Звездный десант
Chapter 1
AlmostatonceIfeltthecapsuletwistandsway,thensteadydownsothatmyweightwasonmyback...weightthatbuiltupquicklyuntilIwasatmyfullweight(0.87gee,wehadbeentold)forthatplanetasthecapsulereachedterminalvelocityforthethinupperatmosphere.Apilotwhoisarealartist(andtheCaptainwas)willapproachandbrakesothatyourlaunchingspeedasyoushootoutofthetubeplacesyoujustdeadinspacerelativetotherotationalspeedoftheplanetatthatlatitude.Theloadedcapsulesareheavy;theypunchthroughthehigh,thinwindsoftheupperatmospherewithoutbeingblowntoofaroutofposition—butjustthesameaplatoonisboundtodisperseonthewaydown,losesomeoftheperfectformationinwhichitunloads.Asloppypilotcanmakethisstillworse,scatterastrikegroupoversomuchterrainthatitcan’tmakerendezvousforretrieval,muchlesscarryoutitsmission.Aninfantrymancanfightonlyifsomebodyelsedelivershimtohiszone;inawayIsupposepilotsarejustasessentialasweare.
IcouldtellfromthegentlewaymycapsuleenteredtheatmospherethattheCaptainhadlaidusdownwithasnearzerolateralvectorasyoucouldaskfor.Ifelthappy—notonlyatightformationwhenwehitandnotimewasted,butalsoapilotwhoputsyoudownproperlyisapilotwhoissmartandpreciseonretrieval.
Theoutershellburnedawayandsloughedoff—unevenly,forItumbled.ThentherestofitwentandIstraightenedout.
