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made it even easier to decide.
"How d'you stay on one a' these things?" He said it as he jumped to a
rack of weapons, undipped a magazine-fed rocket launcher-about all the extra
weight he could safely handle, he figured-and staggered over to her while the
shuttle jarred.
"Mount behind me," she said, "and fasten yourself in with the belt
there." He did, finding a retractable safety belt built into the rear of the
cantle. Bela was already secured with the saddle's belt. Jack managed to both
hang onto the launcher and close his flight helmet. Activating his commo unit,
he heard Rick Hunter ranting.
"-the hell are you two doing back there? Get up here, that's an order!"
"Sorry, Rick Hunter," Bela said calmly. "But I'll give your regards to
Max Sterling. By the way, Baker here is braver than he looks."
Or maybe dumber, Jack thought.
She punched a button on the inner hull and pulled her hand back quickly.
The ejection-port cover rolled shut and there was a feeling like being shot
from a cannon. Jack glimpsed the ground, spinning up at him.
CHAPTER TWENTY
FILE #28364-4758
BAKER, JACK R.
Subject was orphaned of all close family members during the Robotech War, his
last relatives having been tilled during Khyron's final onslaught.
This young man has erected defenses against close emotional ties, although,
bafflingly, he manifests none of the hostility or self-destructiveness that
traditional theory would predict. He demonstrates far-above-average
intelligence, dexterity, and, in cases where it is not threatening to him.
compassion-particularly toward individuals who have been victimized.
He simply seems to have turned off his pain by not investing anyone with the
considerable affection of which he seems capable.
While there is no valid justification for denying this youth Academy entrance,
particularly in light of his scores, it should be remembered by military
authorities that this client shows a certain hostility toward discipline and
may be unsuited to military service.
Caseworker 594382, Global Care Authority
"I'm sorry, Lisa; they're just not here. We're widening the search pattern,"
Max Sterling said, sounding a little helpless. He had a child himself, back on
Earth.
The Skulls and Wolff Pack and all the scouts were unable to locate the
Karbarran children, and more and more Invid reinforcements were arriving at
the capital city. Three more mecha had been lost: a Spartan, a Raidar, and,
tellingly, an Excaliber that had virtually disappeared under a mass of
flailing Scrim and Crann and Hellcats.
The Destroids were holding their own in some places. But in others they
were pushed back inexorably, in furious, point-blank, sometimes hand-to-hand
exchanges, by Invid who didn't seem to care how heavy their losses were. The
GMU had deployed to a point on the other side of the landing site, bringing
all but its heaviest weapon to bear; but given the nature of the
street-fighting, neither it nor Farrago could give much fire support without
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the risk of hitting friendlies or civilians.
Lisa had hoped the general populace might pitch in, if only to create
diversions. But the Karbarrans were staying out of it, no doubt hoping against
logic that their children might still be spared.
A report came in that the perimeter to the south was collapsing; the
Invid had somehow brought down an entire row of high rises on the MAC Us and
Spartans there, literally pinning them down, and had waded in to dismember
them.
Lisa was reluctantly coming to the conclusion that the mission was a
failure. She looked out from the bridge at the flaming city, and prepared to
give the Destroids and the GMU the command to fall back in orderly fashion to
the ship to withdraw from the city.
If we can just get through that dome, she reminded herself.
The order was on her lips when a strange sound came over the command
net. It was a kind of-of singing. Three notes like a hunting bird's scream
made into music. Then a voice said, "This is Bela, of Praxis! We've found the
children! Home in on my beacon! Sentinels, come join the fight!"
Jack Baker struggled to steady the launcher over Bela's shoulder, the
skirmish ship in and out of his sights, as Halidarre banked and evaded and the
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