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Errinwright smiled and cracked his knuckles He looked tired

“The ships that will get there?”

“The Bernadette Koe, the Aristophanes, and the Feodorovna, sir”

“Those, yes What are you going to tell the Martians about the it up,” Avasarala said “If they do, I can dismiss them A unship to keep off pirates Ia couple of cruisers So fk theently, I hope?”

“Of course I will, sir I’ breath, letting the air hiss out between her teeth

“It’s the da daily reports, but we don’t knoe’re looking at The network it built across the planetary surface is finished, and now it’s breaking down, but there are structures co the axis of rotation It’s on the plane of ecliptic So whatever’s down there, it’s orienting itself with the whole solar syste an uptick in lanthanuold”

“I don’t knohat that means”

“Neither does anyone else, but the brains are thinking it h-te to replicate the crystal structures in the labs, and they’ve found so down there’s a better physical che surprise there”

“Any link to Gany Or at least not directly”

“What do you mean, not directly?”

Avasarala frowned and looked away The Buddha looked back

“Did you know that the nuious suicide cults has doubled since Eros?” she said “I didn’t until I got the report The bond initiative to rebuild the water reclamation center at Cairo alroup said ouldn’t need it”

Errinwright sat forward His eyes were narrow

“You think there’s a connection?”

“I don’t think there’s a bunch of pod people sneaking up fro about what it’s done to us The whole solar syste God sleeping right there where we can all watch him dream It scares the shit out of us It scares the shit out of s as if the universe were the sa like we’re sane, but …”