"Sean McMullen - Voice of Steel" - читать интересную книгу автора (McMullen Sean)

The door opened, and I immediately stood up and saluted. Baron Steven Chester entered, with my fleet's
war-master and two women in civilian clothes.

"Baron, I should like to introduce Commander Michelle Evelene Watson," said my war-master.

The baron smiled and gave a greeting flourish, the women stood in the background. They were certainly
scientists, and probably from some unit so secret that its name was not even public knowledge.

"You have a good record, and come from a long line of military heroes," said the baron. "There was a
Watson aboard the Invincible when the fleets of Sir William Magnus and Don Miguel clashed off the
orbit of the moon in 1793."

"Yes sir."

"They traded broadsides for eleven hours, flaying each other with cannon shot. It was quite a fight."

"Quite so, sir."

"Then again, a voidfarer named Lady Geraldine MacGregor was deputy commander of the third landing
on Mars, in 1818."

"Quite so, sir."
"Robert the Third of Scotlandia was captain, as I recall. What do you say to that?"

"I am a loyal officer of the Caledonian Empire ofтАФ"

"Commander, please, be at ease," he laughed. "Your loyalty to Brittoria is beyond question. As is your
bravery. Why you were the first woman to set foot on Centaurus Skye, were you not? Following in Lady
Geraldine's first-footsteps, ha ha."

"Quite so, sir. But I was only a Science Technician First Class on that expedition. "

"But getting back to this journal, it was discovered while your phase induction starship was still a year
from its triumphant return with the relics from that dead alien civilization. Your name is mentioned, and
you are described with considerable accuracy."

"I cannot account for any of this, sir."

That was true, I was quite confused. I had never seen the Journal, yet my full name certainly was
Michelle Evelene Watson, I was about the height that William Tynedale had been, and my auburn hair
reached to my shoulders on the rare occasions when it was brushed out. The baron now asked my
war-master to take over. He introduced a woman named Dr. Becker. Becker was a tense, nervy person.
She spoke very quickly, and continually moved her hands in little circles

"You have a very тАж how shall I put it?" she began. "Your background is very solidly based on a broad
range of scientific fields. If anyone was going to dictate those two passages to William and Edward
Tynedale, it could not have been anyone better qualified than you."

"With permission, Madame Doctor, it was certainly not me," I declared.