"Joe Haldeman - We Were Very Happy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haldeman Joe)

again.тАЭ

тАЬOnce more before the real thing.тАЭ

тАЬMm-hm. Maybe.тАЭ She picked up a cup and blew into it. She looked worried, a tiny line bisecting the
space between her eyebrows. тАЬOr maybe the Taurans had a ship тАШway out, waiting for us. IтАЩve
wondered why they donтАЩt do it, like we do at Stargate.тАЭ

I shrugged. тАЬStargateтАЩs a different thing. It takes seven or eight cruisers, moving all the time, to cover the
most probable exit angles. We canтАЩt afford to do it for more than one collapsar, and neither can they.тАЭ

тАЬI donтАЩt know.тАЭ She didnтАЩt say anything while she filled her cup. тАЬMaybe weтАЩve stumbled on their version
of Stargate. Or maybe they have ten times as many ships. A hundred times. Who knows?тАЭ

I filled and sugared two cups, sealed one. тАЬNo way to tell.тАЭ We walked back to a table, careful with the
rapid sloshing of the soya in the high gravity.

тАЬMaybe Singhe knows something,тАЭ she said.

тАЬMaybe he does. But IтАЩd have to get to him through Rogers and Cortez. Cortez would jump down my
throat if I tried to bother him now.тАЭ

тАЬOh, I can get to Singhe directly. WeтАжтАЭ She looked at me very seriously and then dimpled a little bit.
тАЬWeтАЩve been friends.тАЭ

I sipped some scalding soya and tried to sound nonchalant. тАЬThatтАЩs where you disappeared to
Wednesday night?тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩd have to check my roster,тАЭ she said and smiled. тАЬI think itтАЩs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
during months with an тАШrтАЩ in them. Why? You disapprove?тАЭ

тАЬWellтАж damn it, no, of course not. ButтАФbut heтАЩs an officer! A Navy officer!тАЭ

тАЬHeтАЩs attached to us and that makes him part Army.тАЭ She twisted her ring and said, тАЬDirectory.тАЭ To me:
тАЬWhat about you and cuddly little Miss Harmony?тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs not the same thing.тАЭ She was whispering a directory code into the ring.

тАЬYes, it is. You just wanted to do it with an officer. Pervert.тАЭ The ring bleated twice. Busy. тАЬHow was
she?тАЭ

тАЬAdequate.тАЭ I was recovering.

тАЬBesides, Ensign Singhe is a perfect gentleman. And not the least bit jealous.тАЭ

тАЬNeither am I,тАЭ I said. тАЬIf he ever hurts you, tell me and IтАЩll break his ass.тАЭ

She smiled at me across her cup. тАЬIf Lieutenant Harmony ever hurts you, tell me and IтАЩll break her ass.тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs a deal.тАЭ We shook on it solemnly.