"Christopher Stasheff - Starship Tropers 3 - A Slight Detour" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stasheff Christopher)

Ramou took it in good part, standing there with his hands on his hips, looking at the floor and
nodding. "Yessir," he mumbled. "Yessir."

Well. There wasn't really much more Barry could say, when he took it so well and was so
thoroughly accepting. For myself, I marveled at Charlie Publican's influenceтАФfor a quiet, retiring, near-
nonentity, he had managed to win a great deal of liking from the other company members in a very short
time. I wondered how he had managed itтАФhe so rarely seemed to say anything at all. Of course, when
he did, it was during a moment of crisis, which he nicely managed to alleviate.

"Well, that's done, then." Barry gusted out a sigh. "I was about to convene a company meetingтАФbut
under the circumstances, I think I will let it wait until after dinner."

I nodded. People are always much more reasonable with full stomachs. Not that Larry wouldn't
harbor a grudge, of course. Ramou would notтАФbut neither would he warm to Larry in any way. It might
have had something to do with their both being interested in LaceyтАФor it might not, since Ramou was
also interested in Suzanne. More probably, it had to do with a fundamental philosophical disagreement:
Ramou believed in treating everyone with courtesy, whereas Larry seemed to feel that politeness was
only for those he acknowledged as his superiors, or who were in a position to benefit himтАФwhich
company did not include Ramou.

Dinner was done, and the company assembled in the lounge with cheerful chitchat and laughter.
One advantage of occupying a spaceship that began life as a luxury liner was that the food synthesizers
all had gourmet dishes in their memories. One advantage, as I sayтАФthere were many others.

However, the liner had carried uniformed waiters, bus-boys, and maitre d's; the tour ship was self-
service in the dining room. Not the lounge, thoughтАФself-service meant free access to the beverage
dispensers, and we did not want that. Not for OgdenтАФand, therefore, not for anybody. It wasn't just that
Ogden would have been constantly drunk, no matter what his good resolutionsтАФit was also that it would
have killed him, sooner or later. Probably sooner, considering the heart attack he had suffered during the
liftoff from Terra. So Ramou served, as he always did, in his capacity as general assistantтАФone more
thing that no doubt encouraged Larry to believe Ramou to be an inferior. He overlooked the fact that
they were both very young, and that in ten years' time, Ramou might very well be directing a play for
which Larry was auditioning.

Yeah, I blew it, slamming Larry around like that and all but convicting him of attempted murder. I
suppose it was because I'd been wanting to slap him around for a good long time, anywayтАФthat, and the

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fact that he had opened all the lockers.

On the other hand, nobody seemed to be blaming meтАФ except Larry, of course. He gave me an icy
glare as he took his old-fashioned off the tray. I ignored it. Lacey was a bit reserved, but I knew that
would only last until she needed a favor. Suzanne wasn't exactly warm and approving, but she did seem
almost sympathetic, which made me wonder.

Appreciate, but still wonder. Maybe she figured Larry could try the patience of a saint, and lord
knows I'm no saint.