"Joe Haldeman - The Forever War (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haldeman Joe)

"Sergeant Cortez and I between us have killed more people than are sitting in this room. Both of
us fought in Vietnam on the American side and both of us joined the United Nations International
Guard more than ten years ago. I took a break in grade from major for the privilege of commanding
this company, and First Sergeant Cortez took a break from sub-major, because we are both combat
soldiers and this is the first combat situation since 1987.
"Keep in mind what I've said while the First Sergeant instructs you mote specifically in what your
duties will be under this command. Take over, Sergeant" He turned on his heel and strode out of
the room. The expression on his face hadn't changed one millimeter during the whole harangue.
The First Sergeant moved like a heavy machine with lots of ball bearings. When the door hissed
shut, he swiveled ponderously to face us and said, "At ease, siddown," in a surprisingly gentle
voice. He sat on a table in the front of the room. It creaked, but held.
"Now the captain talks scaly and I look scary, but we both mean well. You'll be working pretty
closely with me, so you better get used to this thing I've got hanging in front of my brain. You
probably won't see the captain much, except on maneuvers."
He touched the flat part of his head. "And speaking of brains, I still have Just about all of
mine, in spite of Chinese
i'HJ~ l~U1tEVER WAR 15

efforts to the contrary. All of us old vets who mustered into UNEF had to pass the same criteria
that got you drafted by the Elite Conscription Act So I suspect all of you are smart and tough-but
just keep in mind that the captain and I are smart and tough and experienced."
He flipped through the roster without really looking at it. "Now, as the captain said, there'll be
only one kind of disciplinary action on maneuvers. Capital punishment But normally we won't have
to kill you for disobeying; Charon'll save us the trouble.
"Back in the billeting area, it'll be another story. We don't much care what you do inside. Grab
ass all day and fuck all night, makes no difference... . But once you suit up and go outside,
you've gotta have discipline that would shame a Centurian. There will be situations where one
stupid act could kill us all.
"Anyhow, the first thing we've gotta do is get you fitted to your fighting suits. The armorer's
waiting at your billet; he'll take you one at a time. Let's go."
4
"Now I know you got lectured back on Earth on what a fighting suit can do." The armorer was a
small man, partially bald, with no insignia of rank on his coveralls. Sergeant Cortez had told us
to call him "sir," since he was a lieutenant.
"But I'd like to reinforce a couple of points, maybe add some things your instructors Earthside
weren't clear about or couldn't know. Your First Sergeant was kind enough to consent to being my
visual aid. Sergeant?"
Coitez slipped out of his coveralls and came up to the little raised platform where a fighting
suit was standing, popped open like a man-shaped clam. He backed into it and slipped his arms into
the rigid sleeves. There was a click and the thing swung shut with a sigh. It was bright green
with CORTEZ stenciled in white letters on the helmet.
"Camouflage, Sergeant." The green faded to white, then dirty gray. "This is good camouflage for
Charon and most of your portal planets," said Cortez, as if from a deep well. "But there are
several other combinations available." The gray dappled and brightened to a combination of greens


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and browns: "Jungle." Then smoothed out to a hard light ochre: "Desert." Dark brown, darker, to a