"E. E. Doc Smith - D' Alembert 8 - Eclipsing Binaries" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

than just the seventy-five percent of our fleet. But it's a mistake that will
not happen
again-I swear it by the throne I intend to take."

Tanya Boros felt distinctly uneasy. Lady A was not known for being
particularly
introspective, or for admitting weaknesses or imperfections in front of her
subordinates.
Why was she behaving so uncharacteristically in front of Boros'? What had
caused her to
reveal this unexpected side of her nature'?

The mask of perfection was suddenly back in place as though it had never been
awry.
Lady A turned abruptly away from the triscreen and returned to the jade egg to
face
Boros.

"All this, of course," she said, "is of only peripheral interest to you. You
need not concern
yourself, at present, with matters of policy. That will come later, if you
develop as well as
I hope. In the meantime, I have to know whether you are prepared to begin
assuming
responsibility for your proper role in this conspiracy."

"My proper role?" Boros was puzzled. "I don't understand. I've always taken
your orders,
since you first contacted me on Gastonia. I didn't like being forced to stay
there, but, as
you said, it was out of the way and no one noticed me. What do you consider my
`proper
role' to be?'

Lady A gave her a long, frowning stare. "Have you forgotten your heritage this
easily-you, the only child of Emperor Stanley Nine's oldest son? You have a
better claim
to the throne than the silly little snip who sits there now!"

A trace of Boros's old haughtiness returned. Straightening her back, she said,
"Of course
I haven't forgotten. But it didn't seem to matter to anyone else."

"It matters to me," Lady A said with conviction. "This revolution is dedicated
to restoring
the proper order of things. "

"Am I to be made Empress, then?" No matter how sincere the woman's voice was,
Boros could not bring herself to believe Lady A was going to all this trouble
purely for her