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briskly toward Harry's ship.
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Fred Saberhagen - Berserker's Star.html
Calm-voiced messages, meant to be reassuring, were being broadcast almost
continuously over the public communication system.
There were plenty of ships available, and so forth. Few people seemed to be
paying much attention. One of the details being casually mentioned in passing,
though certainly not emphasized, was the fact
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Fred Saberhagen - Berserker's Star.html that berserkers were known to be in an
adjoining sector of the
Galaxy. No problem. The evacuation ships would be taking everyone in the
opposite direction.
Both Templars and
Space Force were doing more than simply commanding and enforcing evacuation,
carrying refugees away.
Several billion kilometers from here,
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Fred Saberhagen - Berserker's Star.html they were also deploying fighting
ships to try to intercept the anticipated berserker attack.
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Even as Harry and his new clients trudged along, they could watch one of the
big evacuation vessels lifting off, looking huge though it was kilometers
away. It was packed, Harry was certain, with hundreds, perhaps
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Fred Saberhagen - Berserker's Star.html thousands, of human beings, and
whatever personal belongings they were being allowed to take.
At that moment, some anonymous Templar with an imperious voice, made all the
more commanding by amplifiers in a passing groundcar, was ordering all owners
of private ships to stand by, delaying liftoff until
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Fred Saberhagen - Berserker's Star.html further notice. All cargo space aboard
ships still on the ground was being commandeered for priority freight salvage.
Harry's arm snapped up in a crisp salute, acknowledging the order, the
suggestion of instant obedience somewhat spoiled by the gesture's being
delivered left-handed. Otherwise he kept moving without breaking stride,
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Fred Saberhagen - Berserker's Star.html shepherding his three clients with
him.
"How much of a problem is that going to be?"
Dietrich asked, looking back over his shoulder at the groundcar as it slowly
cruised away.
Harry kept going. "None at all, as long as we ignore it."
Prophets One and Two, once more arguing fiercely with each other, had vanished
in the
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Fred Saberhagen - Berserker's Star.html passing throng.
Everywhere heads were bobbing up and down as people kept looking up at the
gradually darkening sky, as if they might be able to see the great doom coming
before it got here.
Pointless, of course, but
Harry caught himself repeatedly doing the same thing.
Here on the balmy surface of Hong's World,
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Fred Saberhagen - Berserker's Star.html it was still a warm, clear evening. A
well-dressed woman, trudging along with her children in the same direction,
was trying to explain to her young teenager that yes, all the stars would
continue to look just fine, until the star in question started to look a
little strange, about an hour before the arrival of the blast front.
The children all nodded,
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Fred Saberhagen - Berserker's Star.html wide-eyed. They were ready to be taken
care of, as they had been for all of their short lives.
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Then abruptly the young girl turned to Harry, who happened to be walking [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]