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“I a Chief botanist on the RMD-Southern soy farm project Who are you?”

“Let the cap’n do this,” Aood at it”

“I’ you’re part of the relief work,” the Martian said “Long way from the docks Looks like you lost your way Maybe you need an escort back to where it’s safe”

Holden shifted his weight The assault rifle just happened to slide forward a few inches, not at all provocatively

“I don’t know,” Holden said “We’re pretty well protected I think we can probably take care of ourselves What kind of fee are you … u?”

“Well now I count three of you Call it a hundred in Martian scrip Five, local”

“How about you follow us down, and I arrange passage for all of you off this ice ball?”

The Martian’s jaw dropped

“That’s not funny,” he said, but the mask of power and confidence had slipped Prax had seen the hunger and desperation behind it

“I’ to an old tunnel systeht before everything went to hell They took theot snatched We’re going to get her back and politely ask how they knew all this was coht be resistance I could use a few people who knohat end of the gun points forward”

“You’re fking with me,” the Martian said From the corner of his eye, Prax saw one of the others step forward A thin woman in cheap protective weave

“We’re OPA,” Amos said, then nodded at Holden “He’s James Holden of the Rocinante”

“Holy shit,” the Martian said “You are You’re Holden”

“It’s the beard,” Holden said

“My name’s Wendell Used to work for Pinkwater Security before the bastards took off, left us here Way I figure, that voids the contract You want to pick up soonna find better than us”

“Howasabout was unrelated after all

“All right,” Holden said “We tried to talk to local security, but they didn’t give us the tiive you rinned He’d had one of his incisors dyed red with a s you say, boss,” he said Then, lifting his gun: “Foret it done!”