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“That’s not even going to coet there,” he said “You really think Earth and Mars are going to go for the whole ‘we’re just playing sheriff’ line? There’s going to be a bunch of them who still think whatever Holden was up to, ere in on it But even if they don’t, the part where they stand to the side and let us take the lead isn’t going to happen You can bet your ass the head of the Mars force is asking his XO if they want an alien civilization taking its ideas of humanity fro? That was good”

“The inner planetsthreats yet,” Bull said, “but—”

“They are Mars has threatened to open fire on us if we get within a hundred thousand kilo”

Bull put his hand to histo make sense of the words The Martian navy had already laid down an ultimatum Ashford hadn’t even ?”

“We’re preparing for burn in four and three-quarter hours, Mister Baca,” Pa said “Because that’s e’ve been ordered to do”

The bitterness wasn’t only in her voice It was in her eyes and the angle of her e battled in Bull’spanic He was too tired to be having this conversation Too tired to be doing what had to get done It had stripped away all the protections that would have ood cycle’s rest, maybe he could have found another way, but this was the hand he’d been dealt, so it was the hand he’d play

“You don’t agree with him,” Bull said “If it was your call, you wouldn’t do it”

Pa took a long pull at her bulb, the flexible foil buckling under the suction Bull was pretty sure she wasn’t drinking for the taste, and the urge to get some whiskey for himself came on him like an unexpected blow

“It doesn’t matter what I would or wouldn’t do,” Pa said “It’s nothappens to the captain,” Bull said “Then it would be”

Pa went still The sound of the hts, all of it seeether Pa thunet and stuck it to the wall beside her

“There are still hours before the burn starts And then travel tie, but I won’t take part in mutiny,” she said