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“I’ve never met anyone else in my life who cared more about other people’s welfare, and less about their feelings,” she said “But at least he’ll make sure everyone is well fed before he tells the”

“I think that does it,” Nao the key to send the filled-out forly outdated model she pulled out of a pocket in her robe when it chimed receipt

“Mrs Supitaya pn ,” Holden said

“Melissa”

“Melissa, how long have you and your husband been on Ganyainst her chin and staring off into the distance, “ten years? Can it be that long? It must be, because Dru had just had her baby, and he—”

“I’ no one outside of Ganyestured around hiot started”

“The station?”

“The crisis”

“Well, the UN and Martian soldiers started shooting at each other; then we started seeing systeain “I understand that But why? Not one shot during the entire year that Earth and Mars have jointly held this , and they didn’t bring it here Then all at once everyone everywhere is shooting? What kicked that off?”

Melissa looked puzzled, another expression that made her eyes almost disappear in a mass of wrinkles

“I don’t know,” she said “I’d assu each other everywhere in the systeht now”

“No,” Holden said “It’s just here, and it was just for a couple of days And then it stopped, with no explanation”

“That is odd,” Melissa said, “but I don’t know that it e e need to do now”

“I suppose not,” Holden agreed

Melissa smiled, embraced him warmly, then went off to check soh Holden’s, and they started toward the warehouse exit into the rest of the station, dodging crates of supplies and aid workers as they went