"Eric Frank Russel - The Space Willies" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Eric Frank)

major war is being fought?" Without waiting for a response
he added, "I've no time for a man who volunteers because
he's been crossed in love or anything like that. I want a com-
petent pilot who is an individualist affiicted with the fidgets."
"Yes, sir."
"You seem to fit the part all right. Your technical record is
first-class. Your disciplinary record stinks to high heaven." He
eyed his listener blank-faced. "Two charges of refusing to
obey a lawful order. Four for insolence and insubordination.
One for parading with your cap on back-to-front. What on
Earth made you do that?"
"I had a bad attack of what-the-hell, sir," explained Leem-
ing.
"Did you? Well, it's obvious that you're a confounded
nuisance. The space-base would be better off without you."
"Yes, sir."
"As you know, we and a few allies are fighting a big com-
bine led by the Lathians. The size of the opposition doesn't
worry us. What we lack in numbers we more than make up
for in competence and efficiency. Our war-potential is great
and rapidly growing greater. We'll skin the Lathians alive
before we're through."
Leeming offered no comment, having become tired of
"yessing."
"We've one serious weakness," Markham informed. "We
lack adequate information about the enemy's cosmic hinter-
land. We know how wide the Combine spreads but not how
deep into the starfield it goes. It's true that the enemy is no
wiser with regard to us, but that's his worry."
Again Leeming made no remark.
"Ordinary warships haven't flight-duration sufficiently pro-


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longed to dig deep behind the Combine's spatial front. That
difficulty will be overcome when we capture one or more of
their outpost worlds with repair and refueling facilities.
However, we can't afford to wait until then. Our Intelli-
gence Service wants some essential data just as soon as it
can be got. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good! We have developed a new kind of superfast scout-
ship. I can't tell you how it functions except that it does
not use the normal cesium-ion form of propulsion. Its type
of power unit is a top secret. For that reason it must not fall
into the enemy's hands. As a last resort the pilot must destroy
it, even if it means destroying himself, too."
"Completely wrecking a ship, even a small one, is much more