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"You already know that We saw no option but to leave"

"Your reasoning?"

"There were no rescue craft in sight There was a disease risk with so many bodies around We needed another option"

TWENTY-SIX

LILAC

BY THE AFTERNOON OF THE SECOND DAY, I have to threaten to sit on Tarver’s chest to keep hi, the speculative look--and thoughtful silence--that follow that threat convincehiirlfriend in his delirium, there’s not much that’ll make me blush I let him sit up and shave, as a co a little ree that our best e point and scout the area For the first ti term If they knehere ere, someone would be here, at the wreck, to rescue us The Icarus must not have transmitted her location before she was destroyed Not even the all-powerful Monsieur LaRoux could find us now--though I have no doubt he’ll take the galaxy apart trying, even if it’s only to rave

We need a place near the Icarus, in case anyone does show up and land to inspect the wreck in the future, but we can’t stay this close Not to all those bodies, not with the air full of burned cheround littered with shrapnel

We scale the outside of the wreck, ai the ship sigh and moan in protest Tarver says that the Icarus will have done h The way the hull has splintered, the path is relatively easy, with plenty of handholds and places to rest Still, Tarver is pale and sweating by the ti on the sloping surface of the top of the ship, steadying led co for a place to live

And the thought doesn’t hurt

I could never admit it to hi for Tarver to catch up, there’s nowhere I’d rather be After all, aits for me on the other side of rescue? My friends would scarcely recognize ossip and parties leaves ood as a shared ration bar after a long hike, washed doith mountain-fresh water And while I wouldn’t say no to a hot bath, I’ht, with Tarver there at rief-stricken, that causes e around for the canteen When Tarver joinsheavily, gives hi of his hands

To the east are the , and I wonder how Tarver ever convinced o into them Maybe it was just that I was too naive to realize how hard the passage would be

The camp below looks like a doll’s play set I can’t see the dirty bandages, the ration bar wrappers The river and its ribbon of trees lead away fro my eyes from the sun, I can almost make out what seems to be an ocean, or some kind of salt flat, just visible at the horizon In the other direction, the hills roll on like waves, growing se of a vast forest It’s like a painting, so out of a dusty museum I’ve never seen so much open space in ling for breath in air that’s suddenly too rich A hand at the srip the htly I turn and see Tarver, pale but s