Звездный десант
Chapter 7
We’vebeendoingit,withchangesinweaponsbutverylittlechangeinourtrade,atleastsincethetimefivethousandyearsagowhenthefootsloggersofSargontheGreatforcedtheSumerianstocry"Uncle!"
Maybethey’llbeabletodowithoutussomeday.Maybesomemadgeniuswithmyopia,abulgingforehead,andacyberneticmindwilldeviseaweaponthatcangodownahole,pickouttheopposition,andforceittosurrenderordie—withoutkillingthatgangofyourownpeoplethey’vegotimprisoneddownthere.Iwouldn’tknow;I’mnotagenius,I’manM.I.Inthemeantime,untiltheybuildamachinetoreplaceus,mymatescanhandlethatjobandImightbesomehelponit,too.
Maybesomedaythey’llgeteverythingniceandtidyandwe’llhavethatthingwesingabout,when"weain’ta-gonnastudywarnomore."Maybe.MaybethesamedaytheleopardwilltakeoffhisspotsandgetajobasaJerseycow,too.Butagain,Iwouldn’tknow;Iamnotaprofessorofcosmo-politics;I’manM.I.Whenthegovernmentsendsme,Igo.Inbetween,Icatchalotofsacktime.
But,whiletheyhavenotyetbuiltamachinetoreplaceus,they’vesurelythoughtupsomehoneystohelpus.Thesuit,inparticular.
Noneedtodescribewhatitlookslike,sinceithasbeenpicturedsooften.Suitedup,youlooklikeabigsteelgorilla,armedwithgorilla-sizedweapons.(Thismaybewhyasergeantgenerallyopenshisremarkswith"Youapes—"However,itseemsmorelikelythatCaesar’ssergeantsusedthesamehonorific.)
