"David Weber - Dahak 03 - Heirs of Empire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weber David)

"That's what you get for having twins," Amanda said smugly, then bent a sly glance on Jiltanith. "Or
for not having a few more kids."
"Nay, acquit me, Amanda." Jiltanith smiled. "I know not how thou findest time for all thy duties and
thy babes, but 'twill be some years more—mayhap decades—ere I again essay that challenge. And it ill
beseemeth thee so to twit thine Empress when all the world doth know thee for a mother o' the best,
while I—" She shrugged wryly, and her friends laughed.
Horus was about to say something more when the inner hatch slid open to admit a trim, athletic man
in Battle Fleet blue.
"Hi, Gerald," Colin greeted the new arrival, and Admiral of the Fleet Gerald Hatcher, Chief of Naval
Operations, bowed with a flourish.
"Good evening, Your Majesty," he said so unctuously his liege lord shook a fist at him. Admiral
Hatcher had spent thirty years as a soldier of the United States, not a sailor, but BattleFleet's CNO was
the Imperium's senior officer. That made it a logical duty for the man who'd served as humanity's chief of
staff during Earth's defense against the Achuultani, yet not even that authority could quash Hatcher's
cheerful irreverence.
He waved to Ninhursag, shook hands with Hector, Tsien, and Horus, then planted an enthusiastic
kiss on Amanda's cafe-au-lait cheek. He bent gracefully over Jiltanith's hand, but the Empress tugged
shrewdly on the neat beard he'd grown since the Siege of Earth and kissed his mouth before he could
recover.
"Thou'rt a shameless fellow, Gerald Hatcher," she told him severely, "and mayhap that shall teach
thee what fate awaiteth when thou leavest thy wife behind!"
"Oh?" He grinned. "Is that a threat or a promise, Your Majesty?"
"Off with his head!" Colin murmured, and the admiral laughed.
"Actually, she's visiting her sister on Earth. They're picking out baby clothes."
"My God, is everybody hatching new youngsters?"
 "Nay, my Colin, 'tis only everyone else," Jiltanith said.
"True," Hatcher agreed. "And this time it's going to be a boy. I'm perfectly happy with the girls,
myself, but Sharon's delighted."
"Congratulations," Colin told him, then waved at an empty couch. "But now that you're here, let's get
down to business."
"Suits me. I've got a conference scheduled aboard Mother in a few hours, and I'd like to grab a nap
first."
"Okay." Colin sat a bit straighter and his lazy amusement faded. "As I indicated when I invited you
all, I want to talk to you informally before next week's Council meeting. We're coming up on the tenth
anniversary of my 'coronation,' and the Assembly of Nobles wants to throw a big shindig to celebrate.
That may be a good idea, but it means this year's State of the Realm speech is going to be pretty
important, so I want a feel from the 'inner circle' before I get started writing it."
His guests hid smiles. The Fourth Empire had never required regular formal reports from its
emperors, but Colin had incorporated the State of the Realm message into the Fifth Imperium's law, and
the self-inflicted annual duty was an ordeal he dreaded. It was also why he'd invited his friends to Dahak
's command deck. Unlike too many others, they could be relied upon to tell him what they thought rather
than what they thought he wanted them to think.
"Let's begin with you, Gerald."
"Okay." Hatcher rubbed his beard gently. "You can start off with a piece of good news. Geb
dropped off his last report just before he and Vlad headed out to Cheshir, and they should have the
Cheshir Fleet base back on-line within three months. They've turned up nine more Asgerds, too. They'll
need a few more months to reactivate them, and we're stretched for personnel—as usual—but we'll
make do, and that'll bring us up to a hundred and twelve planetoids." He paused. "Unless we have
another Sherkan."
Colin frowned at his suddenly bitter tone but let it pass. All the diagnostics had said the planetoid