"Tanya Huff - Valor 2 - The Better Part of Valor" - читать интересную книгу автора (Huff Tanya)

appeared to be playing "my family compound is bigger than yours,"
and looked as though they'd been interrupted in the midst of getting to
know each other better. Which was pretty much standard operating
procedure for di'Taykans and a heartbeat after she left all five would be
in the communal compartment. For a moment it looked as though Pfc
di'Sarm Frii was having a small spasm and then she saw the earphones
almost covered by swinging ocher hair—although his hair seemed to
be keeping a different beat than either hands or feet.
And Private First Class August Guimond, who was one of the
biggest Humans Torin had ever seen, must have found something or
somebody pretty funny given the size of his smile.
The rest were waiting more or less attentively for her to speak. The
other Krai, who therefore had to be Pfc Werst, cradled a mug of sah in
both hands. It took a security scan to release the stimulant to the Krai
and, given the effect on Humans, Torin was glad to see Werst also
wore an expression that promised critical damage should anyone try to
take it from him.
She drew in a deep breath, noted that the silence became more
attentive, waited for a blocky blonde, Lance Corporal Lesli
Dursinski—to drive an annoyed elbow into Frii's ribs, and began. "My
name is Staff Sergeant Kerr and I am your Senior NCO for this
mission. Like you, I got dragged away from my team and my friends
and the job I was doing and, like you, I know that doesn't matter one
goddamned bit. The Corps calls—we answer. This is your new team
..." A sweeping gesture with her right hand. "... these are your new
friends ..." Followed by a sweeping gesture with her left. "I don't care
if you like each other, but you will respect each other's abilities and
you will work together as Marines. Whenever that seems too difficult
for you, remember there's sixteen of us and over two thousand sailors
out here." Her left eyebrow lifted and her tone dried out. "I'm not
saying that it's us against them, I'm just saying that sixteen Marines,
working together, should have no trouble with two thousand sailors."
"Bring 'em on, Staff!" Pfc di'Benti Orla was on her feet. "I could do
two thousand sailors myself before breakfast!"
One of the Humans, Corporal Harrop, snickered.
"Yeah, I've heard that about you."
Orla flipped him the finger, a Human gesture the di'Taykan had
adopted wholeheartedly. "Fuk you!"
"After breakfast."
"Deal."
When Harrop looked startled, Torin grinned and shook her head.
"You have served with di'Taykan before, Corporal?"
"Sure, Staff. Hundreds."
"Then stop looking so damned surprised. At the moment," she
continued, now that the room's attention had returned to her, "I know
little more about this mission than you do; we'll be first on an alien,
deep-space craft found drifting by a civilian salvage operator.
Briefing's tomorrow morning, 0900 hours, across in the Berganitan.
General Morris would like us all to attend." Torin paused long enough
for the expected rumble of complaint but not so long that the rumble