"Leo Frankowski & Dave Grossman - The War With Earth" - читать интересную книгу автора (Frankowski Leo)

XX Main Battle Tank, with the weapons disabled, and less the observer's spinal
inductors, of course. I believe it's a first for the institute, since most of the intelligent war
machines were destroyed in the course of the Wars, and in the feudal period that
followed."
 "It will make a fine exhibit in our museum, Rupert, but from an academic standpoint,
the data you were able to extract are the truly important find."
"True, but I believe that the data will be at least as popular as the machine itself, sir. I
have it all, virtually error free, because the tank and its memory banks have spent all of
the intervening centuries at only a few dozen degrees above absolute zero, on Freya, in
the New Yugoslavia system, so that they were not subjected to the thermal randomizing
that has ruined so many other ancient data banks. Yet while Freya eased many of my
technical difficulties, it actually caused most of my personal problems. You see, the
transporter on Freya malfunctioned, and I was delayed for two entire months before
replacement parts could be sent by ship to repair it."
"You poor boy! Two months alone on an ice ball! But, wasn't there a backup
system?"
"There was, sir, but it had been defective for over a century without anyone even
bothering to write up a repair order on it. You see, Freya lacks a permanent population,
and few people seem to care about these backwoods places any more. My official report
requests that in the future, all operatives from the institute check and have repaired as
necessary all equipment on all of the unmanned sites they visit. Otherwise, we are liable
to permanently lose communication with some entire solar systems! Of course, the
institute here could hardly afford such an expensive project, but perhaps gentlemen of
your power and influence could find the money someplace. It really is very important."
"Hmmm. Perhaps something could be done," Sir Rodney said. "I'll ask around. But
get on with what you were saying."
"Yes, sir. So, stranded for months with nothing better to do, I spent my idle time
editing the observer's records into a coherent story. Also, I've converted them to the
modern system for public display."
"I am most anxious to see what you have."
"Then you need wait no longer, sir."
With a proud flourish and his tail held high, Rupert inserted a module into the display
device, and pressed the start button.
 CHAPTER TWO

What My Tank Did When I Was at School
We sat there for almost a quarter of an hour before I was ready to talk again.
"Why did you do all this to me?" I asked. "Not the training and all the lies. I can
understand that, even if I can't forgive it. But why did you make me into such a big hero?
Why did you take me to the top of the world, and then let me crash at the bottom when it
all fell apart? Why did you go so far out of your way to make me so miserable?"
"Your psych profile said that you needed a psychological release, a good party as it
were. That, and it's standard operating procedure, for a student who has done
exceptionally well."
"I don't love you for it. My home and my lands aren't real either, are they?"
"No, it all happened in Dream World. But Mickolai, you have four and a half years of
back pay coming, plus interest. Land on New Yugoslavia isn't expensive. Laws have
been passed enabling the two of you to get immediate citizenship here, or to become
permanent resident aliens with full legal rights while retaining your New Kashubian
citizenship. You can afford to buy an estate here if you want one, although perhaps not as