"Ringo,.John.-.Honorverse.SS.-.LET'S.GO.TO.PRAGUE" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ringo John)

LET'S GO TO PRAGUE
by John Ringo
CHAPTER 1
A PLAN IS HATCHED



"Let's go to Prague, Johnny!"

John Mullins looked across at his partner and seriously
contemplated pegging him in the head with his beer mug. Instead
he slid the container of thin, sour brew aside and let the next drop
of condensation hit the tabletop.

He recalled the heady days when they first arrived at Seaforth Nine.
The most prestigious base in the entire Havenite Republic had just
been taken intact by a coup de main and since ONI was already
going to be pouring over it, what better use could it be put to than
stabling the elite Covert Insertion Teams. Heady days indeed; the
unit had been barracked in a converted warehouse behind the
Manticoran consulate on New Ghuanzou.

As it turned out, there were worse things than New Guano; the
"most advanced base" the People's Republic of Haven had ever
produced turned out to be a dump. Make that a dump and a half.

Much of the interior partitioning was of wood, for Christ's sake.
Combined with the fact that the dessicators didn't and the chillers
wouldn't, the place was a perpetual steam bath. It said much that
teams had been trying to get moved up in the mission roster, just
to get the relative luxury of beating around on Silesian tramp
freighters and risking their lives behind Peep lines.

But that didn't mean he was willing to take leave in Prague.

"So, for our leave, you want to go beat around on tramps for two
weeks, maybe a month, spend a couple of tension-filled months
hoping we don't get picked up by StateSec and then have to hop
tramps back? In what possible way does that differ from work?"

"I hear it's lovely in the spring," Charles said with a sardonic grin.
He pushed his hair back and chuckled. "And we can drink as much
of that fine Peep beer as we choose. Besides, you know how
much you love your work."

When Charles Gonzalvez wasn't on a mission he was the spitting
image of a mad scientist. Same wild hair, same crazed, glazed
expression, same oddball sense of reality. He would be discussing
Peep information system security in one breath and be off on how