"David Feintuch - Seafort 6 - Patriarch's Hope" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feintuch David)

PART I


PART I

July, in the Year
of our Lord 2241
CHAPTER 1

"... and so we gather to commission UNS Galactic, the greatest
ship ever built, the pinnacle of human interstellar endeavor."

Surreptitiously, to avoid the attention of the pulsing hok>-cams
focused on the dais, I eased my aching leg, fixing a glazed stare
at Admiral Dubrovik's broad back and the crowded London auditorium
beyond. At my left Derek Carr smiled in sympathy.

Would old Dubrovik ever wind down? As SecGen and nominal Commander
in Chief of all U.N. forces I could have blocked his posting to
Lunapolis Command, but I'd interfered enough in U.N. Naval
appointments over the years. These days, I tried to limit myself
to where it would do the most good. Amid the dignitaries and
officials patiently listening were a considerable number of
officers Id advanced because of competence rather than
connections.

Yet also among the sober blue uniforms and starched dress whites
were a few disgruntled Earth First sympathizers, disgusted that I
wouldn't support retaking the few interstellar colonies that had
achieved independence. There might even have been a few enviro
fanatics, although zealots of that stripe were rare in the Navy.
No doubt among the audience were quite a number who didn't give
Christ's damn, as long as no one tampered with their pay billet

**... not since Earth's first convulsive leap into space two
hundred fifty years ago have so many individuals, so many
thousands of diverse corporations, participated in a public
project.

And with good reason; their profits were enormous. Galactic was an

file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E...-%20Seafort%206%20-%20Patriarch's%20Hope.htm (1 of 577) [12/28/2004 3:46:31 PM]
PART I

error of judgment; I'd let myself be persuaded by Admiralty's
unbounded enthusiasm and Senator Robbie Roland's deal with the
Territorial Party, our opposition in the General Assembly, to give
us a free hand on the Naval budget through the next Secretarial
electionтАФif we shared the lucrative construction contracts with
their allies. What we needed were Alpha-class vessels like my