"Elizabeth Moon - Serrano 6 - Change of Command" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moon Elizabeth)

great fool out of an office he was unfit to fillтАФhe could not have chosen a better time. Best of
all, he hadn't done it himself; he'd had nothing to do with it. Fate had finally come over to his
side. He had proven himself capable of succeeding against the worst Fate could do, and now
FateтАФwomanlikeтАФhad chosen him for that very energy and persistence and will to triumph.

He closed his eyes a moment, allowing himself the luxury of imagining the moment when he took over
as SpeakerтАФwhen the faces which had ignored or turned away turned to himтАФhad to turn to himтАФand he
could finally show his true abilities. I will make the Familias great, and everyone will know who
saved it from destruction.

***
R.S.S GYRFALCON
"I didn't know they would take it out of my pay," Ensign Barin Serrano said. His voice almost
squeaked, but he couldn't help it. His entire paycheck, gone . . . nothing in his credit cube, and
he'd already ordered the traditional engagement and wedding gifts.

"Well, who did you think would pay for it? Those people have already used up the Sector
discretionary fund, and most of the recreational reserve. And they're not even charging you for
all of them, just the ones your pay will cover."

"Ten dependents . . ." Barin murmured. That would eat up all his pay after he was promoted, too.
He supposed he should count himself lucky that Fleet regulations prohibited official indebtedness.
"And I'm not even married. How could they do this to me?"

"Look at it this way, sirтАФit'll keep you out of trouble."

"No . . . not really. I've just sent in my order for the wedding . . ."

"Well, sirтАФ"

"Attention all hands . . . attention all hands . . ." A pause, during which Barin tried to think
how to get himself out of his present financial fix. Then the captain's voice: "It is my sad duty
to announce that the Speaker of the Table of Ministers has been assassinated. Stand by . . ."

Barin stared at the chief, who stared back. The Speaker assassinated? Where? How?

And what would happen to Brun, and all those women?




R.S.S. SHRIKE


"Lieutenant Suiza, there's a flash priority message, Cobalt encryption."

"Ummm . . ." Esmay Suiza's mind had drifted, as it did often these days, to Barin.
"RightтАФwellтАФkeep a link to the ansible and I'll get the captain." The last priority message had
been medical, directing them to relieve senior NCOs with rejuv of duty, but they had none aboard.
Maybe this one would be useful. What she wanted was a message from Barin, preferably with a