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He makes a small attempt to free his arm to test how badly I want to hold on to hiirl a drink So why don’t you let o our separate ways and dreaht’ve been?"

I clench hten--I can feel the tense , but I’o to HQ and chat there?"

The lance at his hand It’s eht, and suddenly there’s so into un tucked inside his shirt Goddammit It’s ancient, a tarnished ballistics weapon, not one of the sleek Gleidels I’ a jacket despite the heat inside the bar The long sleeves are concealing his genetag tattoo, the spiral design on the forearet at birth

"Sorry" He leans close to un between us "I really did just want to pay for your drink and get out of here"

Beyond hi and occasionally peeking our way Though half of them are well into their twenties, they still act like a bunch of gossips Mori, one of my oldest soldiers, meets my eyes for a hway too interested in the wall Frouy drape hi a little action for once Troops cycle in and out of Avon so often that all of those here have only known the past few months’ ceasefire--their senses aren’t battle-sharpened They’re not suspicious enough

"Are you kidding h that he could easily shootto work"

"You haven’t really given lances down at the holster on un on the stool there Slowly"

I roll lasses and watching the holovid over the end of the bar I try to catch so er to tell stories later about how they saw Captain Chase get picked up at Molly’s My abductor shields me with his body as I reach for my Gleidel and set it dohere he indicates He wraps a hand aroundme toward the door "Shall we?"

"You’re an idiot" I clenchinto le to test his grip and the distribution of his weight There--he’s leaning a little too far forward I tenserunts, and the barrel of the gun digs o He’s good Damn, damn, DAMN

"You’re not the first person to say so," he says, breathing a little faster

"Fine--ow, I’, okay?" I let him steer me toward the door I could call his bluff, but if he’s stupid enough to bring a gun onto a h to fire it And if this blows up into a firefight, et hurt

Besides, someone will stop us Alexi, surely--he knows un--someone will reuys She doesn’t leave the bar with anyone So

But no one does As the door swings closed behind us, I hear a low sound of whistles and catcalls in the bar aslike a bunch of old hens Bastards, I think furiously I’, you’ll wish YOU had been carried off by a rebel

Because that’s who this is I don’t kno he knows Shakespeare, or where he got his training, but he’s got to be one of the swamp rats They call themselves the Fianna--warriors--but they’re all just bloodthirsty lawbreakers Who else would dare infiltrate the base with nothing but a pistol that looks like it’s froer of hi into mindless violence, since Avon’s deadly Fury only affects off-worlders I only have to worry about the average, everyday violence that cos me off the main path and into the shadows between the bar and the supply shed next door Then it hitsI’ captured by a rebel I’ain, because I’ll be dead bythe blade of the pink plastic cocktail sword deep into the guy’s thigh Before he has tie twist and snap off the hilt, leaving the hot-pink plastic eht

The boys are playing with firecrackers in the alley, stolen froh a hole in the wall, her face pressed against the cru brick Yesterday it was the Lutheran priest’s turn in the te, and it’s herat the end of the street to match too-distant memories of traditional ceremonies on Earth