"Gordon R. Dickson - Childe Cycle 04 - Tactics of Mistake" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

blue-robed Exotic at its far end, back past her father and herself to the dark, faintly smiling deCastries.
"I know you, of course, Mr. Secretary," he went on to deCastries. "In fact, I picked this particular
flight to Kultis just so I could meet you. I'm Cletus GrahameтАФhead of the Tactics Department at the
Western Alliance Military Academy until last month. Then I put in for transfer to KultisтАФto Bakhalla, on
Kultis."
He looked over at the Exotic. "The purser tells me you're Mondar, Outbound from Kultis to the
Enclave in St. Louis," he said. "Bakhalla's your home town, then."
"The capital of Bakhalla Colony," said the Exotic, "not just a town, nowdays, Colonel. You know, I'm
sure we're all pleased to meet you, Cletus. But do you think it's good judgment for an officer in the armed
forces of the Alliance to try to mix with Coalition people?"
"Why notтАФon shipboard?" said Cletus Grahame, smiling unconcernedly at him. "You're mixing with
the secretary, and it's the Coalition who's supplying Neuland with arms and material. Besides, as I say,
it's the first night out."
Mondar shook his head. "Bakhalla and the Coalition aren't at war," he said. "The fact the Coalition's
given some aid to Neuland Colony is beside the point."
"The Alliance and the Coalition aren't at war," said Cletus, "and the fact that they're backing different
sides in the brush war between you and Neuland's beside the point."
"It's hardly beside the pointтАФ" began Mondar. But then he was interrupted.
There was a sudden hush in the buzz of conversation about the lounge. While they had been talking,
the steward and Pater Ten had returned, behind an impressively large, uniformed man wearing the stripes
of a spaceliner's first officer, who now reached the table and dropped a big hand heavily on Cletus'
shoulder.
"Colonel," said the shipman, loudly, "this is a Swiss ship of neutral registry. We carry Alliance and
Coalition people, both, but we don't like political incidents on shipboard. This table belongs to the
Coalition Secretary of Outworlds Affairs, Dow deCastries. Your place is back there across the
room тАж "
But from the first word, Cletus paid him no attention. Instead, he looked back to the girlтАФat her
aloneтАФand smiled and raised his eyebrows as if leaving it up to her. He made no move to rise from the
table.
The girl glared back at him but still he did not move. For a long second her glare held; then it wavered
and broke. She turned to deCastries.
"Dow тАж " she said, interrupting the ship's officer, who had begun to repeat his words.
DeCastries' thin smile widened slightly. He, too, raised his eyebrows, but with a different expression
than Cletus. He let her gaze appealingly at him for a long second before he turned to the shipman.
"It's all right," he said, his deep, musical voice stilling the voice of the other, instantly. "The colonel's
just making use of his first-night privileges to sit where he wants."
The shipman's face reddened. His hand dropped slowly from Cletus' shoulder. Suddenly his size
made him seem no longer large and impressive, but clumsy and conspicuous.
"Yes, Mr. Secretary," he said stiffly, "I see. Sorry to have bothered you all тАж "
He darted a glance of pure hatred at Pater Ten, which affected the little man no more than the
shadow of a rain cloud affects the glowing radiance of a white-hot iron ingot; and, carefully avoiding the
eyes of the other passengers, he turned and walked from the lounge. The steward had already
evaporated, at deCastries' first words. Pater Ten slid into the seat he had vacated earlier, scowling at
Cletus.
"About the Exotic Enclave at St. Louis," Cletus said to MondarтАФhe did not seem to be disturbed by
what had just happenedтАФ"they've been very good about lending me library materials for research."
"Oh?" Mondar's face was politely interested. "You're a writer, Colonel?"
"A scholar," said Cletus. His gray eyes fastened now on the Exotic. "I'm writing volume four right
now, of a twenty-volume work I started three years agoтАФon tactics and strategical considerations. But
never mind that now. May I meet the rest of the people here?"