"Frankowski,.Leo.-.Conrad.Starguard.1.-.Crosstime.Engineer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Frankowski Leo)

Leo Frankowski - Conrad Starguard 1 - The Crosstime Engineer

Book 1 of the Adventures of Conrad Starguard

Prologue

"DAMN IT! I have five doctorates!" she shouted.

He looked up from the pile of Polish government forms on his
desk and surveyed the dumpy, middle-aged waitress in front of
him. Why me, Lord?

"So?" he said dryly. "It happens that, academically, you are below
average at this installation. I have nine. I am also your boss, and
you are screaming at me."

"But it isn't fair!"

"Right. But then nobody ever claimed that the Service was fair-or
that the universe was either, for that matter. This is your first day
here. If you have a problem, you may tell me about it. But if you
raise your voice one more time, I will bounce you off three of these
walls before you hit the floor. One of my doctorates is in martial
arts. Clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, what precisely is your problem?" He leaned back, his
fingertips touching to form an arch.

"Everything!" she shouted, and then remembered her situation and
started again quietly. "This is all a mistake. I shouldn't be in
twentieth-century Poland. My field is ancient Greece. And this fat
forty-year-old body! Doctrine is that one should start out a tour of
duty as a teenager! And having to tend tables at a bar! And-"

"Hold it and keep your voice down! Now, you say there's been a
mistake. Let's check the record." He touched four nondescript
spots on his battered wooden desk, and a display appeared in
front of him, individual letters glowing white in the air.

"Hmmm... born in North America, 62,218 B.C.... approved for child
rearing; eleven children... retired at forty-five, attended Museum
University 62,219 B.C. to 62,192 B.C.... doctorates in medicine,
Slavic languages, psychology, and Greek literature... accepted into
the Historical Corps..."

"First assignment, Periclean Athens! God, what luck! Do you
realize that I have twice petitioned to vacation in Periclean Athens
and have been turned down both times? More people want to visit