"David Drake - Hammer's Slammers 02 - Cross The Stars (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drake David)

uppermost card from habit rather than from present needтАФ тАЬMarilee Slade, asking if Don were still on our
establishment.тАЭ
тАЬNot in two years,тАЭ Hammer said with a frown. тАЬMother? Or Via! Not his wife, is she? Don didnтАЩt take home
leave in, well, at least the ten years since I promoted him to ensign.тАЭ
тАЬSeems to be his sister-in-law,тАЭ the younger man said. Hammer had already swung the display back around. The
PresidentтАЩs fingers were calling up SladeтАЩs personnel file and planetary data on Omicron Eridani IIтАФone of a trio of
worlds named Tethys by their original settlers. тАЬBrotherтАЩs widow, IтАЩd guess, from the way the query was worded,тАЭ
Pritchard continued. тАЬNever talked much to Don about why heтАЩd joined the Slammers, but I sort of gathered this lady
had something to do with it. Also he was the younger son, that sort of hereditary nonsense.тАЭ The AdjutantтАЩs eyes met
those of the childless President. There was iron in the grin of each man.
Hammer grunted approval at whatever he saw on his display. тАЬCouncil of Forty runs the place,тАЭ he muttered.
тАЬHereditary oligarchy. You know, I like the look of some of these average metal prices. Might be worth our while to
ask for quotes, especially on the manganese. Either they sweat their workers like I wouldnтАЩt dare, or theyтАЩve got a
curst slick operation.тАЭ
He gestured over the desk with an upraised palm. тАЬBut I donтАЩt suppose you thought you needed me to clear a trace
on Don Slade, did you? Shoot.тАЭ
тАЬHe left here on a tramp full of hard-cases. He was in a hurry and he wouldnтАЩt listen to reason,тАЭ Pritchard said to
the ceiling. тАЬGolf-Alpha-Charlie Five Niner. I located a survivor on Desmo and got the story. FellowтАЩd gotten to
Desmo on an Alayan ship. Don had been aboard the Alayan, too, but heтАЩd gotten off at a place called Terzia.
Produces medicinals. Place got one or two tramp freighters a month, so it shouldnтАЩt have been a bad place to trans-
ship.тАЭ
Pritchard shrugged himself out of the chair again and began to pace the large, austere office. тАЬNo question of
coercion,тАЭ he continued. тАЬThe survivor says Don tried to talk them all into working their butts off in the jungle or
some such thing. Don was free to go, just like the others he was withтАФand they all lifted off.тАЭ
Compared to Hammer, the brown-haired Adjutant was tall. He slapped the notes on his left palm. тАЬWhat the
problem turned out to be is that TerziaтАЩs refused landing rights to every ship thatтАЩs approached it since the Alayans
lifted off. It could be chance; but chance or not, the resultтАЩs the same. For over a year, DonтАЩs been caged there as sure
as if he was behind bars . . . and he may be that, too, for anything we know otherwise.тАЭ
Hammer was playing with the controls of his display again. тАЬTerziaтАЩs got real-time commo,тАЭ the President said in
the mild voice that he used when his brain was busy with something besides the words he was speaking.
тАЬYeah, and thatтАЩs funny,тАЭ said Pritchard. тАЬI got the impression that the place was virtually pre-industrial. Exports
some high-purity natural medicinals, but nothing in quantity. No quantity that thereтАЩd be a Stadtler Communications
System, unless the economic pyramid comes to a pretty sharp point.тАЭ
The President nodded. тАЬOne projection system, one Transit launch, one of a lot of things. One Don Slade right
now, though that wasnтАЩt going to show up on a Commercial Movements Summary, was it?тАЭ HammerтАЩs fingers
tapped the surface of the display gently. тАЬThough that may be a flaw in the compilerтАЩs outlook, not TerziaтАЩs.тАЭ
Hammer got up from his chair also. He ambled past the hologram. Beyond that wall of his office were the grounds
of the Presidential Palace, lushly beautiful and maintained for no purpose but the PresidentтАЩs enjoyment. Hammer
did not object to the gardens, but it was at his orders that the crystalline window giving onto them had been replaced
by the hologram. He saw the palace grounds only through the windows of his armored limousine as an incident of
travel. тАЬRight now, itтАЩs the projection system that matters,тАЭ he said aloud. тАЬYouтАЩll have Margritte handle it?тАЭ
Danny nodded at the reference to his wife. тАЬWeтАЩve got a few other people supposed to be trained on the Stadtler
rig,тАЭ he said. He rubbed his lower back and ribs absently with both hands. тАЬSometimes it works for them, sometimes
it doesnтАЩt. With Margritte, it works, and I hope to blazes thereтАЩs somebody on Terzia that good too. . . .тАЭ
Danny Pritchard had made a point of wearing civilian garments ever since the day of HammerтАЩs inauguration. His
present suit was as soft and smooth as the creamy shimmer of its color . . . and it was acutely uncomfortable on a
body that suddenly felt the need for battle-dress again. тАЬAlois,тАЭ the Adjutant continued, тАЬthat leaves a couple
questions.тАЭ
тАЬMargritte has a blank check,тАЭ Hammer said. тАЬIf they wonтАЩt listen to reason about Slade until she threatens that
weтАЩll land a Field Force regiment, she can do that.тАЭ