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“S the ship,” Holden said

“You were acting like that assle Detective Miller, so I just acted like you used to What I said was the kind of thing you say when you’re not in a hurry to wave your gun around”

“I wasn’t acting like Miller,” he said, the accusation stinging, because it was true

“You weren’t acting like you”

Holden shrugged, noticing only afterward that it was another imitation of Miller Naomi looked down at the captain’s patches on the shoulder of her Somnambulist jumpsuit “Maybe I should keep these …”

A s man with salt-and-pepper hair, Chinese features, and a week’s growth of beard walked up to the his hands, a gesture Holden had been pretty sure only little old ladies in ancient cineave them another small nod and said, “You are James Holden? Captain Jalanced at each other Holden tugged at his patchy beard “Is this actually helping at all? Be honest”

“Captain Holden,I’m a botanist”

Holden shook the man’s hand

“Nice to meet you, Prax I’m afraid we have to—”

“You have to help h a rough couple ofbruises fro

“Sure, if you’ll see the Supitaya pn s at the aid station, tell them I said—”

“No!” Prax shouted “I don’t need that I need you to help ed Your call

“Okay,” Holden said “What’s the problem?”

Chapter Twelve: Avasarala

A small house is a deeper kind of luxury,” her husband said “To live in a space entirely our own, to re our own dishes This is what your friends in high places forget Itat the kitchen table, leaning back in a chair of bamboo laminate that had been distressed until it looked like stained walnut The scars froery were two pale lines in the darkness of his throat, barely visible under the powdering of white stubble His forehead was broader than when she’dsun spilled across the table, glowing

“That’s crap,” she said “Just because you pretend to live like a dirt farht or Lus or any of the others less hu in them, and the people in those are a hundred times closer to animals than anyone I ith”

“You really think that?”

“Of course I do Otherould I go to work in the et those half-feral bastards out of the slu to teach?”

“An excellent point,” Arjun said

“Whatmeditate A small house isn’t a luxury,” she said, then paused “A srinned at her He had always had theback at hih part of her wanted to be cross Outside, Kiki and Suri shrieked, their srass Their nurse trotted along a half second behind the yard is a luxury,” Avasarala said