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“There’s someone I’d like you to talk to,” she said

Chapter Thirty-Two: Anna

T

he security force had couns and restraints for Melba Or Clarissa Whoever she was Then,the Rocinante’s crew

Anna’s own ride arrived alht, but not a priority The way things had all con things were going well for her

When she arrived on the Behemoth, she had expected to see someone froh, maybe Naomi and the other two crewmen from the Rocinante

Hector Cortez stood in the shuttle bay He smiled when he saw her and raised his hand in a little wave of greeting Thedays: careful and a little aard She thought Cortez had aged a decade in a few days, then realized he must have been injured in the catastrophe

“Anna,” he said “I alad to see you”

The Behe a vertigo-inducing false gravity Anna’s feet told her that she was standing on solid ground Her inner ear argued that she was falling over sideways, and kept trying to get her to tilt her body the other direction It wasn’t enough tofeel a little surreal Having Hector Cortez, celebrity and s any less dreaood to see you too,” she said “I didn’t know you were on the Behemoth”

“We’ve all come,” he said “They’ve left the smallest of crews on the Thomas Prince, and we’ve all come here All of us that are left We’ve lost so many I attended services yesterday for the fallen Father Michel Rabbi Black Paolo Sedon”

Anna felt a little twinge of dread

“Alonzo Guzman?”

Cortez shook his head

“Neither alive nor dead,” he said “They have him in a medical coma, but he’s not expected to survive”

Anna re eyes If she’d only found help for him sooner…

“I’m sorry to have missed that service,” she said

“I know,” Cortez said “It’s why I wanted to meet you May I ith you?”

“Of course,” Anna said “But I don’t knohere I’ive you the basic orientation,” the oldhis hand toward the shuttle bay “Colory of the lift system”

Anna chuckled and let hi, but not striding He seemed like a different person than the one who’d called the three factions of hu and into the unknown It was ht it was important that those of us ere part of the petition speak at the service,” he said “I wanted our regret to have a voice”

“Our regret?”