"Arcady And Boris Strugatsky. Prisoners of Power" - читать интересную книгу автора

direct 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
aforementioned, I feel it is my duty to call the attention of the command to
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