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

we are the ones to be made an example of. Jigs are an eminently
expendable class."
Arphan looked at both of them, and then, without another word,
squeezed past two of the others, and Esmay at the door.
"Avoiding contamination," Liam said cheerfully. He was another
jig, junior to Peli but part of Peli's "expendable class."
"Just as well," Peli said. "I don't like whiners. D'you know, he
wanted me to press the admiral for damage payments to replace a
ruined uniform?"
Esmay could not help thinking what the necessary replacements
were going to do to her small savings.
"And he's rich," Liam said. Liam Livadhi, Service to the core and
for many generations, on both sides of the family. He could afford to
sound cheerful; he probably had a dozen cousins who had just outgrown
whatever uniforms he needed.
"Speaking of the court," Esmay made herself say. "What are the
uniform protocols?"
"Uniforms!" Peli glared at her. "You too?"
"For the court, Peli, not for display!" It came out sharper than she
intended, and he blinked in surprise.
"Oh. Right." She could practically see the little wheels flickering
behind his eyes, calculating, remembering. "I don't really know; the only
things I've seen were those cubes back in the Academy, in military law
classes. And that was usually just the last day, the verdict. I don't know
if they wore dress the whole time."
"The thing is," Esmay said, "if we need new uniforms made, we
have to have time for it." Officers' dress uniforms, unlike regular duty
uniforms, were handmade by licensed tailors. She did not want to
appear before a court in something non-regulation.
"Good point. There wasn't much left of the stuff in that
compartment, so we have to assume that all our dress uniforms were
damaged." He looked up at her. "You'll have to ask about it, Esmay;
you're still the senior."
"Not any more." Even as she said it, she knew she was, for this
purpose. Peli didn't quite sneer, but he didn't offer to help out, either.
"On this, you are the one. Sorry, Es', but you have to."
Asking about the uniforms brought her to the notice of the
paper-pushers again. As captain—even for those few days—she had
the responsibility to sign off on all the innumerable forms required.
"Not the death letters," Lieutenant Commander Hosri said. "The
admiral felt that the families would prefer to have those signed by a more
senior officer who could better explain the circumstances." Esmay had
completely forgotten that duty: the captain must write to the family of any
crew members who died while assigned to the ship. She felt herself
blushing. "And there are other major reports which the admiral feels
should be deferred until Forensics has completed its examination. But
you left a lot of routine stuff undone, Suiza."
"Yes, sir," Esmay said, her heart sinking again. When could she
have done it? How could she have known? The excuses raced through
her mind and out again: no excuses were enough.