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“Oh?” Bobbie replied, thinking about where she ht find more of that soy- its mummified-remains version of a wared our credibility with your outburst But, as Martens points out, that is largelythe extent of your trauraph on the wall behind Thorsson of a city with a tall round It looked like an archaic rocket gantry The caption read PARIS

“So instead of sending you hoiven an opportunity to repair the da Thorsson in the eye for the first ti in, “am I here?”

Thorsson’s hint of a smile disappeared and was replaced by an equally understated frown “Excusepast the disciplinary board Thinking of how hard it would be to get reassigned to Ganymede if Thorsson didn’t send her back to Mars If he didn’t, would she be allowed to resign? Just leave the corps and buy her own ticket? The thought of no longer being ashe’d had in a while

“Why are you—” Thorsson started, but Bobbie cut him off

“Not to talk about the monster, apparently Honestly, if I’m just here as a showpiece, I think I’d rather be sent ho …”

“You,” Thorsson said, his voice getting tighter, “are here to do exactly what I say for you to do, and exactly when I say it Is that understood, soldier?”

“Yeah,” Bobbie said, feeling the water slide past her She was a stone It o now”

She turned and walked away, Thorsson not et a last word out before she left As she h the suite toward the exit, she saw Martens pouring powdered creamer into a cup of coffee in the small kitchen area He spotted her at the saotten a lot more familiar with her over the last few days Normally, she’d have assumed it was a buildup to romantic or sexual overtures With Martens, she was pretty sure it was just another tool in his “how to fix broken marines” tool kit

“Captain,” she said She stopped She felt the front door tugging at her with a sort of psychic gravity, but Martens had never been anything but good to her And she had a strange pre to see any of these people again She held out her hand to hi You won’t have to waste your time with me anymore”

He smiled his sad smile at her “In spite of the fact that I don’t actually feel like I’ve acco, I don’t feel like I wasted my time Do we part friends?”

“I—” she started, then had to stop and s a lump in her throat “I hope this didn’t wreck your career or anything”

“I’m not worried about it,” he said to her back She was already walking out the door She didn’t turn around