"Frankowski, Leo - Kren of the Mitchegai" - читать интересную книгу автора (Frankowski Leo)

Our servants, military combat drones decorated to look like medieval knights, and operated by the artificial intelligences in our tanks, had anticipated us. They had a fine spread set out for us. We had everything from smoked salmon that I had caught on our honeymoon to delicately fried crкpes suzette. And lots of good coffee from New Macedonia.

I said, "So, love. I assume that you have heard about all that I've been up to?"

"Yes, the news has been full of it, and the new movie that your tank, Agnieshka, put together, has been out for a week now. Good God, what a bloody mess!"

"It was that. Nobody expected what we were going to run into. But tell me about you. What's been happening? Your investments go well?"

"Oh, yes, we're richer than ever," she said. "But for the last week, I've mostly been working with your Gurkhas."

"My Gurkhas didn't start coming home until three days ago, and they're not all here yet."

"But their wives and families and all of their friends who want to enlist have been arriving in droves! If the statistical projections have anything to do with reality, you will have an army of over a hundred and twenty thousand men within the month. That's if none of the women decide to sign up, too!"

"Hoy! Well, we need the troops, and maybe now they'll make me a real general," I said.

"They'd damn well better! But finding a place for everyone has been something of a problem. Half of the new ones are living in that gold-plated castle that you built, but nobody wanted. The rest are scattered all over the place."

"Well, you and our metal ladies can work it out. If you can't, talk to Professor Cee, my Combat Control Computer. He's got more electronic brains than anybody else I know of."

"Meaning that you don't want to get involved," she said.

"Right. The duty of a general is to look at the big picture, and let the details be handled by staff officers like my loving wife. Right now, the big picture involves rest and recuperation for the battalion, and most especially for the commanding officer, which obviously necessitates going back to bed with you!"

"Go to bed if you want to, but do it alone. Right now, this staff officer has work to do."

"Delegate it!" I shouted, as she left the room.

Somehow, being a general does not put you in command of your wife, even when she does work for you.







INTERLUDE ONE
Agnieshka's Bow
THE RIGELLIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHEOLOGY,
EARTH, 3783 a.d.
Sir Percival stepped up to the podium of the filled-to-capacity auditorium, and wagged his tail respectfully to the attentive audience.

"Before we get to the performance that I am sure that you are all anxious to see, I have a very short and pleasant announcement to make! I have this on the very best possible authority! Rupert, the person who found the ancient tank on an ice moon, and who used its computer records to compile these amazing histories of our beloved forebears, the humans, has been placed on the Queen's Birthday List! Henceforth, you may address him as 'Sir Rupert!' "

The crowd applauded and barked enthusiastically, even though this enlargement had been expected by everyone for weeks.

"And now, I give you Sir Rupert!"

Rupert took Sir Percival's place at the podium as the crowd continued in its polite clapping and barking.