Walking around the decks in search of the colonel, whose whereabouts were unknown to anyone, I began to think about another, no less important problem. One difficult question arose - what was Augustine doing on the lower decks? As far as it was clear, he went down there only once, alone, ran into some crazy guy, probably a cultist, shot him and returned. But I had already run into his friend, who, apparently, wanted revenge. However, why exactly the commissar went down there was completely unclear to me, and the name of "Otto", the chief petty officer of the ship, flashed through my head. There was only one thought: the commissar seriously took up drug trafficking on the ship and tried to get to the petty officer. And if this was so, then there could be only one thing on the lower decks: a drug cache. And this meant that going there was now doubly contraindicated. If the captain or the first mate were in on the petty officer's business, then my curiosity would probably make them act decisively and get rid of me. And even if they weren't in on it, Breakir himself could come up with something like that. There was only one thing left to do: sit quietly and not interfere in the ship's life. To be honest, I didn't really care about the petty officer's business. Let him trade whatever he wanted, as long as he didn't interfere with the guards, because in that case I would have to intervene to save face. And I certainly didn't need to quarrel with the crew members of this ship. After walking around the ship for about half an hour and thinking about a few more things, I was able to find the ship's canteen. Entering it, I immediately remembered the school canteen: crowds of people, an incomprehensible smell, queues and the noise of hundreds of throats trying to shout down each other. Taking a closer look, I realized that officers and other important people were eating in the room, not only from the ship, but also from our regiment. However, then I noticed the person I was looking for, although I did not expect to find him here - Colonel Sherkin. He was sitting alone at the table and eating some kind of soup, constantly blowing on a spoon, from which a light steam was coming. "What eyesight..." - I thought, noticing for the umpteenth time that Augustin clearly did not complain about his health, unlike me. It was unusual to see clearly again without the glasses that I had been wearing since I was fifteen. Without thinking twice, I decided to go up to the colonel and try to start a conversation with him. After all, I had to start getting to know him. - Colonel Sherkin, - I said as soon as I approached the table where the regiment commander was sitting. - Will you allow me? - Oh, Commissar Merzelius, - the colonel answered with a slight smile, raising his head. - Yes, of course. Sit down. Have you decided to try today's menu too? "Well, first of all, I'd like to know your opinion…" I said, sitting down opposite Sherkin. "It's quite tolerable, to be honest. It's somewhat similar to nivkon soup, that's a little animal we have on Retrogan, they breed it for meat. So it's quite edible." "That's good," I said. "By the way,I checked the situation among the guards a little, so to speak. Fortunately, we avoided the influence of the Unholy Powers and there was no panic. The only thing I understood was that the soldiers were already very tired from the flight. "I understand them," the regiment commander said immediately. "I remember myself during my first flight... It was a nightmare, believe me. We flew for a whole month then. And Retrogan is an agricultural planet, nothing but fields around. In general, the walls were pressing on all of us. But it's okay, we got used to it." "So they'll get used to it too," I answered. "Now all that's left is to wait for the landing and hope that the tech-priests will fix this generator." "And the main thing is that they fix it quickly," the colonel said, after which he swallowed another portion of soup. "Otherwise, only ruins and a bunch of greenskins will remain on Akitos Prime." "Aren't you counting on the local PDF?" I decided to ask in order to keep the conversation going. I needed to show the colonel that it was important for me to know his opinion. — Not really. Although they are quite numerous, about five million, they have no combat experience. Unlike their governor. — Really? — I said in surprise, looking questioningly at my interlocutor. This, of course, could show that I still had not familiarized myself with the introductory information on the planet, but I do not think that this was so surprising for the commissar. — Yes. He is a veteran of the Imperial Guard, served for thirty-three years, rose to the rank of Lord General, after which he was appointed Planetary Governor of Akitos Prime. When the orks arrived, he immediately realized that the PDF were not coping, so he ordered them to hold the defense and sent a request for assistance. We were the closest, and command sent us. — Interesting, — I said, deciding to keep the conversation going. I had to start working closely with the colonel to earn his trust. It was foolish to count on one major. — So, there are currently about five million soldiers on the planet with zero experience under the command of a seasoned veteran. I think they'll hold out until we arrive. After all, a well-organized army is stronger than a large horde. "Believe me, Commissar," Sherkin said in a more serious voice, and I could swear there were very cold notes in his voice, "you can't predict anything with orks. Everything depends on many factors: the number of orks, the skills of the commander, the terrain, the training and equipment of the local PDF, the skills of their command, even the planetary atmosphere and gravity. And considering that Akitos Prime is an agrarian-industrial world, I don't count on the PDF much, with all due respect to the former Lord General and his skills. "Well, here we go..." I thought to myself. It was not a happy picture at all. If the colonel is right, and the planet's self-defense forces are in a very bad state, then we could arrive either to ruins or to the most intense fighting. And we also need to think about what's worse: it's useless to liberate the ruins, and we can just fly away, but if we arrive in the midst of the battle, we'll have to take part,and in this case, death may await me, which is absolutely not what I need.
On the other hand, the PDF there could still hold out, even if there were fewer orks and their commander wasn't the smartest. "I'll trust your experience, Colonel," I answered Sherkin, deciding to demonstrate my respect for him. Besides, showing my willingness to listen to people of authority who knew their business would clearly help me – at least in the eyes of the others I would be an adequate officer, and not a pompous conceited one. "After all, you have quite a bit of it." "Not without that," the Colonel admitted, and I didn't hear much pride in his voice. "I'd like our entire regiment to have experience, but… since they gave us recruits, that means we'll have to teach them." "Everyone started from scratch at some point. You were once a recruit, too," I answered, continuing the conversation. "Well…," Vermand drawled, allowing himself a sarcastic smile. — If anyone on Retrogan could be called a recruit, then only children. After all, we are a very militarized world. There are a huge number of orks hiding in the jungles and mountains, and they are constantly raiding the fortress cities. That is why everyone without exception begins combat training at the age of ten, the PDF is taken at fifteen, and every third one goes to the guard. And with all this, we are still considered an agrarian world. — Seriously? — I was no longer pretending to be surprised. — Yes. We supply food to one hive, so we cannot burn out the orks, and fighting them in the jungle is complete suicide. That is why we sit in fortresses and outposts, and plow the fields with armored tractors with heavy bolters. — I see that everything is not cheerful there. — Well, I would not say that it is bad there, — my interlocutor answered relaxedly. It was obvious that he was drawn into the conversation. — Our orcs are wild, if you can even call them that. The only weapons they have are iron things on sticks and brute force. That's why we manage to shoot them before they run up to us. You could say it's a local sport — to kill as many orcs running across a field as possible. I remember killing my first orc with my father's stubber rifle. An unforgettable moment," the colonel closed his eyes and smiled even wider. He was probably lost in his memories. — And you, commissar? — Excuse me? — I didn't understand, although I was glad that the colonel had deviated a little from the regulations and hadn't added the word "sir" to my rank. This meant one thing — he understood that he could talk to me outside the regulations. — You have something on Gleratian… Well, I don't know, unusual. That's the question I was probably most afraid of — questions about my past life. More precisely, Augustine's past life. My memory wasn't helping me much, just flashing images of barracks and shooting ranges, so I decided to use the answer I'd already thought of. "To tell you the truth, Colonel, I'm not very familiar with Gleratian, as strange as that may sound. I've spent my whole life within the walls of the Schola. Training, shooting ranges, learning tactics, lectures with famous veterans. The only time I managed to get out into the city was for good behavior,but there's little of interest there – a city like any other city, of which there are a great many, – I told my made-up story, deciding to explain my ignorance of Augustine's home planet by the strict rules in the Schola. Of course, I don't know if this is true or not, but it sounds quite plausible. In the worst case, everything can be blamed on the "strict mentor." – Yeah, that's not funny. No, of course, I've heard that the rules in the Schola are strict, but to such an extent… – It's okay, I'm used to it. Besides, I became a commissar and now I'll be able to see other worlds of the Imperium. – That's true, – Sherkin didn't deny my words. – If we're lucky, we'll visit a lot of places.
"Commissar Merzelius, " a loud voice suddenly said from somewhere on the ceiling, causing absolute silence to fall in the dining room. " This is the ship's captain speaking. Please proceed to deck eleven, dining room seven. There is a problem with one of your subordinates there."
I was literally dumbfounded by such a statement. As if I didn't have enough problems of my own, they decided to add new ones to me. Looking at the colonel, I realized that he was also quite surprised. "So this time… Bon appetit, Colonel," I said, getting up from the table. "Thank you, Commissar. Good luck," he answered me. The usual hum of hundreds of voices arose in the dining room again, while I was trying to reach the exit. There was just one question: where to go? I had no idea what deck I was on, and I had no idea where to look for this "dining room seven." Luckily, walking a little further down the corridor, I was able to notice the tech priest, who was calmly walking along the right side of the corridor. "Just what I need," I thought, knowing full well that no one knew the ship better than the tech-priest. "Excuse me," I said to the tech-priest as soon as I caught up with him. He immediately stopped and turned to face me. "Yes, what do you want?" my interlocutor said. His pale face was not augmented, so I heard his lively voice. "I need to get to deck eleven, mess hall seven. If it is not too much trouble, could you escort me there?" I really hoped that the tech-priest would agree - I could not order him. "Very well, Commissar. Follow me," he replied, then turned and headed straight down the corridor. "Thank you," I said and headed after him. Fortunately, the tech-priest really knew the structure of the ship very well, and therefore confidently walked along the corridors, constantly turning in different directions. So after about fifteen minutes we finally came to the right canteen, where the ship's guardsmen were already standing, holding their lasguns at the ready. "This is bad..." I thought, realizing that the situation was quite serious. But the worst thing was that they couldn't do without me. You see, some kind of crap happened "with my subordinate." And now the question arose - which guardsman was so stupid as to get into trouble of such magnitude?
As soon as I entered the dining room, everyone present turned their attention to me: four soldiers of the ship's guard, Arthur Giltoris, two ship's officers who were standing behind the first mate, and, to my surprise, the commissar. "Sardol Maritis..." - sounded in my head. It was clear that Augustin knew him, and so I decided to take a closer look at him. He looked to be at least twenty-three years old. He had blond hair, blue eyes and smooth features. Quite a normal appearance. His clothes were no different from mine: the same leather jacket, cap, red belt and boots. But to my surprise, he held his bolt pistol in his right hand, lowered to the floor. And this did not bode well. - Gentlemen, - I addressed everyone at once, - can you explain to me what is going on here? - Yes, Mr. Commissar! — the young commissar said almost immediately, standing at attention, interrupting Giltoris, who only had time to open his mouth. — I noticed and stopped an attempt to sell narcotics between two members of the ship's crew. They were convicted and sentenced to death. However, my attempt to carry out the sentence met with resistance from other crew members, including the senior assistant, Arthur Giltoris. After hearing this report, I understood one thing about this commissar. An idiot. And a spherical one at that. You had to think of this, condemn him, and then try to execute on the spot the crew members of the ship you are on. It was immediately obvious: the guy is young, has never been in battle, has never shot anyone, but his ambition, hard work and fire in his soul are simply incredible. An ordinary narrow-minded fanatic who would not have survived even a week in the regiment - he would have been quickly removed by the soldiers with a shot in the back and written off for any reason. But what was worse, this idiot, as I understood, was my subordinate - a commissar, of a lower rank. If he had been an ordinary commissar, he would not have stood up and reported to me like that. And now I had to solve the problem that had arisen. I had already realized that it was not worth getting involved in the local drug business in principle: my life now depended on the loyalty of the captain, the first mate and the rest of the ship's crew. - Mister Lieutenant, - I addressed Arthur in as cold a voice as possible, - is what I heard true? - Yes, Mister Commissar, - the first mate answered. Apparently, he decided not to get nervous, since he understood that the situation was too dangerous to lie and make excuses. - However, I do not think ... - It is not worth it, Lieutenant, - I interrupted him, gesturing with my hand to stop. - It's all clear to me. Namely, that it's not our concern. - Er... Sir... - Sardol began, while Giltoris didn't even try to say anything. - Our authority extends only to the Imperial Guard Regiment and all its soldiers, from private to colonel.On the ship, order is maintained exclusively by the ship's guard, the officer corps, and the Imperial Navy commissars. Do you understand that? - Yes sir, Mr. Commissar! - the boy answered immediately. It was obvious that for him I was the unquestionable boss, which was already good news. - Very good. Therefore, you are free to go. The ship's commissar will take care of this matter. - Yes, Mr. Commissar, - the guy answered, after which he quickly walked out of the dining room. I began to feel many eyes on me. The ship's guards, the sailors, and Giltoris himself were looking at me with undisguised surprise. - Lieutenant Giltoris, - I turned to the first mate, realizing that I needed to talk to him seriously, to show my concern for the regiment. - Yes, Mr. Commissar, - Arthur answered me. - I would like to talk to you alone. The rest are free, - I ordered. No one had to repeat it twice - all four ship's guardsmen, along with two officers, immediately left the mess hall, and I was left alone with the lieutenant. - Mister Commissar, - the first mate began as soon as the mess hall doors closed. - I express my sincere gratitude to you for sparing these officers' lives. I promise that they will suffer serious disciplinary punishment for their misconduct. - Very well, Lieutenant. However, I need to talk to you about something else, - after these words, Giltoris visibly tensed up. - As far as I understand, there are some problems with drugs on the ship. I do not know how you, the captain, or other crew members are connected with this, and I do not intend to meddle in this matter, but I am more than sure that you have enough power on the ship to influence the situation, so I would like to ask you for something: make sure that drugs do not get into the ranks of the guards. In turn, I will keep a tighter hold on people like Maritis. To avoid unnecessary incidents like this. "I understand you, Mr. Commissioner," Giltoris answered firmly without the slightest hesitation. He is smart, it is obvious, that is why he is taking advantage of the opportunity to solve everything, as they say, "quietly and peacefully." And I am glad to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yes, nothing will happen to me if I shoot the captain and the first mate, as drug dealers, I have the right. But after something like that, the crew could very well have started a mutiny, and then I would quickly come to an end: I am not ready in principle for fights in closed spaces against crew members. "Thank you, Lieutenant," I answered the lieutenant, deciding to end the conversation. "I am glad that we understood each other. Until next time." After that, I calmly turned around and headed for the exit of the dining room. However, there was little joy. Yes, I was able to solve the drug problem, and now I will not have to get involved in this, but now I have a new problem: Maritis. A fanatic who can make too many mistakes. And this was already too dangerous for me, so I decided to think carefully about how I could solve this problem.Is that clear to you? - Yes sir, Mr. Commissioner! - the boy answered immediately. It was obvious that I was his unquestionable superior, which was already good news. - Very good. Therefore, you are free to go. The ship's commissar will handle this matter. - Yes, Mr. Commissioner, - the boy answered, after which he quickly walked out of the dining room. I began to feel many eyes on me. The ship's guards, the sailors, and Giltoris himself were looking at me with undisguised surprise. - Lieutenant Giltoris, - I turned to the first mate, realizing that I needed to talk to him seriously, to show my concern for the regiment. - Yes, Mr. Commissioner, - Arthur answered me. - I would like to talk to you alone. The rest are free to go, - I ordered. No one had to repeat it twice - all four ship's guards along with two officers immediately left the dining room, and I was left alone with the lieutenant. - Mr. Commissioner, - the first mate began as soon as the dining room doors closed. - I express my sincere gratitude to you for sparing these officers' lives. I promise that they will face serious disciplinary punishment for their misconduct. - Very well, Lieutenant. However, I need to talk to you about something else, - after these words, Giltoris visibly tensed up. - As far as I understand, there are some problems with drugs on the ship. I do not know how you, the captain, or other crew members are connected with this, and I do not intend to interfere in this matter, but I am more than sure that you have enough power on the ship to influence the situation, so I would like to ask you for something: make sure that drugs do not get into the ranks of the guards. I, in turn, will keep a tighter hold on people like Maritis. To avoid unnecessary incidents like this. - I understand you, Mr. Commissioner, - Giltoris answered firmly without the slightest hesitation. He is smart, it is obvious, that is why he is taking advantage of the opportunity to solve everything, as they say, "quietly and peacefully". And I am glad to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yes, nothing will happen to me if I shoot the captain and the first mate, as drug dealers, I have the right. But after something like that, the crew could very well start a mutiny, and then I would quickly come to an end: I am not ready in principle for fights in closed spaces against crew members. "Thank you, Lieutenant," I answered the lieutenant, deciding to end the conversation. "I am glad that we understood each other. Until next time." After that, I calmly turned around and headed for the exit of the dining room. However, there was little joy. Yes, I was able to solve the drug problem, and now I will not have to get involved in this, but now I have a new problem: Maritis. A fanatic who can break too many firewood. And this was already too dangerous for me, so I decided to think carefully about how to solve this problem.Is that clear to you? - Yes sir, Mr. Commissioner! - the boy answered immediately. It was obvious that I was his unquestionable superior, which was already good news. - Very good. Therefore, you are free to go. The ship's commissar will handle this matter. - Yes, Mr. Commissioner, - the boy answered, after which he quickly walked out of the dining room. I began to feel many eyes on me. The ship's guards, the sailors, and Giltoris himself were looking at me with undisguised surprise. - Lieutenant Giltoris, - I turned to the first mate, realizing that I needed to talk to him seriously, to show my concern for the regiment. - Yes, Mr. Commissioner, - Arthur answered me. - I would like to talk to you alone. The rest are free to go, - I ordered. No one had to repeat it twice - all four ship's guards along with two officers immediately left the dining room, and I was left alone with the lieutenant. - Mr. Commissioner, - the first mate began as soon as the dining room doors closed. - I express my sincere gratitude to you for sparing these officers' lives. I promise that they will face serious disciplinary punishment for their misconduct. - Very well, Lieutenant. However, I need to talk to you about something else, - after these words, Giltoris visibly tensed up. - As far as I understand, there are some problems with drugs on the ship. I do not know how you, the captain, or other crew members are connected with this, and I do not intend to interfere in this matter, but I am more than sure that you have enough power on the ship to influence the situation, so I would like to ask you for something: make sure that drugs do not get into the ranks of the guards. I, in turn, will keep a tighter hold on people like Maritis. To avoid unnecessary incidents like this. - I understand you, Mr. Commissioner, - Giltoris answered firmly without the slightest hesitation. He is smart, it is obvious, that is why he is taking advantage of the opportunity to solve everything, as they say, "quietly and peacefully". And I am glad to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yes, nothing will happen to me if I shoot the captain and the first mate, as drug dealers, I have the right. But after something like that, the crew could very well start a mutiny, and then I would quickly come to an end: I am not ready in principle for fights in closed spaces against crew members. "Thank you, Lieutenant," I answered the lieutenant, deciding to end the conversation. "I am glad that we understood each other. Until next time." After that, I calmly turned around and headed for the exit of the dining room. However, there was little joy. Yes, I was able to solve the drug problem, and now I will not have to get involved in this, but now I have a new problem: Maritis. A fanatic who can break too many firewood. And this was already too dangerous for me, so I decided to think carefully about how to solve this problem.The ship's commissar will take care of this matter. "Yes, Mr. Commissar," the guy answered, and then quickly walked out of the mess hall. I began to feel many eyes on me. The ship's guards, the sailors, and Giltoris himself were looking at me with undisguised surprise. "Lieutenant Giltoris," I addressed the first mate, realizing that I needed to talk to him seriously, to show my concern for the regiment. "Yes, Mr. Commissar," Arthur answered me. "I would like to speak with you alone. The rest are free," I ordered. No one had to repeat it twice - all four ship's guards, along with two officers, immediately left the mess hall, and I was left alone with the lieutenant. "Mr. Commissar," the first mate began as soon as the mess hall doors closed. "I express my sincere gratitude to you for sparing these officers' lives. I promise that they will be severely disciplined for their misconduct." "Okay, Lieutenant. However, I need to talk to you about something else, - after these words, Giltoris visibly tensed up. - As far as I understand, there are some problems with drugs on the ship. I don't know how you, the captain or other crew members are connected with this, and I'm not going to get involved in this matter, but I'm more than sure that you have enough power on the ship to influence the situation, so I'd like to ask you for something: make sure that drugs don't get into the ranks of the guards. I, in turn, will keep a tighter hold on people like Maritis. To avoid unnecessary incidents like this. - I understand you, Mr. Commissioner, - Giltoris answered firmly without the slightest hesitation. He's smart, it's obvious, that's why he's taking advantage of the opportunity to solve everything, as they say, "quietly and peacefully." And I'm glad to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yes, nothing will happen to me if I shoot the captain and the first mate as drug dealers, I have the right. But after something like that, the crew could very well mutiny, and then I would quickly be finished: I am not ready for fights in closed spaces against crew members in principle. - Thank you, Lieutenant, - I answered the lieutenant, deciding to end the conversation. - I am glad that we understood each other. Until next time. After that, I calmly turned around and headed for the exit of the mess hall. However, there was little joy. Yes, I was able to solve the drug problem, and now I would not have to get involved in this, but now I had a new problem: Maritis. A fanatic who could cause too much trouble. And this was already too dangerous for me, so I decided to think carefully about how to solve this problem.The ship's commissar will take care of this matter. "Yes, Mr. Commissar," the guy answered, and then quickly walked out of the mess hall. I began to feel many eyes on me. The ship's guards, the sailors, and Giltoris himself were looking at me with undisguised surprise. "Lieutenant Giltoris," I addressed the first mate, realizing that I needed to talk to him seriously, to show my concern for the regiment. "Yes, Mr. Commissar," Arthur answered me. "I would like to speak with you alone. The rest are free," I ordered. No one had to repeat it twice - all four ship's guards, along with two officers, immediately left the mess hall, and I was left alone with the lieutenant. "Mr. Commissar," the first mate began as soon as the mess hall doors closed. "I express my sincere gratitude to you for sparing these officers' lives. I promise that they will be severely disciplined for their misconduct." "Okay, Lieutenant. However, I need to talk to you about something else, - after these words, Giltoris visibly tensed up. - As far as I understand, there are some problems with drugs on the ship. I don't know how you, the captain or other crew members are connected with this, and I'm not going to get involved in this matter, but I'm more than sure that you have enough power on the ship to influence the situation, so I'd like to ask you for something: make sure that drugs don't get into the ranks of the guards. I, in turn, will keep a tighter hold on people like Maritis. To avoid unnecessary incidents like this. - I understand you, Mr. Commissioner, - Giltoris answered firmly without the slightest hesitation. He's smart, it's obvious, that's why he's taking advantage of the opportunity to solve everything, as they say, "quietly and peacefully." And I'm glad to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yes, nothing will happen to me if I shoot the captain and the first mate as drug dealers, I have the right. But after something like that, the crew could very well mutiny, and then I would quickly be finished: I am not ready for fights in closed spaces against crew members in principle. - Thank you, Lieutenant, - I answered the lieutenant, deciding to end the conversation. - I am glad that we understood each other. Until next time. After that, I calmly turned around and headed for the exit of the mess hall. However, there was little joy. Yes, I was able to solve the drug problem, and now I would not have to get involved in this, but now I had a new problem: Maritis. A fanatic who could cause too much trouble. And this was already too dangerous for me, so I decided to think carefully about how to solve this problem."Mr. Commissioner," Arthur answered me. "I would like to speak with you alone. The rest of you are free to go," I ordered. I didn't have to tell anyone twice – all four ship's guardsmen, along with two officers, immediately left the mess hall, and I was left alone with the lieutenant. "Mr. Commissioner," the first mate began as soon as the mess hall doors closed. "I express my sincere gratitude to you for sparing these officers' lives. I promise that they will be severely disciplined for their misconduct." "Okay, Lieutenant. However, I need to talk to you about something else," Giltoris visibly tensed up after these words. "As far as I understand, there are some problems with drugs on the ship. I don't know how you, the captain, or other crew members are connected with this, and I'm not going to get involved in this matter, but I am more than sure that you have enough power on the ship to influence the situation, so I would like to ask you for something: make sure that drugs don't get into the ranks of the guards." I, in turn, will keep a tighter hold on people like Maritis. To avoid unnecessary incidents like this. "I understand you, Mr. Commissioner," Giltoris answered firmly without the slightest hesitation. He is smart, it is obvious, that is why he is taking advantage of the opportunity to solve everything, as they say, "quietly and peacefully." And I am glad to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yes, nothing will happen to me if I shoot the captain and the first mate, as drug dealers, I have the right. But after something like this, the crew could well have started a mutiny, and then I would quickly come to an end: I am not ready for fights in closed spaces against crew members in principle. "Thank you, Lieutenant," I answered the lieutenant, deciding to end the conversation. "I am glad that we understood each other. Until next time." After that, I calmly turned around and headed for the exit of the dining room. However, there was little joy. Yes, I was able to solve the drug problem, and now I will not have to get involved in this, but now I have a new problem: Maritis. A fanatic who can break too many firewood. And this was already too dangerous for me, so I decided to think carefully about how to solve this problem."Mr. Commissioner," Arthur answered me. "I would like to speak with you alone. The rest of you are free to go," I ordered. I didn't have to tell anyone twice – all four ship's guardsmen, along with two officers, immediately left the mess hall, and I was left alone with the lieutenant. "Mr. Commissioner," the first mate began as soon as the mess hall doors closed. "I express my sincere gratitude to you for sparing these officers' lives. I promise that they will be severely disciplined for their misconduct." "Okay, Lieutenant. However, I need to talk to you about something else," Giltoris visibly tensed up after these words. "As far as I understand, there are some problems with drugs on the ship. I don't know how you, the captain, or other crew members are connected with this, and I'm not going to get involved in this matter, but I am more than sure that you have enough power on the ship to influence the situation, so I would like to ask you for something: make sure that drugs don't get into the ranks of the guards." I, in turn, will keep a tighter hold on people like Maritis. To avoid unnecessary incidents like this. "I understand you, Mr. Commissioner," Giltoris answered firmly without the slightest hesitation. He is smart, it is obvious, that is why he is taking advantage of the opportunity to solve everything, as they say, "quietly and peacefully." And I am glad to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yes, nothing will happen to me if I shoot the captain and the first mate, as drug dealers, I have the right. But after something like this, the crew could well have started a mutiny, and then I would quickly come to an end: I am not ready for fights in closed spaces against crew members in principle. "Thank you, Lieutenant," I answered the lieutenant, deciding to end the conversation. "I am glad that we understood each other. Until next time." After that, I calmly turned around and headed for the exit of the dining room. However, there was little joy. Yes, I was able to solve the drug problem, and now I will not have to get involved in this, but now I have a new problem: Maritis. A fanatic who can break too many firewood. And this was already too dangerous for me, so I decided to think carefully about how to solve this problem.that you have enough power on the ship to influence the situation, so I would like to ask you for something: make sure that drugs do not get into the ranks of the guards. I, in turn, will keep a tighter hold on people like Maritis. To avoid unnecessary incidents like this. - I understand you, Mr. Commissioner, - Giltoris answered firmly without the slightest hesitation. He is smart, it is obvious, that is why he is taking advantage of the opportunity to resolve everything, as they say, "quietly and peacefully." And I am glad to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yes, nothing will happen to me if I shoot the captain and the first mate, as drug dealers, I have the right. But after something like this, the crew could very well start a mutiny, and then I would quickly come to an end: I am not ready for fights in closed spaces against crew members in principle. - Thank you, Lieutenant, - I answered the lieutenant, deciding to end the conversation. - I am glad that we understood each other. Until next time. After that, I calmly turned around and headed for the exit of the dining room. However, there was little joy. Yes, I managed to solve the drug problem, and now I don't have to get involved in it, but now I have a new problem: Maritis. A fanatic who can break too many firewood. And this was already too dangerous for me, so I decided to think carefully about how to solve this problem.that you have enough power on the ship to influence the situation, so I would like to ask you for something: make sure that drugs do not get into the ranks of the guards. I, in turn, will keep a tighter hold on people like Maritis. To avoid unnecessary incidents like this. - I understand you, Mr. Commissioner, - Giltoris answered firmly without the slightest hesitation. He is smart, it is obvious, that is why he is taking advantage of the opportunity to resolve everything, as they say, "quietly and peacefully." And I am glad to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Yes, nothing will happen to me if I shoot the captain and the first mate, as drug dealers, I have the right. But after something like this, the crew could very well start a mutiny, and then I would quickly come to an end: I am not ready for fights in closed spaces against crew members in principle. - Thank you, Lieutenant, - I answered the lieutenant, deciding to end the conversation. - I am glad that we understood each other. Until next time. After that, I calmly turned around and headed for the exit of the dining room. However, there was little joy. Yes, I managed to solve the drug problem, and now I don't have to get involved in it, but now I have a new problem: Maritis. A fanatic who can break too many firewood. And this was already too dangerous for me, so I decided to think carefully about how to solve this problem.