"Valery Gorban. The taste of war " - читать интересную книгу автора

Valery Gorban.

The taste of war

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© Copyright Valery Gorban
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Date: 25 Feb 2004
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I would like to express my gratitude to Elena Tchirkova and Lawrence G.
Kelley for their assistance in translating my stories



THE TASTE OF WAR

Oh war, war...
Up ahead a crowd is droning. The square is congested, and groups on its
approaches are casting burning, rancorous glances at us as well.
Another protest meeting.
Well, they can go to Allah. Only a fool would run that gauntlet - they
would either put a bullet into you on the sly or climb onto the vehicle and
try to cause some sort of trouble. Of course, they might be apprehensive
about OMON troops. Our guys are a desperate bunch, and if it comes to a
fight, they'll clear the way with grenades. But why assume that liability
for no good reason - there are women everywhere.
Normal heroes always avoid trouble. Too bad, of course, that the side
streets are unfamiliar. True, we have less chance of stumbling into an
ambush here, since the Chechen fighters generally wait for us on our
permanent patrol routes. But then, we might encounter all kinds of other,
unanticipated situations. There are even districts where Chechen fighters
wander around in the open, with impunity.
Actually, we would like to get back to home base as quickly as
possible. A melon - a huge, long one - is lying on the commander's seat in
the cab of our Ural. We made a special trip to the market to buy it. In heat
like this, you just can't look at such a marvelous piece of fruit without
craving it.
"Don't worry, melon, we'll get to you shortly. Right, Winnie?"
The driver, a good-natured, strapping type who could easily pass for
Winnie-the-Pooh's brother, nods his head in agreement and involuntarily
swallows his saliva. He has spent the entire day behind the wheel, even
missing his midday meal. While the others were eating in the GUOSh mess
hall, Winnie was off somewhere loading up supplies for the detachment.

"Serpent, look!"
"Tally."
I put on my "sphere", open the door partway, and take cover behind it.