"James Alan Gardner - League of Peoples 01 - Expendable" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gardner James Alan)

For a few moments, she stirred her coffee, even though there was nothing in it. I couldn't tell if this was
reflex or affectation. Finally she said, "I suppose you're wondering what this is all about."

She paused, so we nodded.

"Twenty minutes ago," Prope continued, "I received a coded message from theGolden Cedar. You
know the ship?"

"Admiral Chee's flagship," I replied. Everyone in the Fleet knew the ship. Half the children in the
Technocracy had heard of it. Learning the names of the admirals and their flagships was a Common
Curriculum memory exercise for seven-year-olds.

"In three hours, theGolden Cedar will pass within ten thousand kilometers of us." Prope was watching
us out of the corner of her eye, so I knew she was about to drop a surprise in our laps. "At that time,
Admiral Chee will secretly transfer aboard theJacaranda. Very secretlyтАФwe three and Harque will be
the only ones to know he's here. You two will see to the admiral's comfort." She looked at us with
narrowed eyes, as if she doubted we could handle the job. "Any problems?"

"We'll take care of him." I kept my voice expressionless, despite the insult. I had been capably dealing
with visiting dignitaries for six full years on theJacaranda тАФit was one of my standing duties. As
high-ranking officers with no shipboard responsibility, Explorers were ideal for babysitting VIPs. VIPs
were either aliens who didn't care what we looked like or self-centered diplomats who didn't notice.
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"Fine." Prope obviously felt she ought to say something more, but couldn't think of anything. She
remembered her coffee and took a deep grateful swallow. Judging by the resulting expression on her
face, the coffee was too hot.

Yarrun asked, "Do you know why the admiral is coming?"

"He'll tell us when he arrives. All I know is that it's not an inspection." She gave another standardized
laugh, but this time it was strained with nervousness. "My orders say that if I give the slightest hint I'm
waiting for inspectionтАФif I sharpen up discipline, hold drills, even swab the decksтАФI'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.