"Harry Harrison - Galactic Dreams" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

hunk o' rocket!тАЭ

"Some of us prefer to call it the Indefectible," the Colonel said, not
unhumorously.

"Is that her? We heard something . . . .тАЭ

"You heard very little for we have had this baby under wraps ever since the
earliest stage. She has the largest engines ever built, new improved
MacPhersons 1 of the most advanced design, Kelly drive 2 gear that has been
improved to where you would not recognize it in a month of Thursdays, as well
as double-strength Fitzroy projectors 3 that make the old ones look like a
kid's pop-gun. And I've saved the best for last . . . .тАЭ

"Nothing can be better than what you have already told us," Steel broke in.

"That's what you think!тАЭ The Colonel laughed, not unkindly, with a sound like
tearing steel. "The best news is that M, you are going to be Captain of this
spacegoing superdreadnought, while lucky L is Chief Engineer.тАЭ

(Note - The MacPherson engine was first mentioned in the author's story
"Rocket Rangers of the IRT" (Spicy-Weird Stories, 1933. Loyal readers first
discovered the Kelly drive in the famous book Hell Hounds of the Coal Sack
Cluster (Slimecreeper Press, Ltd., 1931), also published in German as Teufel
Nach de Knockwurst Expres. Translated into Italian by Re Umberto, unpublished
to date. A media breakthrough was made when the Fitzroy projector first
appeared in "Female Space Zombies of Venus" in 1936 in True Story
Confessions.)

тАЬLucky L would be a lot happier if he were Captain instead of king of the
stokehold," Jax muttered, and the other two laughed at what they thought was a
joke.

"Everything is completely automated," the Colonel continued, "so it can be
flown by a crew of two. But I must warn you that it has experimental gear
aboard so whoever flies her has to volunteer . . . .тАЭ

"I volunteer!тАЭ Steel shouted.

"I have to go to the terlet," Jax said, rising, though he sat again instantly
when the ugly blaster leaped from its holster to the Colonel's hand. "Ha-ha,
just a joke. I volunteer, sure.тАЭ

"I knew I could count on you lads. The CCC breeds men. Camels too, of course.
So here is what you do. At 0304 hours tomorrow you two in the Indefectible
will crack ether headed out Cygnus way. In the direction of a certain planet.тАЭ

"Let me guess, if I can, that is," Steel said grimly through tight-clenched
teeth. "You don't mean to give us a crack at the larshnik-loaded world of
Biru-2, do you?тАЭ