"E. E. Doc Smith - D' Alembert 9 - The Omicron Invasion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

This was not at all like the man she'd grown to know and love. They'd been working together for
the past seventeen months, establishing a firm liaison between SOTE and Naval Intelligence. The two
organizations had never meshed so smoothly, due in no little part to the extraordinary efforts of these two
people. In fact, Helena and Fortier were discovering they meshed well personally as well as
professionally.

That was why, after a long, grueling day of administrative work together, Helena had suggested
they get away alone—just the two of them soaring peacefully above the atmosphere. Fortier had agreed
enthusiastically enough, but as soon as they were alone in the Mark Forty he'd changed from his normally
suave, confident self into the bashful, gawky man now beside her.

Helena tried gamely to carry the conversation, but after several disasters she was becoming more
and more exasperated with her companion. Finally, able to contain herself no longer, she asked, "Is
something the matter, Paul?"

She could see his muscles tense still further. "No. Uh, what makes you think that?"

"I've never seen you so wound up and jumpy. Even when we knew we were going into danger on
Dr Loxner's asteroid you were calmer than this."

"Must be more tired than I thought," Fortier muttered. "It has been a long week."

"It's been just as long for me, and I've worked as hard as you have," Helena pointed out. "That
doesn't stop me from uttering two complete coherent sentences in a row."

"Sorry." Fortier looked away. "I guess I'm just distracted tonight."

"Maybe you just didn't want my company tonight." Helena leaned forward toward the controls.
"We can go back down if you prefer."

Fortier reacted quickly. He reached out and grabbed her left hand, holding it tightly and not letting
it complete its intended action. "No. I want very much to be with you. It's just . . . I'm very nervous, that's
all. I've never done this before."

"Never done what? You've flown with me before, dozens of times. All those trips between Earth
and Luna Base together . . ."

"I've never proposed marriage before." Fortier's voice was scratchy as the words tumbled from his
mouth.
 Helena stopped, dumbstruck for a full thirty seconds. When she finally could speak again, all she
could say was "Paul?" in a voice that did not sound at all like her own.

After spending the early evening in awkward silence, Fortier suddenly could not stop the words
from gushing forth. "There were a couple of times when I thought I might, but I never quite reached that
point. There was Natasha, just as I got out of the Academy, but she suddenly got starstruck on a shuttle
pilot from Patagonia and left before I even had a chance to make the offer. Then there was Kalinda, just
after I made lieutenant commander—but I was offered the undercover assignment just then, and I knew it
wouldn't be fair to her to have me off for a couple of years, possibly killed while investigating those
pirates. She'd have had all the disadvantages of a service wife and none of the advantages. I left her
without even saying goodbye, without telling her why I went. I must have hurt her terribly, but there was