"Tanya Huff - Valor 1 - Valor's Choice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Huff Tanya)

space without reaching this level of maturity. Clearly, in order to survive, the
Confederation would have to recruit some more aggressive members.
Humans had a bare-bones space station and a shaky toehold on Mars when the
Confederation ships appeared. Some fairly basic technology by Confederation
standards, combined with the information that the Others were heading Earth's way,
convinced humanity to throw its military apparatus into space where they took to
interstellar warfare the way the H'san took to cheese.
Some one and a half centuries of intermittent war later, borders had shifted, and
Humans had been joined by first the Taykan and then the Krai. Much of the military
terminology introduced into the Confederation's common tongue remained Human
although, as the three races became increasingly more integrated, Taykan and Krai
words began creeping in. The Krai, for example, had sixteen useful adjectives
describing the impact of an antipersonnel weapon on a soft target.
Although the induction of younger and more aggressive species had undeniably
solved the problem presented by the Others, it had also irrevocably changed the face
of the Confederation. Feeling just a little overwhelmed,- many of the original species
spent their spare time sighing and reminiscing about the good old days.
 One
Reveillie was not the best thing to have reverberating through one's skull after a night
of too much and too little in various combinations. Making a mental note to change
the program to something less painfully intrusive, Torin tongued the implant and tried
to remember how to open her eyes during the five blessed seconds of silence before
the first of her messages came in.
*At the chime, it will be 0530.*
The chime set up interesting patterns on the inside of her lids. What had she been
drinking?
*Your liberty will be over at 0600.*
Which might be a problem, considering how much trouble she was having with basic
bodily functions. Groping for the panel beside the bed, she applied what she hoped
was enough pressure for dim lighting and cautiously cracked an eye. From the little
she could see, these were not her quarters. The less than state-of-the-art wall utility
suggested station guest quarters-for a not particularly important guest.
Finally managing to sort current sensation from memory, she turned her head toward
the warm body pressed up against her side. The di'Taykan's short lilac hair swayed
gently in response to her exhalation, the pointed tip of an ear covered and uncovered
by the moving strands.
Adi'Taykan.
That explained things. It wasn't a hangover, she had pheromone head.
Sliding out from under the blanket, Torin stood, stretched carefully, and filled her
lungs with air that hadn't been warmed by the di'Taykan's body heat. As memories
returned, she smiled. Not only did Humans find the Taykan incredibly attractive but a
Taykan in the di' phase was one of the most indiscriminately enthusiastic life-forms in
the Galaxy and offered the perfect and uncomplicated way to chase the memories of
that last, horrible planetfall right back to the galactic core.
*Captain Rose wants to see you in his office at 0800.*
There were two piles of clothing on the room's one chair, both folded into neatly
squared-off piles. He must've been raised by one strict sheshan, Torin thought, grabbing
her service uniform and ducking into the bathroom. It had taken most of her nine
years in the Corps to achieve that precise a fold, regardless of distraction.
When she emerged a few moments later, fully dressed, all she could see of her