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

She remembered seeing the Millennium, brand new and sparkling, docked on the
baseтАЩs secure ring. She had wanted that ship. After the battles she fought, the risks
she had taken, the way she had saved her crew and the mission, she felt she had
deserved that ship.
And Galland had used those emotions. Used them all.
She made herself focus on the statue of a man on a horse on one of the
bookshelves. It was a Remington, from Earth, twentieth century. She knew because
Galland had told her. And she had looked it up one afternoon while lounging in her
quarters. If the bronze statue was the original, it was priceless. It had once stood in
the Oval Office of the White House, back when Ronald Reagan was president,
centuries ago.
Had Galland stolen that, too? Or had he bought it?
She didnтАЩt know. Anyone could get rich out here, and still serve in the Patrol.
Getting rich wasnтАЩt illegal. It seemed like very little was any more.
Damn him.
тАЬSo,тАЭ she said, тАЬyouтАЩre even taking the Millennium away from me.тАЭ
тАЬRoz, youтАЩre the one who proved that full-sized vessels canтАЩt survive intact in the
Cactus Corridor. That nebula would be dangerous without the Ba-am-as and their
mines. But the fact that the Ba-am-as claim it and defend it, and the Corridor is filled
with more debris than the average nebula, make it the most treacherous area of space
out here.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩve flown it,тАЭ Roz said.
тАЬAnd lost a ship doing so.тАЭ
тАЬIf regulations hadnтАЩt insisted on one: successful completion of a mission and two:
crewтАЩs lives above all else, IтАЩdтАШve gotten the damn ship out.тАЭ She took a deep
breath. тАЬI want the Millennium on this mission.тАЭ
тАЬNo.тАЭ
тАЬAnd since this missionтАЩs off the books, IтАЩm not following regulations.тАЭ
тАЬRoz-тАЭ
тАЬWhat are you going to do, Allen?тАЭ she said, being as disrespectful to him as he was
to her. тАЬThrow the book at me? You can do that already. If you want me to go, and
itтАЩs clear you do, you do it my way.тАЭ
тАЬSee the prototype first,тАЭ he said.
тАЬHas the prototype flown any farther than this base?тАЭ
тАЬNo.тАЭ
тАЬHave its weapon systems been tested in real battles, not simulations?тАЭ
тАЬNo.тАЭ
тАЬHas it ever flown in anything other than optimum conditions?тАЭ
тАЬNo.тАЭ
тАЬThen you give me the Millennium, or you find someone else to take this little joy
ride of yours.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩll have your ass, Roz.тАЭ
She smiled at him. тАЬIt seems that you already do, Allen. ThereтАЩs not a lot more that
you can threaten me with. You do it my way, or itтАЩs not going to get done. Or did
some other captain wrap a noose around her neck like I did?тАЭ
He stared at her for a long time. Then he sighed. тАЬAll right,тАЭ he said. тАЬYou have the
Millennium.тАЭ
тАЬSomehow,тАЭ she said, тАЬIтАЩm not overjoyed.тАЭ
Roz was even less overjoyed when the Millennium hit the Cactus Corridor. The
Corridor was the name the Patrol had given one of the larger nebulas in this part of