"Arcady And Boris Strugatsky. Prisoners of Power" - читать интересную книгу автораdirect hit and caught fire, but he continued firing until he lost
consciousness from severe bums. It was said that his entire body was covered by skin transplants. Three fingers were missing from his left hand. He was blunt and coarse, a real fighter. Unlike the reserved Captain Tolot, he never thought it necessary to conceal his emotions from his subordinates or superiors. When he was in a good mood, the entire brigade knew it, but when he was out of sorts and whistled "Cool It, Mama," well, watch out. Looking him straight in the eye, Guy was dismayed by the thought that he had somehow disappointed and angered this remarkable man. He quickly reviewed in his mind all his own minor offenses and those of his platoon but could recall nothing that hadn't been dismissed with a careless wave of the captain's crippled hand and a throaty, grumpy response: "OK, that's what the Legion's all about. The hell with it!" The captain stopped swiveling and whistling. "I don't like a lot of talk and scribbling," he said. "Either you recommend Candidate Sim or you don't. Which is it?" "Yes, sir, I recommend him," said Guy quickly. "But..." "No 'buts,' corporal! Do you or don't you?" "I do, sir." "Then what's the meaning of these two pieces of paper?" The captain pulled some papers from his pocket and unfolded them on the desk, holding them down with his crippled hand. "Here it says: 'I recommend the aforementioned Mac Sim, a loyal and capable person' - well, that's clear - 'for appointment to the noble calling of candidate in the ranks of the Fighting Legion.' And here's your second note: 'In connection with the the need for a thorough check of the designated candidate for the Fighting Legion, Mac Sim.' Massaraksh! What the hell do you really mean, corporal?" "Captain!" Guy was very agitated. "I really don't know what to say. I know Candidate Sim is a loyal citizen, devoted to the Legion's ideals. I'm sure that he will have much to contribute. But since only men of impeccable integrity belong in the Legion, I thought - " "You thought!" the captain snapped. "Corporal, here's what you'll do. You'll take one of these two notes right now and tear it up. You must understand that I cannot go to the brigadier with two statements. It's got to be either yes or no. This is the Legion, corporal, not a philosophy department! You have two minutes to think it over." The captain took a thick folder from a drawer and disgustedly tossed it on the desk. Guy looked at his watch despondently. It was a difficult decision to make. It was dishonest and unworthy of a legionnaire to conceal from the authorities his incomplete knowledge of the man he was recommending, even if it was Mac. On the other hand, it was dishonest and unworthy of a legionnaire to avoid responsibility by shifting the decision onto the captain, who had seen Maxim only twice, and then only in formation. "Well, all right, I'll go over it again. Points in favor: He has accepted the Legion's ideals heart and soul; he passed the physical without a hitch; he was sent by Captain Tolot and Doctor Zogu to some top-secret institution, evidently for a thorough investigation, which he passed. True, I'm taking Maxim's own word for this last statement - he claims he lost all his documents. And last, he's a brave, natural-born fighter. He made short work |
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