Maraboo: переводы

→She had undergone several tests, to induce her to display her mental powers, but she steadfastly refused (she thought the reason she refused had something to do with her mother, though she was unsure what the connection was). She had been allowed to play with a kitten for a long period of time. Apparently, the scientists had believed that Sarah possessed the ability to cause hemorrhaging within a person’s brain simply through force of will. To test this theory, a tumor was implanted in the kitten and Sarah was ordered to mentally ablate the tumor, or to put the kitten out of its misery. Still, she had refused to cooperate.

→Chapter 7
THE TARSONIS GHOST ACADEMY

→“Full stop, yes, sir,” the navigator responded.

→The general pressed a button on the comm and responded. “Yes, I can see that, Nav. Full stop.”

→“Too late,” the general whispered to himself.

→A voice from the comm announced: “Sir, I’m showing an unauthorized transmission was made just moments ago from a remote terminal on the cargo level.”

→The general walked around to the bank of vidscreens. He focused on the monitor showing their current location, and then looked to nearby corresponding monitors, which showed the activity in the next closest sectors.

→“You needed me. So you rescued me from the facility and helped me regain my memory to convert me to your side so I would lead your assault. You’ve had this planned for quite a while.”

→Sarah began to understand, although she still had the nagging feeling that the truth, in its entirety, was not being presented to her. What was Arcturus concealing, and why? No matter what the general was hiding, inexplicably, Sarah felt that she could trust him. Perhaps it was the gesture of trust that he was offering to her.

→The general stepped forward now, and Sarah could see his features. His eyes were wildly intent, focused, piercing. “I have a policy of not informing my soldiers of our missions until the last minute, but I’m telling you now. Not only because I trust you . . . but also because I want you to lead the assault. We have reason to believe that there are more alien specimens at the Academy. And they’re using the recruits for tests, just like they did with you. You know the Academy. You trained there. Even if you don’t remember it all right now, you will in time.”

→“I think you put a scare into Rimes. That’s not a minor feat. Rimes is the kind of person who simply does not scare.” The general turned now, facing Sarah. He stood with his hands behind his back, a silhouette against the stars. “We had information that the Confederacy was conducting studies on Vyctor 5,” he began. “But that’s not entirely the reason I chose the planet as the Sons of Korhal’s first operation. The reason . . . was you.”

→“Lieutenant Pollock laid his hand on me. If he does it again I’ll put a matching dent in that head of his.” Although the general was not facing her, Sarah could tell that he was smiling.

→Mengsk spoke without turning around. “Yes. I felt it was time that we had a more in-depth conversation, you and I. By the way, I heard of the incident in the mess hall.” Sarah did not detect accusation, in his tone or in his thoughts.

→“You called for me?” she asked, directing her attention to the imposing figure before the lookout.

→General Mengsk stood on the deck of the bridge, looking out at the vista of needlepoint stars that twinkled against the black vastness of space—Confederate space. The Hyperion was a minnow swimming through sharkinfested waters. They would have to be very careful. Somewhere behind the general a hatchway slid open and Sarah stepped onto the lower deck. She looked around. The bridge seemed more like the general’s living quarters than his official post. There were several Digitomes, a full-service bar, and even a smattering of archaic strategy games, including one Sarah recognized as chess. On the lower level, directly in front of Sarah, were several banks of monitors showing myriad systems. Some of the dots on those screens, shown in red, represented Confederate vessels. Sarah immediately felt that even in the vast expanses of space, those dots were too close.

→A moment later the lieutenant turned and stormed out of the mess hall. The remaining personnel soon returned to their meals.

→“I expect you at the weapons drill in five ticks,” said Pollock. He glanced once more at Sarah, and she could tell he was making every effort to keep his thoughts hidden from her. She knew if she concentrated hard enough, she could expose those intentions. She decided to wait.

→The warp-rat shrugged his shoulders slightly. “I wasn’t really looking when it happened.” He turned his back and continued eating. The others either looked away or remembered urgent business elsewhere. As Pollock looked around the mess hall, he could not find one pair of eyes that would hold his. Sarah had not moved. She still stared at Pollock with that blank look, a look that accompanied the blank state her mind was in, where houghts of right and wrong held no place, where there was only action and instinct. It was, Sarah realized, a part of her Confederate conditioning. She forced herself to relax a little.

→Pollock sheathed his blade, looking around at the gathered spectators. “She was the cause of this altercation. Assaulting a superior officer is an offense punishable by court martial. You all saw what she did,” Pollock said, waiting for affirmation. When none came he looked to the nearest table, where the group of warprats who had cornered Somo were seated. “You are all witnesses. Right?” Pollock was looking directly at the warp-rats’ leader now.

→“Listen! Both of you! I just found out that the reason I’ll never see my parents again is because the Confederacy arranged for them to be eliminated. I’m not about to let the two of you stand here and kill each other when the enemy is out there! If we fight each other then it’s all over! Don’t you understand?”