"Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Alliances" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

ALLIANCES
by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
In 1999, Kristine Kathryn Rusch won three ReaderтАЩs Choice Awards for three different stories in three
different magazines in two different genres: mystery and science fiction. That same year, her short fiction
was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. Since she had just returned to writing short
fiction after quitting her short fiction editing job at The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, she
was quite encouraged by this welcome back to writing. She never quit writing novels, and has sold more
than forty-five of them, some under pseudonyms, in mystery, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and
romance. Her most recent mystery novel is HitlerтАЩs Angel. Her most recent fantasy novel is The Black
King.

тАЬTTтАЩorgive me, sir.тАЭ Captain Roz Sheehan could barely hide r her disgust, even if
she was speaking to a superior officer. тАЬI donтАЩt believe we should trust the word of
a Cra-tivтАЩn, two Dulacs, and a Hacrim.тАЭ
Admiral Allen Galland reached across his wide oak desk and handed her an
information pad. She did not look at it, instead studying the office around her.
Roz had been here a dozen times-and each time Gal-land had proposed some
half-assed scheme. Most of them sheтАЩd been able to get out of, but lately that had
gotten harder and harder.
She had a reputation for being the most creative captain in the fleet, and that had
brought her to GallandтАЩs attention.
That, and the loss of her ship in the Cactus Corridor. She kept her command-after
all, her crew got back alive and she had managed to defeat an entire squadron of
Ba-am-as-but Galaxy Patrol rules were hard and fast. Any captain who lost her ship
had to go through retraining and reassignment.
Galland had prevented that, but he hadnтАЩt let her forget that favor. And so far, it had
cost her eleven unsavory missions. Eleven missions that had fattened GallandтАЩs
private purse and had left her with the feeling that she should never have taken his
deal, even though it helped her retain her command.
The office wasnтАЩt making things any better. Oak desk, real Earth plants-spiders
(which were hardy) and violets (which were not)-paintings older than the Galactic
Alliance, and leather furniture that had antique stamped all over it. Every time she
came here, she saw some new treasure, and she wondered how much of her sweat
had gone into paying for it.
Not to mention the fact that Galland kept his office too damn hot. Hot and humid,
filled with тАЬrealтАЭ sunlight. Good for the plants, he said.
Bad for her. Especially when she was trying to look cool and calm, unruffled by his
latest stupid plan.
If only the Alliance had stricter rules for its base commanders. But they were military
governors who operated without much oversight-and were as good, or as bad, as
they chose to be. And Galland certainly wasnтАЩt choosing to be good.
тАЬI could download the information to your personal account,тАЭ Galland said,
capturing her attention just like he wanted.
She sighed and looked at the information pad he had given her. A highlighted route
appeared, running through the Cactus Corridor and beyond, well into uncharted
space.
A small blue planet pulsed, begging her to touch the screen and enlarge the image.
She didnтАЩt. Instead, she handed the pad back to Galland.
тАЬA treasure map,тАЭ she said. тАЬHow delightful. Am I acting as a member of the Patrol
now or as part of a newly created piracy force? Should I wear an eye patch, get a