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His hand terminal chimed The two-hour block was up Prax wiped the tears aith the back of his hand, took a deep breath, blew it back out, and stood Two hours, twice a day, he’d decided, would be enough ti in this new environh to keep him functional He washed his face in the communal bathrooalley

The pilot—Alex, his na to a comm unit on the wall His skin was darker than Prax’s, his thinning hair black, with the first few stray threads of white His voice had the odd drawl so”

The wall unit said so cheerful and obscene Amos

“I’m tellin’ you, the seal’s cracked,” Alex said

“I been over it twice,” A with the word Tachi printed on it froht Stand by”

The pilot took one long, lip-s Prax, nodded Prax smiled uncomfortably

“Feelin’ better?” Alex asked

“Yes I think so,” Prax said “I don’t know”

Alex sat at one of the tables The design of the rooe if soht out of place by an impact or a sudden maneuver The food inventory control had a bioh security, but not used that way The name ROCINANTE was on the wall in letters as broad as his hand, and someone had added a stencil of a spray of yellow narcissus It looked desperately out of place and very appropriate at the saht about it that way, it sees about the ship Her crew, for instance

“You settlin’ in all right? You need anything?”

“I’m fine,” Prax said with a nod “Thank you”

“They beat us up pretty good gettin’ out of there I’ve been through soht up there”

Prax nodded and took a food packet from the dispenser It was textured paste, sweet and rich heat and honey and the subterranean tang of baked raisins Prax sat down before he thought about it, and the pilot seemed to take it as an invitation to continue the conversation

“How long have you been on Ganymede?”

“Most of my life,” Prax said “My fa on Earth and Luna, saving up to get to the outer planets They had a short posting on Callisto first”

“Belters?”

“Not exactly They heard that the contracts were better out past the Belt It was the whole ‘make a better future for the family’ idea My father’s dream, really”

Alex sipped at his coffee