"Harry Harrison - Bill 2 - On The Planet Of Robot Slaves" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

now, with a good, strong; black right arm sewed in place of his carbonized
left arm (having two right arms he can now shake hands with himself which is
lots of fun), he received a medal and a hero's award. He also managed to
go AWOL, which stands for Away Without Leave, also Over the Hill, which is
basically slipping out of the clutches of the troopers for a little bit. In
the course of his adventures on the planet Helier he also became a spy, got
involved in garbage disposal, and other interesting things. So interesting
that he ended up in combat and doomed to die on the planet of no return where
the troopers went in only one direction. But alcohol-related research revealed
that while normal casualties were being sewn up and sent back to combat, new
arms sewed on to replace old arms, new everythings, well, almost everything,
sewn on as replacements, there was a shortage of feet. A footless soldier
would be sent offplanet for repair, to fight another day on another world.
Unhappily for Bill he had two good feet and therefore was doomed to die in
combat. But, ever resourceful, he blew his right foot off, which was better
than getting everything else blown off. So there it is. With an artificial
foot, a growing alcoholic habit, incipient satyriasis, Deathwish Drang's
surgically transplanted fangs willed to him, and a hobnailed liver, he is
ready for whatever comes. Bill, a trooper loyal to the Emperor, as if he4had
a choice, destined for life to be an interstellar warrior, since his
enlistment is automatically extended whether he likes it or not. About the
only thing that he has going for him is the fact that with an artificial foot
he has only half as much atheletes' foot as the other troopers. Here he
is, a reluctant galactic hero, going into action yet once again.Harry
Harrison C H A P T E R 1 5 Bill was not happy in his work. He Really
should have been since, like most things military, it required little or no
intelligence. Just well-conditioned reflexes. Which reflexes now tickled his
brain with a reminder that the shufe of recruit footsteps was growing very
dim. He glanced up to see that they were almost out of sight. In fact they
really were out of sight behind the cloud of dust kicked up by their weary
boots. And their feet were, obviously, weary as well. Bill took a deep breath
and blasted most of it out with a single roar of sound. "To the rear --
h'arch!" A small bird fell to the ground, stunned by the intensity of the
command. This cheered Bill ever so slightly since it proved that his skills as
a drill-private were improving. It cheered the recruits as well since they
were about to march into a deep, rock-filled ravine. The first rank was
already atremble with fear, facing the terrible choice of death by falling or
death by drill-instructor. They wheeled about, not too smartly since they were
stumbling with fatigue, and marched, coughing strenuously, back into the cloud
of dust. As they came closer a snarl of anger twisted Bill's lips, a snarl
made even more impressive by the6single, long tusk that rested on his lower
lip, its yellow tip practically touching his chin. Bill twanged it with his
fingernail and the snarl grew snarlier. Two tusks were menacing. One rusk made
him look like a bulldog who had lost a fight. Something had to be done about
this.The loud thud of tramping feet drew his attention and his eyes
unfocussed to see that the marching recruits were just a step away, the
nearest one gasping with fear at the thought of running down the DI.
"Company -- HALT!" he bellowed.Aching feet thudded into silence and the
recruit almost thudded into Bill. He stood in shivering eyeball contact with
the feared DI, his dusty eyeball touching Bill's bloodshot one."What are you