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The first time Fred Johnson saved Bull’s life, he’d done it with a rifle and a mobile medical unit The second time, he’d done it with a credit chip Bull had mustered out at thirty and took his pension to Ceres For three years, he’d just lived Ate cheap, drank tooif he was sick froot into a few fights, had a few disagreements with the local law He didn’t see that he had a problem until it was unmistakable, and by then it was a hell of a proble did too His grandfather had died of the pair His raduated to heroin and lived five years in a treat to do with Bull He was a marine He’d turned away from a life on basic to live in the stars, or if not the stars, at least the rocks that floated free in the night sky He’d killed men Bottle couldn’t beat him But it almost had

The day Fred Johnson had appeared at his door, it had been stranger than a drea officer looked different Older, stronger Truth was, their birthdays weren’t all that far apart, but Johnson had always been the Old Man Bull had followed the news about the fallout fro sides Sory about it He’d just figured the Old Man knehat he was doing He wouldn’t have done it without a reason

Bull, Fred had said Just that, at first He could still re his The shaut a little In thathih Fred Johnson’s eyes was all it took for that

Sir, Bull had replied, then stood back and let Johnson into the hole The place stank of yeast and old tofu And flop sweat Fred ignored it all I need you back on duty, soldier

Okay, Bull had said And the secret he carried with hirave, was this: He hadn’t meant it In that o away and let Bull forget hi officer, to theout under fire, ca to do with Earth or the Belt or Anderson Station It wasn’t so hi alone at the security desk betraying Sauessed

Fred had pressed a credit chip into his paluely opalescent ones that the OPA had used to keep its funds untraceable, back in the bad old days Get yourself a new unifor about the booze he could buy

The chit carried six rade If it had been less, Bull wouldn’t have gone Instead, he shaved for the first tiot a new suit, packed a valise, and threw out anything that didn’t fit in it He hadn’t had a drink since, even on the nights he’d wanted one en

The security system chimed that the lockout was finished Bull noted it and leaned back in the chair, reading the be-on-alert notice fro his mind wander When Gathoni arrived to take the next shift, he walked two corridors down to a little ht a blister-pack with four bulbs of beer, and headed over to Saally, Bull didn’t have to knock As head of security, he could have walked into Sa welco a sinetic strips down the sides Bull held up the beer For a long lared at him She stepped back and to the side He followed her in

Her rooms were clean, neat, and cluttered The air smelled like industrial lubricant and old laundry She leaned against the ar?” she said bitterly

“Prettyit out on you She figured either I do it and I lose my best ally or I don’t and I’ht? No way to lose for her”

“This is bullshit”

“It is,” Bull said “And I’”

Saer Bull accepted it He had it co the four-pack out of his hand, twisting it to shatter the plastic, and plucking one of the bulbs free

“You want one?” she asked

“Just water for me,” he said