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

тАЬSo I cross the Cactus Corridor, fight my way through an uncharted section of
space, find out the damn thing exists, come back, tell you, and youтАЩll send me out
again?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩd rather take your first suggestion,тАЭ Galland said.
тАЬIt wasnтАЩt a suggestion,тАЭ she said. тАЬAnd I wonтАЩt steal for you or the Alliance. IтАЩm
not that dumb.тАЭ
All the humor left GallandтАЩs face. тАЬReally, Roz?тАЭ he asked. тАЬYour record suggests
otherwise.тАЭ
тАЬIt does not. IтАЩve been one of the best officers in this fleet, and you know it.тАЭ
тАЬI know it,тАЭ he said. тАЬBut it doesnтАЩt show in your record. In fact, the last eleven runs
you did for me were off the books. Officially, Captain, youтАЩre grounded.тАЭ
Her mouth went dry. тАЬWhat?тАЭ
He shrugged. тАЬWeтАЩre pretty much an isolated outpost here, Roz. No one knows
what happens out here unless we choose to tell them. For the past several years all
your communications, all your assignments, and all of your command decisions
have been run through me.тАЭ
Of course it had. That was standard policy. She was feeling light-headed. He had
manipulated standard policy to his own advantage? That was even lower than she
had expected him to go.
тАЬThere arenтАЩt that many starships,тАЭ she said. тАЬPatrol Headquarters has to know that
someone has been running the Millennium.тАЭ
тАЬSomeone has,тАЭ Galland said. тАЬJust not you.тАЭ
She licked her lips. They were dry, too. тАЬWhat have I been doing then?тАЭ
тАЬPenance, just like you were supposed to. Working dock-side with me.тАЭ
тАЬYou son of a bitch!тАЭ She started across the desk at him, but he caught her by her
shoulders.
тАЬDonтАЩt fly off, Roz,тАЭ he said. тАЬYou donтАЩt dare. Or IтАЩll report your usage of the
Millennium. All of it illegal.тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs not true. WeтАЩve done surveys for the Patrol. WeтАЩve gone on assignment-тАЭ
тАЬTrue,тАЭ he said. тАЬAll of it logged in under the new captainтАЩs name. The only runs
that bear your signature are the eleven I asked for.тАЭ
тАЬAll illegal,тАЭ she said.
He shrugged. тАЬAll insurance.тАЭ
She eased herself out of his grasp. тАЬWhat about my crew?тАЭ
тАЬLoyalty is a two-edged sword, Roz,тАЭ Galland said. тАЬTheyтАЩll say anything for you.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩd ruin their careers, too?тАЭ she asked.
He smiled. тАЬIt seems that you already have.тАЭ
She clenched her fists and had to walk around the office once to keep herself from
flattening him. Asshole. She had been right. She should have trusted her instincts,
should have believed in that feeling she had every time he gave her an assignment.
But she had wanted her ship back so badly, she had been willing to believe him.
Willing to become his patsy.
Dammit, this was her fault. She willingly blinded herself so that she could have the
command she felt she deserved.
Now she wished she could go back in time. She wouldnтАЩt refight the battle in the
Cactus Corridor. SheтАЩd done that right. No. SheтАЩd report the entire thing to
Headquarters when she got back to the base, just like she had planned.
But Admiral Galland had talked her out of it. He had said that he had taken care of
the report, and he had told her to keep her information to herself because he thought
he could save her command and maybe even give her the Millennium.