"E. E. Doc Smith - Lensman 8 - The Dragon Lensman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

exact-so
perfect, in fact, that it released latent parapsychic or psi powers, telepathy
in particular.
Only the original recipient of the Lens could wear it-for anyone else it
brought instant
death.

The best Lensmen eventually were chosen for the highest honor which the Patrol
could
offer: Unattached status. Known as Gray Lensmen from the plain leather
uniforms they
now wore, unlike the black-and-silver-and-gold ones of the rest of the
officers and men,
these distinguished fellows of the Service were free agents. With their
freedom for
independent action they were the personification of the Patrol itself,
accountable to no
one but the highest authorities.

Although Kimball Kinnison was not the first Gray Lensman, he was, despite his
youth,
one of the outstanding ones. His demonstrated ability led to his being
recalled to Arisia
by Mentor to receive the next level of training as a Second Stage Lensman.
Kimball was
the first of four to come from each of the original planets, even ahead of
Worsel the
Velantian, whose mind actually was better developed and trained, and of vastly
greater
power. The Tellurian, however, was chosen for greater capacity and more varied
growth,
especially for the force of his driving will, so characteristic of his race.

As the legion of Lensmen grew with its special leaders, so did the scale of
the conflict,
until, finally, both galaxies and their neighboring star clusters were
involved.

The climax came at last. Kimball Kinnison, as the fighting leader of the
Galactic Patrol,
the military arm of the Galactic Council which by now represented all of
Civilization,
directed the decisive battles by the Grand Fleet against the massive forces of
the
Boskonians. The culmination of the years of galactic struggle came with the
giant
dogfight of spaceships which was The Battle of Klovia. The Boskonian
conspiracy was
considered destroyed. Kimball Kinnison, the newly-appointed Galactic
Coordinator, and