Jack L. Chalker Priam's Lens

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appear to be in decent condition. I know what it's like to be pushed past the
point of exhaustion when it's life or death. So do they. You may think you do,
but you don't. I didn't until I had to do it."
"I'll have to make it. You can't scare me any more than I'm already scared,
but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't go."
"There's one more thing. You're the only woman and the only person
on the squad without military training. There is going to be a tendency for
the others to be protec-tive or solicitous of you even though they will try
not to be. I've seen it before. If you get into real trouble,
somebody's gonna have to stop what they are doing and try and save you.
"
"There are women combat soldiers. I've seen some of them.
"
"That's different. Suited up, there's no real difference. Even not
suited up, there's the same training background and mindset."
"Well, I may be the only woman but I'm not the only civilian going
down. There are four of us unless you feel like coming along."
"Who's the other?"
"The priest, Father Chicanis. He was born and raised on the continent of Eden
before the Fall. He would have been there when it fell but he was at some
religious conference. I think he's always felt guilty he wasn't there. He's
our na-tive guide, so to speak. He can find the old landmarks and get us where
we need to go, considering we won't have any computer or navigational aids."
Harker hadn't thought of this. "Now I like it even less. A priest who wants to
be a martyr. Just great. He'll also want to minister to everybody who might
kill him. The world he remembers is a century dead. The world down there
now is like nothing hes ever known.
'
"
"He's a tough guy, at least that's the impression I get, and for a priest
he's pretty grounded in realism. At least, I don't think he's about to get
us killed for his religion. I think he'd die for it, but he wouldn't take
any of us with him. I also always had the idea that, with him,
this was personal.
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There's something in his past, somewhere, that he's kept inside but it's what
drives him beyond just his faith. I don't know what it is. I think Madame
Sotoropolis does, but I'm not sure."
"We've all got things like that driving us," he told her. "I swore I'd never
get myself in a combat situation again. I know what it's like when it goes
bad. I'm not sure I didn't use up any lives left in me that last time, too."
He turned to go, deciding to speak to this priest next. She called him back:
"Harker?"
"Yes?"
"You ever been in a combat situation without something on? Some armor?"
He thought about it. "Only in training exercises, and not recently, no."
"We've all been training in the simulator here. Even though we'll have a lot
more stuff than those people on Helena probably have, we'll still be
pretty stripped down. Maybe before you start questioning the abilities
of other people, you might want a crack at that simulation yourself. That's if
you decide to come with us, of course."
He took a deep breath. "I'll think about it," he told her, and left.
He found Father Chicanis in the big lounge, which looked just the way it had
on all those spy camera record-ings. When not officiating in his priestly
sense, Chicanis tended to dress informally in a black pullover shirt, and
slacks, and slip-on sneakers. He looked very much like a middle-aged man in
fairly decent condition who might well be a programmer or technician or even
janitor.
"
Ah, Mister Harker! Glad to have you with us, the priest greeted him, sounding
like he was just
"
saying hello to somebody he had asked aboard.
"I'm not sure how much with you I am yet, Father," he responded.
"Come! Sit down! I'm afraid this may be the only chance we'll have to get to
know each other.
After sitting on our duffs forever, we're now moving very fast, it seems.
"
`"We're heading out?"
"The Dutchman is dispatching a corvette that's now at-tached to his ship to
get us. Ships this size, or even the size of his vessel, would trigger
every alarm the Titans might have. It's by using very small ships like the
corvettes and then using small outer system genhole gates that they're able to
get in and out without the energy flare attracting attention."
"I haven't said whether I'm in or out on this, you know.
"
"Come, come! You've come this far out of curiosity! I don't think you're the
kind of man who can sit back and remain passive when things are going on. I [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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