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“And so out loud and then acknowledging it drained the tension out of the air With everyone floating in ravity, no one could slump But shoulders and foreheads relaxed There were a few sad sh her blond crew cut and nodded without looking at anyone

“Let’s do this again next week,” Anna said while she still had them “We can celebrate communion, then maybe just chat for a while And in the meantime, my door is always open Please call an to break up, heading for the door Anna kept hold of Chris’ hand “Could you wait a ”

“Chris,” the et a little preacher action”

“That’s not funny,” Anna said, using the full weight of her teacher voice The race to blush

“Sorry, ma’am”

“You may leave,” Anna said, and herwoman as in the officers’ ed “There were lots of people co dark hair She looked very sad She earing civilian clothes”

“Oh,” Chris said with a grin “The cute one Yeah, I remember her”

“Do you know her?”

“No Just a civvy contractor fixing the pluuess We have a couple ships full of theood question She honestly wasn’t sure why the angry young wohed on herabout her stuck in Anna’sShe’d feel irritated and antsy and suddenly the girl’s face would pop into her er, the sense of threat she’d radiated The proxied ships and people shooting at each other There was nothing that tied the that they were connected

“I’m worried about her?” Anna finally said At least it wasn’t a lie

Chris was tinkering with his hand terminal After a few seconds, he said, “Melba Koh Electrocheineer She’ll probably be on and off the ship here and all the way home Maybe you’ll run into her”

“Great,” Anna said, wondering if she actually wanted that to happen

“You knohat sucks?” Tilly asked Before Anna could say anything, Tilly said, “This sucks”

She didn’t have to elaborate They were floating together near a table in the civilian commissary A snetic feet Inside it was a variety of tubes filled with protein and carbohydrate pastes in an array of colors and flavors Next to the box sat two bulbs Anna’s held tea Tilly’s coffee The officers’ mess, with its polite waiters, custom-cooked meals, and open bar, was a distant memory Tilly hadn’t had an alcoholic drink in several days Neither of the