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OUTCAST 18
Ratmir left the building of the headquarters of the ground forces of the Horde - in full dress uniform, ironed dark green, with gold shoulder straps, in a white shirt, with the Star of the Hero on his chest. Everyone who came forward saluted him, all the more or less familiar shook hands and congratulated him. Ratmir was proud and pleased with himself. And he felt like that was exactly what he was supposed to experience. But for some reason strange shame and doubts were mixed in. He was surrounded by fame and respect, but something inside was awkward, not right. This is unclear.When he was recovering in a field hospital after being wounded, he was unexpectedly transferred to the capital, Chernosteppe, for further treatment. In the main hospital they were not really interested in him, the doctors considered him already healthy, but various colonels began to call him to the headquarters and talk. As a result, he was told that he would receive a Star and an appointment as a battalion co
OUTCAST 19
Since I had not worked with these filmmakers before, I wrote the TK as detailed as possible, with all the details, it turned out 12 pages, not counting diagrams and drawings. In short, this is the kind of movie I needed from them:It is necessary to create an object that would be an absolute copy of the ship of Joy. Its exact visualization is needed, which will one day, albeit on a different date, but absolutely second per second at the same time of day, pass the same course through the point where Joy disappeared. The object should be perceived by any observer as real, emit communication signals, have the same surface temperature, have the same speed and course, locators should see it as metal, with the same mass, a bioform similar to Joy should be reflected inside. This bullshit should, at least at first glance, seem completely real. The time must be set inside it to match the time on board the Joy. Its course must be built into the MAP Galaxy program in order to be accurately notic
OUTCAST 20
The turmoil and permanent squabble lasted for three weeks - everyone around ran and cursed, endlessly printed out some piles of papers and rushed along the corridors with them. The Dream Galaxy convention brought together hundreds and hundreds of different people within the walls of the building where the institution was located. They all, damn them, needed something. They climbed everywhere and asked something. Even the girls from the reception, contrary to all the rules, were sometimes hired for all kinds of work.Finally, it turned out that during the days of the congress the institution would be closed, and the girls would sit all the time of the forum in the assembly hall. At first they sat at the entrance - at the registration of delegates. They marked everyone in the lists, issued a badge. Then they were seated next to the presidium at a long table - to monitor the operation of the recording equipment and give the suffering bottles of water, tablets, charge their batteries. “We
OUTCAST 21
Ratmir loved the steppe. Marat easily persuaded him to go with him to the countryside - to burn meat, sit and admire the steppe landscape with his friends. To the east of the Black Steppe were deserted regions - there, along a dirt road, they raced in an off-road vehicle four of them. They shook on potholes, laughed and cursed when they shook so that they almost hit the ceiling. Pots and flasks rang in the trunk, heavy music screamed and rattled, and the sun roasted from a clear blue sky in a red-hot yellow ball.The steppe is without orientation, without hills or copses, without villages or rivers. You can stop anywhere, so we just stopped when we got tired of driving. Fuel for a fire in such places must be taken with you. There were several heavy bags of coals in the case. The military is bored with making such a fire, but there's nothing to be done. But it's easy and fast. With them in the company was Adil from the department of tactics and Salman, a former intelligence officer, no
OUTCAST 22
The model started right on schedule, and I tuned all my tracking devices to it. All again brought to the big screen. It will fly to the anomaly point for seven days. Without taking your eyes off her, you can, however, do other things for the time being.I turned on the chat with the filmmakers and asked them when the next flight from their 2nd Perseus to the 45th station was. They found out that after three days. I told them that our flying bullshit is a mockery of the Galaxy itself and is involved in a very dangerous mess. The participants are really risking their lives, therefore, during these three days they need to shoot all the outdoor shooting and molt with this very board to hell with the planet. On the 45th, order tickets and the nearest starship, even with transfers, but break into the Vastu X of Antara. He told about the camps of widows and Madina, about Kloss and in general about the situation in the Choban valley. At first, filmmakers were discouraged, but realizing what i
OUTCAST 23
The bosses thumped in the presidium room, behind the scenes of the assembly hall, separated behind a wall from all outsiders. The exasperated bosses wanted to be served not by barmaids, but by pretty girls from the reception. Chernaya and her friends put cognac and snacks on the table for them, and now they were waiting in the hallway, all of a sudden they needed something else, and eavesdropped, winking.Gamer Hull Amox justified himself to the main:- Bert, well, what claims to us? Well, sales are growing, engagement is growing. Give the go-ahead to a hybrid of showbiz with Wirth-sex, let's cut the dough even cooler.Bert Ulem took a sip of cognac and dragged on a cigarette.- Hull, understand, this is a different question. The money is already all ours. If you did not take this money from the client for the toy, Galaxy will still receive it on any other service. Now all our cash flows are just spinning from one department to another. What we need from you is not money, but days. We
OUTCAST 24
Ratmir was at home for the first time in four years. At home - this is with my parents, in Tavtos - a small town 300 kilometers north of Chernostepe. The apartment in an ordinary nine-story building was different from the others. Ratmir's father, Miroslav, made furniture for himself - cabinets, a table, armchairs and stools. Now Ratmir and Miroslav were sitting on these carved strong stools at a powerful table, and Ratana's mother was throwing lunch on this table. Hot fatty soup with meat, rice with meat and vegetables, greens. The steppe Horde did not have not only passports, but also the so-called full names, they were given names at birth, in the horse manner, combining the names of their parents: Ratana + Miroslav = Ratmir.Ratmir was happy and smiling, and was surprised that his father was not very cheerful. For 4 years he has aged noticeably. The face became narrow, dry and hard, the eyes became larger and deeper, the bald spot was wider and darker. He sat with his elbows on the
OUTCAST 25
The void this time was unusual. I sat in an armchair, in silence and darkness, went through the delight of freedom, as usual, crawled through fear, and waited for anger to rise from my own dark depths, through all the nerve channels. But now everything was different. Behind the fear, I felt a look “from there”, like a scanner, it was directed at me and studied. I felt that I was in some kind of energy bag - in his attention. It was as if I was being weighed, compared with something, put into a database search.Yes, it was a look, like a border guard's - carefully at me, in the face, then at the passport, then again intently at me, again at some document ... It was difficult for me to understand how this something in the void relates to me. There was no aggression or fear on the other side, but there was no indifference either. Non-excessive, mild curiosity, an attempt to remember something about me or understand what I am ...Then it disappeared, and the anger did not come, and the of