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“Is that a problerin he used when he wanted to tell the truth and not get in trouble for it

“We’re heading out to throw gang signs at Earth and Mars while the Ring does a bunch of scary alien ether, a ship that’s half salvage, and not enough time to shake it all down Sure it’s a problem, but it’s not one we can fix, so we’ll do it anyway Worst can happen is we’ll all die”

“Cheerful thought,” Ashford said The disapproval dripped off hi to happen sooner or later”

Bull’s quarters on Tycho Station were luxurious Four roos, a private head with an actual water supply Even as a kid back on Earth, he hadn’t lived this well He’d spent his childhood in a housing co with his parents, grandmother, two uncles, three aunts, and about a thousand cousins, seeo on basic, he’d headed south to Ala down ancient solar electricity stations from the bad old days before fusion He’d shared a doruys He could still picture them, the way they’d been back then, all skinny and muscled with their shirts off or tied around their heads He could still feel the New Mexican sun pressing against his chest like a hand as he basked in the radiation and heat of an uncontrolled fusion reaction, protected only by distance and the wide blue sky

When his two-year stint was up, he tried tech school, but he’d gotten distracted by hormones and alcohol Once he’d dropped out, his choices were pretty much just the military or basic He’d chosen the one that felt less like death In the Marines, he’d never had a bunk larger than the front room of his Tycho Station quarters He hadn’t even had a place that was really his own until he ood place for him The hole he’d taken had been up near the center of spin, low g and high Coriolis It hadn’t been ht’s drunk, but it had been his The bare, polished-stone walls, the ship surplus bed with restraining straps for low g Some previous owner had chiseled the words besso o nadie into the wall It was Belter cant for better or nothing He hadn’t known it was a political slogan at the ti to Tycho Station—the fraood family pictures froirlfriend hadn’t taken when she left, the civilian clothes—would have filled his old place on Ceres and not left room for him to sleep He had too much stuff He needed to pare it down

But not for this assigner

The syste habit, Bull checked the video feed before he opened the door Fred was shifting from one foot to the other He was in civilian clothes A white button-down and grandpa pants that tried to forgive the sag of his belly It was a losing fight Fred wasn’t out of shape anyold

“Hey,” Bull said “Grab a chair anywhere I’ over now?”

“Want to spend some time on the ship before we take her out,” Bull said “Check for stray Mormons”

Fred looked pained