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Alex looked over at Clarissa and grinned

“The captain doesn’t like the fake coffee the Roci as”

Clarissa didn’t answer She wasn’t sure she was supposed to

“It does not,” Holden said “That was one time”

“More than once, Cap’n,” Amos said “And no offense, but it does smell like a squirrel crawled up your ass and died there”

“Okay,” Holden said, “you’ve got no room to complain As I recall, I was the one who cleaned your bunk after that experiot a point,” Alex said “That was da, that’s true,” Amos said, his expression philosophical, “but I’d still put that against the captain’s coffee farts”

Alex ainst his pal a rude sound Naomi looked froh or smack them

“I don’t get gas,” Holden said “I just like the taste of real coffee better”

Naomi put her hand on Clarissa’s forearentle and unexpected

“Have I mentioned how nice it is to have another woman on the ship?” she asked

It was a joke Clarissa understood that But it was a joke that included her, and her tears surprised her

“I appreciate your saying all that about Bull,” a h the ship, didn’t recognize it An unfae sound in her bedroom She paused “He was a friend for a lot of years, and… and I’ll led back toward the other crew cabins Holden’s door was open, and he sat in his crash couch, looking up at his monitor Instead of the tactical display of the ships, the stations, the Rings, a nized Fred Johnson, traitor to Earth and head of the Outer Planets Alliance The Butcher of Anderson Station He looked old, his hair alone to white, and his eyes the yellow color of old ivory

“I asked a lot froave a lot back toI have a bad habit, Captain, of askinght have done so like that with you”

“Gee, you think?” Holden said to the screen, though as far as she could see he wasn’t recording

“If I did, I apologize Just between us One coret soure you can relate to that in your oay