tushib qolganini aytganligi sababli ularga nisbatan dushmanlik qilgan bo'lsa ham, Rojer o'z qiyofasidan voz kechib, unga aytganda, ohangini tezda o'zgartiradi. u haqiqatan ham kim va unga Kirstida Krath talab qilgan narsaga ishonadi. U vafot etgan Kirsti ruhoniyining boshini qizidan olib, qo'rg'on devorlariga ko'tarilib, uni paykak ustiga o'rnatib, qal'aning tashqarisida kiyingan Kratga odamlarga ularning talablariga "javobini" aytdi. Oliy ruhoniyning boshi. Keyin u Rojer va Paxnerga qizining ittifoqdoshlari endi unga tegishli ekanligini, ammo u "bu tartibsizlikdan" unga yordam berishlarini kutishini aytadi.
Gastan Rojer va Kompaniyaga portda IBIning yashirin agenti bilan aloqada bo'lganligini va ular allaqachon taxmin qilgan narsalarini, gubernator tizimda tez-tez uchraydigan avliyolarga "jonini sotganini" aytadi. Gubernator Krat bilan ittifoqchilik qildi va kosmik aeroport yaqinida Olov O'g'liga yordam berdi. Shinni yo'q qilishda Kratga yordam berish faqat vaqt masalasi bo'lgani uchun, Gaston gubernatorni mag'lubiyatga uchratish umidida Rojerga yordam berish orqali Temu Jinga yordam berishni tanladi. Rojerning ta'kidlashicha, gubernatorlar imperiya e'tiboriga tushgach, uni to'xtatish uchun ular aralashishi kerak edi. Shuningdek, u Krath depressiyalarini tugatish uchun o'z uyining sharafiga va'da beradi. But the Gastan then drops a "bombshell" on Roger and his Marines: there was a coup attempt against his mother. While his mother survived the attempt, his brother John and John's children did not and his sister Alexandra was killed when her ship was destroyed in an ambush. The Gastan also reveals that the Empress has laid the blame for the attempt against the throne on none other than her youngest son, Roger.
Roger and the marine command group meet privately to discuss these dire developments. With so many of the Empress' loyalists in the fleet and IBI dead (along with the entire Empress' Own, save the few who are with Roger) and replaced with individuals whose loyalty is far more questionable coupled with the fact that the Empress has been seen in public accompanied by Prince Jackson Adoula and Roger's father the Earl of New Madrid, it seems obvious that all is not well in the empire. Julian concludes that the "coup attempt" actually succeeded and that the Empress is now under the control of Prince Jackson, and that Roger's father and General Gianetto, the new High Commander for Fleet Forces (and a long acquaintance of Pahner's) are in on it. But it is also clear that the conspirators' control over the empire is not complete, as at least one sensitive position in Home Fleet has been filled by a person whose loyalty to the Empress is unquestionable. What's more, there's no way the conspirators can continue to control the Empress indefinitely without being discovered and Roger and Pahner conclude that the conspirators have a legitimate heir gestating in a uterine replicator. Once the child is born and confirmed to be of the Empress' own genetics, she'll be killed and Jackson will we named regent for the child, placing him in amalda control of the empire. As the coup occurred two months before, they only have seven more months to attempt a rescue of the Empress and only after dealing with their own immediate problems.
As Roger and his troops contemplate various ways to defeat the Krath (with Mansul avidly recording every meeting) and Cord recovers from his wounds, Julian and O'Casey go over the intelligence provided by Temu Jin. It soon becomes clear that the defenses of the spaceport have been severely compromised and Julian is unsure whether the governor is a "complete and total idiot—or else subtly brilliant". But when he mentions that his name is Ymyr Brown, the Earl of Mountmarch, O'Casey can barely contain her laughter as she explains the depth of his incompetence and how he probably ended up on Marduk. Taking the port is deemed to be a "cakewalk" but what the marines can do afterward is far more problematic, as it seems obvious that the conspirators have managed to convince the public that what they're saying is true while anyone claiming that the Empress is being controlled is obviously a crank who believes in conspiracy theories.
Roger's troops launch a number of spoiler raids in an attempt to break the Krath's will to fight but are unsuccessful due to the Krath army's sheer size. Roger's commanders and the Gastan lean towards a prolonged battle of attrition to break the Krath's will to fight but Roger says they need a decisive battle. As he contemplates the Shin Valley's geology, he's struck with a moment of inspiration on how to defeat the Krath outright and humiliate them in the process. In a command conference held that night in the Gastan's primary bathhouse, Roger explains that the Valley of the Shin had once been blocked at one end, creating a lake at the valley's end. Roger proposes to use heavy explosives from the spaceport (to be acquired by Temu Jin) to blow off a large chunk of the adjacent mountain and dam up the valley, recreating the lake that used to be right where the Krath army is camped out. The rising waters will force them out into the open and surrender or remain up to their groins in cold water. The Shin chieftains agree to the plan. After the conference ends, Roger and his people, along with the Gastan, remain in the bathhouse to discuss their concerns over the war. The Gastan fears that with so many warriors killed, the Shin population will decline severely (for the same reasons the Kranolta were on the decline). Krindi suggests co-opting the Krath to move to the Shin Valley to solve this problem and to require them to renounce Mardukan sacrifice. Kosutic is perplexed over this since Mansul noted that the sacrifices had to be a recent change in the theology and the humans reason out that it is the result of deliberate cultural contamination by the Saint presence. Roger and Despreaux are eventually left alone in the hot tub and have a discussion about their relationship. Despreaux, having seen too much intense combat on Marduk, feels that she can't continue with Roger. There's a big fight looming on the horizon to save the Empress and Despreaux has seen too much death already. Even if their successful, Roger will become emperor now that he is his mother's only remaining child, and Despreaux doesn't want to be Empress, or worse, relegated to a royal concubine because of dynastic calculations. Roger tries to plead with her stay with him but she only agrees to stay on until they reach Earth and rescue his mother and that they'll discuss the matter then.
Temu Jin comes through on the high yield explosives the marines ask for, along with some additional ammunition and spare parts for their off-world weaponry. Despreaux, along with Julian and his team, set up the charges and return to Mudh Hemh. The Krath however, do not remain idle at seeing the humans up to something on the mountainside and launch another large scale attack on Nopet Nujam. They begin a full-court press just as the charges are detonated and, as predicted, the river begins to rise rapidly, flooding the Krath encampment. However, just as the Krath begin to get off the walls of Nopet Nujam, a ikkinchi attack by Krath and Shadem raiders, led by Sor Teb, attacks Mudh Hemh. Roger, in full battle armor and armed with a bead cannon, goes out to "remonstrate" with Teb and point out the foolishness of the attack. Teb, aware of Roger's true identity, is unfazed by Roger's threats, as his position in Kirsti has become untenable. He simply intended to kill as many Shin in Mudh Hemh as he can and escape to the Shadem. He then surprises Roger with a "one-shot" (an off-world, anti-armor weapon, designed to kill the person inside it by a ricocheting scab) which he throws at Roger. The Scourge raiding party then storms the battlements and Teb himself fights against an enraged Pedi. Teb succeeds in injuring Pedi's shoulder who then drops to one knee and impales Teb on two of her swords while Dogzard finishes him off by ripping his throat out. Fearing for Pedi's life, Cord professes his feelings for Pedi and begs her to hold on for him until Dobrescu can arrive while Pedi admits that she is pregnant with his children and feels the same way about him. Roger is found to be alive, having managed to turn just enough so that the one-shot failed to lock onto his armor properly, with only a few broken ribs and bruises to show for it. Pahner personally brings him up to speed both about the Krath surrender and the situation between Cord and Pedi (much to Roger's gleeful delight).
With Temu Jin's information and assistance on the inside, Roger, his marines, his Mardukan retainers and 2000 Shin warriors manage to storm and take control of the spaceport with few casualties and Pahner personally (and with immense satisfaction) locates Governor Mountmarch (who's found with a naked 10-year-old boy in his quarters) and places him under arrest for treason and pedophilia. Roger and his marines then begin preparations for seizing a ship. All the marines trade in all their chameleon suits for newer (and less torn up) suits and replace all of their weapon from the port armory (Portena forcing them all to first clean out all their old weapons). Julian and Kosutic begin fitting out the Basik's Own with their own chameleon suits and weapons (even though it is agreed that they and Roger will only be used to back up the marines and only if there's no other choice) while O'Casey takes, Mansul, Denat, Cord, Pedi and a squad of marines and Mardukans on a shuttle trip to backtrace their trek across the planet, visiting every place they had been to assess the impact the marines visit had on the population and to cover up any evidence they may have left behind. Denat is left in Marshad while Cord is taken back to his village where he introduces his soon-to-be wife to his family. They then reach their long abandoned shuttles and, having refueled them, fly back to the port, picking up Denat along the way with T'Leen Sena who has accepted his marriage proposal. In the meantime, Temu Jin assists the marines in gaining access to Mountmarch's private files where they discover a wealth of evidence against him, indicating his treason began long before his exile to Marduk. The Mardukans practice with their new weapons and are given a brief course in shipboard combat as they await the arrival of a ship they can safely commandeer. Once such a ship arrives, Pahner orders all weapons-training to cease to avoid detection and to get their "war faces" on. As they await the ship's entry into orbit Roger arranges a huge banquet for the troops, complete with various "awards" being handed to every member of his party (such as a silver pitchfork for Kosutic, a set of four bronzed bead-pistols for Raster and "little pocking wrench" for Portena) and gives Pahner the Order of the Bronze Shield while Pahner, in turn, gives Roger the Combat Infantryman's Badge for having "walked into the fire again and again, and come out not unscathed, but at least, thank God, alive". As the dinner winds down, Despreaux propositions Roger again but he turns her down because she still won't marry him.
Sifatida Zumrad tongi enters into orbit, Temu Jin asks to conduct a customs inspection as a cover for the shuttle carrying the marines but the ship captain is suspicious since this is the first time such an inspection is conducted (despite Temu Jin's assurances that it is because of an upcoming inspection on them). He sends Commander Amanda Beach and two highly dangerous crewmen to greet Temu Jin at the airlock. As Temu Jin meets with Beach and her goons he drops to the ground as the Marines blast through the airlock behind him, but it becomes clear that the battle plan is a bust almost immediately as Beach and one of her guards manage to escape the marines initial attack with the ship's crew resisting far more forcefully than the crew of any tramp freighter. The marines begin to sustain fatalities as the crew counterattacks with plasma rifles while Jin's hacking of the ship's computers reveals, to everyone's horror, that they are aboard a Saint special ops insertion ship and are up against a full company of highly dangerous commandos, commanded by the infamous Colonel Fiorello Giovannuci, a real Saint fanatic. Pahner is forced to call in Roger and the Mardukans to get his marines out, while the Saint-John twins disable the ship's anti-ship defenses (at the cost of John's life). Roger (having identified himself to the ship in his demand that they surrender), Mansul, the navy pilots and the Mardukans arrive and begin spreading throughout the ship, causing serious damage to it in the process (the Mardukans, not being accustomed to shipboard combat, use far more firepower than necessary). The reinforcements turn the tide in the marines' favor and Giovannuci decides to activate the ship's self-destruct rather than surrender and demands over the internal comm that they withdraw immediately. Realizing that he's serious and that they have no way to deactivate the self-destruct without the cooperation of at least one of the ship's command staff, Pahner immediately orders a withdrawal. Portena then reports that he has Amanda Beach, the ship's executive officer, who does have the override codes for the self-destruct but who demands asylum from Roger who can grant it upon the Imperial family's honor. With his identity revealed and too few marines remaining, Roger agrees and manages to reach the bridge and breach its defenses. There he and Pahner find Giovannuci, the senior NCO, and several other bridge personnel who refuse to surrender and deactivate the self-destruct. Roger orders Beach be brought there and tells Giovannuci that they have his exec who is willing to cooperate. Giovannuci and the senior NCO then pull out from the back of their uniforms one-shots and hurl them at Roger who manages to kill the senior NCO and stop the one-shot he throws from activating but fails to stop the one Giovannuci uses. Pahner however, manages to shove him aside and place himself between Roger and the second one-shot, which manages to lock on and activate properly on Pahner's armor, critically wounding him. Roger furiously orders Giovanucci and everybody else removed from the bridge then goes to one knee next to the dying Pahner, swearing that he'll get the mission done and save his mother and bidding his chief bodyguard and father figure farewell as Pahner finally dies.
The story concludes with Roger explaining to the Beach their predicament[tushuntirish kerak ] as he is now a wanted traitor, a situation she has no choice but to accept. He also asks Nimashet to stay with them at least until they rescue his mother. She agrees, but she still refuses to marry him.
Mardukdagi joylar dengiz piyodalari tomonidan tashrif buyurgan
Kirsti - Is the port city where Roger and his troops first land upon the sub-continent of the Krath. Located in a collapsed caldera at least twenty kilometers across, and cut by a massive river, it is the largest city the Humans have seen during their journey across Marduk. The city itself extends for many miles from the waterfront (where the hierarchy reside) and even beyond its defensive walls. Like all Krath society, Kirsti is ruled by a theocracy and the Kirstians themselves are highly secretive about their religion and suspicious of outsiders (though humans have visited the city before).
Sran - The first town the Humans and their allies arrive at after their escape from Kirsti. A relatively prosperous town, that had not seen any military force descend upon it in over 200 years, Sran finds itself forced to provide supplies to Roger's forces, mostly due to humans' reputation for "boundless cruelty and wanton slaughter" (as Rastar humorously puts it).
The Valley of the Krath - Located upon a contiguous river that stretches, through some falls, all the way from a large upland vale to the sea, the Valley is the dominant political unit of the sub-continent. Though the valley is one more or less continuous political unit, the emperor, who is also the Highest of the High Priests and who rules from a capital near the spaceport, has only limited control over the lower valley. Krath society is ruled by a theocracy and, unlike Diaspra, it is not a benevolent theocracy. While the valley has no effective external enemy, (negating the need for a significant field army), the Krath maintain large field armies because their satraps engage in a certain amount of "ritualistic" warfare to settle disputes (complete with laws of wars designed to avoid the massive damage an all-out fight would entail). The Krath consider themselves the center of the universe, with all other siyosatlar subject to them with extensive obeisance rituals.
The Shesul Pass - A mountain pass that is on one of two roads from Kirsti to Mudh Hemh. Protected by a large curtain wall to prevent the Shin from taking the pass, the pass is lightly used and has not been cleared of the local carnivores.
The Vale of the Shin - The Shin, according to O'Casey, have a fairly typical upland barbarian culture. Centered around small, fertile valleys (the Vales) each of which has a clan chief, or 'king', they are all nominally independent, with a few of them allied to each other or involved in blood feuds. There's a 'great king' or war leader, in theory, at least, but his authority is strictly limited. While Shin themselves are fierce warriors who are unwilling to surrender or capitulate, they are willing to accept the occasional slave raid that claims some of their numbers without retaliation because the Krath are so numerically superior.
Mudh Hemh - Pedi's home town and the "capital" of her tribe. Located in a partially upland glacial cirque, around hot springs that were used by the Shin to survive a relatively recent ice age, it contains several fort cities, the largest being Nopet Nujam and Queicuf and the trade city of Nesru as well as the ruins of a fairly large city that was destroyed in a previous war between the Krath and Shin.
Port Marduk - The planetary spaceport, established by the Empire of Man decades before during the reign of Prince Roger's ineffectual grandfather. The port maintains a large manufactory unit and armory. Nominally guarded by monomolecular wire, plasma torrents and a series of ground and orbital sensors, its security has long since been compromised by the ineptitude of the imperial governor.
The Lemmaran Islands - The Lemmar are a political unit island nation, located upon a volcanic archipelago that stretches out southward from the sub-continent of the Krath. The term "Lemmar" is also used as a generic ethnic term. The Lemmar do not care to be taken prisoner and as a result, their crews refuse to surrender and opt to die in combat and kill their own slaves and prisoners rather than fall into enemy hands. The reason for this is mostly to induce terror among their enemies but also because of their refusal to be captured by the Fire Priests and face their religious "practices".
The major interstellar players
The Empire of Man - Also called the Terran Empire, it is one of the major interstellar powers in the area of the galaxy explored by humans. Ruled by a monarchy (house MacClintock) and a parliament consisting of an elected senate and a house of lords, the empire encompasses a great many worlds with varying degrees of technological development. Recent political problems, beginning with the reign of Emperor Andrew (Roger's grandfather), have created a great deal of factionalism, unrest and inequality, particularly between the core worlds and the outer planets. The result is a brewing crisis that the Empress has been desperately attempting to prevent and which is the cause of the attack on Roger that strands him and his marines on Marduk.
The Caravazan Empire - The Terran Empire's traditional enemy. Following the ascent of Pierpaelo Cavaza—a devotee of the Church of Ryback (an organization dedicated to removing "humanocentric" damage from the universe)—to the throne shortly after the Dagger Years, the empire embraced the tenets of the church into law. The move had triggered a short civil war that Cavaza had won proving that he was just as ruthless as his ancestors. Now the empire is led by his followers, religious eco-freaks who seek to impose their belief on how nature should be handled. As part of this belief system, the Saints "reclaim" certain worlds by forcing humans to remove all human influence and pollution (including their own waste—which is why they basically starve to death the people sent to reclaim these worlds).
Raiden-Winterhowe - A revanchist empire that was once invaded and forced to defend itself and now continues to expand because it is unable to stop.
The Alphine Alliance - An alliance consisting of 12 worlds and populated by humans, Althari and Phenuers. The Althari are a female-dominated, stoic warrior race that resemble 3-meter tall koala bears while the Phenuers are a four-legged, lizard-like race of functional telepaths (among themselves) and empaths. The Althari, being descended from ground burrowing creatures prefer underground dwellings with clears fields of fire, making them more like subterranean bunkers than homes. In Althari society, males are definitely second-class citizens, untrusted by the females, many of whom consider them as being useful only for breeding and housework. Defined by O'Casey as "very shrewd bargainers" since they cannot be lied to (the Phenuers being able to sense deception). The Alliance is on friendly terms with the Empire of Man.
Texnologiya
Tutorial Implants ("Toots") - An implanted computer processor that interfaces completely with human neural systems without adverse side effects. Used primarily for data processing, storage and training, the toot augments a person's learning capability, including the use of assassination programs (for better marksmanship) or translating alien languages. The device can, in fact, take over for the person and allow him to perform tasks more efficiently. However, it is a security planner's nightmare, as the toot can be hacked and the person forced to do a task against their will (as if they'd been possessed by a demon).
ChromSten - The hardest substance known to modern science, used both in ship's armor and in personal body armor. Only a plasma rifle (or something stronger) can penetrate ChromSten.
Tunnel Drive - The faster-than-light method of transport used for interstellar travel. Ships equipped with tunnel drives tend to be huge, as the drive takes up a lot of volume. Every star system, depending on the size of its primary star, has a limit within which entry into tunnel space is impossible (known as the Tsukayama Limit). Travel between star systems takes days and sometimes weeks.
Phase Drive - The drive used when the ship is in normal space.
Bead Rifles and Cannons - Projectile weapons that fire five-millimeter steel-coated, glass- or tungsten-cored beads "accelerated to phenomenal speeds" via electromagnetic lining in the weapon's barrel.
Plasma Rifles and Cannons - The main field energy weapon, capable of taking out powered armor. The plasma rifles utilize a magazine containing lithium-deuteride pellets and a power source to feed the laser compressors that initiate the fusion reaction that drives the weapon.
Chameleon Suits - The standard issue marine uniform that allows the wearer to fade into the background. The suits also offer limited ballistic protection and can be configured for work in vacuum environments.
Powered Armor - ChromSten made armor that offers even better ballistic protection and camouflage capabilities that chameleon suits and are susceptible to damage only from heavy energy weapons such as plasma rifles and cannons or the last-ditch, contact-range weapon called a "one-shot", which delivers a shock wave through the armor to the plasteel matrix supporting it, causing a scab to break free and ricochet inside the armor, killing the person inside.
Nanotexnologiya - Widely used throughout the story and in many ways. Prince Roger and the marines have nanites floating around in their bloodstream whose function is to enhance the person's regenerative capabilities (even a lost limb, though this takes a metabolic toll on the body), process alien nutrients into something human anatomy can use, increase the body's endurance and protect against disease and foreign toxins. Roger's staff and the navy pilots do not have these advantages and thus need more dietary supplements and protection. The marines also have nanotech recording devices used in an intelligence gathering function. These devices are the size of a small insect and can move like one so as to look innocuous.
Adabiyotlar
- ^ "David Weber". eBookwise. Arxivlandi asl nusxasi 2011 yil 10-iyulda. Olingan 18 avgust 2009.
Tashqi havolalar
- Fifth Imperium: Yulduzlarga mart[doimiy o'lik havola ] (online copy of the book)