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

about the inferior quality of our product, and our legal staff tells us that litigation is still
increasing. This has severely affected profits, which used to make up over 20% of the total for
the Conselline Sept. Non-political means of recovery have been ineffective; we need legislative
relief from laws that are crippling our attempt to deal fairly and honestly with the consequences
of the errors made by others. We feel it is imperative that some means be found to regain market
share. Lady Venezia Morrelline continues to oppose this, and we have been unable to convince her
that we cannot be held responsible for the acts of sabotage by a foreign agent. . . .




REGULAR SPACE SERVICE MILITARY PRISON,
STACK ISLANDS, COPPER MOUNTAIN


On a cold, windy day in local autumn, the prisoners of Stack Islands Military Prison were drawn up
in ranks to witness another change of command ceremony from behind barriers of both steel and
invisible force shields. In front of it, in the small enclosed parade ground, all but a few of the
guards were also in formation, uneasily aware of the prisoners' gazes fixed on their backs. No
matter that a force shield lay between them; nothing protected them from the malevolence.

Up in front, Iosep Tolin relinquished his command to Pilar Bacarion with relief. He had not
enjoyed any moment of his stay in that exile from his former sphere of power, and he had agreed to
take early retirement to get quit of it. Pilar, thoughтАФhe would be very glad to put the width of
the Big Ocean, and later some deepspace, between himself and one of the few women who had ever
been close to Admiral Lepescu.

On her part, Commander Pilar Bacarion felt an almost physical surge of pleasure in the tension on
Tolin's face. He not only disliked her, he was afraid of her. He should be. They all should be,
and they would be, in time. She smiled at Tolin, letting him see that she recognized his fear, and
saw the glisten of sweat on his forehead, even in the cold. Then she released him from her gaze,
and turned it instead on her subordinates.

They did not flinch. She had not thought they would. Their gaze challenged herтАФthe first female
commander this prison had ever had. Was she tough enough, their gaze asked. Could she do the job?
OthersтАФwhose identities she already knewтАФhad no doubts about her toughness. They were well aware
that Lepescu had been her mentor, that she had supported his agenda. Carefully disguised in her
duffle were slivers of the ears she had taken; when it had become imprudent to keep these proofs
of her status, she had sliced them thin herself and found hiding places for them.

She had Hunted, in the oldest Hunt of all; she had killed. She had survived the Hunt on Sirialis,
having left to take command of a ship before the game ended with Lepescu dead and Heris Serrano
once more in favor with Fleet brass. But no one knew it. They were all dead, and the prisoners
she'd hunted had never seen her face. Her luck was strong, and her skillsтАФshe would match her
skills against Serrano directly some day; she knew she would win.

She looked past the guards, past the force screen, to the prisoners in their drab ranks. In there
she also had potential allies. In time.

Tolin left at last, in the whining aircar. She wished him a nasty storm on the way to the