"Colin Kapp - The Survival Game" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kapp Colin)

into the room with a broad smile and a hand ready for shaking. Oontara
had described him as a little, fat Terran. He could have added that
Rounding was bald, suntanned, and seemingly unaware of the awe in
which star nobility was held.

Xzan regarded the white-clad dumpling with much surprise, and shook
the proffered hand before he had time to consider what the salutation
meant. His reaction to the soft, fleshy skin was one of considerable
distaste. He looked at Oontara appealingly. If this was the star king's idea
of someone who could depose the ancient gods and draw the teeth of
hereditary legions, then Oontara had indeed gone soft.

"Lord Oontara, Lord Xzan," the jovial Terran was saying, "I'd like to
introduce a colleague of mine— Colonel Bogaert, known to the rest of the
universe as Colonel Bogey." He waved his hand toward the door, and a
second Terran entered. "Bogey's my technical and military aide. You
warlike chaps should find a lot in common."

While Rounding had been speaking, his eyes had been active, noting
the devillike scowl of Xzan with a questing interest. Xzan had the
uncomfortable feeling that the fat Terran was reading a lot more from his
face than the star lord wanted him to know. The arrival of the second
Terran served to divert the unwelcome attention.

Colonel Bogaert was as unlike his superior as could be imagined. He
was tall and lean, with muscles hard from a lifetime in the Space Service.
The spring in his step hinted at an internal confidence not explained
entirely by his fitness as a military man. Like most Terran Service
technicians, he was quiet-spoken, yet there was an edge of command at
the back of his voice which gave his casual words more than ordinary
force. Xzan sensed that here was a man who held a great deal in reserve.

Even so, Colonel Bogey was not to Xzan's liking. He had neither the
swaggering superiority of a hereditary warrior nor the desperate cunning
of the professional survivor. Xzan summed him up as a "painted
warrior,"—a derogatory term used around the Hub to describe those who
used a show of arms without true appreciation of the realities of battle.

Oontara read his guest's disapproval with shrewd eyes, and turned to
the Colonel.

"As a military man, Colonel Bogaert, you've surely acquired knowledge
of our war game. Have a look at our play, and tell me what you think of
Xzan's position."

Bogaert gave the board a few minutes' deep consideration.

"Indefensible, of course. My Lord Xzan would be advised to surrender
before his losses became insupportable."