"John Dalmas - The Three-Cornered War" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dalmas John)

The Surrogate grunted. "I have prayed. And it seems to me God had a hand in this. The
probability that an intruder would emerge twice within reaction range of a patrol ship is
extremely small." Laying a hand on the counselor's shoulder, he added: "We shall see.
If God wills peace, we shall have peace. I do not intend to force war on anyone
needlessly."



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John Dalmas - The Three-Cornered War




Part One
THE GATHERING FORCES
Chapter 1 Return From War
The White Regiment arrived on Splenn with less than half its virgin strength. Arrived
by ship. There Colonel Artus Romlar exercised his influence with the Con-federation
Ministry, and had his three civilians forwarded to Iryala in a ministry courier. The
regiment itself gated to Iryala by teleport, arriving in a security area of the Landfall
Military Reservation. The troopers were quartered there overnight, and the next day
given a reception by the Office of Special Projects. The king himself attended, and a
crew from Iryala Video broadcast the welcoming ceremony.
Interesting, Romlar thought. Apparently the government wanted to add to the
regiment's reputation.
The next day the troopers were given new paycards that accessed the credits they'd
accrued. Then they dispersed for a dek,1 to vacation, and visit their families. It was their
first leave on their home world in more than four years.
Colonel Romlar, however, began three days of debriefing by an officer from the Office
of Special Projects. He'd
*A dek is a tenth of a year, and in the Confederation calendar occupies a role equivalent
to a month. For ordinary affairs, its length varies from world to world. The Standard
dek, like the Standard year and day, is that of Iryala.
expected the OSP debrief. What surprised him was having an audience, all of them
obviously members of the Movement. The general from the Ministry of Armed Forces
asked about the training Romlar had given to Smoleni rangers on Maragor. Apparently
the army planned to overhaul its own training.
On the fourth morning, Romlar was picked up by limousine, for a trip to "the residence
of Lord Kristal." He was delivered, however, to a high-rise government office building
on the extensive royal estate. Lotta Alsnor met him at the broad steps, and they faced
off, holding hands between them, looking at each other. He grinned. "How come I have
such a pretty girl?"
Her laugh was light. "Bullshit, Artus," she said. "I'm a plain and scrawny little minx.
Wiry anyway. I prefer it that way. It holds down the distraction." She grinned. "But say
it again; I like it." She squeezed his fingers. "I suppose you're wondering why you were
brought here. And what I'm doing here."
"It crossed my mind."

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