"Ringo,.John.-.Honorverse.SS.-.Mitchell,.Victor.-.A.SHIP.NAMED.FRANCIS" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ringo John)

A SHIP NAMED FRANCIS by John Ringo & Victor Mitchell
CHAPTER ONE
SIBERIA IS A CONCEPT



Sean Tyler tapped on the open door to the sickbay and entered at
a grunt from within.

Tyler was just pushing twenty-three T-years and was on the
beginning of his second hitch with the Manticoran Navy. He was
dark complected and stood a bit under normal height for a
Manticoran, both of which would help him blend with his new
Grayson crewmates. On the other hand, he seemed nearly as
broad as he was tall, a situation of being "big boned" rather than
massive. He had been assigned to the superdreadnought Victory
until his sudden, unexpected and late in the "day" departure for his
new assignment.

A chief warrant officer in his thirties, short and dark as most
Graysons were, with a lean, gray face, was sitting at a desk staring
at a pad as if the message on it might leap out of the screen and
bite.

"Sick Berth Attendant Third Class Sean Tyler reporting for duty!"
Sean said, snapping to attention and throwing a parade ground
salute. He was mildly surprised to find the warrant still on duty; it
was nearly 2400 hours, ship time.

The warrant tossed the pad on his desk and made a gesture
towards his forehead that might graciously have been considered a
salute and waved at a chair.

"Welcome, my friend, welcome to the Francis Mueller," the officer
replied. "Grab a seat. I'll be with you in a minute."

Sean sat down and looked around at what was his new home, for
however long he was going to be stuck here. His first impression
was that the sickbay was small, less than a quarter of the size of
the main sickbay on the Victory-class superdreadnought that had
been his first assignment. It was even smaller than the three
secondary sickbays scattered throughout that massive ship. On the
other hand, the complement of the heavy cruiser Francis Mueller
was less than a tenth the complement on the SD.

Not only was the Francis smaller than the SD, it was far older;
indeed the class was among the oldest designs in the Alliance
fleet. Although it was already obsolete, the ship had been sent to
Grayson early in the current war against the Peeps. At the time it