"Gardner,.James.Alan.-.Expendable" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gardner James Alan)

I sharpen up discipline, hold drills, even swab the decks-I'll be put on
report."
She drummed her fingers on the table. None of us said anything for a count of
ten.
"It certainly sounds like an inspection," I finally said. Prope nodded. "Damned
right."


My First Admiral


Back in my cabin, I debated staying awake for three more hours (in which case I
would be tired when the admiral arrived) or going to sleep for a while (in which
case I would be groggy). I decided to lie on my Luxuriator bed and see what
happened.
Staring at the asbestos white of my ceiling, I thought about the first admiral I
had met, Admiral Seele. She was not the first admiral I had seen in person-more
than a dozen admirals attended graduation exercises for my class at the Academy.
The Admiralty always made a show of being interested in Explorers. The school
administrators even said the admirals would be available afterwards to shake
hands and make small talk.
I don't know if any of the class took advantage of the opportunity. I didn't.
Admiral Seele arrived on the Jacaranda in my first year with the ship. No one
could say why she had come. She inspected the engine room, but made no comments
or suggestions. She spent an hour alone with every officer, but reportedly spoke
only of trivialities and glanced frequently at her watch. She passed one entire
day secluded in her cabin, supposedly examining our ship's log on the computer
... but when I walked by her door late in the afternoon, I heard her singing a
bawdy song I recognized from Academy days. I hurried on, though I had intended
to knock.
The admiral spent most of her time with me. It made me uncomfortable, even as I
told myself I had nothing to fear. Mostly, we talked about the Academy and my
missions. I had made only two Landings at the time, neither one eventful, but
she seemed interested. Her questions showed she knew what was important to an
Explorer... unlike most Vacuum-oriented officers, who had no idea what to pay
attention to when they had solid ground under their feet. I guessed that part of
being an admiral was knowing more than the rest of the pack.
On the last night of her stay, she asked how well I got on with the crew. Were
they cooperative? I said I had no complaints. Did I have many friends? No. Any
lovers? No. Was I lonely? No, I filled my time. Did I never want to reach out to
another human being? No, I was fine.
She started to cry then. She tried to take hold of my hand, but I drew back
quickly. She said I mustn't close myself to the world; I would be miserable if I
didn't let other people into my life.
I walked out of the room without waiting to be dismissed.
The next morning, Admiral Seele left us at Starbase Iris. As she left, she
saluted the captain and first officer, but shook my hand. She looked like she
wanted to kiss me. Perhaps she couldn't decide where: on my lips, on my good
cheek, or on my bad one.
I concluded then that my first admiral was a maladjusted woman who yearned for