[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"I know," said Sanchez, drawing from the bulb again.
Feeling awkward, he changed the subject. "That brings me to something I wanted
to ask. Are you all from Frystaat, your whole crew?"
Kattinger nodded. "There aren't many of us left, all - Frystaat crews, that
is."
Sanchez knew why. The Sauron attacks on Frystaat had been beaten back by the
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Imperial Fleet but the planet did not go unharmed. Centers of industry and
culture were destroyed leaving a disrupted and fractioning civilization to be
picked at by off-world vultures clad in the robes of theImperialState.
"There is not a man or woman in this ship," said Kattinger, "who hasn't lost
many of those who were close, even our new crewmembers. Many were orphaned in
the attacks.
"I just hope that if we find Saurons, that Fledermaus is part of the attack
force sent me to kill them."
For a moment the merriment left Kattinger's eyes. It was replaced by something
else, something which sent a cold feeling along the back of Sanchez's neck. It
was gone in an instant, but had been there.
Sanchez noticed a small, framed picture on the desk, a picture of an
attractive Frystaat woman and two little girls. "I'm sorry, Hans."
Kattinger blinked, some of the sparkle returning to his eyes. "Can I ask about
you, Ezio? I mean, did you volunteer to join this expedition?"
"Well, sort of," said Sanchez, hesitating. "I was assigned by the Council."
Kattinger nodded to himself, knowingly. "I thought New Annapolis staff had
immunity from space duty."
"I didn't want to use it. Besides, the Academy is phasing out the History
Department. They were going to retire me. What then? Who in the Empire wants a
used history teacher?"
Sanchez could see from the patient look on Kattinger's face that the man was
not yet convinced.
"All right, do you want the real reason? Look at those books, Hans." He
gestured to the shelves.
"Think of the minds that made them - not just the histories but the
literature, the philosophy and science.
Look, you've got the Shakespearean plays, the works of S.L. Clem-ens. Do you
think the Saurons could
write that? Could they produce a Socrates, or - or a Darwin or a Franklin? No!
And I'll tell you why. It's because the very things that bring out those
qualities in men were gene-altered out of them by people who forgot that a
perfect soldier will resent taking orders from those less capable than he!"
Sanchez caught his breath. "I'm sorry, Captain. Sometimes I forget
that I'm not in a classroom anymore."
Kattinger sat, quietly listening.
Sanchez spoke again. "Hans, when I first read the entry in the
Centurion's log of a Sauron ship escaping, my heart froze. I could almost
hear a sound, like a drumbeat and voice telling me that all that I
live for, my whole civilization, was going to die.
"No sir. No. I'll fight them. I'll fight them with guns, rocks. Break my naked
teeth on them if I - "
Sanchez felt a warm, strong hand on his shoulder. It was Kattinger's. "Ezio,"
the Frystaater said softly, "I understand. You're among friends. Welcome
aboard the Fledermaus, sir."
Sanchez gave a weak smile, regaining his composure. "Thank you, Captain. I
should get my stateroom ready to get underway."
"Good idea. Be sure to get in touch with the Engineer and ask him for a set of
piping and electrical tab books and get a qual-card from the X.O."
"Qual-card?"
"Yes," said Kattinger, "you and the other new officers will have to learn how
to stand watches - "
"But Hans, I'm not even certified in basic navigation. I've never been
assigned to a ship - "
"I know. I was ordered to have you do nothing while we were underway, that you
would not be a member of the crew.
"That's a lot of bullshit, Ezio. You'd be climbing the walls with boredom.
When I said 'Welcome aboard,' I meant it. You are now a part of the ship's
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
crew."
"Well, yes," said Sanchez, looking doubtful. "I should certainly pull my own
weight, but is it wise? I
mean two full captains?"
Kattinger waved the problem away. "Don't worry about it. You'll be under
myself, the X.O, the Eng and the Navigator but you will still be given the
respect due a captain.
"Let's face it, Ezio. You may as well keep the title because you've endorsed
your last paycheck."
"What!" Sanchez's dark eyes flared.
Kattinger considered the man before him. A bespectacled college professor in a
captain's uniform. An historian with a sense of the past but one who lost
sight of the forest when a tree got in the way. "You don't understand, do
you?"
"No, I don't think so." Sanchez tried not to appear ruffled.
"Did you ever read about a certain 'hand-picked' Roman Legion that was ordered
to march east until they reached the end of the world?"
As the destroyer's captain watched, Sanchez caught sight of the
forest. He looked at Kattinger.
"That's us, isn't it?"
"You, me, my crew, the five other 'troublesome' officers, the Council doesn't
want us to come back, let alone expect us."
Both men remained silent, Sanchez wrestling with his doubts and questions. He
could find no answers.
At last Kattinger broke the stillness of the room. "Ezio, the Empire is going
to Hell at high-gee, and for years I've watched the Viceroy rape my planet.
Not a goddamn thing I can do about it.
"But let me tell you something. If there are Saurons out there, we'll find
them. Sooner or later, we'll find them. What happens then is entirely up to
us. There really isn't going to be any attack force." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
"I know," said Sanchez, drawing from the bulb again.
Feeling awkward, he changed the subject. "That brings me to something I wanted
to ask. Are you all from Frystaat, your whole crew?"
Kattinger nodded. "There aren't many of us left, all - Frystaat crews, that
is."
Sanchez knew why. The Sauron attacks on Frystaat had been beaten back by the
Page 117
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Imperial Fleet but the planet did not go unharmed. Centers of industry and
culture were destroyed leaving a disrupted and fractioning civilization to be
picked at by off-world vultures clad in the robes of theImperialState.
"There is not a man or woman in this ship," said Kattinger, "who hasn't lost
many of those who were close, even our new crewmembers. Many were orphaned in
the attacks.
"I just hope that if we find Saurons, that Fledermaus is part of the attack
force sent me to kill them."
For a moment the merriment left Kattinger's eyes. It was replaced by something
else, something which sent a cold feeling along the back of Sanchez's neck. It
was gone in an instant, but had been there.
Sanchez noticed a small, framed picture on the desk, a picture of an
attractive Frystaat woman and two little girls. "I'm sorry, Hans."
Kattinger blinked, some of the sparkle returning to his eyes. "Can I ask about
you, Ezio? I mean, did you volunteer to join this expedition?"
"Well, sort of," said Sanchez, hesitating. "I was assigned by the Council."
Kattinger nodded to himself, knowingly. "I thought New Annapolis staff had
immunity from space duty."
"I didn't want to use it. Besides, the Academy is phasing out the History
Department. They were going to retire me. What then? Who in the Empire wants a
used history teacher?"
Sanchez could see from the patient look on Kattinger's face that the man was
not yet convinced.
"All right, do you want the real reason? Look at those books, Hans." He
gestured to the shelves.
"Think of the minds that made them - not just the histories but the
literature, the philosophy and science.
Look, you've got the Shakespearean plays, the works of S.L. Clem-ens. Do you
think the Saurons could
write that? Could they produce a Socrates, or - or a Darwin or a Franklin? No!
And I'll tell you why. It's because the very things that bring out those
qualities in men were gene-altered out of them by people who forgot that a
perfect soldier will resent taking orders from those less capable than he!"
Sanchez caught his breath. "I'm sorry, Captain. Sometimes I forget
that I'm not in a classroom anymore."
Kattinger sat, quietly listening.
Sanchez spoke again. "Hans, when I first read the entry in the
Centurion's log of a Sauron ship escaping, my heart froze. I could almost
hear a sound, like a drumbeat and voice telling me that all that I
live for, my whole civilization, was going to die.
"No sir. No. I'll fight them. I'll fight them with guns, rocks. Break my naked
teeth on them if I - "
Sanchez felt a warm, strong hand on his shoulder. It was Kattinger's. "Ezio,"
the Frystaater said softly, "I understand. You're among friends. Welcome
aboard the Fledermaus, sir."
Sanchez gave a weak smile, regaining his composure. "Thank you, Captain. I
should get my stateroom ready to get underway."
"Good idea. Be sure to get in touch with the Engineer and ask him for a set of
piping and electrical tab books and get a qual-card from the X.O."
"Qual-card?"
"Yes," said Kattinger, "you and the other new officers will have to learn how
to stand watches - "
"But Hans, I'm not even certified in basic navigation. I've never been
assigned to a ship - "
"I know. I was ordered to have you do nothing while we were underway, that you
would not be a member of the crew.
"That's a lot of bullshit, Ezio. You'd be climbing the walls with boredom.
When I said 'Welcome aboard,' I meant it. You are now a part of the ship's
Page 118
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
crew."
"Well, yes," said Sanchez, looking doubtful. "I should certainly pull my own
weight, but is it wise? I
mean two full captains?"
Kattinger waved the problem away. "Don't worry about it. You'll be under
myself, the X.O, the Eng and the Navigator but you will still be given the
respect due a captain.
"Let's face it, Ezio. You may as well keep the title because you've endorsed
your last paycheck."
"What!" Sanchez's dark eyes flared.
Kattinger considered the man before him. A bespectacled college professor in a
captain's uniform. An historian with a sense of the past but one who lost
sight of the forest when a tree got in the way. "You don't understand, do
you?"
"No, I don't think so." Sanchez tried not to appear ruffled.
"Did you ever read about a certain 'hand-picked' Roman Legion that was ordered
to march east until they reached the end of the world?"
As the destroyer's captain watched, Sanchez caught sight of the
forest. He looked at Kattinger.
"That's us, isn't it?"
"You, me, my crew, the five other 'troublesome' officers, the Council doesn't
want us to come back, let alone expect us."
Both men remained silent, Sanchez wrestling with his doubts and questions. He
could find no answers.
At last Kattinger broke the stillness of the room. "Ezio, the Empire is going
to Hell at high-gee, and for years I've watched the Viceroy rape my planet.
Not a goddamn thing I can do about it.
"But let me tell you something. If there are Saurons out there, we'll find
them. Sooner or later, we'll find them. What happens then is entirely up to
us. There really isn't going to be any attack force." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]