"Valery Gorban. The taste of war " - читать интересную книгу автора

notice!"
"But the water just ran out, Serpent! The patrols have been going to
chow, and the tank is empty."
"Well, pretty boy, you've found a real fine excuse! Now, take the
neighbors' bucket and tell the first sergeant that you two will be running
at full steam as a bucket brigade until you haul enough water here for the
whole detachment! Got it? Now, make like a fly!"
The orderly dashes off, and the commandant hurriedly bounds down the
stairs in the opposite direction. He's not coming for us, is he?
"Serpent, the neighbors have problems at their blockpost! Allegedly,
some civilians have been shot and killed. The city commandant has issued an
order to take about twenty men and sort things out on the scene before
personnel from the prosecutor's office and the local police arrive."
"What, with a whole battalion the neighbors can't respond themselves?!
It's their blockpost, let them handle it. Besides, they have all the
equipment."
"We've been ordered to send police to handle it - to ensure
objectivity. And to guard the scene of the incident until the prosecutor's
personnel arrive."
"Oh, how I hate getting involved in this shit... Can't someone else be
sent? You can count all of the people I have on base on the fingers of one
hand."
"Equipment and personnel are available. Take a BTR, and our neighbor
will provide a second one. I want you and your men to go, and you take
charge of this composite group! The prosecutor's `inquisition' is a
secondary matter. First, you need to rescue those guys at the blockpost. A
crowd has shown up from who-knows-where. Now go, get a move on!"
Well, screw it! The pleasure has vanished anyway.
"Cat, take the melon to officers' spaces. But warn anyone who returns
before me that if he eats it, I'll cut him to pieces rather than the melon!"
There, I frightened them! Naturally, they'll leave a slice for their
commander. But for Winnie and the other men who did back flips together with
me today? If not, those guys will be angry.
I see the same doubt reflected in the eyes of Pioneer, the platoon
leader.
"Serpent, let's finish off the melon while the group loads up."
And in fact, who the hell knows how this mission will turn out? This
could be the last melon we'll ever get to enjoy in this life. And there it
is, glistening like amber. Its cool smell makes your mouth water.
"Come and get it, guys!" Someone sticks a knife into its side.
Someone passes the top half up to those seated on the BTR, and the
bottom half gets slashed to pieces immediately.
The troops from the reserve group bound out of their doors. Each one
grabs a slice on the move - the way he does his automatic weapon during an
alert - and clambers onto the BTR. As for the automatic weapons themselves,
the troops have long been clutching them. They even sleep in the embrace of
their Kalashnikovs.
"It's a great melon, Serpent!"
"You had better hurry and chow down - when we dismount, you'll be
eating dust!"