"Elizabeth Moon - Serrano 4 - Once A Hero" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moon Elizabeth)

"I won't tell you that such a court is merely a formality, even in a case like this," the admiral
said. "A court is never a mere formality. Things always come out in courts to the detriment of
everyone concernedтАФthings that might not matter ordinarily. But in this case, I don't want you to
panic. It is clear from your report, and that of other personnelтАФ" Which, Esmay hoped, might mean
the admiral's niece, "тАФthat you did not instigate the mutiny, and that there is a reasonable
probability that the mutiny will be held to be justified." The knot in Esmay's stomach loosened
slightly. "Obviously, it is necessary to remove you from command of Despite."

Esmay felt her face heating, more relief than embarrassment. She was so tired of having to figure
out how to ask the senior NCOs what to do next without violating protocol. "Of course, sir," she
said, with a little more enthusiasm than she meant to show. The admiral actually smiled now.

"Frankly, I'm surprised that a jig could take over Despite and handle her in battleтАФlet alone get
off the decisive shot. That was good work, Lieutenant."



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"Thank you, sir." She felt herself going even redder, and embarrassment overcame reticence.
"Actually, it was the crewтАФ'specially Master Chief VesecтАФthey knew what to do."

"They always do," the admiral said. "But you had the sense to let them, and the guts to come back.
You're young; you made mistakes of courseтАФ" Esmay thought of their first attempt to join the
fight, the way she'd insisted on too high an insertion velocity and forced them to blow past. She
hadn't known then about the glitch in the nav computer, but that was no excuse. The admiral went
on, recapturing her attention. "But I believe you have the root of the matter in you. Stand your
court, take your medicine, whatever it is, andтАФgood luck to you, Lieutenant Suiza." The admiral
stood; Esmay scrambled up to shake the hand extended to her. She was being dismissed; she didn't
know where she was going or what would happen next, butтАФbut she felt a warm glow where the cold
knot had been.

As the escort outside made clear, where she was going was a quarantined section of officers'
country on the flagship. Peli and the few other junior officers were already there, stowing their
duffels in the lockers and looking glum.

"Well, she didn't eat you alive," Peli said. "I suppose my turn's coming. What's she like?"

"A Serrano," Esmay said. That should be enough; she wasn't about to discuss an admiral's character
on board a ship. "There's a court comingтАФbut you know that." They had not so much talked about it,
as touched the subject and flinched away.

"At the moment," Peli said, "I'm just as glad you had the seniority and not me. Though we're all
in trouble."

She had been glad to lay down command, but just for a moment she wanted it back, so she could tell
Peli to be quiet. And so she would have something to do. It took only a minute or two to stow her
own meager duffel in the compartment she'd been assigned, and only another to wonder how much the
officer evicted from it would resent having to double up with someone else. Then she was faced