"Timothy Zahn - Spinneret" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

"Don't play word games," she snorted. "You know perfectly well that you gave up
certain rights when you volunteered for this trip."

"Perhaps," he shrugged, locking eyes with her. "But having spent time in the
Army myself, I can tell you that people grow tired of military rule very quickly. I
think that Colonel Meredith would be wise to consider what he'll do when that
happens."


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Zahn, Timothy - Spinneret


Her face darkened still further, but before she could speak, the door was opened
and one of the guards peered in. "Olivero? Colonel Meredith's ready for you."

"All right." Carmen stood upтАФwith more than a trace of relief, Perez
thoughtтАФand went to the door. There, she paused and looked back. "I'll tell the
colonel what you said. But no promises."

***

He was still sorting out the possibilities when the soldiers came to turn him loose.

The drive back to Unie was long, dusty, and quiet. Meredith kept his eyes on the
patch of lighted road ahead of them, his brooding silence stifling all other
conversation in the car. Which was fine with him: most of the team's reports could
wait until they were officially filed onto the computer, and the single exception
could wait until they reached the privacy of his office.

The lights in the admin complex were still burning when Andrews pulled the car
to a stop in front of itтАФone more reminder that there were a war's worth of details
still waiting to be handled. "Your reports are due by oh-nine-hundred tomorrow,"
Meredith told the group as he opened his door and climbed out. "Miss Olivero,
come with me; the rest of you are dismissed."

The colonel led the way down deserted hallways and into his outer officeтАФand
because it was the last thing he expected at that hour, he was three steps into the
room before his eyes registered the visitor waiting there for him.

He stopped abruptly, combat senses flaring with the surprise; but the other showed
no signs of hostility as he scrambled to his feet. "Colonel Meredith?" he asked, his
casual stance and tone immediately tagging him a civilian.

"Yes," Meredith acknowledged. "You?"

"Dr. Peter HafnerтАФI'm a geologist with Dr. Patterson's group. Sorry about the
hour, but your secretary said I could wait until you got in."