"David Weber - Worlds of Honor 4 - Service of the Sword" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weber David)

the nonfamily employees were being kept very busy handling unaccustomed dutiesтАФand Dinah
had promised that various small catastrophes would keep these unfortunate souls quite distracted
indeed.
"First," Judith said, keeping her voice very soft, "Flower."
Mahalia and Rena nodded. Judith thought Mahalia looked a bit pale, nor was she certain that
the fanatic light that brightened Rena's eyes was any better. Then she caught her own reflection in
a highly polished side panel. She looked scared stiff.
She grinned at that frightened young face, and her own fears vanished. This, after all, was the
easy part.
The pass-code to open Flower's hatch was changed every sabbath, but Judith had found it
easy to learn what the new one was. When Ephraim routinely copied the pass-code to those of his
crew who might need to go aboard, unbeknownst to himself, he copied it to Judith as well.
There was no other security precaution in use here where Ephraim was secure. As soon as
Judith pressed in "God hath made man upright; but they have sought many inventions," the hatch
slid open, admitting them into a wide area lit only by stand-by lights.
Without further discussion, they went in three different directions: Mahalia to the small
engine room; Rena to the cargo bay, and Judith to the cockpit.
She was running a standard systems check, trying to calm herself by imagining this was just
another sim, when Mahalia signaled her on one of the small tight-beam communication units
Dinah had somehow acquired for all of Exodus's most essential personnel.
"Isaac here. I have the engines warming," Mahalia reported, her voice very tight.
"Good. Meet me at the hatch in five," Judith said. "Routine check here will take me that long.
I'll com Abraham to have cargo prepare for loading."
Dinah had insisted that they use code names, just in case some imp of Satan caused their
communications to be overheard. Judith was Moses. Dinah was Abraham. Mahalia was Isaac,
and so on. As a further precaution, the communication units transformed their voices into voices
other than their ownтАФand all selections were male.
Since Judith knew that Ephraim had several programs on Aaron's Rod that permitted him to
display false images when contacting other vessels, she suspected that these communications
units had been acquired to facilitate some similar ruse. It was all one to her. If they could turn
Ephraim's pirate tools to the Sisterhood's good, it was a further sign that God approved of their
cause.
Once Judith was certain Flower was in good running order and the systems warm-up was
proceeding according to plan, she left the cockpit and joined Rena and Mahalia.
"Abraham says his sons are rising up to go into the Promised Land," she said, trying to sound
confident. "We'd better deal with Blossom."
Judith had protested that she could disable the second shuttle herself, but Dinah had insisted
that she take the others.
"They will have nothing to do but wait, as I understand it. In any case, you may need help."
A different code, "The dogs shall eat Jezebel," opened Blossom's hatch, and instantly Judith
was grateful Dinah had insisted she bring help. Before them, lounging in the very comfortable
seat that was reserved for Ephraim himself, sat a large fair man of arrogant mien.
His name was Joseph, though he was more commonly called Joe. Joe believed himself
Ephraim's bastard, and took liberties on this presumed kinship that a wiser man would not. Twice
he had patted Judith on her rump, stopping only when she had threatened to tell Ephraim. She
knew he also stole from ships stores and did a little trading in prohibited items.
Doubtless Joe resented the fact that Ephraim had not summoned him to attend the conclave
along with the rest of his sons and this hiding from his proper duties was his little rebellion. If so,
it was very brief.
Rena jerked something from the pocket of her baggy coat. There was a sharp barking sound,