"David Drake - Hammer's Slammers 10 - Paying The Piper" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drake David)

Major Steuben shut down his display and stood. He was a small man with broad shoulders for his size
and a wasp waist. From any distance, the word "pretty" was the one you'd pick to describe him. Only if
you were close enough to see Steuben's eyes did you think of snakes and death walking on two
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legs. . . .

"I don't have any problem with what you did in Rhodesville, Lieutenant," Steuben said quietly. "But I
don't have a problem with a lot of things that seem to bother other people. If the Colonel told me to, I'd
shoot you down where you stand instead of transferring you to Log Section. And it wouldn't bother me
at all."

He smiled. "Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Huber said. "I understand."

"Lieutenant Basime was a friend of yours at the Academy, I believe," Steuben said with another of his
changes of direction. "She's acting head of our signals liaison with the UC now. Drop in and see her
before you report to Log Section. She can fill you in on the background you'll need to operate here in the
rear."

He waved a negligent hand. "You're dismissed, Lieutenant," he said. "Close the door behind you."

Huber swung the panel hard—too hard. It slipped out of his hands and slammed.

Major Steuben's terrible laugh followed him back down the hallway.
***

The ten-place aircar that ferried Huber into Benjamin had six other passengers aboard when it left Base
Alpha: three troopers going into town on leave, and three local citizens returning from business dealings
with the Regiment. Each trio kept to itself, which was fine with Arne Huber. He wasn't sure what'd
happened in Joachim Steuben's office, whether it had all been playacting or if Steuben had really been
testing him.

A test Huber'd passed, in that case; seeing as he was not only alive, he'd been transferred into a slot that
normally went to a captain. But he wasn't sure, of that or anything else.

He was the only passenger remaining when the car reached its depot, what had been a public school
with a sports arena in back. The freshly painted sign out front read




Benjamin Liaison Office
HAMMER'S REGIMENT