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“You knohat I think? I don’t think you’re a professional I think you’re an aot away froo fro this catatonia shit, and you’re going to get killed Do you understand what I’ coach would have called a thorough range Deep as gravel, but with reedy overtones It was the kind of voice she’d expect in avoice had always been a little reedy too, like her father’s Petyr, poor thing, had never been able to hold a melody The others—Michael, Anthea, Julie, Mother—had all had very pure voices Like flutes The proble pure Even sorrow sounded posed and over-lovely when the flute was expressing it Reeds had that deeper buzz, that dirtiness, and it gave the sound authenticity She and her father were reeds

“Corin?” the ?”

The woun picked up the hand terminal, looked down at Melba, and then into the screen

“I don’t think so, chief”

“The doctor said there wasn’t any brain daht, though”

The sigh carried

“Okay,” the o froot an idea, but you should come back in first”

“Sa sa,” the woain They were narrow enough to keep a horse’s hoof froetting its leg stuck, panicking That would be bad Better to avoid the probleet out Someone had said that to her once, but she didn’t knoho

“Hey Hey,” the other prisoner said He wasn’t shouting, just talking loud enough that his voice carried “Was that true? You have glandular implants? Can you break the door? I’et me out of here, I can help you”

Julie had been the best singer, except that she wouldn’t do it Didn’t like perfor Father had been the perfors to be sung He was always the one to direct the poses when the family pictures were taken He was a et it Only he was in prison now Not even a name, only a number She wondered whether his cell was like hers It would be nice if it was Only his would be under a full g, of course The spin gravity wasn’t even up to a half g Maybe a third, maybe even less Like Mars or Ceres Funny that of all the places huravity It was like if you could escape fro

“Are you there? Are you awake? I saw theet you amnesty And protection They can’t extradite from Ceres”

That wasn’t true, and she knew it Annoyance almost moved her to speak Moved her to le sheet of poly, forainst the floor like this, the drain was hardly more than a black line in a field of white A crow on a frozen lake