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“Not really,” she replied “How’d the extraction go?”

“Got enough kids to start a singing group, but a little shy of a baseball teaht”

“I’h she was clearly exhausted, she sounded like she ot in and nestled the transports against the back hile Bobbie stood on the rough ground outside Prax checked the transport indicators There was enough onboard air to last another fortyfor eency blow,” Bobbie said, and her arht, the hard curves and layers of co out like a flower and then falling apart, and the wo revealed When she put her hand out for A hi,” Prax said He closed the outer door and started fresh air co into the lock Ten seconds later, Bobbie’s chest started to puhths of an atmosphere

“Where do we stand, guys?” Naomi asked as Prax opened the transport The children were all asleep Mei was sucking on her first two fingers, the way she had when she was a baby He couldn’t get past how et the fk out of here and glass the place”

“A-fucking-round

“Copy that,” Naoot all our new passengers safely in”

Prax pulled off his helaryot your kid back,” she said

“Thank you I’ed

“At this point, it was mostly a metaphor anyway,” she said, and the inner airlock opened

“Cycle’s done, Naomi,” Amos said “We’re home”

Chapter Fifty-Two: Avasarala

It was over, except that it wasn’t It never was

“We’re all friends now,” Souther said Talking to hi to miss “But if we all limp back to our corners, we’reto be a question of years before either of our fleets are back up to ere There was a lot of da them My medical officer’s in communication with a list of doctors who deal with pediatric ietting them all home now”

“Good,” she said “That’s what I like to hear And the other thing?”

Souther nodded He looked younger in low gravity They both did Skin didn’t sag when there was nothing to tug it down, and she could see what he’d looked like as a boy

“We’ve got transponder locks on a hundred and seventy-one packages They’re allor evading Pretty h to Mars that disposal is trivial”

“You sure that’s a good idea?”