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BB drifted up fro to e soers in a little "

Devereaux dug out a fifty-centi cloth and handed it to Nao-Yar and Brutes and al kinds, so I don’t think you’re going to stand out that much now"

"Thanks, Lian"

"Oh, I didn’t mean it like that I ross detail, like beaks and claws The aliens think we al look like big, soft worms anyway"

Naomi nodded It was hard to tel if she was offended or not Vaz stil found it weird that the ultis was self- conscious, but she was a pretty aoman and this wasn’t how Spartans usual y operated Vaz wondered if al the Spartan-IIs were like that when they were out of armor

"You look like a deserter," Vaz said "I’ with you"

She started a weak smile but didn’t finish it "I suppose it’s another way to work out who I real y a you up"

"He doesn’t get out much"

"He’s always everywhere He’s been more places than ers on the nape of her neck and fiddled with the dock of her neural iot Leaks to reduce the profile a little"

"No more than mine does Even some of the oing to look that hard or get that close"

Naoers at him "That’s a sad indict deadpan or letting a little personal pain leak out Either way, he was seeing more of the real Naomi these days

He sat back in his seat as Tart-Cart ar, and hoped he didn’t reek of the ship’s jasmine air freshener when he landed

Spenser aiting for thee about thirty kiloainst the driver’s door of his old Warthog, having a s his head Vaz jumped out of the open hatch and walked over to see him, hands shoved in his pockets

"Now that’s iet you a real y good price for that Is that even the saineer respray One careless lady owner, ful service history" Vaz was now far enough away froet the ful effect of the adaptive caood The shape of the airframe took some concentration to pick out, and a casual inspection from the air or the nearest road would probably haveto rotate the squad if we’re here for an extended period"

Nao kit Spenser stubbed out his cigar and put the flattened butt in his pocket "Is that wise? Naomi, I mean"

"She wants to do this"

"It’s not my cal , but I’d keep her out of it For al kinds of reasons"

Naoht up to him with a heavy holdal of equipment tucked under one ar

Spenser took it and craned his neck to look up

"I’ot everything you need? Sling your bag in the back You too, Vaz Let’s not hang around"

Naomi slid down in her seat, tied the scarf around her hair with a feisps of fringe left sticking out, and suddenly didn’t look half as strikingly unusual as Vaz had feared Maybe he’d projected the ale onto the reality of a very tal , very fit woman who just happened to be platinuray It took some effort to see it

"So here’s your ID, in case you ever have to show it" Spenser had a knack of driving, talking, shuffling paper, and observing everything around him at the same time He reached around to hand the old-fashioned plastic chips to Vaz and Naomi "It’s easier to stick with your actual first nae the surnames It’s not as if anyone can check UNSC records, but you never knoho you’l run into Naomi Bakke and Vasily Desny Your trades are recorded as corunt Before you jue their na the chip fro on the back of Vaz’s seat "My father didn’t"

She said it casual y, as if there was no bizarre history at al"Depends who they’re hiding from," Spenser said "Off-worlders or the local enforcers Reanized It’s easier to think of Venezia as an alternative society, just not the vegetarian peacenik kind"

As they hit the outskirts of New Tyne, Vaz started seeing pickups, every variant of the Warthog chassis known to round transports He’d passed the ae on his last visit, short as it was, but Naomi murmured occasional y in quiet surprise

"Damn, look at al those Brutes," she said "And Jackals"

It was a smal colony like hundreds of others had once been, except it had a huge amount of firepower and a population of miscreants and ular-looking place with decent buildings and office blocks, and not a scrap of battle dae Gun batteries sat at some of the intersections Spenser pointed out landuide

"And that’s the sewerage company over there … yeah, the war’s pretty ht Vaz wondered if they had proper renegade traffic cops to police their renegade society There was a kind of mirror-world feel about the whole setup "It’s the previous war that’s stil gripping their proverbial shit But you know that wel enough"

"Have you got a picture?" Naoot a picture of my father? I don’t remember what he looked like"

Spenser looked only slightly uncomfortable "Back at the house," he said "I’l show you his file I’l apologize in advance for any unflattering notes I ht have made on it"

"It’s okay," she said "No need to spareout what they are le-story buildings on an industrial estate across on the other side of New Tyne He parked the Warthog on the cracked concrete drive and went to pick up Naomi’s holdal

"Whoa," she said "Leave that to me It’s heavy Don’t show the world just how heavy before I pick it up…"

She heaved it out of the back without any visible effort and took it indoors Vaz fol owed her in and slid past her in the central passage that divided the house in half

"In here," he said It was a dusty back room with a couple of bunk beds in it When she put the holdal down, it made a loud thud "Your rooot an ops center in the baseh the doorway "Bathroom’s on the left Care to cos? Mal said there was coffee"

Vaz unzipped his holdal and took out a can "Courtesy of CINCONI Jaie if she was forty years younger Hel , even thirty Is it poisoned?"