"David Drake - RCN 02 - Lt. Leary Commanding" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drake David)

already aboard out onto the platform.

Their garments were gray and bright green in horizontal stripes. That would make them Tanisards, a
minor house which hadn't had a member in the Senate until the last century. All of them were in the full
livery of underlings. Senior servants like the majordomo and his/her section heads would wear business
suits with only collar flashes to announce their affiliation.

Adele squirmed to look out the window at her back. More servants waited to board, but no member of
the house was present: theseservants were clearing the car for their personal whim.

A husky youthтАФthey were all young, not surprisinglyтАФstood squarely in front of Adele with two of his
fellows at his elbows. He grinned in an attempt to look threatening, but there was a degree of caution in
his expression. Adele was alone, but the RCN was a very large organization.

Adele remained seated with her left hand in her pocket. "If you touch me, scum," she said in a clear
voice, "your master will answer for your presumption on the field of honor!"

"What?" said the Tanisard. He'd expectedsomething when the woman didn't scuttle away from his
advance but not that particular threat, delivered with such absolute conviction in an upper-class accent.

"And while that's happening," Adele continued, feeling the tremble of barely controlled rage in her voice,
"a detachment from my ship will be leveling Tanisard House. That won't concern you, because you'll have
died here as you stand."

The Tanisard glanced to his friendsтАФand found they'd backed away. He lowered his eyes and did the
same, snarling at the fellow servant who jostled him when the car rocked into motion again.

There was only one more shunt before the City Center terminus. The car whirred past it without slowing.
Adele rode in a clear portion of a vehicle otherwise crowded; the Tanisards kept their backs to her. Her
lips smiled, but her eyes were empty and a red rage filled her mind. She visualized Bosun Ellie Woetjans
leading every member of thePrincess Cecile 's crew who was still on Cinnabar; with hammers and
come-alongs, and very likely a section of mast to batter down the door.

Tanisards! How dare they?
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The car reached the great roundabout of Pentacrest Vale, paused, and pulled into a shunt as the car that
had just loaded there reentered the main line. A score of those waiting tried to board before the present
passengers had disembarked, but the furious Tanisards rammed them back like the jet from a spillway.
Well-justified fear had kept them from trying conclusions with the lone warrant officer, but they were too
young to accept what had happened with philosophical resignation.

Adele followed closely in the Tanisards' wake, using the anger she'd engendered to shield her from the
worst of the crowd's buffeting. She smiled faintly: this was almost like having servants again.

She'd never thought much about the servants when she was a girl on Cinnabar. Between Chatsworth
Major and the townhouse there must have been a staff of a hundred or more, but they had less conscious