"Charles Stross - Missile Gap" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stross Charles)

Misha Gorodin is the only man on the ship who doesnтАЩt have to give a shit whether the captain offers him a
seat, but heтАЩs grateful all the same: a little respect goes a long way, and GagarinтАЩs sunny disposition and
friendly attitude is a far cry from some of the fuckheads MishaтАЩs been stuck with in the past. ThereтАЩs a class
of officer who thinks that because youтАЩre a zampolit youтАЩre somehow below them, but Yuri doesnтАЩt do that: in
some ways heтАЩs the ideal New Soviet Man, progress personified. Which makes life a lot easier, because Yuri
is one of the very few naval commanders who doesnтАЩt have to give a shit what his political officer thinks, and
life would be an awful lot stickier without that grease of respect to make the wheels go round. Mind you, Yuri
is also commander of the only naval warship operated by the Cosmonaut Corps, which is a branch of the
Strategic Rocket Forces, another howling exception to the usual military protocol. Somehow this posting
seems to be breaking all the rulesтАж
тАЬWhat was it like, boss?тАЭ
тАЬHot as hell. Humid, like this. Beautiful women but lots of dark-skinned comrades who didnтАЩt bathe often
enoughтАУall very jolly, but you couldnтАЩt help looking out to sea, over your shoulder. You know there was an
American base there, even then? Guantanamo. They donтАЩt have the base now, but theyтАЩve got all the rubble.тАЭ
For a moment Gagarin looks morose. тАЬBastards.тАЭ
тАЬThe Americans.тАЭ
тАЬYes. Shitting on a small defenseless island like that, just because they couldnтАЩt get to us any more. You
remember when they had to hand out iodine tablets to all the kids? That wasnтАЩt Leningrad or Gorky, the
fallout plume: it was Havana. I donтАЩt think they wanted to admit just how bad it was.тАЭ
Misha sips his tea. тАЬWe had a lucky escape.тАЭ Morale be damned, itтАЩs acceptable to admit at least that much
in front of the CO, in private. MishaтАЩs seen some of the KGB reports on the US nuclear capabilities back
then, and his blood runs cold; while Nikita had been wildly bluffing about the RodinaтАЩs nuclear defenses, the
Americans had been hiding the true scale of their own arsenal. From themselves as much as the rest of the
world.
тАЬYes. Things were going to the devil back then, no question: if we hadnтАЩt woken up over here, who knows
what would have happened? They out-gunned us back then. I donтАЩt think they realized.тАЭ GagarinтАЩs dark
expression lifts: he glances out of the open portholeтАУthe only one in a private cabin that opensтАУand smiles.
тАЬThis isnтАЩt Cuba, though.тАЭ The headland rising above the bay tells him that much: no tropical island on earth
supported such weird vegetation. Or such ruins.
тАЬIndeed not. But, what about the ruins?тАЭ asks Misha, putting his tea glass down on the map table.
тАЬYes.тАЭ Gagarin leans forward: тАЬI was meaning to talk to you about that. Exploration is certainly in line with our
orders, but we are a trifle short of trained archaeologists, arenтАЩt we? LetтАЩs see: weтАЩre four hundred and seventy
thousand kilometers from home, six major climactic zones, five continentsтАУitтАЩll be a long time before we get
any settlers out here, wonтАЩt it?тАЭ He pauses delicately. тАЬEven if the rumors about reform of the penal system
are true.тАЭ
тАЬIt is certainly a dilemma,тАЭ Misha agrees amiably, deliberately ignoring the skipperтАЩs last comment. тАЬBut we
can take some time over it. ThereтАЩs nobody out here, at least not within range of yesterdayтАЩs reconnaissance
flight. IтАЩll vouch for lieutenant ChekhovтАЩs soundness: he has a solid attitude, that one.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt see how we can leave without examining the ruins, but weтАЩve got limited resources and in any case I
donтАЩt want to do anything that might get the Academy to slap our wrists. No digging for treasure until the
egg-heads get here.тАЭ Gagarin hums tunelessly for a moment, then slaps his hand on his thigh: тАЬI think weтАЩll
shoot some film for the comrade general secretaryтАЩs birthday party. First weтАЩll secure a perimeter around the
beach, give those damned spetsnaz a chance to earn all the vodka theyтАЩve been drinking. Then you and I, we
can take Primary Science Party Two into the nearest ruins with lights and cameras. Make a visual record,
leave the double-domes back in Moscow to figure out what weтАЩre looking at and whether itтАЩs worth coming
back later with a bunch of archaeologists. What do you say, Misha?тАЭ
тАЬI say thatтАЩs entirely logical, comrade general,тАЭ says the political officer, nodding to himself.
тАЬThatтАЩs so ordered, then. WeтАЩll play it safe, though. Just because we havenтАЩt seen any active settlement
patterns, doesnтАЩt mean thereтАЩre no aborigines lurking in the forest.тАЭ
тАЬLike that last bunch of lizards.тАЭ Misha frowns. тАЬLittle purple bastards!тАЭ