"Elizabeth Moon - Familias 04 - Once A Hero" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moon Elizabeth)

knew it would do her no lasting good. "We—I—have to take
responsibility."
"That's right. And you, because you are the senior surviving
officer, and the one who ended up in command of the ship, will bear the
brunt of this investigation and the court." The admiral paused, looking at
her with that quiet, expressionless face; Esmay felt cold inside. They had
to have a scapegoat, is that what it meant? She would be to blame for
the whole thing, even though she hadn't even known, at first—even
though the senior officers—now dead—had tried to keep the youngsters
out of it? Panic filled in a quick sketch of her future: dismissed,
disgraced, thrown out of Fleet and forced to return home. She wanted
to argue that it wasn't fair, but she knew better. Fairness wasn't the issue
here. The survival of ships, which depended on the absolute obedience
of all to the captain . . . that was the issue.
"I understand," she said finally. She almost understood.
"I won't tell you that such a court is merely a formality, even in a
case like this," the admiral said. "A court is never a mere formality.
Things always come out in courts to the detriment of everyone
concerned—things that might not matter ordinarily. But in this case, I
don't want you to panic. It is clear from your report, and that of other
personnel—" Which, Esmay hoped, might mean the admiral's niece,
"—that you did not instigate the mutiny, and that there is a reasonable
probability that the mutiny will be held to be justified." The knot in
Esmay's stomach loosened slightly. "Obviously, it is necessary to remove
you from command of Despite."
Esmay felt her face heating, more relief than embarrassment. She
was so tired of having to figure out how to ask the senior NCOs what to
do next without violating protocol. "Of course, sir," she said, with a little
more enthusiasm than she meant to show. The admiral actually smiled
now.
"Frankly, I'm surprised that a jig could take over Despite and
handle her in battle—let alone get off the decisive shot. That was good
work, Lieutenant."
"Thank you, sir." She felt herself going even redder, and
embarrassment overcame reticence. "Actually, it was the
crew—'specially Master Chief Vesec—they knew what to do."
"They always do," the admiral said. "But you had the sense to let
them, and the guts to come back. You're young; you made mistakes of
course—" Esmay thought of their first attempt to join the fight, the way
she'd insisted on too high an insertion velocity and forced them to blow
past. She hadn't known then about the glitch in the nav computer, but
that was no excuse. The admiral went on, recapturing her attention. "But
I believe you have the root of the matter in you. Stand your court, take
your medicine, whatever it is, and—good luck to you, Lieutenant Suiza."
The admiral stood; Esmay scrambled up to shake the hand extended to
her. She was being dismissed; she didn't know where she was going or
what would happen next, but—but she felt a warm glow where the cold
knot had been.
As the escort outside made clear, where she was going was a
quarantined section of officers' country on the flagship. Peli and the few