"David Drake - Hammer's Slammers 07 - The Voyage" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drake David)

A group of mercenaries and an aristocrat go on a journey to find a lost ultra-tech artifact. Their
action-packed journeys from planet to planet roughly parallel the Greek epic poem "The Odyssey." The
combat scenes are fairly graphic, but well-executed, with a "you-are-there" sense of details. Probably the
best "Slammers" book yet
 Contents
Telaria
Ajax Four
Mirandola
PaixhansтАЩ Node
Burr-Detlingen
The Sole Solution
Buin
Pancahte
Wasatch 1029
Kazan
Celandine
Dell
Telaria
AUTHORтАЩS NOTE
 Telaria
AS NED SLADE walked toward the dockyard building with the
HEADQUARTERSтАФPANCAHTE EXPEDITION sign on the door, a line of six human males and a
squat, shaggy alien from Racontis jogged past
тАЬYou wonder why IтАЩm a private,тАЭ the leader sang.
тАЬAnd why I sleep in the ditch,тАЭ sang-wheezed the remaining joggers in several keys. The Racontid had
a clear, carrying voice which would better have suited an angel than a creature which could pull a strong
man apart with its bare hands.
A metal saw shrilled within the starship in the adjacent frames, overwhelming the song. NedтАЩs mind
supplied the words anyway: тАЬItтАЩs not because IтАЩm stupid, but I just donтАЩt want to be rich...тАЭ
The door was ajar. Ned knocked, but he couldnтАЩt hear the rap of his own knuckles over the saw, so
he let himself in.
тАЬShut the curst thing!тАЭ ordered the man at the electronic desk, cupping a palm over his telephone
handset. He was paunchy and at least sixty standard years old. тАЬI canтАЩt hear myself think!тАЭ
As he spoke, the sawblade coasted back to silence. The fellow at the desk returned to his call. The
rangy, somewhat younger man leaning against the office wall prevented Ned from swinging the door to.
тАЬLeave it, kid,тАЭ the man said. тАЬI like the ventilation.тАЭ
Ned looked from one stranger to the other. Neither of them paid him any attention. тАЬNo,тАЭ the older
man said into his handset, тАЬIтАЩm Adjutant Tadziki, but it will not help if you call back when Captain
Doormann is here. SheтАЩs already made her decision on a supplier.тАЭ
Tadziki looked like a bureaucrat. The other fellow wore a stone-pattern camouflaged jumpsuit with
WARSON, T over the left breast pocket. Ned didnтАЩt recognize the uniform, but War-son was as
obviously a soldier as the men and the Racontid jogging around the starship outside were. Warson
continued to gaze out the window, singing under his breath, тАШ I couldтАЩve been a general and send out
folks to the...тАЭ
тАЬNo,тАЭ said the adjutant, тАЬsince sheтАЩll be eating the rations herself, your offer of saving
three-hundredths per kilo isnтАЩt very important to herтАФand it bloody well isnтАЩt important to me!тАЭ
тАЬBut the sort of things a general does,тАЭ Ned murmured, watching the soldier, тАЬthey make me want to
cry.тАЭ
Warson turned sharply. тАЬYou know the song?тАЭ he asked.