Звездный десант
Chapter 5
Buthehadn’tsaidanythingaboutitandCaptainFrankelhadn’tasked—maybehehadjustassumedZimhadrunintoadoorandwouldexplainitifhefeltlikeit,later.
"Havethepertinentarticlesbeenpublishedtoyourcompany,asrequired?"
"Yes,sir.Publishedandlogged,everySundaymorning"
"Iknowtheyhave.Iaskedsimplyfortherecord."
JustbeforechurchcalleverySundaytheylinedusupandreadaloudthedisciplinaryarticlesoutoftheLawsandRegulationsoftheMilitaryForces.Theywerepostedonthebulletinboard,too,outsidetheorderlytent.Nobodypaidthemmuchmind—itwasjustanotherdrill;youcouldstandstillandsleepthroughit.Abouttheonlythingwenoticed,ifwenoticedanything,waswhatwecalled"thethirty-onewaystocrashland."Afterall,theinstructorsseetoitthatyousoakupalltheregulationsyouneedtoknow,throughyourskin.The"crashlandings"wereaworn-outjoke,like"reveilleoil"and"tentjacks"...theywerethethirty-onecapitaloffenses.Nowandthensomebodyboasted,oraccusedsomebodyelse,ofhavingfoundathirty-secondway—alwayssomethingpreposterousandusuallyobscene.
"StrikingaSuperiorOfficer—!"
Itsuddenlywasn’tamusinganylonger.PoppingZim?Hangamanforthat?Why,almosteverybodyinthecompanyhadtakenaswingatSergeantZimandsomeofushadevenlanded...whenhewasinstructingusinhand-to-handcombat.
