"Shirley Meier & S. M. Stirling - Fifth Millenium 05 - Shadow's Son" - читать интересную книгу автора (Meier Shirley)

such things in uncivilized lands. Why didnтАЩt you explain it that way from the beginning?тАЭ
Matthas remembered his classes in the Irefas training academy on dealing with alien cultures.
Yeola-e, Brahvniki, Tor Ench, Laka, they taught us how to adjust to; never Mahid. тАЬBecause, if you
please, sir, thatтАЩs not how it is. The four, man and women alike, act as ... equals, if youтАЩll forgive me for
explaining something so difficult to envision; the closest they have to a leader is Whitlock. In terms of
love-bondsтАЭ Celestialis, why did I have to get into the sticky parts? тАЬтАФtheyтАЩre actually sort of two
pairs, Megan and ShkaiтАЩra in base depravity, and Rilla and Shyll, who have produced a child. Though
there are apparently feelings between Megan and Shyll as well ...тАЭ
Eforas sat looking, though Matthas had not thought that possible, even more like metal than he had
before. Remembering seeing a Press servant, when one of the smaller devices broke down, curing it with
a hefty whack with his fist, he suddenly imagined himself having to thump the Mahid on the skull, on
which he would snap to life and begin talking sense, and maybe even smile.
тАЬIt is to purge this sort of cancer from the world that is ArkoтАЩs sacred mission of civilization,тАЭ Eforas
said evenly.
тАЬExactly,тАЭ Matthas answered smoothly. Back to the matter at hand: whew. тАЬWhich is why they
must be waylaid and truth-drugged.тАЭ
тАЬVery well, fessas, I shall allocate funds for one embassy strong-arm; which day do you want him?тАЭ
тАЬEr ... Honored Mahid ... You must forgive me for not enabling you to understand what weтАЩre up
against here. By my estimation, it would take ten.тАЭ
тАЬTen?тАЭ My professional God, an expression. Disapproval and contempt, of course. тАЬYou said
they were both women, did you not? And one is a Zak, a race with an average height of some four feet?тАЭ
How do I explain four feet plus about forty knives, including ten where normal women have
nails? Or the other one, six feet of solid muscle with breasts, her fighting skills of the calibre that
elite forces would covet. He remembered the challenge archery and climbing race that had been the talk
of the city a year and a half ago, ShkaiтАЩraтАЩs show-off shot that had brought down a seagull from what had
to be a hundred and fifty paces straight up.
And then the manrauq, this magic thing, that MeganтАЩs people could do ... no. He wasnтАЩt even going
to try.
тАЬThese are ... unusual women, Honored Mahid. Extraordinary, you might say. You of course know
that many barbarian lands train their womenfolk in the fighting arts. These two were exceptional students,
shall we say.тАЭ
тАЬIt is among the worst excesses of savages to force the mothers and wives of their nations to be
spear-fodder,тАЭ Eforas pronounced. тАЬNo female is capable of performing the exercises or trials of proper
war-training ... and you claim you need ten men to restrain two women. Is there some other operation
you are planning without the permission of your superiors, fessas?тАЭ
тАЬMost emphatically there is not, Honored Mahid.тАЭ IтАЩve served Irefas totally loyally and faithfully
for fifteen years, as you know damn well from your briefing, you onyxine asshole; donтАЩt call me a
fikken liar. тАЬIтАЩll swear on my hope of Celestialis if you wish. IтАЩll submit to a dose of truth-drug myself.
These women are dangerous.тАЭ
тАЬI think I understand,тАЭ the Mahid said. тАЬItтАЩs an old merchantтАЩs bargaining trick, to ask at first for an
outrageous sum, isnтАЩt it, Matthas Bennas, fessas? Perhaps your cover profession is more suitable to your
true nature.тАЭ
TheyтАЩre erecting new hitching posts at the Kremlview Inn, Matthas thought, perhaps youтАЩd like
to apply for the job. Then again, perhaps I would. Eforas wrote out the papers allocating four men,
Arkans attached to the embassy. At least it was better than one. If they were four good men, with a
good enough plan ...
тАЬBut you understand, fessas,тАЭ Eforas added, as he made the last signature required, his voice taking
on a pitch of claws on a chalk-board, тАЬdirecting this many men for such an operation, I am taking as a
guarantee of success. If by some implausible chance it fails, you will be held personally responsible.тАЭ The
blank eyes fixed on his, and their very emptiness suddenly became terrifying, like a bottomless pit into